So, I want to blog again
Goal: I want to build a web site that
Huh. That first line was something Livejournal auto-saved as a draft from god-knows-when. I'm dying to know what would have come next!
Anyway, I'm back on my old, dusty blog (last post was 2009) because I will have some things to get off my chest in the near future. I am a little afraid of what posts you might find if you dig down into the past, but you know, these have been out in the public for years without a subpoena or lawsuit. (I'm kidding, there's nothing too interesting back in my past.)
My wife Julia is pregnant with our second child. Our first is Lucy, who's 4 years old. Our second is 13 weeks along, and we just found out that he or she has spina bifida. This is really and truly the first thing we know about this kid, aside from its existence. We don't know its gender, name, disposition, or anything else. In chronological order, it goes: Spina Bifida > Gender, name, personality, and cut of the inheritance. [Note, when I'm anxious, I tend to try and joke to lighten the mood. I am liable to do that here and in real life and might step into something that someone might misinterpret, or find offensive... Sorry about that.] Anyway, isn't that just stupidly unfair for this kid? When you introduce yourself to someone, nobody expects you to lead with your medical difficulties. "Hi, I have anxiety and my name is Mark."
Julia found a great quote from a medical website, saying that spina bifida will not be the most interesting thing about your child. I think we both have clutched onto that sentiment because right now, there isn't a lot else in the dossier. If you widen your view a little bit though, that's not as true, and not as troubling. We know that the baby has a compassionate, brave, and caring big sister, and parents who love and trust each other. If you zoom out more, you'll see quite a cabal of family and friends who (it feels to me like) have already thrown their hearts in the collection basket. Many of the folks who have shown that they care this week have already had to do so for other loved ones. We are not the only little family facing big challenges.
And actually, we know so little that we can't even guess at how big or small the challenges will be. We have only a rough idea that in the near-term there will be extra doctor's visits, extra scrutiny, and extra worry (that's my superpower, by the way). There will be other things to tackle too, when the time comes, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic knowing who's on the team.
We have a doctor's visit at the end of the month to find out a lot more. But before that, we are headed to Yosemite this next weekend! The weather forecast looks terrific (no wild fires - third time's the charm), and it will be a welcome chance to chill and get out and away.
Huh. That first line was something Livejournal auto-saved as a draft from god-knows-when. I'm dying to know what would have come next!
Anyway, I'm back on my old, dusty blog (last post was 2009) because I will have some things to get off my chest in the near future. I am a little afraid of what posts you might find if you dig down into the past, but you know, these have been out in the public for years without a subpoena or lawsuit. (I'm kidding, there's nothing too interesting back in my past.)
My wife Julia is pregnant with our second child. Our first is Lucy, who's 4 years old. Our second is 13 weeks along, and we just found out that he or she has spina bifida. This is really and truly the first thing we know about this kid, aside from its existence. We don't know its gender, name, disposition, or anything else. In chronological order, it goes: Spina Bifida > Gender, name, personality, and cut of the inheritance. [Note, when I'm anxious, I tend to try and joke to lighten the mood. I am liable to do that here and in real life and might step into something that someone might misinterpret, or find offensive... Sorry about that.] Anyway, isn't that just stupidly unfair for this kid? When you introduce yourself to someone, nobody expects you to lead with your medical difficulties. "Hi, I have anxiety and my name is Mark."
Julia found a great quote from a medical website, saying that spina bifida will not be the most interesting thing about your child. I think we both have clutched onto that sentiment because right now, there isn't a lot else in the dossier. If you widen your view a little bit though, that's not as true, and not as troubling. We know that the baby has a compassionate, brave, and caring big sister, and parents who love and trust each other. If you zoom out more, you'll see quite a cabal of family and friends who (it feels to me like) have already thrown their hearts in the collection basket. Many of the folks who have shown that they care this week have already had to do so for other loved ones. We are not the only little family facing big challenges.
And actually, we know so little that we can't even guess at how big or small the challenges will be. We have only a rough idea that in the near-term there will be extra doctor's visits, extra scrutiny, and extra worry (that's my superpower, by the way). There will be other things to tackle too, when the time comes, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic knowing who's on the team.
We have a doctor's visit at the end of the month to find out a lot more. But before that, we are headed to Yosemite this next weekend! The weather forecast looks terrific (no wild fires - third time's the charm), and it will be a welcome chance to chill and get out and away.