The Waiting Game
Sara: This past week, it seems like there have been lots of great stories regarding my pregnancy. Everyone’s excited when they learn I have less than a week left to my due date!
The other day, I went to pick up baby’s high chair at a local store. When the clerk asked if I wanted help loading it in my car, I said, “Of course!” She then called a stock boy over to help me. The stock boy couldn’t have been older than sixteen.
When the stock boy reached the register, the clerk said, “This woman needs help delivering her baby.” The stock boy’s eyes got really wide, and then she told him, “Nope, she just needs help carrying the high chair out to her car.” So, we headed out to my vehicle.
It’s just amazing the amount of camaraderie I feel with other women these days. Most mothers understand the process of waiting – and realizing just how close to the finish line we are. After all, waiting for babies to be born is a process as old as humankind itself. Some days (especially as it continues to be 100+ degrees outside), it’s difficult to wait! As we continue to wait for Baby with less than a week until our due date, it’s hard to be patient. On the one hand, I can’t wait to hold Baby, and love Baby. I especially can’t wait to find out if we are having a boy or girl! Justin, on the other hand, still thinks we have plenty of time.
The other day after our doctor’s appointment, where we learned Baby could come any day now, I gave Justin a call to tell him I was heading home from work. When he picked up, I decided to do a “trial run” and tell him it was time to have the baby (even though it wasn’t). As he questioned, “Really?” I set the record straight. Justin told me it was a good thing I wasn’t in labor because there were still some things that needed to be done before Baby arrived. He, of course, did not think my joke about being in labor was funny as he hadn’t even packed his bag for the hospital! I then asked him what things ran through his head that he needed to do pre-baby, and we worked on those things that night.
However, no matter how much I want Baby to come right now, I realize God hasn’t said it’s time yet. I continue to think about all the times in the Old Testament of the Bible where waiting is central. This includes Noah and his ark, Moses and his people in exile in the desert, and waiting for a Messiah. Just as waiting to marry Justin made us closer as a couple, I’m working hard to appreciate the last few days (or hours or minutes) before we have Baby outside the womb.