And so it begins

So yeah, now you know! Claire and I are having a baby :D We are OVER THE MOON about it, and so very, very excited. And terrified.

We'd been planning this little miracle for over a year, and talking about it for a year before that. We'd decided to get my 30th birthday out of the way, and then GO FOR IT! Full steam ahead! We treated ourselves to a 5 star holiday in Cyprus (as it was likely to be our last holiday for a while!) and spent 2 glorious weeks relaxing in the sun. The day after we got back, we decided to take a test.

We didn't want to get our hopes up only to be disappointed, but after only a few seconds it was pretty clear what the result was: POSITIVE. I can't begin to describe the thoughts and feelings that swept through me at that moment. All I could do was cling to Claire and she clung to me, and let the emotion wash over me. I'm going to be a father. And I'm pretty sure it's going to be a boy.

We'd talked so much about having a little girl because my brother and his wife have a daughter, as do our close friends Jim and Becky, so we'd had the chance to glimpse what having a daughter would be like, and we loved the idea. But the more time goes on the more I'm convinced it'll be a boy.

Of course, as I write this, we're only in week 8, so there's a 50/50 chance I could be proven wrong, but the sex is decided at the moment of conception, so that decision has already been made, so isn't it possible that I could somehow instinctively know what the sex is? It's not like I'm looking into the future, the decision has been made - I'm sure of it, it's a boy.

So now what? Well, as I said we're in week 8. We just had our "early bird" group meeting to discuss what the next medical appointments will involve, and generally what the next 7 months will bring. Claire's battling with morning sickness day and night, but it should only last a few more weeks. And in about a month we'll be having our first scan, which is when we'll reveal our little secret to the world and this blog will go live. I can't wait to see our baby for the first time. And I can't help but hope he's giving me a thumbsup.

So, to finish off this first post, here's what our little bundle looks like right now: