Exciting News!

It turns out that next Father's Day, our family will have another father to celebrate because Nate and Ashley are expecting a baby!  Look how excited they are about it!!  Okay, to be fair, I stole this picture from Ashley's facebook page.  But in any case, this is about how I remember them looking when they got me and Nora on video chat to announce that their baby is due to arrive December 20.  I kept saying "Nora! You're getting a cousin!  You're going to have a cousin!" for about two hours before it occurred to me that this will also make me an aunt!


I was glad to hear that Ashley had made it safely through the first trimester without too much illness or discomfort and that she continues to feel better as the weeks go on.  They showed me the first ultrasound and have subsequently heard the baby's heartbeat and taken an over-the-counter gender prediction test.  I don't know how accurate those are though so I will be waiting until the 20 week ultrasound to find out more definitively if it's a boy or a girl.  I had already been looking forward to our July trip to Oregon to see Nate and Ashley, their new home in Bend, and the pub Nate owns with his investment group.  Now I am extra excited to see them to hear all about how pregnancy is treating Ashley and what new plans they have made for their lives once they "officially" become a little family.  (Though they might say they already are one because they have three dog children, and I can certainly relate to how dogs make you feel like a family unit.)  I also hope Nora, Billy, and I will be able to travel west this winter to meet the new little cousin/neice/nephew.  Good news, guys: I already made everyone in our family get their pertussis shots! : )


It has been fun for me to hear about how Nate's life has changed since he and Ashley moved in together about a year ago, and although living on the opposite coast has made it hard to get to know her better, it definitely seems like everything has begun falling into place for Nate since they've been together.  As a new parent myself, I am so excited to see how Baby C enhances their lives.  I am sure they are going to make great parents and that their baby will be well loved.  Ashley has a bunch of younger siblings, so she is going to be much more prepared for the daily rigors of motherhood than I was.  Nate has always been great with little kids, and though I wouldn't have known how great he can be with babies, he was so enamored with Nora when he came to visit us shortly after she was born that I know he will be a natural from the start.

I've just finished Mary Austin's autobiography, Earth Horizon, and you may remember that her short story, "The Walking Woman," figured prominently in my decision to have a child while still in grad school.  She writes "a child; any way you get it, a child is good to have, say nature and the Walking Woman; to have it and not to wait upon a proper concurrence of so many decorations that the event may not come at all."  If a child is good to have under any circumstances, a baby being born to two loving and devoted parents is certainly reason to celebrate!
Congratulations, Nate and Ashley!  I will be sending positive energy your way for a healthy and happy pregnancy.  I can't wait to meet your baby and I look forward to learning from your experiences as new parents!  Can't wait to see you in a few weeks to congratulate you in person!


(I do not know what is wrong with the formatting in this post.  At least now it's legible.)