Patience...and it's a long post

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.
- Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

They say "Patience is a virtue"...but I'm the first the admit that patience is not one of MY virtues.  I think patience goes hand in hand with a person's need to control his or her surroundings.  When you don't have control, you must have patience.  Since I'm not great with letting go of control, patience oftentimes evades me.  One of the many amazing things about marriage is being with someone that teaches you to be better, and I've learned a lot about "letting go" and having patience from my dear husband...but it's not something that comes to me naturally.  I imagine that motherhood will also teach me quite a lot about patience...in fact, I think Baby M is already giving me a taste of that.

I've really learned a lot these days about the true gestation period of a baby.  I don't know what it is about our society that we get so wrapped up in a "due date", and that your doctor comes in at Week 37 and announces that you are now full-term, and everyone likes to say "wow, you're 38 weeks - that baby could come any day!!"  Well, the truth is, it takes 38 weeks to make a baby...from conception (whenever that is) to true readiness (40 weeks), and that is only an average.  As many people that have babies 2, 3, 4, even 10 days before a due date, there is a tail on the other end having them that many days after.  I know this now, but I wish I'd known this sooner.

It is now May 15th, 2012, and Baby Mancia is 6 days late.  So, here we are...waiting...completely out of control....and it's trying every {little} bit of patience that I may have had in me!  I had prepared myself that I would have this baby early, given that my mom had my sister and me 14 days and 10 days early, respectively.  Even Lily on How I Met Your Mother managed to have her baby before me...when we've been neck and neck all season.   But alas, this was not God's plan.  And I am going to take this time instead to record all the things I have gained as a result of this baby's tardiness, instead of what I feel I'm "missing" by not being able to deliver him or her to the world yet.

So, here goes....

• We went to the Old Bridge in Mt Pleasant, ate a pizza from our favorite pizza place, and watched the sunset over Charleston.  Peaceful and so beautiful.

• We went on a date for sushi (yes, I ate some sushi, don't judge) and enjoyed some special time together, still just the two of us.
• We took Trigger to the dog park in James Island, where I don't think I've ever seen a dog be so happy (or run so much!!).
• We walked the Cooper River Bridge TWICE at dusk, something we never seem to make time to do.  That's me at the top!

• We drove out to Sullivan's Island and walked on the beach at night...only to have to run back to the car due to the flies and mosquitoes...we went to IOP instead and got ice cream.
• I walked Trigger over to the boardwalk at Shem Creek, and just sat and watched the water - I even saw a dolphin! Even Trigger was peaceful...which is rare.

• We played with Trigger at the park near our house, and got to meet some neighbors who shared with us some "stories" of the neighborhood that we didn't know.
• I baked two kinds of cookies - to take to the nurses and staff at the hospital...granted I think they are stale now, but oh well, I did it.
• Juan Pablo and I tried out our new Vitamix blender (um, most awesome kitchen tool ever, aside from a Le Creuset pot) and made homemade vanilla-oreo ice cream, as well as raspberry sorbet.
• I had some time to reflect on leaving a my job which has defined me for so many years, and get used to the fact that I'm moving on to a new chapter.  (I'll be back, but it certainly will be different now)
• I had some time off from work, which I don't even think I realized how badly I needed - when I look back at my work and travel schedule during this pregnancy, I can't believe all that I did!!

And there have been many more moments, like the ones we share every evening just sitting together on the couch and watching our latest DVRed show.  

So, as I write this, amidst my frustration that I can't seem to make this baby get here any quicker... I cannot help but reflect on the fact that moments of peace and simplicity like those mentioned above have been few and far between for this family...down time just really hasn't been something in our repertoire.  So maybe this time has really been a gift from God and our unborn child...to get to have some time together, just us (and Trigger) before everything changes.  So instead of being frustrated and impatient, I will say Thank You.

But seriously, go ahead and get here already!!  We just want to meet you!

40 weeks (and 3 days)