The Final Mile

Chapter Seven: May 2019

The last full month has officially come and gone. It is June 1^st; this month, a long-awaited bundle of joy will enter the world and change our lives forever. My excited anticipation has turned to sheer impatience.  Though we have waited expectantly for thirty-three and a half weeks, to this point, I’m not sure I can wait even six more days. 40 weeks, come quickly. 

Every weekend in May was a productive use of our last free days before becoming  parents: we had our last adoption “Yard Sale” fundraiser, met with the neonatologist who will take care of Baby K for the first several days, went on a babymoon weekend away to celebrate my birthday and prioritize our marriage (thanks to the generosity of friends letting us use their beach house completely free for the weekend), visited our new niece in Richmond before adding her cousin to the bunch, completed the nursery decorations, and then ended the month hoping to have a baby within the first 24 hours of June (spoiler alert: that didn’t happen, but he’ll be here soon).

For the entire month of May, two bags sat packed in the foyer of our home awaiting one very important phone call. Daily, I checked to see how many flights were headed to Tampa or Orlando from the city where I was working that day. Every day felt like it could be the day we jumped on a flight hoping to make it in time to witness our son’s birth. Every day I went to sleep praying that he would continue to grow stronger and healthier and that he would come at exactly the right time (but hopefully soon). The weeks were long, but the weekends were short.

Oak Island was exactly what my anxious heart needed. I plotted three airports on a map and packed the “go bags”, just in case. Our car looked like we were going on a month-long trip, but in reality, we would return home in three short days. But though they were short, they were perfect. Not a single rain drop fell and the cool breeze blew. The first day I sat on the beach in shorts and a sweatshirt, my favorite combination for a relaxing day of reading, but by the last day the umbrella was a well-desired escape from the beaming sun when we weren’t in the water, floating over the waves. We read four books between the two of us, spent extended time in the Word and praying together over coffee, cooked and ate just the two of us, and dreamt about the future. Our last “quiet” weekend rested and recharged my anxiously anticipant soul.

When we returned, Amazon had delivered the final nursery furniture. With that, we hung the wall décor from the shower the previous month and completed the nursery. I am in love. 

On Thursday (May 30^th), the day finally arrived when we boarded a plane with the intent of not returning home until we had a baby. Friday, we went to our final monthly ultrasound and were surprised to hear the MTFM provider tell us that baby is ready to make his entrance. We have officially reached 39 weeks gestation and baby is free to come anytime! 

To say I am ready is an understatement. To know he could be here any moment makes me so excited I could scream. To know it could still be days, or even weeks, makes me sick. I always thought expectant moms got impatient during the final weeks because of discomfort and pain, I have come to find, regardless of the lack of physical symptoms, waiting patiently is impossible when you know the biggest day of your life is just days away. Or at least, you hope it is.