Baby Berto

Fun little story.

Kelci and I have spent the last couple of weekends “nesting.” For those of you not too familiar with having a pregnant partner, nesting means she wants everything spotless, organized and put together, but she can’t do any of it.

Part of this nesting process involves washing every piece of clothing the baby may or may not come into contact with. Since we all know that babies are nauseated by the scent of clean clothing, I wasn’t so sure of the merits of this. But, what pregnant people want, pregnant people get.

As I was muttering to myself about why an infant needs 47 onesies, I pulled this out of the washer.

Little socks, little feet, big hand.

Yeah, that’s a sock. A tiny little sock with tiny little hearts that will soon be on tiny little feet. That brought a really huge smile to my face. Kylah’s close. Kelci can feel it and the baby has dropped and everything is really close.

The next chapter is about to start…

Throughout this process, and it’s been a process, I have constantly been amazed by people. I have made new friends, learned a lot from my family and have made an amazing connection to my wife. I’ve put a lot of emotions on this site over the last few months and I want to put one more — gratitude.

This is a post of thanks. Thank you for your support, advice and compassion as Kelci and I have gone through this. We’re getting close to Kylah’s arrival and before I shift gears and turn my attention to a new love of my life, I wanted to make sure some people got a brief thank you.

My family

Baby bumps unite!

My cousin and aunt have answered out questions and even took time to organize a wonderful shower that brought our family together to celebrate our pending arrival. Oh, did I mention my cousin could go into labor any time? She’s even more pregnant than Kelci, if that’s possible. Well, scratch that. My cousins welcomed a little boy named Tysen into the world today, Aug. 3. Well done guys! Can’t wait to meet him.

Grandma represented with Kylah's first Seahawks teeshirt.

Kelci’s mom has been an absolute godsend. Her words of encouragement have been priceless and her motherly touch has been exactly what Kelci has needed at times.

Our friends

I don’t know the etiquette of pregnancy, who is supposed to do what, etc… But one thing I knew is that I need a good base of friends to get through this. Luckily I have found this. People like:

That blindfold smelled abnormally good.

Kristy and Karianne. Let’s face it. The concept of the baby shower can be boring, stale and outdated. If you want to have a rad baby shower, let these two rad ladies plan it. They have both been a sounding board for me, offering guidance and helping me make this pregnancy easier on Kelci. Follow Kristy and Karianne on Twitter and tell them thank you for us.

Other friends you should know about: Veronica, Liana, Kevin and Greg.

He's the one on the left, I promise.

My best friend Nathan is just that. I’m thankful that I have such a good guy to call a friend. I hope you’re ready to maybe have your birthday annexed. It’s for a good cause though.

Update: The thing about these kinds of posts is you always forget people. People like Darren, who was the first to comment below. He has been an amazing source of information, tips and advice. He has been a voice of reason and calm reassurance. He’s been a role model for caring and compassion as well. Also, Jennifer Leggio gets a special thank you. She sent Kelci and Kylah an amazing bag that will keep them both glamorous. Thank you both for what you’ve done for us.

There’s been a lot more, but it’s late and I have to go take care of Kelci. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Kelci and I have an amazing village around us and we’re very thankful to have everybody in our lives that we do. I have learned a lot about myself, about the people that I have around us and I have learned to be thankful for all of that.