Today is Baby Girl's big day!!! Now, if only she were here to see it.
Yes, today officially marks 40 weeks
of pregnancy. In mid-November, through the miracle of science,
technology, and medicinal innovations, Celeste and I went through the IUI procedure for the
fourth time. It came at the end of a grueling 3 and a half year stretch of trying to conceive. You know what they say:
fourth time’s a charm. Well it was for
us, anyway.
We did a pregnancy test on
the weekend of Thanksgiving, almost as a formality. I’m ashamed to say it, but we had kind of given
up at that point. I was already deep
into my research on adoption, and had come to terms with that being our only
reasonable path to parenthood. Then,
thanks to a white stick that had a digital reader on one end and a urine sample
on the other, our worlds changed in an instant. Celeste was pregnant.
I am not quite on pins and needles,
but I have felt a measure of anxiety as I’ve gone throughout the day. The fact that I’ve done nothing today that
wasn’t in the “baby preparation” category has probably only made it more
pronounced. I assembled a newly-arrived
bookshelf/toy box. I assembled a baby
swingy thing. I painted a “V” and hung
it on the wall. I cleaned the car. I vacuumed the house. Then, when I realized that vacuuming doesn’t
do much to suck up Merlin’s hair, I hand-scraped our carpets until the majority
of his dog hair was in a trashcan (what a joy it is to gather balls of dog hair the size of tumbleweed).
And now, with all of our pressing
“to do” list items crossed off, we’re just sitting and enjoying a quiet evening
together. My mother-in-law Cindy, who flew in a couple of
days ago, is reading on her tablet.
Celeste is in the other room talking to a friend from Colorado. I am in the living room, typing away my
thoughts while Merlin stares at me with wanting eyes. It’s getting late, and it
seems certain that Baby Girl will not be born on her actual due date, which is
okay. We were anticipating that. But we are ready. Or, I should say, as ready as we can be.
One thing that has been a constant presence on my mind is just how much I love my dear wife, Celeste. I am continually reminded how lucky I am to
have her forever at my side. She is a
marvel of strength, grit, grace, and beauty.
I can only hope our daughter inherits her mother’s long list of
qualities, while avoiding the IED’s of my character.
Here's to August 10th. Can't wait to see what it brings.
