Fear the Crab

Typically today is the deadline for filing IRS tax returns, so despite this year’s extension I still consider it the penultimate life-changing moment that can make or break a person’s financial standing.

It’s all that and more for me at this point, because if all goes well, come late October I will be able to claim a dependent in my household. This cranky crab is going to welcome a broodling.

We found out early March, and went through a series of scheduling and rescheduling tests and appointments. The biggest one for me was the first ultrasound, which kept getting pushed back and back until it took place on April 1st, of all days.

Prior to the ultrasound, the idea of pregnancy and parenthood was really an amorphous, intangible concept. It’s like reading a recipe on paper and having an idea of what’s supposed to happen next and what the end result will be. I think I spent a few hours considering the logical steps of what I’d be doing for the next several month, and years beyond. And really, that’s all it amounted to; just the jumbled random thoughts littering the avenues of what can and might be.

But seeing the image on the ultrasound screen slowly reveal the bean-shaped fetus and its tiny beating heart, shit got real. That was a moment for both myself and Maile, when despite all logic and prior readings of What to Expect When You’re Expecting, that the excitement kicked in. And we understood that this tiny little parasite was gonna be family.

So. That’s pretty cool. I think I’m going to enjoy this next stage in my life. And at the very least, I’ll have something to share and/or complain about with my friends, family, and co-workers. And maybe I’ll get to sing a little lullaby.