No baby yet! I am currently five days “overdue” and trying to be very patient as we wait to meet our little one. At least as I write this on Thursday evening, there are no signs of labor starting.
When we moved here, several others from my husband’s lab group moved here as well, including another couple who was expecting. The wife was due the day before me (Saturday) and she went into labor on her due date! The baby wasn’t born until Monday morning after a long labor and David and I were able to go visit the new baby Tuesday night. It was so bittersweet holding their little boy! He was so adorable and made me even more anxious to meet our own baby, especially when watching my husband hold him. I can’t wait to see my husband tenderly hold his own child!
David and I went to a penance service at our church on Monday. I had been wanting to go to confession before I went into labor just in case, and it’s been too long anyway. It was really nice to see the church filled with people who were wanting to go to confession and many priests there to hear them. I’ve heard a lot of sad statistics about how few Catholics take advantage of the sacrament; I wonder if penance services were offered more often, would more people go to confession? Perhaps the communal aspect would help assuage some of the fears that people have about going?
I am two more presents closer to finishing my Christmas shopping. I am particularly excited about the crucifix we bought for my brother-in-law and his fiancée (it was my husband’s idea!). I’m not done buying all the gifts like I had wanted to be before the baby is born (perhaps that’s why he/she isn’t here yet?) but in reality, I still haven’t completed even half of my before baby goals, but I’m surprisingly okay with that. I’m sure everything that needs to get done will get done, and if things don’t get completed, maybe they weren’t that important to begin with.
My husband finally finished the fellowship application he’s been working on for months! He’s been working so hard on it and if you ask me, I think he’s very deserving of it (although I might be a little partial). He’s just waiting for one last support letter from a professor he would work with if he received the fellowship. He’s been asking her for it for weeks and has yet to receive it and we’re both starting to get really nervous. It’s due on Monday and he really needs to upload it, especially since we may have to head off to the birth center at any time if I go into labor. I find it very frustrating when people in a professional setting fail to complete their obligations in a timely manner. If she wasn’t able to do it within the time constraints, she should have told him so!
I won a box of Godiva chocolates in a giveaway earlier this week! It is supposed to arrive in the mail today. So if my baby doesn’t arrive today, at least I have another delivery to look forward to!
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Unless your kid is quarantined for some reason, you can put them in a sling and do your shopping. Otherwise, Amazon.Com is a truly lovely thing. (My son was quarantined for a month after he got home from the hospital so Amazon.Com was my friend.)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad baby has a Nativity scene and a Christmas gift :-)
ReplyDeleteThey always say that when you get done with your last "must do" thing (like your husband's application), you'll then go into labor!
Bummer!!! I was a full week late, as the eldest child, so maybe you will get to enjoy those chocolates, but I hope not. Go eat spicy food!!
ReplyDeleteGood point about confession. I'm sure the reason they only offer it once a week on average is because they used to offer it more and no one showed up. But if they switched it up again, I'd be willing to believe more would come.
Adorable nativity scene!!
Wow, impressive. You're almost done shopping!
I'm praying for you and the baby!
My graduate advisor is *terrible* about deadlines, and that seems to be a general trend - don't submit the application/paper/proposal until literally the last 5 minutes. Hope it works out!
ReplyDeleteWe're hoping to go to confession soon too. I agree that adding more times for confession might make people utilize the sacrament more, but what really helped me was hearing a priest talk about the importance of confession at Mass once. There was a time in my life where I skipped confession for 4+ years out of both fear and not really understanding why I should go. About a year into my relationship with Stephen, we decided to go together, and it really started changing our relationship with each other and with God.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for your baby also!
That little manger scene is just adorable!
ReplyDeleteI was 8 days overdue with my first (that my doctor had predicted would come early!) and it was sooo not fun. I'm praying for you and your little one on the way. (Funny thing--they finally scheduled me to be induced for 41 + 3 days but I went into labor on my own 2 days before that. When we got home there was a message on my answering machine from the hospital telling me to CALL THEM IMMEDIATELY because I'd missed the appt for my induction. We got a good laugh out of that one!)
3-I love penance services. It's such a great thing to be gathered as a group asking for God's forgiveness and trusting in his mercy.
ReplyDelete4- I'm glad you decided to get it! It's so cute and if it was on sale then you HAD to get it. :)
6- I had a professor do the same thing to me when I was applying to med school. In fact I ended up not being able to apply to one program because she took so long. I hope this professor gets on top of it for you!
Soo excited for your baby! Praying for you and the little one!
ReplyDeleteThat nativity set is ADORABLE.
I hope everything works out with that letter! I hate when people don't follow through on that kind of stuff. Ughh.
Praying for you and your little one! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you SO MUCH for posting about the children's nativity set! I bought one this morning after looking at this. (It was still on sale at that time...YAY!)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your husband for finishing his fellowship application! That is very stressful and time-consuming. My husband is working on applications now, too. I hope that he gets his support letter today! It is so frustrating and nerve-racking when professors wait until the last minute, which seems to happen all too often. I know they're busy, but like you said, don't commit if you can't do it (or can't do it until 5 minutes before the deadline)!
Praying for you and your baby! So excited for his or her arrival. I know these last few days when you're just waiting around are tough! I'm sure you've heard it way too much already, but just rest as much as you can!
Hang in there - you are almost there! There is nothing sweeter than watching your little one love on Baby Jesus. It really makes me reflect on the faith like a child aspect.
ReplyDelete1- Baby will be here before you know it! I went into labor, on my own, at ten days past my expected due date with both of my sons. Since most people tended to make comments like, "You haven't had that baby YET?" to me, I found it comforting to hear tales of women who went past their due dates.
ReplyDelete3- Going to confession was always one of those "must be done before baby is born" items on my list. It tended to take me awhile to get back to confession afterwards, and like you mentioned, "just in case."
4- Such a cute nativity set! I like that it has all of the key people: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, shepherds, and wise men. I remember being frustrated trying to find a children's set years ago, since most of them seemed to leave out either the shepherds or wise men. The best part is that by giving it to the baby this year, you'll be able to use it all throughout advent as a teaching tool next year.
5 - I'm going to second online shopping as well as the use of sling to get your shopping done for many months to come. My experience may be different than many mothers, but I found that I had a lot of time to read/work on the computer/do pretty much anything that can be done sitting down once I got the hang of multi-tasking while breastfeeding.
You're in my thoughts and prayers as you prepare for the birth of, and early days with, your newborn.
I've been thinking of you and was wondering if baby was here yet. Saying a little prayer to St.Gerard for a quick and as painfree as possible delivery :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so sweet how you talk about your husband and new baby. Praying all goes well in the days ahead.
ReplyDeleteGreat nativity set. I made very fond memories of playing with our plastic nativity set as a child. Even when it was silly playing, it definitely kept Jesus very much a part of Christmas!
I hope you go into labor soon. My most recent baby was a full week overdue. I was going crazy and beginning to think she was never going to come out since my first two were two weeks early and she simply wouldn't budge no matter what "labor inducing" things we tried. Hang in there and the baby will be in your arms before you know it.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you this weekend, you are in my prayers for a fast and easy delivery, blessings to you as you welcome a new family member! :)
ReplyDeleteMy children received the Little People Nativity set as a gift along with an added shepherd/sheep set. They LOVE it. The fact that they can play with our nativity I believe makes a big impact on their memories of Christmas. A toy that comes out once a year makes it quite popular. Having the Holy Family be such popular toy and presence during Christmas is awesome. Very valuable, I would recommend a playable nativity to anyone with children.
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