It began with my fiancee wondering how I’d react to the big news she had to share.

It ended with a huge hug, warm feelings, and growth in our love.

“It” was the announcement that she was pregnant. Trisha was unsure if I’d take the announcement well. When she discovered I handled her news with calm, genuine happiness, she relaxed.

That was late September. Since then we’ve endured all the little dramas that come with having with a child – like morning sickness, a misnomer since it goes on all day and all night.

Pregnancy’s magnitude hit at our first sonogram. There on the screen, shaped like a raisin, was our embryo. We saw the heart beating. When the embryo moved, Trisha cooed in delight. The dimples on her cheeks grew along with her smile, her crystal blue eyes almost in tears.

I was more composed, holding her hand, staring at the screen and smiling, a warm flutter in my chest.

That scene has been repeated at several successive sonograms. We’ve witnessed the baby’s heart beat, development of a spine, both hemispheres of the brain, arms and legs that kick and punch like a mixed martial arts competitor, and the preliminary announcement that we’re having a girl. Whenever we see our future child move around, that’s when both of us have our strongest, warmest reactions.

For both of us, this pregnancy is a chance to get or regain emotions we thought were long gone. Trisha has been pregnant before, but always lost the baby early on. She thought she’d never experience motherhood.

Seven years ago, my dog of 15 years died. At the time I thought I’d never again feel that bond and love. Now I know that’s not true. This baby, who at the most recent sonogram was the size of a bottle of beer – 10 inches long and weighing 12 ounces – will fill Boss’ void in a way I never dreamed possible.

Pregnancy has changed our lives. We stay home more. The living room futon is mostly her exclusive domain. The things I say most to her are, “Are you OK?” and “How’re you feeling?” Our living room now includes a bassinet and stroller. A crib is in the bedroom.

Caring for her, helping out more around the apartment, it’s just natural.

When we sleep, one of my hands rests on her belly. Trisha says whenever the baby feels my usually warm touch, she calms down and moves toward my hand, which in turn helps my fiancee sleep better.

Our friends, relatives, my hockey team, are thrilled, especially my mother. Being a grandmother has been her dream for quite a while.

Mom once told me explicitly that she wanted a granddaughter. Now it appears she’ll get her wish, although there is always that chance we could have a boy.

Either way, knowing how feisty, quick-witted, stubborn and opinionated we both are, and the fact the kid’s already showing feisty tendencies, we’re expecting the future Teresa Isabella Santana or Andrew Daniel Santana to be a force of nature.

Why? Consider: The day we learned we were having a girl was the same day that massive windstorm blew through the area and knocked down all those trees.