Waiting

I'm not known to be a particularly patient person. I don't like lines or slow drivers or conversations in which people take forever to get their point across. However, I've always been a proponent of babies "cooking" as long as they need to so that they can be at their healthiest when they are born. I've never understood why women plan inductions before their due dates for non-medical reasons, and I've not been sympathetic to women who complain about the last few weeks of pregnancy and just want their baby to hurry up and arrive. 

I get it now, you guys. Waiting for a baby is hard for many reasons. 

1). You are approximately the size of the hungriest hippo. I have been very blessed in the latest part of my pregnancy to have very few of the most hideous symptoms like swollen Shrek feet and insomnia. This last month of my pregnancy has been, I believe, the easiest portion of this journey for me. All that being said, 40 weeks pregnant is not the most comfortable I've ever been! I'm also looking forward to eventually being able to sleep lying down and not having belly that seems to get in the way of almost everything. 

2). You are scared of the impending physical trail (and just want it to be over already). I know that women give birth in fields all over the world. I know that my body is created for this. I also know that it sounds really intense and painful and that, yes, I'm terrified! 

3). You are tired of inquiries from strangers about super personal things. (Keep in mind here that I have loads of interactions with people I don't know due to my job.) While they are just being cordial and interested, answering the question "When are you due?" with "Yesterday" almost inevitably prompts horror stories of women whose babies were 12 days late or inductions gone wrong. 

It is not my most favorite season of life. 

Nevertheless, I have been trying to realize the blessings inherent in this period of limbo. 

1). She continues to gain weight (eek! for labor) to aid in her first few weeks of life. 

2). Every day we wait for a baby is another day my husband and I get to enjoy each other's company without added responsibilities. 

3). Tiny humans are adorable and precious, but they are forever -- I should enjoy my last days as someone who is not a mother.

4). I am apparently really impressing people by continuing to pick up shifts at work while I wait?

5). Most importantly, I am being called to trust God's timing and plan with something huge that's completely out of my control.

So for today, 2 days past 40 weeks, I will try to focus on the blessings of waiting and trust no, I won't be pregnant forever. (I would be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind.)