Big Daddy
That’s my new name – Big Daddy. Life. You try to race it. Sometimes you win and sometimes you just need to try again. Lately I’ve been winning though, and that includes becomming a dad this April. Yep, Jennie is pregnant!!!
I haven’t posted since my disappointment at Ironman Wisconsin, but I really didn’t stay down for too long. When you’ve planned to have a kid with the woman of your dreams it’s pretty easy to get upbeat again. Many people are wondering what will become of my racing endevours. I can state that one of my 2010 race season goals is to wear out a Chariot carrier. These are the best by the way – great for both running and riding. I figure July will be the first century ride for the future Sartain.
We’re already 16 weeks into this thing (I say ‘we’ like I have anything to do with the next 5 months) and thus far everything has been great. We already have the mini van (which WAS purchased for triathlon purposes primarily), have friends who are unloading kid stuff, and Jennie has had no morning sickness or significant issues of any kind. We’ve heard the heart beat and can now see Jennie’s belly peaking out a bit. I rub it for good luck in the morning and it seems to be working.
Of course I’m freaking out a bit too. It’s a whole new feeling where you become incredibly protective of your wife and future kid. Not that I wasn’t before, but this is just a greater and almost instinctive feeling than it was before. Makes me want to go hunt stuff and bring the kill back to the cave! I’ll help cook and clean up though.
Jennie and I had a ton of fun breaking the news to friends and family. We told her parents first by wrapping up the digital pregnancy kit. Jennie’s mom was leaving to visit Tina (Jennie’s sister) in New Zealand and initially thought that she was supposed to bring that for Tina as she was chatting about having a second kid (she has a boy named Elliot who we will celebrate his 2nd birthday with this x-mas down under). Jennie yelled ‘no, that’s ME’ and her mom about jumped out of her pants while her dad had a staring face with the most wide eyes I’ve ever scene. None of our family thought we would have a kid so it was a fun surprise. We next told my family by hiding an ultrasound picture amongst pictures of Elliot. My mom was flipping through the pictures with my dad looking over her shoulder. She got to the ultrasound and said ‘what’s this? Is Tina pregnant again?’ But my dad saw the name accross the top and quickly declaired ‘That says St. Paul Radiology…..Jennie Sartain!’ My mother threw the pictures in the air and screamed. On facebook I simply posted ‘Jeremy Sartain is proud to contribute in dispelling the myth that cyclists have a low sperm count’. That received 45 replies in 2 hours. Jennie put ‘went to the doctor today and heard a heart beat that was not her own. Hmmm…wonder what that could be?’ and received 50 replies in 15 minutes. We have about the same number of friends.
So next year shall indeed be interesting. I will absolutely be racing full on while being a dad full on. I’ve witnessed countless examples of amazing athletes balancing parenthood, work, sport and perhaps most importantly the relationship with their significant other. That’s my main goal for 2010, followed by wearing out a Charriot. Intwined is to have all the fun that I can because life is short, sweet and definitely fun if you just take a moment to look for that.
Big Daddy Jeremy