Waiting on a Woman

Ah, patience... never my best virtue but one I have been working on for years and one that I was prepared to embrace as I waited upon the unpredictable act of childbirth. This did not stop me from doing a bit of planning in the form of last day of work, grandparent's arrivals from Oregon, last minute baby supplies, etc. Then as Murphy's Law would have it, a week before our due date, we hit the perfect storm of a very large baby girl (per the ultrasound), a very low amount of amniotic fluid, and a low platelet count for Mama. With these things in mind, our doctor scrambled to get us into the hospital for an induction and we complied. As of last Wednesday evening, they had a bed for us and after a lively night in the hospital, on Thursday, May 5th we were told in a most definitive manner, "Your daughter will arrive today."

Here it is Wednesday, a full week later and the house is silent with nary a baby coo or grunt or whine. Super-Grandma (Mom/Grandma Sparrow) managed to do some last minute flight re-arranging and has been here almost a full week and Dad/Grandpa Sparrow arrives today. If Harper was looking for an audience, she's got it now and if my contractions keep up at this rate and pain level and yet do not result in a widened cervix I will truly be surprised.

Because of the improvements in all areas (who would have known that a little relaxation could bring that amniotic fluid right up) we have been in a holding pattern of fetal monitoring and measurements. We have appts tomorrow (Thursday) and next Tuesday but something tells us she will arrive before then. The doctors have indicated that they do not want us to go past the middle of next week but we have heard "definitive" announcements such as this before and we aren't believing anything until it happens.

In the meantime, we are being well fed (thanks Mom/Grandma) and well cared for ("Cranky" aka Dad/Grandpa Humphreys has been putting extra long hours in with Kevin at work to prepare for baby go-time) and look forward to the relaxing and positive presence of Dad/Grandpa Sparrow as he arrives to enjoy the Sunshine. If nothing else, we now have a interesting "birth story" to share with our little unpredictable one and we are truly, truly ready to have her join our lives.