Welcome to our blog!!! Countdown to lil Rosario!!!
This is a blog about the life and experiences of myself (Joe), my lovely wife (Monica or Mo), our little bun in the oven (Rosario or Rosie or Ro), and don't forget about our super puppies (boxers Juno and Pax). I am surrounded by the a forcefield of estrogen.
Today is Saturday January 7th, 2012. My wife and I moved to Florida 6 months ago now and she is about one month away from poppin' out a baby. However, our plans were changed by some higher power prior to the move in May when we found out that we would be mommy and daddy. We moved because of better employment opportunities in the FLA. I am currently a teacher and a football/track coach taming the Jersey Shore watching delinquents of the world while my wife has a real job and is a life saving Respiratory Therapist at a world renown children's hospital. When we decided to move to Florida we had not planned on having a child yet...but so I guess we aren't good planners.
I always thought it would be a good idea to write some sort of journal tracking our experiences as parents together so here we are now...one month or so away. The last several months have been quite challenging for us and the little bun in the oven. We moved 1200 miles away from family and friends to the Suncoast of Florida. We are also 1200 miles away from the support (and constant judgement and sometimes suffocating support) from endearing (and sometimes suffocatingly endearing) large Italian and Lebanese families. If you have ever seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"...you understand the commentary and are not offended by the suffocating part.
We started new jobs and have been meeting new people. We have some family about a 4 hour drive away and they have been over to see us a couple of times which has been nice. About a month ago we then moved again from one home to another while we were down here. So for those who are counting we moved twice in 4 months. Consequently, my wife and I are embarking on our new lives together and are ever more dependent on each other for support.
This has been a challenging pregnancy for my wife. She is 5 foot 2 inches tall and weighed 102 pounds prior to the little mama started taking up residence in her belly. She has had every symptom imaginable when it comes to being preggers. Vomiting check, nausea, Zofran dependency, food aversions, ligament stretching that hospitalized her, severe swelling, pre-term labor hospitalization for early contractions, and so on and so on. The list is longer than an 8 year old's letter to Santa.
We have gone through many ups and downs this past year. If you think a woman has emotional swings during pregnancy...try taking one 1200 miles away from her family and friends and having her start a new job on top of all the hormonal alterations. Despite all of this, my wife has been a freaking champ. She worked 3 twelve our shifts in a row this week at the hospital. Her foot swelled up like the Goodyear Blimp getting ready to dispatch itself from the Rubber Capitol. And so it goes...she plugs along with the heart of a lioness.
I have been increasingly more helpful at home since we have moved and she has been in more need of my assistance. I have cooked more meals, cleaned up around the house, done laundry more often, etc. I have done so well at this we have discussed if necessary, I will be Daddy Day Care and she will be Mommy Wears-The-Pants for a couple years. This would never go over with the whole suffocating judgement of family thing but we are not at this stage yet...this is just a possibility down the road if needed thing. God forbid we mention that my wife makes more money than me and that would not make sense for her to give up her job. I hope we can both keep working while the baby is young and manage all of this and our expenses so this is a non issue.
So here we are...get ready...a baby is coming and we don't know how this will change our lives as we move forward...in the words of Shakespeare, "the Shiteth is about to Hiteth the Faneth." Did I mention I am obviously an exemplary English teacher..hence the solid quote here.
-new daddy
