Big News
Korean life November 6th. 2008, 10:00pmI remember the time, it was like yesterday, when I pondered wistfully, “What will I do with all that free time now that the presidential campaign is over and I can go back to having two or three hours of free time where I don’t compulsively read the news.”
I know the answer now.
I’ll have a whole new thing to get prepared for. I’m going to be a father. We found out yesterday, and a trip to the hospital confirmed it. I’m going to be a dad. The pregnancy is 4 weeks along. At the moment, it hasn’t yet sunk in. Between the election, and the impending baby, my brain is kind of spinning around. This isn’t about me, of course, but I’m so out of it with all the news that I haven’t fully processed everything yet.
My wife and I are overjoyed at the news, and we couldn’t wait to share it with people all around the world.
I won’t only be a geek in Korea, and married in Korea, but a FATHER IN KOREA.
HOLY CRAP.
Any fathers that want to help me out? Point me to a wiki or something? Point this geek future-dad in the right direction?
9 Responses to “Big News”
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November 6th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Congrats…I’ll say two things, firstly, no matter how much you try and prepare, the reality will be quite a shock and you’ll probably never feel prepared. Secondly, assuming you start researching online and via US sites, you’re going to find quite a bit of conflicting advice to what Koreans tell you. The korean way is based on indulging the child and the western way is based on routine and efficiency. Decide how much you want to fight for western things and how much you’ll cede to your wife…and for god’s sake forgo the 산후조리원…
November 6th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Thanks for the advice. Yeah, we’re not planning on going to a 산후조리원. We’ll get a nanny for a month, or have a relative cook when I need to go to work.
November 6th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Congratulations. My one piece of advice is to stock up on sleep while you can. My one piece of information is that from our experience it gets easier after the first year. Good luck!
November 7th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Congrats!
November 7th, 2008 at 3:27 am
I read your blog entries through zenkimchi and enjoy them. My advice as a father of two adult children is raising children is a journey. The path may be easy or not and it sometimes is difficult to decide on which one to take. Children are unique individuals and should be guided not controlled. Protect your child from dangers you are aware from expierence and let them explore to become the person they want and not what you want. You are their god until puberty, when they rebel to become themselves.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I always read your blog but never commented because you needed to register and god knows how many online registrations I already have. But I decided I needed to register just so I can say congrats! I’m currently pregnant as well (almost on my 7th month) every pregnancy is different but I think the first three months are the worst so take good care of your wife! Even though she wont “look” pregnant till the 8th month or so, her body will be going through so many uncomfortable changes. Feel free to ask me any questions, though with the power of Google you can probably find your answers there :p
November 13th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
[...] off the meal. I might be up tonight from time to time during the night because of our dinner. She might be up too with morning sickness. At least our apartment has two toilets this time. Share and [...]
November 14th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Congratulations! Fatherhood is an awesome thing. I’m the father of a 13 month old daughter. In terms of advice, I’ll share what my wife and I have done.
Within the first few weeks when our daughter was born, we registered her at the local Korean government office (the hospital did not do this-yours may). This was so she could receive public health care and other Korean citizen benefits. When we did this, our daughter was registered under my wife’s surname because of her Korean citizenship. We also reported her birth at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul (U.S. citizenship, U.S. passport, Social Security Number). Our daughter was given my surname due to my U.S. citizenship. When she turns 18, she will need to decide on a citizenship. To maintain the benefits from both countries, she can keep her US citizenship; then cancel her Korean one and get a F4 visa.
For baby care info, I received a copy of “What to Expect the First Year” by Heidi Murkoff. It calmed my fears about when I should take my kid to the hospital and how to take care of her. To be fair some mothers mentioned that the information regarding breasting feeding is outdated and co-sleeping is not healthy, according to Amazon.com reviews.
For baby supplies, we buy them-baby formula (Korean made), baby wipes, diapers, etc. – online. We tend to purchase baby gear, clothing, etc. when we need them. We were fortunate enough to have family send or personally deliver State side clothing, baby products (Dr. Brown’s baby bottles) and toys (Haba). The items are cheaper there and some are of better quality.
If you want more info, just contact me.
Again, congrats! :)
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
[...] 1. Finding out I’m going to be a father, on ELECTION MORNING no less. [...]