We are excited to announce that we will be participating in an experimental program that places mothers and babies in the precise, yet caring hands of baby delivery robots. These highly skilled Japanese robots, working closely with our doula, will make the baby’s transition into our world as comfortable as humanly possible. While Dr. 19x has less experience with autonomous operation during human birth, doctors 445x and 887x more than make up for it. We are grateful for their assistance!

According to the central computer, we have 7 days, 0 hours, 29 minutes and 15 seconds until birth. It’s coming right up!

Here are a few other photos from the day’s events.

Additionally, there was a spectacularly organized firework display in the evening. Rather than show you all of the photos individually, I chose to create a composite “firework” photo for your enjoyment.

A single firework created from the evening's fireworks.

In the coming weeks as things heat up around here, I will be posting some of my own thoughts and media-rich documentary installments while Laura is otherwise occupied with tasks such as birthing, nursing and sleeping. That’s not to say I will be speaking for Laura — to do so would be daft. Rather, my contributions will specifically target the vast untapped male market segment needed to bolster the already vast quantities of Google advertising dollars generated by this website. While baby does not yet need new a new pair of shoes, baby soon will.

My first installment is a little video documenting our first trip out to the hospital where we plan to deliver our baby.  Funny thing — this 5-star-hotel-like hospital is out in the middle of nowhere.  Of course, on game-day, we will take a cab.  We’ve got that much figured out.  But on this little exploratory adventure we decided to take the bus. Of course, we missed the stop and had to traipse through a very unfamiliar neighborhood in search of the hospital, but we eventually arrived.  All in all, the trip took about 5 hours.

I am also including some images of Telki Hospital. These images are included for your personal enjoyment and to allay any concerns that you might have about the quality of maternity care in Budapest, Hungary. Rest assured we will be in good hands (and individually swaddled in 1500 thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets).

When I started this blog about ten months ago I made the decision to keep it focused mostly on our adventures here in Budapest and only share personal feelings on a surface level. Chris, mostly for the better, has been my personal Internet Regulator, reminding me of how anything I write on the World Wide Cobweb could be used against me in a court of law. Or by my grandchildren, who would one day have a treasure trove of examples as to why they need to send Grandma down to that “nice home” in Missouri. So, for those reminders, I am eternally grateful to him.

However, I’m going to take a break from the “what-we-did-on-our-extended-vacation” approach that I have taken here to talk about this little something I’ve been growing in my belly for the last 8 months. I seriously can’t wrap my head around the fact that I am going to be a mother in about a month or that the wonderful guy I married four years ago because I thought he was cute and interesting is going to be a father. I remember the first time I realized that it was entirely possible that this child could look nothing like me and be a complete clone of the Baker side of the family — which is so not fair. I say I have equal rights to the determination of the baby’s eye color since it has been me doing most of the work up to this point.

I’m not sure that I am fully prepared for this life of motherhood. I still feel like I’m seventeen some days, still dealing with insecurities and stupid obsessions, and yet I am supposed to raise another human in my flawed state of mind. I know that what I am feeling is not unique in any way, but I have to admit it has been an emotionally challenging experience for me to be pregnant in a foreign country. I have always been a pretty independent person — sometimes to my own detriment, I admit — so I never imagined that when I found out that I was pregnant it would send me to a place I’ve never been before — a place where I desperately needed the help and support of others. This baby was definitely planned and wanted, but when it actually happened, I had to step back and think, “Whoa, is this for real? How do I live my life as a vessel for nine months? I have no idea what I’m going to do with an infant. And what the heck is a boppy??!”

And of course I had to figure this out at precisely the time when all of my long-time friends and family were an ocean away. We have some amazing friends here in Budapest and I am so grateful for all of the support they have given us. But for those that know me well, they know it can take years for me to truly open up and let myself be seen, flaws and all. It’s hard to make up for the simple grace of lots of time spent together.

Here’s the part where I learned something. You would think that I had learned this a bit earlier in my life, but I’m a bit stubborn. I was too busy at the time being a strong, chainsaw-wielding, independent woman. So it took a while, but I learned that if you need help, all you have to do is ASK SOMEONE FOR HELP. I know, crazy idea, but it worked. People helped. I had completely lost sight of the fact that I knew dozens of extremely wise, beautiful women who had gone through this experience before me. They were eager to answer my questions and have offered us tons of baby stuff which has taken away some of the panic that had set into my brain. Now I know what I boppy is.

I guess this post is mainly my way of collectively thanking the many people who have shown Chris and me so much love and support even thousands of miles away. I don’t think I could have made it this far without the knowledge of people who cared for us stored away in my psyche.  Now if only I could get these people to come over at 3 AM and change diapers when the time comes …

(photo by our friend Joanna Foley)