Once Leanne took 3 pregnancy tests to confirm the pregnancy, we started freaking out. We are going to be parents! There are many ways to process so many emotions at once, but I’ve found journaling to help. I’ve started a journal, and also taken up the Japanese art of the Haiku. Haikus are poems that are three lines; the first line contains 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables, and the third line is 5 syllables. This constraint forces you to condense your thoughts and really express the most important ideas.

Here are some haikus I’ve made at every week of the pregnancy thus far!

Week 6 (the baby is the size of a grain of rice)

Just a grain of rice
A clump of cells, nothing more
Everything has changed

Week 6 (the baby is also the size of a sweet pea)

The body prepares
For your arrival, sweet pea
Tiny but mighty

Week 7 (the baby is now the size of a blueberry)

By this point, Leanne had become really nauseous. She wrote the following haiku.

Tiny blueberry
Why you gotta be this way
You made me vomit

I wrote the next haiku.

Blueberry cutie
You are growing so quickly
We will see you soon!

Week 8 (the baby is now the size of a raspberry). Leanne wrote the next haiku.

Now a raspberry
Juicy, fruity raspberry
Adam, buy some please

We are now in week 9 of this amazing journey! The baby is now the size of a green olive! Since Leanne has access to an ultrasound machine at her work, when she has free time she checks out the baby. Now that the baby is growing arms and legs, we’ve seen it dancing! That’s what inspired this next haiku.

Small but growing fast
Already dancing, a life
Olive, loved so much