goodbye r2-d2...

As a little boy in the 80s, I grew up with robots. R2-D2, Optimus Prime, Johnny 5, KITT, and a wealth of others helped spark my imagination throughout my formative years. While I may have been less than enthused when I beheld a robot in the first ultrasound photo, the promise of a little robot of my very own has definitely grown on me.

Today, staring at the gigantic flat-screen TV at the OB's office, my newfound dreams of robot baby were thoroughly crushed as what had once held the promise of two robotic eyes had decidedly engorged into two distinctly embryonic sacs. Peering into the first, a small blip within an oblong shape flickered binarilly between bright and dark. Niki and I were not looking at a robot. We were beholding the heartbeat of a flesh-and-blood child. Our child. It was truly one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. A beating heart in a tiny us only 0.52 cm long... With a matching flicker in the sac next door! We've got two healthy hearts beating within LaDonna's belly!

Honestly, I don't think I can ever thank LaDonna enough for giving us this opportunity. I've heard people talk about seeing their children's ultrasounds. While it's always sounded "neat" the concept has never really hit home. I can now vouch that the whole process is awesome. With a very literal emphasis on "awe." My mind is still reeling from it.

It's even more awesome than having my own robot.