One Date, Two Date, Wed Date, Due Date

by Bryan Friedman in Daddy's Corner

Today, August 5, 2011, my daughter is due to enter the world. It’s not looking particularly promising that she will, given that Alison hasn’t gone into labor as of 3:00pm and I’m expecting it will likely last quite a bit more than 10 hours. Still, even without our daughter’s due date turning into her birth date, August 5 still marks a birth date of sorts. It was the day my relationship with Alison was born – it was our very first date six years ago.

When I walked up to Alison’s door in the evening on August 5, 2005, I’m not sure either of us necessarily imagined we would be married just under three years later, let alone expect to be expecting a little one exactly six years later. Yet here we are, [not so patiently] awaiting the arrival of the next big (read: enormous) step in our life together.

Duke's Early Date Night

I must say, the significance of a “dating anniversary” after you get married would seem to have a tendency to fade a bit, and I guess it probably has. I mean most men have trouble remembering one anniversary, let alone two. But for me, I don’t think this one could have come at a better time. Being able to reflect back on the last six years of my life and recognizing how much has changed, how much hasn’t, and just how lucky I am to be in the middle of a life I’d only dreamed of when I was younger, is exactly what I need to help put things in perspective a little bit while in the midst of feeling anxiety about when the baby will come.

While I have indeed shared the angst over when the baby will come, all the baby hubbub over the last few weeks (and months even) can sometimes have me forgetting what this is really all about. It’s just like the weeks leading up to our wedding when I was tearing my hair out because everything was chaotic – everybody was worrying about everything and if things would work out and what we would do if this or if that or what if this and if only that.

friedman_wedding2747.jpg

It was madness, but it didn’t matter quite exactly how it turned out, because looking back at our wedding, it truly was the best day of our lives so far – because ultimately it was really just Alison and me, together, starting our life as a couple. And so even though it’s madness now, it’s quite comforting to know that, no matter how and when this kid decides to show her face, we’re only days away from the new best day of our lives so far.

For now though, I’m going to take my wife out to dinner and enjoy one last celebration of us before “us” means more than just the two of us.

  1. Kevin Kirkpatrick
    8/5/2011 7:38 PM

    Well written Bryan. You two certainly are lucky. Congratulations, I can’t wait to see baby pictures. 🙂

  2. Alison
    8/5/2011 5:42 PM

    Goal #1: have the baby
    Goal #2: look that way again after said baby

    Love you, Bryan! And I love our tummy baby!!

  3. Marilyn Hollander
    8/5/2011 4:50 PM

    That is EXACTLY the right thing to do!