h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Mostly Harmless!
You've been MOST friendly and MOST amusing on my 'Pregnant With Child' posting that I thought I'd stop by and say 'hi!' So you're one of the few from that big place called America. Never been myself, although I'm sure I will some day. Have you ever been to England? You say you have Irish blood. Both my parents are Irish, they from the West coast of Ireland, it's beautiful. How's life as a parent then? I'm both dreading it and looking forward to it, all I know is it's sure to be an amazing experience.
Speak soon!
Tigerlily

Hello Tigerlily,

Welcome to my place. I hope you found it all right and thank you for those MOST flattering words. Yes I'm one of those Americans. Although I have traveled quite a bit, it has all been in the states, except for the Northeastern US. I have never been out of the country. I would love to come to England and will do so someday. I would like to take an extended trip, England, Scotland, Ireland, and even France. I would like to see the family land in Scotland. Can I stay at your place when I come to England?

How's life as a parent? It's the hardest thing you will ever do, but the most rewarding. It is heartache and happiness. It is becoming so frustrated that you feel like you are about to explode, when a little one comes up hugs you and says that he loves you, ripping away all the bad feeling and replacing them with love and warmth in a split second. Saying it's an emotional roller coaster is an understatement. It's worrying about your level of discipline. It's thinking about what you want to teach him/her, what you have to teach him/her to be a good person. It about giving them the freedom to try and protecting them at the same time, it watching in amazement at how fast they grow and develop. It's about showing them the arts, the stars, the wonders of the natural world and the spiritual world. Nothing I can say will prepare you for the emotions that you are going to feel or cover everything you need to know.

Oh, here are some suggestions and warnings to beware of.

SUGGESTIONS:
Write your baby a letter welcoming it into the world and your feelings about it. We did this for our children and also had the grandparents and great-grandparents write letters to the baby and put them in the child's baby book / photo album. Also write letters on the day it is born and on every birthday and put them in the photo album for the child. That way when it grows up and is having a bad day it can read the letters and know that it is loved. Take a lot of pictures.

Rent Bill Cosby's "himself" he talks about birth and children. True and funny.

WARNINGS:
You may think that people that hurt children are scum now, but after you have your baby you will feel a unexpected/intense hated for these people. A slow and torturous death will be to good for them. You will see your child in the situation. I can't bear to watch the father and boy being shot in the conflict in the West Bank, Israel. It makes me cry .

Mothers will tell you about how bad their delivery was, and get two or more mothers together and they try to one up themselves, i.e. I was in labor for 12 hours. Oh yea, I was in labor for 24 hour and I had to stand on may head and sing "God save the Queen". Oh yea, well I had to ...... you get the point .

Well I hope I haven't scared you to bad, like life, parenthood is a lot about your attitude. Remember the baby you rock to sleep today will be going off the school tomorrow and colleague next week and will be getting married the week after that. They grow up fast, ENJOY TODAY.

Mostly

Oh wow - thanks for that advice!
It's so strange, the more I think about becoming a mother the weirder it seems. John and I are very independent really for a married couple. We have our own bank accounts (well we have a joint one too for savings) our own friends and social life (although I do occasionally suffer his friends) If one wants to do something, it's never a problem for the other (well within reason of course!) Then in just a few months we're going to be some little persons parents (it freaks me out!) We're going to have to learn to rely on eachother so much more. My whole life is about to change and to be honest, I don't know if I want it to. I've been told time and time again that once you have a child your whole attitude changes and that it's the greatest thing. At the moment I'm getting fat and feeling miserable so I'm going to take some convincing!
You'll need a hell of a holiday to see Ireland, England, Scotland and France! Ireland's beautiful and the people are lovely. I recommend the South West Coast (closest to America) places like Galway, Clare, Limerick and Kerry. I haven't seen as much as I'd like of my own country. London of course is a must (although I don't know how John would feel about a strange American man coming to stay!) Earlier this year I took part in a charity event called The Three Peaks Challenge. We had twenty four hours to climb the three highest mountains in Scotland (Ben Nevis) in the highlands, England (Scarfell Pike) in the Lake District and Wales (Snowdon) in North Wales. It was an amazing experience, the scenery was breath taking. If you come to the UK they're definately worth a look! I've been to Paris a couple of times and it's worth a visit but I found it expensive and when you've been once you've seen it all. It's dead handy, you can catch the Eurostar train from London which goes under the channel and straight into Paris.
Oh - at work and bored! What time is it your side of the world?
Speak soon!

I am 5 hours behind you (give or take an hour depending on daylight savings time), so right now as I write this it is 10:22 am.

Yes, you and John will need to become co-dependent. Taking care of a baby really takes two. You will be doing most of the work since you have the breast to feed the baby, but you will need to relay on John for support. Your hormones will be raging before and after the baby is born and you will be on an emotional roller coaster. Happiness and depression. You will think and will be told that you should be happy about the baby being here, but the hormones readjusting themselves can send you into depression (but not always). Don't worry it is normal, even though it is unpleasant. A supportive husband will be a big help.

You are not fat you are pregnant. My wife Mostly Harmless-ett is 5'4" and was a size 6 with a 34 c bra. After she get pregnant she jumped to a 36 d and when her milk came in she went to a 38 d. WOW, I was a happy man and she looked great in her Hard Rock Cafe' T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

When we take our trip we will probably take 3 or 4 weeks. See the major sites and do the tourist things. But it will be a few years before we get to go.

And finally yes, your whole life will change. I wouldn't change it for the world. You may not believe it now, but you will.

If you need any more advise just let me know. If I don't know I'll ask Mostly-ett.

Mostly

Tigerlily,

I finally get my picture posted on my homepage. WOO HOO!!! If you wish to see what I look like (it's a bad picture though) pull up my home page. I'll be putting up a better picture later.

Mostly