Meet Rick

Just like Whitney, I have always dreamt of being a parent.  I was blessed with a wonderful family growing up (and still am) and couldn't wait to start my own some day. 

I knew I wanted to take a lot of the traditions and such from the "originals" (as my siblings and I declare ourselves).  However, after falling for my bride, I also knew that I would have a fun, unique, and at times, peculiar little family with traditions of our own.  I was ready to be a dad since Whitney and I got married in 2010.  I was so excited to take on the role of being a dad and I was just as excited to see Whitney become a mom. I couldn't have been more excited to experience parenthood together!  

Through Whitney's pregnancy, I was able to take in the first stages of becoming a parent.  I won't take you through the entire experience of us finding out, since Whitney already did that in her first post (here), but let's just say it wasn't expected!  My initial emotions were excitement, shock, and fear all rolled into one little bean sprout.  However, as we progressed through the pregnancy, we began to feel more confident and prepared in our journey of becoming parents.  

Here are some key moments in my journey to becoming a dad:

1. "+" = BABY! -- When Whitney had purchased the pregnancy test, it still felt like having a baby was just a someday, but it was when that "+" showed up in that little window, reality smacked me in the face!!
   
2. The initial ultrasound -- this was such an AMAZING experience. Obviously, at the beginning I didn't see, feel, or hear anything (Although, I know poor Whitney definitely felt something!), so you almost feel as if you might be making things up in your head -- "did I dream this?!!".  Then, there was proof!  It is so awesome to see God's little gift to us.  It became real...real quick!
3. Seeing Whitney's baby bump start to take shape -- For a while, Whitney continued to tell me she was just bloated.  I knew my little human was growing though! I loved seeing this transformation throughout her pregnancy.
4. Gifts, gifts, and more gifts! -- We are so blessed to have so many thoughtful friends and family.  We were overwhelmed with such generosity.  HOWEVER, seeing all of these gifts and as the baby room began to come together, it really woke me up and that's when I realized, I Guess I'm Due! 
   
   Don't worry, it only took about 4 coats of paint (including primer) to cover the nasty dark, dark blue that formerly graced these walls.
5. "The Kick" -- wow, what an unbelievable feeling this is!  I felt as though this was my first connection with my little human.  I know moms have that immediate connection with their unborn child, but this was it for me.  Feeling 'it' kick brought me to tears.  Up to that point, this was probably the most significant moment in Whitney's pregnancy for me.

As you know, Whitney and I made the decision to not find out the sex of our baby ahead of time, so there was mystery and excitement up until the very end!  From my perspective, pregnancy was fun and exciting (I can just hear Whitney saying, "Maybe for you it was!!"), but it was also taking me from being the "baby daddy" to being "the Dad".  Whitney was such a trooper through the whole pregnancy, and in the end, through all of the aches, pains, & nausea, I know it was completely worth it to her (...and I certainly couldn't be happier).  Abram is so sweet and has started interacting so much more.  I'm no longer feeling his kicks, but now I see his eyes lock into mine and I know he sees me as "his Dad". Which then brings out a huge smile from both of us.  What a blessing this little guy is! 

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