The best $150 we ever spent
Baby Insight has an office in Potomac, Maryland, right up the road from our favorite nursery. It has two rooms: a reception and an ultrasound room. The ultrasound room doesn't look like any doctor's office we've been to. It's about 12 feet on a side, and besides a high-end ultrasound machine, the room was equipped with a couple couches, a nice rug, and a projector.
Sarah settled into the ultrasound routine. We've done enough of these where we know the drill. Before we knew it, a picture like this one was on the screen in front of us. And in that moment, the rush of parenthood was upon us.
The ultrasound tech was great. She spent a lot of time on the face, but then looked for feet and hands. People sometimes bring family to watch the ultrasound--hence the couches--but it was just us. Despite that, we could hear the chorus of "awww, he's cute..." The interminable conversations began: Holden lips? Brown chin? And just whose nose is that anyway?
After gathering 30 minutes of video, we received a DVD, complete with a soundtrack of our chosing. (Ella Fitzgerald love songs, for those interested.) They printed three sheets of photos for us, and gave us a CD of about 20 pictures.
We sent a few pictures to the family around the world, and there was much excitement.
As I approach fatherhood, I realize that I'm desperate to know who this person is. I'm almost addicted to the pursuit. Every kick and every movement in utero, every sonogram, every heartbeat, every 3d-rendered photo. These are all means we have developed to get to know our children before they even know themselves.
I've always believed that our pursuits in life are focused on one thing: to be understood. We have this psychological need to be the object of sympathy and empathy, and there's no greater frustration than not being understood. As a neo-father, I'm realizing that I want to understand our child as quickly and as much as possible, because I never want him to feel alone or separated from the world. I want him to know that he can always come to mom or dad if he needs a sympathetic ear.
This little picture of him, built by software inside a machine worth thousands of dollars, is priceless because it takes me one step closer to knowing him.
Sarah settled into the ultrasound routine. We've done enough of these where we know the drill. Before we knew it, a picture like this one was on the screen in front of us. And in that moment, the rush of parenthood was upon us.
The ultrasound tech was great. She spent a lot of time on the face, but then looked for feet and hands. People sometimes bring family to watch the ultrasound--hence the couches--but it was just us. Despite that, we could hear the chorus of "awww, he's cute..." The interminable conversations began: Holden lips? Brown chin? And just whose nose is that anyway?
After gathering 30 minutes of video, we received a DVD, complete with a soundtrack of our chosing. (Ella Fitzgerald love songs, for those interested.) They printed three sheets of photos for us, and gave us a CD of about 20 pictures.
We sent a few pictures to the family around the world, and there was much excitement.
As I approach fatherhood, I realize that I'm desperate to know who this person is. I'm almost addicted to the pursuit. Every kick and every movement in utero, every sonogram, every heartbeat, every 3d-rendered photo. These are all means we have developed to get to know our children before they even know themselves.
I've always believed that our pursuits in life are focused on one thing: to be understood. We have this psychological need to be the object of sympathy and empathy, and there's no greater frustration than not being understood. As a neo-father, I'm realizing that I want to understand our child as quickly and as much as possible, because I never want him to feel alone or separated from the world. I want him to know that he can always come to mom or dad if he needs a sympathetic ear.
This little picture of him, built by software inside a machine worth thousands of dollars, is priceless because it takes me one step closer to knowing him.
posted by dan at 7:09 AM
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