| Dad's Diary |
| The Original Announcement |
| Subject: You're What? Dear Friends, I apologize for the mass nature of this e-mail, but if I don't do it this way, it will take me forever to personally tell you the news. As you may have guessed by the subject line, Erika and I are now officially expecting our first child. It was a bit of a surprise, but one we are thrilled to have. The prospect of bringing a new life into the world is both exciting and downright scary. It's truly an incredible feeling! Erika is only about 7 weeks along with a due date in late May. We know that it is somewhat traditional to keep a pregnancy a secret until about 12 weeks in, due to the risk of miscarriage. However, we both feel that we should share all our important news, good or bad, with our closest friends. So, we are jumping the gun a little on announcing the news. Naturally, the first thing I did when I found out the news was to start searching the Internet for pregnancy information. Admittedly, I have absolutely zero experience with preganancy and parenting. None. Never even held an infant. There is a ton of information out there and it's been very helpful, if only to reassure me that this can be done successfully! However, I was a little disappointed to find that there is a lack of information out there, both on-line and in the bookstore, from the perspective of the expectant father. I found a few diaries and web sites, but nothing that I would consider comprehensive. So, I starting thinking and came up with the idea of keeping my own pregnancy journal. I think such a journal would help me filter my own thoughts and feelings about pregnancy, childbirth, and impending parenthood, and be kind of fun to write. I also thought, perhaps selfishly, that our friends might like to receive my journal entries to see how an expectant father reacts to pregnancy. So, I am asking if you would want to receive my own "expectant father diary." If you think is a cool idea and would be interested in reading my innermost thoughts over the next 8 months, let me know. If you think it's a stupid idea and would rather pull nose hairs than read such drivel, let me know that, too. And, if I don't hear from you, I'll assume you're not interested! Thanks for listening and take care. |
| This is the message Ray sent out to announce the pregancy and to ask who wanted to received the journal. |