Due Date Come and Gone

My babies like to come late. That's all there is to it. Eliana was somewhere around the 43 week mark when she decided to make an appearance, and Seth, after being induced at 41 ½ weeks, was still "waxy and not quite ready to come out" according to the delivery doctor. So it really wasn't a surprise to me when Baby D #3 let his/her due date come and go without much ado. But even though I really didn't expect Baby to make an entrance into our world by the end of the doctor-prescribed due date, there are still those feelings of anticipation and impatience that try to overtake me when that special date comes and goes. So, what did I do to avoid the "past-due-date melancholy" from setting in and to keep myself occupied and on my baby's due date? Here's what the day looked like:

• Sometime around 3:30 AM I decided trying to sleep was futile (sleeping on one's side can only be comfortable for so long) and dug around on my nightstand for a flashlight and baby name book. For about an hour I skimmed over names, trying yet again to narrow down the list and find those oh-so-perfect names.
• At 5:30, when sleep was still avoiding me, I got up and did my pregnancy exercise routine—squats, leg lifts, and push-ups off the end of the bed.
• 6:00 AM—exercise routine complete and I enjoyed another hour of sleep.
• My big project for the day: laundry—washing all those adorable sleepers, blankets, and cloth diapers that had been given to me at my baby shower a week earlier.
• Housecleaning. You know, the everyday chores like vacuuming, washing dishes, picking up after the kiddos.
• Packing bags. Yes, I know my hospital bags were supposed to be packed 2 weeks ago, but I'll admit I'm a procrastinator.
• Fun in the snow. Chris has been wonderful about taking the kids ice skating this winter. He found an outdoor hockey rink at a park near our house and has taken them there several times. This was the first time I went with them and had a wonderful time running in the snow, snowball fighting, and watching the kids show off their skating skills. It was a gorgeous day to be outdoors, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air and change of pace.
• New neighbors! As we pulled in the driveway from our ice skating excursion, we saw our new "across-the-street" neighbor out shoveling his driveway. We went over to introduce ourselves and were thrilled to find out that they are also a homeschool family and that they have a daughter about Eliana's age. I'm excited to get to know them better.
• Me time—that means a bit of a nap and Scramble (my favorite online game).
• Kid time—stories and Mancala (Eliana's favorite board game).
• I finished up my seed order and wondered if I'm truly crazy for thinking I can handle a garden AND a newborn.
• More exercise. Since the streets are all glazed with ice these days, outdoor walking is probably not the best option for me, so I've been spending a lot of time in the basement with the Nordic Track. I enjoy having something active that I can do indoors, and the kids usually keep me entertained by creating their own fitness equipment with bikes, slides, and other toys that reside down there.
• 11:38 PM—I finished folding the sweet little baby clothes, set up a little space for our new one to be able to be in the master bedroom for the first few weeks, and looked forward to a shower some rest.
• 12:45 AM—I had been sleeping for 15 minutes when a little hand touched mine and I opened my eyes to see my little blondie standing by my bed. I thought he just needed to use the potty and then discovered that he already had peed in his jammies. I figured this would be a quick fix—clean sheets and clothes, and the rest could be taken care of in the morning. Much to my dismay, as I was fixing up a dry spot for him to sleep, I heard a weak voice say, "Seth is sick," followed by a fountain of whatever he'd eaten that day spewed onto the floor and his mattress. Sigh. The next 2 ½ hours were spent cleaning, consoling, cleaning again, cuddling, cleaning some more, and comforting.

Needless to say, by the time things settled down and I was able to get back to bed, I wasn't thinking much about another uneventful due date. Instead I was thankful for a little extra time to spend with my 2 oldest kids before they have to make some major adjustments in sharing their "mommy time," and I was thankful for the extra time I'm getting to bond with my baby all by myself while cherishing those miraculous bumps and nudges inside me.