Skip to main content

Dear Son, All Feely Feely


--32 Weeks (Before Birth)--

Dear Son, 

I think we connected for the first time. Yes, after weeks of anticipation, you kicked, threw a head butt, drove your knee - quite frankly, you did something in there! - and my hand was on your mother's belly to feel it. I'm not sure what you were doing, but you've begun to make your presence known every night, or occasionally throughout the day. 

And yes, it's awesome. Absolutely, awesome. 

As we enter the late innings of this pregnancy - I'm sure by the time you're reading this you'll be used to the baseball analogies and metaphors - plenty is beginning to take shape. The academic year is winding down, work is easing up, my pursuit of a second-master's degree is on hiatus for the summer, and all the focus - all of it - is now on you. 

We've begun to clear our apartment here in Brooklyn, NY in anticipation, and I've shifted my focus on the study of education inequality (we can discuss some day) and programming to baby preparation and getting my mind right to become a Dad. 

There is a lot on my plate right now, and oddly, there is a shift in my mindset when it comes to plenty of things as late-June arrives. The idea of your arrival is becoming more real as the seconds go by. But again, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, more real than getting to feel you. 

And that slight connection alone has built up many feelings. It made this whole ordeal so much more real. so much more enjoyable. So much more emotional. It's been a week of being all feely, feely. But more so, of continuing to round into shape a completely shifted mindset for your arrival.

We touched...slightly, and I'm hooked. I'm all about you. I'm now THAT more excited about this summer. Can't wait.

Connect soon? Yeah, I think we will.

Sincerely,

Your waiting-on-a-hot-tag Dad

Recently Read

Dome Pondering Move Review: Say You Will (2017)

What is it about? A recent high school graduate cares for his mother while attempting to navigate his first relationship following his father's suicide.  Who is in it? Travis Tope - Sam Nimitz Katherine Hughes - Ellie Vaughn Favorite Scene: [spoiler alert] Sam plays his song for his mom. Favorite Quote: Ellie: "I wish we could have met down the road, maybe when we were like 27." Sam: "I think we needed each other now." Review:  Say You Will was an absolutely pleasant surprise of a watch from the Amazon Prime offerings.  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this one, but after the credits rolled, it was a movie that provided authentic characters and a great lesson on life. We don't always have to have everything figured out, and it's okay if you don't.  What makes Say You Will so beautiful is that all of the characters are carrying some inner struggle that connects them in the moment and time that helps them through whatever it is. The unlike...

The Pondering 10 - Most Fascinating Things of 2025

2025 sure did ebb and flow.  Is it just me, or did August through December zoom by? Nonetheless, we are at that time of the year again, which brings about some common traditions around these parts - the Pondering 10 Most Fascinating Things of the Year, and then the Dome Pondering Year in Review .  (Most Fascinating Things: 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021 ,  2022 , 2023 , & 2024 ) Life really presented itself in unique ways this year, with a sense of a deeper layer of belonging and purpose, more so than what society has reflected since the pandemic. 2025 brought a deeper understanding of life through war, disaster, politics, the human spirit, and appreciation, among other things.  We'll get into that in the Year in Review.  For now, let's run it! Here is my Most Fascinating Things list for 2025: --- 10. Marjorie Taylor Greene Oh yeah, we're going there. MJT makes the very end of the list with a recent change in political positioning. I find it ...

Dome Pondering - 2025 Year in Review

2025 brought depth and growth.  In many ways, 2025 provided so many challenges and opportunities, allowing for a deeper, more layered approach to the world we live in. Our world is changing, and often, not for the better. Over the last 365 days, life has been more complex, more exhausting, and is asking so much more of us through these transitions and nuances than it did 365 days ago.  No big deal, right?  But hey, you're here. We're here. And we're going into 2026 much stronger, whether we realize it or not. But before we do, let's bid adieu to 2025.  As always, I'm incredibly gratefu l to those of you who still visit this little speck of the internet that houses my thoughts, rambles, and learnings. Thank you for taking a break from instant dopamine hits and videos, and likely the much cooler options of prepared content and indulging my humbled words. It is much appreciated.  It's the 20th annual - TWENTY YEARS of doing this! - Dome Pondering Year in Review. Le...