Waiting

There's nothing like waiting for a birth to give your patience a little tune up. Two weeks ago I went to the hospital on a Friday evening and a few hours later, we were sent home. False labor. It's never happened to me before. I was okay with everything not happening right then, but it's hard on the boys, who just want their brother to get here already. They ask me several times throughout any given day, "Any contractions?" They are driving me nuts.

For the record, I do feel sorry for them. I know it's hard to wait. Sons 1 and 2 were late, so I know what it is to wait. (Torture.) I keep telling them that this is their brother's way of making sure we know it's all about him and not about us, but that doesn't diminish their impatience. At yesterday's OB appointment, we set an induction date. Unfortunately, my husband and I have to be the kind of people who think that things should happen naturally. (Why?!?!?) So, we set the induction date for April 21 -- exactly a week beyond my due date.

It's funny how people, including my sons, think there should be some clue about when labor will begin...but there just isn't. Yesterday my doctor said he really didn't think there was any way I would make it to the 21st, but what does he know? With my first baby, I was dilated six or seven weeks before my due date. The doctors told me he would absolutely come early. Nope. Six days late.

People ask me if I'm walking or doing anything else to bring on labor...and I am not. Because I've tried that in the past and it did exactly nothing. With my first, I logged miles around my Chicago neighborhood with a dear friend who came to stay with us and be there for the delivery. Those miles didn't seem to do much of anything, but it is fun to walk and talk.

Other people say to talk to the baby. To welcome him to the world. We've been talking to this little dude for weeks. He seems relatively unaffected by our pleas to come on out so we can hold and kiss him. Maybe he doesn't like it when we sing that Talking Heads song to him with these lyrics, "Baby, baby please let me hold you..." Maybe he's not impressed with our singing skills.

Maybe he's just super comfy. Whatever the reason, we just keep waiting.

In the meantime, I try to distract myself with the little work I currently have. And with doing the things that get undone. And with books. And with the beginning of baseball and soccer season. Today is opening day for Son3's little league. About an hour from now, the little league parade will pass in front of our house, and later today he has his opening game. I really didn't want to miss today's festivities, so I was pretty sure the kid would actually come last night as my kids generally seem to have a penchant for messing up my plans. But I'm still here, so it's game on, and maybe I can go into labor as soon as today's game is over. Or not.