I am going to be a father!!!

I was in my parents’ house in Bulacan Friday evening (Nov 16), waiting for my wife to come from
work. We have not seen each other since Wednesday morning and we were both excited, not just because we missed each other, but also because we wanted to
confirm something. She has missed her period.

She arrived half past eight, and she already bought a test kit on her way home. We read the packaging and to our dismay, it recommended to obtain a weewee sample early in the morning, when the concentration of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is highest in the urine. Ugh, I’m a nurse, and I should know that! I guess, when you are excited, you tend to forget a lot of things… And so we decided to postpone the  testing till the next morning.

For the last months, it was almost every day that we were asked by our friends and relatives as to whether she is already pregnant or not. Everybody was just expectant as much as we were. It was frustrating at times, especially if her period arrives. We would just hug and comfort each other reassuring ouselves that God has a definite time for that.

I wonder how we fell asleep that night. We kept on talking “what if” dialogues. We sensed that we were not alone together anymore. It’s a vague, but inescapable feeling that nothing will be the same. We suspected that a baby might be on the way! Although it was still unconfirmed, intuitively, we knew that it was true.

Just five months ago, Didith marched up the aisle to me, her beautiful face and brushed-up hair framed in bridal white. Up to this day, I still get the thrill of hearing “Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Bautista” and thinking of myself as her husband. I have adjusted to be being a married man. Now I feel I need to start adjusting being called a “daddy” and having a son or a daughter.

The following morning came and we were both excited to get up. We are usually sluggish in the  morning, finding it so difficult to get up and get ready to work, especially if we are in our Antipolo house. But that Saturday morning was different. Although I really needed to get up early for my work (I work on weekends), the reason to rise early was more inviting.

We both decided to do the testing in our bedroom. The bathroom is downstairs and my parents would catch us doing our thing there. We did not want them to get disappointed as well, if a negative result comes out, so we decided to do it more privately. I accompanied my wife to the bathroom door and gave her a small plastic cup so she could collect a sample of her morning weewee. We then went back to our
room.

After preparing the pregnancy test kit on top of our bed, we drew a sample of the urine using the pipette supplied in the package. We placed five drops on the small window at the lower part of the device.

In about 3 minutes, two distinct purple bands appear one after the other on the adjacent window of the device. The first band was a bit pale, and we got confused in a while. But after confirming with the packaging that the pale band still indicates a
positive result, we then concluded that our strong suspicion has been confirmed. My wife was indeed PREGNANT! It was a beautiful and intimate way to share the first certain knowledge that we were no longer simply ‘us’.

It was one of my happiest moment. But the crappy luck I have dealt with my whole life trained me to subconsciously suppress excitement for a yet to internalize the situation.
Seconds later, I felt happiness surround me. My wife was just as glad. The room  was filled with so much joy and love. We thanked the Lord for this great blessing of a new life.

After I dressed up for work, we went to my parents and announced the big news. They were ecstatic as ever! It’s their grandchild!

I went to work as expected. Everybody in the hospital noticed my very pleasant mood, as if a smiley was painted on my face. Who could blame me, I was in 7^th heaven. I was supposed to work 16 hours that day (8 hours in B.A. Hospital and 8 hours in Dr. Yanga’s Hospital), but I had to cut it short a bit to get home early. I just could not wait to be home and be with my family.

They say that marriage is a union of two souls. Literally, word for word, it is difficult to
understand. I found it hard to comprehend in the past. Immediately after marriage , I defined the union of two souls as the sharing of life, love and happiness. The union of souls is two separate souls becoming one in a balanced harmony. But now I believe that it is all of that and more. It is the creation of new life. A life that will possess a part of each of the two souls. A life that will be brought forth in the form of a child. I now know that a piece of my soul has been absorbed, combined, or intertwined with that of my wife’s. I now know that a piece of my soul has joined a piece of hers and created a new life to symbolize that union.

The day ended, but not my joy. I know that day was the beginning of some major changes in my life, but it will also be the start of a long, and happy journey ahead.