It was all his idea...

On Christmas day, my partner D, and I surprised our family (and our friends) with some big news: I'm 14 weeks pregnant.  D wanted to suprise both sets of parents by putting a little photo of the 13-week sonogram in a box, wrapping it, giving it to the parents, and watching the recation.  He wanted a 'Mass Effect." I didn't have a better idea, so I just went with it.

We told my Dad and his wife first.  They were properly surprised.  I think my Dad was a little shocked.  I'm not sure why.  He's already got 2 granddaughters.  But maybe he wasn't as overwhelmed as I thought.  I often misinterpret the reactions of others.  Damn it, Jim, I'm an accountant, not a psychologist.

We told D's family after that.  What a difference.  You'd think a bomb went off.  There was screaming. There was crying.  I was hugged by strangers.  I'm pretty sure D and I were the only ones who didn't cry.  After that experience (oh, and a barrage or unwanted advice), I wanted to go the gym and run a mile just to work off all the adrenaline still coursing through my veins.  I went through every breathing exercise I could think of to stave off the impending panic attack. 

Back at home, I performed Stage 3 of the 'big reveal:' Facebook.  That was much more rewarding and involved no touching.

So, here's a picture of our offspring-in-progress at 13 weeks.  I've always been rubbish at interpreting sonogram pictures, so I had to ask the nurse, "What's the crescent thing by its head?" That would be a hand.  Cute, right?

So, finally, I present our current pregnancy FAQ list 

Q: Are you getting married?
A: Maybe. We're thoroughly committed to each other, but we're not completely sure the institution of marriage is for us.  On that note, if we do get married, there will definitely not be a wedding.

Q: If you get married, are you changing your name?
A: Yes. I wasn't going to at first, but since I'm having a family, complete with kid, I think it would simplify a lot of daily details if we all had the same last name.

Q: What's your due date?
A: June 22nd 2014

Q: Do you know the baby's sex?
A: Nope. We don't know. We're going to be as surprised as everyone else when it's born.

Q: Do you want a boy or a girl?
A: I keep switching.  I only have sisters, so sometimes I think I'd be more secure raising a girl, but I have friends with baby boys, and they're awesome too.

Q: Do you have any names picked out?
A: Nope. We haven't even had that conversation...well, not any serious conversation.  There have been a lot of non-serious conversations about joke names.

Q: Are you going to quit your job?
A: Nope.  Can't afford to.  We'll figure out some form of child care so that D and I are able to keep working. 

Q: Was this planned?
A: More or less.

Late Night Decisions

I haven't had a blog since livejournal.  I never posted to it regularly, and when I did, I was pretty embarrassed by what I'd written.  Of course, that was more than 10 years ago, and a lot of those issues have long since fallen by the wayside. 

Also, my life has recently taken some very interesting turns for the dramatic, the committed and the long-term.  If you're truly interested, stay tuned. 

Presently, I live in a little cabin on a little chunk of property in a little mountain town in central California with my partner and four cats.  We've been here together for about four years.  I call it the Creepy Compound because of how it looks.  Our cabin is next to the main house where my partner's brother and brother's girlfriend live. There are pick up trucks, a tractor, storage sheds, and a crazy amount of tools lying around.  To say it looks rustic would be charmingly generous.  It could be a convincing spot to film a horror movie, really.  And my partner could be a character in it.  You know, the old guy with a beard who warns the stupid teenagers, "Don't go down that road. Lotta history down that road."

To add to the charm, is a large automatic gate that says KEEP OUT.  We don't get any Jehovah's Witnesses. 

I've been tempted once or twice to walk around the property wearing a prairie dress to freak out the neighbors.  I haven't done that, but one spring, I did dig a patch of earth to plant a garden.  It looked less like a garden and more like a place where bodies were buried. 

So, I've named it The Creepy Compound.  I live here.