Hear ye! Hear ye!

Another landmark today. We sent the word out about the pregnancy.
Both comfortable about the timing of the announcement, my wife and I clambered over each other to reach for our respective phones and ring our mothers.

My wife's call was a little more simple - a quick dial to her mum's phone and she would pick up her cell in Boston, where she was visiting Monica, Ranjit and Alejandra. Mine was slightly more complicated - I had to use an international call service, dial that, then dial my mum, then wait for her to pick up and then for her to work out how to handle the knew handset she just purchased...
As it turned out, it was a closer thing than we imagined because Eileen's father was sitting on her mother's phone in Boston and no one could hear it ring - or, they heard it ring and decided that waking him up to move him was not worth the effort...

Naturally, everyone was delighted.
My mother expressed her joy in the manner of someone who had just avoided a horrible fate. Her excitement was tinged by indescribable relief. Even though it was late in London, I could almost hear the wheels of her mind turning as she laid out her call list of people she would now call to give the good news. Being suitably Indian about the whole thing - she will probably call those friends she has that aren't grandparents yet... mean but fun!
Eileen's mother was almost embarrassed at her sudden riches in the grandchildren department. Ranjit and Monica who have been losing sleep and sanity with Alejandra for the past week, were laughing hysterically at the pain and misery coming our way...

After that, I let a few other people know about it personally and then went to work on the social networks broadcasting our news and making this blog available to the masses. (If you are just joining us, welcome.)

Weirdly, my previously excited wife, didn't tell many people. Just a few minutes ago, she was even surprised that I had basically told as many people as I could. I get the feeling that although we were both keen to let people know about our good fortune - now begins a time when every woman she knows is going to be giving her advice and suggestions... I am resolved to protect her from that.

I was excited to share the news with my brother. I have no way of knowing what went through his head - he is as closed to me as Michael Corleone - but I sensed something of relief in his response... He's not married, nor attached to anyone. Does he feel the pressure of continuing our family as keenly as me? Does he rely on me to do that job? I don't know - but he is wise of the world in ways I can never be... He has wisdom and love to share with my child that can come from no other place and I hope that time will bring us physically closer so that he may be close to his nephew or niece.

Already, Baby Suchi (mix of my wife's nickname and mine) has had some effect on our social life. We had hoped to go to Europe near the end of the year to see friends and that is now impossible. Mother and unborn cannot fly that close to the delivery date... I'm not too upset about the lost opportunity, but I sense that I have more in store.

I am faced with a conundrum. My mother has the technical skill of a 19th century coal-worker. She wants to see this blog, see photos and kept abreast of events at all times. I have to find a way to give access to all this information which doesn't involve her pressing any buttons... So far, the only solution I have is to print the pages and mail them to her...
I'll keep thinking on it.