Day 33 - July 10, 2012

We're in the 10th week now and the baby's the size of a prune, apparently. Allison and I are schedule to go back in for some kind of important test on the 17th, which is next Tuesday. She says it's not going to be the "big" one, where we do the sonogram and can potentially find out the gender. That one's schedule for July 27th, apparently. Still, I remain cautiously prepared, since the last time they kind of sidelined us with a sonogram that was supposed to only be a blood test!

We told all our friends on Saturday, so most people know about it at this point. We're not actively hiding it from anyone, we just kind of wanted to let word-of-mouth do its thing at this point. As for the announcement, about 8 of our close friends come with us to dinner at the Red Sky Restaurant, a new place my old high-school friend James opened up in Keyport. Allie and Will already knew from being told the previous week, but other than it came as a surprise to the rest of the group, consisting of Jon Moore, Natalie, Nees, Sara, and Sean Louis. My friend Nees inadvertently goaded me into making a toast, which seems to be my thing these days. I toasted the group, reminded everyone that the last time I made a toast I proposed to Allison, and then layed it on them.

Everyone was very excited for us. Telling friends is different from telling family, they have a different kind of emotional investment. With family, it's all about a new generation, a continued bloodline; parents becoming grandparents, siblings becoming aunts and uncles, etc. In almost like it's part of themselves. With friends, I feel there are different things playing into it. Some friends get nostalgic, thinking back to our younger days and realizing how far we've come. Some people take in the experience, putting it in perspective with their own life, their own relationships, their personal journey of "growing up". I imagine some friends think about how the change in our lives will change our relationship with them, for better or worse. It's a rich and emotionally diverse experience, sharing this part of my life with my friends. Getting to see so many close friends at once, and see their reactions to this great news, has made me even more appreciative that I've chosen such awesome people to be a part of my life.