By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wife Amy Earnhardt have known they are expecting their first child for well over a month now. But in the beginning, Earnhardt would be lying if he said he wasn’t anxious for confirmation of the news.
“We went for a checkup and Amy took a couple of tests and the tests were saying she’s pregnant,” Earnhardt said during a Saturday media availability. “We went to the doctor and I’m still thinking man, I’m not believing crap until this doctor tells me. So, we’re sitting in there for like 20 minutes. And they’re talking woman language and I’m not understanding (laughter).
“They are just talking about things and I’m like well, when is she going to say it? I want to hear it from the doctor’s mouth (laughs) that she’s pregnant, so we can rejoice.”
As the world now knows, the doctor’s prognosis was positive. Dale and Amy are expecting their first child – a daughter.
In fact, they’ve already heard her heartbeat.
“I’ve got a little film of it on my phone,” Earnhardt said with a laugh. “We just busted out laughing. It was great.
“I mean it made it more real. We are pinching ourselves even still. We look at each other if we’re sitting on the couch or walking around the house or something and just have to remind ourselves we’re going through this pregnancy and we just can’t believe it.”
Dale announced that he and Amy were expecting their first child shortly after his final run at Talladega Superspeedway, later providing an expected due date of May 2. The child will be Dale Jr.’s first, continuing a family chain that’s included three generations of race car drivers – Ralph Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and, most recently, Dale Jr.
While racing may be in the family bloodline, Earnhardt isn’t thinking about continuing the family trend anytime soon.
“I am just praying for health you know and I know that is a given, but the few of you in here that have been in this situation before during the pregnancy you are just like … just be healthy and have all your little fingers and toes,” he said. “Once you get beyond that I think you start thinking and daydreaming a little bit, but we will get to that point after we have a healthy baby in our arms.”
Instead Earnhardt’s focus has been one thing – supporting Amy.
“I’ve got an app on my phone and am trying to get as much information as I can to understand how to make Amy as comfortable as I can,” Earnhardt said. “It’s very helpful. I think some of the most helpful advice for me is probably what can I do to make it easier for Amy? And the advice that I’ve gotten is that she doesn’t care what you did that day. She doesn’t care how your day was (laughs). So, don’t try to tell her. If you had a rough day or whatever, just shelf it and try to keep on being an assistant to whatever she needs at all times. And that’s pretty easy to remember because I feel that way already about her.”
Earnhardt will finish his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career in five weeks when he completes the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. From there Earnhardt will shift into a new role – media – when he moves over to NBC to cover the sport for television.
Without issue, he’ll also become a father – the realization of which has given him a new perspective on his friends and family that are parents.
“I guess the thing that hits me is I’ve watched all my friends, a lot of them, have kids and my sister have kids,” Earnhardt said. “I was happy for those milestones in their lives, but I had no idea what that really meant. And as we found out and were going through these little moments through the pregnancy it’s just hitting home how impactful that child has been in all the lives of my friends and family.
“I just really didn’t understand or appreciate, I guess, how incredible that moment must have been for them and how their lives completely changed. I saw it from a completely different point of view when I wasn’t experiencing it myself. I look at my friends completely different. I look at my sister completely different knowing what I know now and what I’m learning as I go.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finds new perspective, excitement for fatherhood
By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wife Amy Earnhardt have known they are expecting their first child for well over a month now. But in the beginning, Earnhardt would be lying if he said he wasn’t anxious for confirmation of the news.
“We went for a checkup and Amy took a couple of tests and the tests were saying she’s pregnant,” Earnhardt said during a Saturday media availability. “We went to the doctor and I’m still thinking man, I’m not believing crap until this doctor tells me. So, we’re sitting in there for like 20 minutes. And they’re talking woman language and I’m not understanding (laughter).
“They are just talking about things and I’m like well, when is she going to say it? I want to hear it from the doctor’s mouth (laughs) that she’s pregnant, so we can rejoice.”
As the world now knows, the doctor’s prognosis was positive. Dale and Amy are expecting their first child – a daughter.
In fact, they’ve already heard her heartbeat.
“I’ve got a little film of it on my phone,” Earnhardt said with a laugh. “We just busted out laughing. It was great.
“I mean it made it more real. We are pinching ourselves even still. We look at each other if we’re sitting on the couch or walking around the house or something and just have to remind ourselves we’re going through this pregnancy and we just can’t believe it.”
Dale announced that he and Amy were expecting their first child shortly after his final run at Talladega Superspeedway, later providing an expected due date of May 2. The child will be Dale Jr.’s first, continuing a family chain that’s included three generations of race car drivers – Ralph Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and, most recently, Dale Jr.
While racing may be in the family bloodline, Earnhardt isn’t thinking about continuing the family trend anytime soon.
“I am just praying for health you know and I know that is a given, but the few of you in here that have been in this situation before during the pregnancy you are just like … just be healthy and have all your little fingers and toes,” he said. “Once you get beyond that I think you start thinking and daydreaming a little bit, but we will get to that point after we have a healthy baby in our arms.”
Instead Earnhardt’s focus has been one thing – supporting Amy.
“I’ve got an app on my phone and am trying to get as much information as I can to understand how to make Amy as comfortable as I can,” Earnhardt said. “It’s very helpful. I think some of the most helpful advice for me is probably what can I do to make it easier for Amy? And the advice that I’ve gotten is that she doesn’t care what you did that day. She doesn’t care how your day was (laughs). So, don’t try to tell her. If you had a rough day or whatever, just shelf it and try to keep on being an assistant to whatever she needs at all times. And that’s pretty easy to remember because I feel that way already about her.”
Earnhardt will finish his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career in five weeks when he completes the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. From there Earnhardt will shift into a new role – media – when he moves over to NBC to cover the sport for television.
Without issue, he’ll also become a father – the realization of which has given him a new perspective on his friends and family that are parents.
“I guess the thing that hits me is I’ve watched all my friends, a lot of them, have kids and my sister have kids,” Earnhardt said. “I was happy for those milestones in their lives, but I had no idea what that really meant. And as we found out and were going through these little moments through the pregnancy it’s just hitting home how impactful that child has been in all the lives of my friends and family.
“I just really didn’t understand or appreciate, I guess, how incredible that moment must have been for them and how their lives completely changed. I saw it from a completely different point of view when I wasn’t experiencing it myself. I look at my friends completely different. I look at my sister completely different knowing what I know now and what I’m learning as I go.”