The Waiting Game

I enter week 38 as of tomorrow which means that the baby could really make his arrival at any time. My doctor's appointment today went well. My blood pressure is much better and I've actually lost 2 pounds since the previous week. I guess the afternoon bed rest is working. I feel about the same- swollen and awkward- but my hair and toenails look fabulous thanks to a haircut and pedicure on Saturday. Iain's officially become my chauffeur driving me everywhere other than work. I've been reflecting upon the past nine months and the waiting game that pregnancy is. Once you finally decide that you are ready (or so you think) to start a family, you have to wait to try and conceive. This takes longer for some than others, which can extend the waiting period. Once you've attempted this, you wait to be able to take a pregnancy test. If this is positive, then you wait to see a doctor to confirm your test. Many people then wait to tell others about the pregnancy and suffer through sometimes 12 weeks or more before alerting family and friends. After 12 weeks has past, you wait for your first ultrasound to make sure that the baby is okay and possibly what its sex is. After the ultrasound is done around 20 weeks, as a pregnant woman, you start waiting to show your baby bump so that everyone understands that you are in the magical pregnancy club. Then you wait to get through your long list of To-Do's around the house, and if you're anything like us, you wait for paychecks to come in to help with the cost of your nesting. Once you are finally showing your baby bump, you wait for the baby's arrival. Despite how cute you've looked over the earlier six months, these last three months involve more weight gain than probably anticipated, swollen everything and a strange waddle type of walk. In the last couple of weeks of pregnancy, you begin to anxiously wait and wonder what exactly you got yourself into concerning the whole labor and delivery piece of the baby puzzle. You also start getting questions from lots of people- those you know and those you don't- about how much longer until the baby arrives. It is nice to receive this attention because you really have been through a lot during these long months (me as a pregnant lady and Iain dealing with a pregnant lady). Anyway, the wait for Iain and I is hopefully going to be ending in the next two weeks. We will continue to keep you posted as things progress or possibly don't progress. I assume that the waiting game ends on the baby's birthday but then a new "W" word takes over. This word is worry and I believe that it stays around indefinitely. Despite the wait, I would admit that the past nine months have gone fast and I can't believe we are almost there! This is a word of "warning" to our pregnant friends. My last official working day will be next Wednesday and I'm not sure how I will amuse myself if this day rolls around and baby is not here. Any suggestions?