Waiting - And Waiting

Well, our due date has come and gone, and our little baby is still snuggled up inside. I'm not exactly surprised by this. Most of the first-timers I know have been 1-2 weeks late with their babies, so that's basically what I've been expecting. Until a few days ago, I was prepared to meet our son at least a full week (or more) after his due date.

Monday night, however, I started having contractions. They were light, and irregular, but definitely there! I timed a few before I told James, not wanting to give him a false alarm. 3-5 minutes apart, lasting 30 seconds to 1 minute! If there was ever a night we couldn't sleep, that was it! James and I finally decided to just get out of bed at 5:45 and go for a walk, hoping that would speed things up. I had timed almost 200 contractions throughout the day when our midwife decided to come and check things out for herself. Apparently, there's this thing called prodromal labor. Not Braxton Hick's, but not really labor either, just... labor that's not labor. The upside is that those contractions help toward real labor (maybe even making the real thing faster...?), but the downside is that after almost a full 24 hours of contractions, we still have no baby! Gonna be honest here, I definitely cried after our midwife left. I've never been more disappointed in my life!

The next day, James and I basically did everything we could to naturally induce labor. We had been so close just the day before, he just needed a little push, right? It was near the end of the day that we realized something: we've been doing everything we could think of, everything we've heard would work, and this kid still wouldn't budge. Could it mean that his time just wasn't here yet? Did we really have to start believing what we've been saying these past nine months and trust God and His timing? The answer, of course, was quite obvious.

As anxious as we are to meet our little baby, that little prodromal diversion made me realize how sweet that moment really will be. For now, we'll keep waiting. We'll continue to cherish the kicks, the rubbing of this giant belly, and knowing that everything will come exactly when it needs to, according to God's perfect plan for our dear little son's life! See you soon, you little cutie.