Today we are one day past Miss Baby’s due date and I feel like a ticking time bomb.  Kind of literally.

Every time I look around Miss Baby’s room and changing area, I am reminded of what an incredible village Carl and I have. Aside from a couple of outfits and diaper bag items, everything she has is a gift from someone who loves us and wants to extend that love to her.  It makes my heart warm.  : )

I’ve come to realize that the phrase “but it’s SO worth it” is just the “bless her heart” of the parenting world.

Is there any other experience where society as a whole feels more comfortable sharing their unsolicited opinions, disrespecting the wishes/boundaries of people, touching bellies without asking, and/or judging the choices of others than pregnancy/childbirth/parenting?

I was stunned on our hospital tour to learn that they actually have code words for “Please ask our friends/relatives to leave the room.”  And the teacher of our birthing class included in her lesson plans that no matter what you do, someone will believe/say that you are doing it wrong.  How is it that these issues are so common teachers have to teach on them and hospital staff must be trained in code words?  I’m more grateful than I can say for my friends/family, all of whom have asked what they can do/where they can be that will help us most and have respected our answers.  That said, I did still memorize the code words . . . ; )

I have no idea how women do this alone.  While we’ve had our ups and downs through this experience as with any other, my husband has helped me keep it together when I’m a woman on the edge, done a ton of research as we did our best to prepare, and doesn’t even make the do I have to face when I ask him to give me a back/hip rub pretty much every day at this point.

So it’s T-minus I have no idea how many minutes, hours, days until the next chapter begins.  Oddly, a lovely sense of calm has come over me.  I think nature is kind that way and I’ve done my best to maintain the gift.  I leave my phone in the bedroom whenever I can, take long, quiet walks every evening with my man, read, knit, nap, do my yoga, snuggle my dogs, groom my horses, and have generally taken a deep dive into my introverted side where there is no pressure and no obligation to anyone but Miss Baby and myself.  Soon enough, she’ll be born and we’ll be thrust into a whole new life with just a few short weeks together to bond as a family before Carl has to head east. I plan to cherish every peaceful minute I can get before then.

In closing, here is a photo of Miss Baby taking her human submarine out for a spin in the Payette last weekend . . .