Reactions

This is how I felt after finding out we were having a baby. Equal parts fear and elation. (Off topic- apparently my life has been heavily influenced by movies. First 'Norbit,' and now pix of 'Home Alone' and 'Titanic.') I think Helen has been pretty psyched, too. We had lunch at a Vietnamese restuarant when she told me the official news after seeing her doctor and I barely remember what she said. It was a surreal feeling to know that something we had wanted to happen, happened (so quickly!) and that we would hopefully be parents by the end of the calendar year, whether we were ready or not.

The reactions of our family has been pretty much what we expected. My folks are happy, but with three grandkids already new babies are old news. The fact we live 3,000 miles away probably doesn't help matters. They are, however, excited their only son is going to have a baby, and I have a feeling in true Chinese fashion, they would be very happy if Norbit turns out to be a boy so he can carry on the family name.

Helen's parents are stoked since this will be their first grandchild, and they will see him or her quite a bit. I also think the parents of the mom-to-be may have a deeper bond with the grandchild for some reason.

We have also told some very close friends and other family members about the news, and all have been very happy for us. It's fun to see the reactions on peoples' faces when we tell them. Jaws drop, eyes get wide, and there are hugs aplenty to go around.

Despite all this elation, I sometimes wonder and worry about whether other people will think we're being boastful somehow, if are we being insensitive to people who do not have kids and want them or boring those who don't want to hear about our experience. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where the new mom kept telling Jerry 'you gotta see the baby.' I sure hope we're not like that.