Our son, doing his pouty face!
Ponies or dinosaurs? Tea parties or Tonka trucks? Dodger blue or…well, Dodger pink? I was asking myself these questions as I sat in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. My wife Jessica was sitting next to me, patiently waiting for her name to be called. It was ultrasound day, and we were just minutes away from finding out the gender of our baby! We made small talk, both of us trying to hide our nerves. The last time I was that nervous and anxious was when we said our “I do’s.” I thought back to the now 100 times that we’d been asked if we knew the gender and if we had a preference. My answer had always been “No, I don’t have a preference, as long as the baby is healthy.” But sitting there, faced with the upcoming revelation, I admitted to myself that having a boy would be pretty cool. By now my mom, my sister, and Jessica’s mom and sister had arrived at the waiting room. Yes, we brought a cheering section. A nurse came out and called my wife; I gave Jessica a kiss and hug before she disappeared through the door.
The fathers don’t get to go inside for the initial examination. So I sat in the waiting room with all the women for what seemed like an eternity (I’m sure it was like 5 minutes). The nurse came back and ushered me down a hall into a dimly-lit room. Jessica was on a special chair-bed thing with her shirt up off of her abdomen, which was greased up like a buttery dinner roll. The nurse said “Here we go” (Bud Light not included) and began operating the ultrasound. It took her about 5 seconds of adjustment until she settled on an image. She smiled and asked us “Do you know what that is?” On the screen was our answer: the stem on the apple, the spout on the teapot, the bo staff on our little ninja! “It’s a boy!” Jessica and I said together, trying not to yell.
The rest of the ultrasound was a blur. The nurse showed us our son’s brain, heart, spine, hands, feet, and even his little pouty face. I caught myself several times saying “Look at HIS hand” or “That’s HIS foot.” HIS. OUR SON. The feeling was beyond belief. The nurse printed out a strip of images for us, congratulated us, and sent us on our way. As we passed through the door into the waiting room, our family members let out a collective shriek (oh, ladies). My mom snapped photos, my sister clapped, and they all had giant smiles and looks of anticipation. But Jessica and I had a plan as to how we would reveal the news!
We all walked out of the doctor’s office, our family imploring us to tell them what the baby is. Once outside, I reached into a bag I had brought and pulled out two pairs of baby shoes; a pair of pink ballets slippers and a pair of blue low top sneakers. I alternated holding each pair up, teasingly asking “Is it a boy or a girl?” The women cast their votes, first with “Yesses,” then just more shreiks and applause as I kept going back and forth. I felt like a mascot at a sporting event, pumping the crowd into a cheering competition. Finally, I said “Ok Mommy, tell them what it is!” Jessica smiled and grabbed the blue pair, announcing “It’s a boy!” The next 15 minutes were full of repeated cheers of happiness, smiles, tears, and kisses. And that was just from my mom!
I could easily say that it was one of the best days I’ve ever experienced. Finding out about our son was a huge milestone. Being able to put a “face” to the little one growing inside Jessica’s body is moving. Knowing that our son will always carry the family name fills me with pride. Having a little guy to play and watch sports with makes me want to do a backflip (I won’t really attempt the flip). One day I hope to have a daughter. But today, on this day, Ninja Baby is coming. And he’s bringing dump trucks, baseball bats, and action figures with him. That’s our baby. That’s our son!