Patience is a virtue

Whoever coined the term "patience is a virtue" must have been a man because any pregnant woman in her right mind would never come up with something so ridiculous! OK, so up until yesterday I was trying really, really hard to take this in stride but no more! Last week at my doctor's appointment, thinking that nothing was happening as usual (which is what it was like with Pearl than WHAM), he surprised me by saying he didn't think I'd make it through the weekend. I was shocked to say the least considering the week before my body was perfectly content to keep cooking Ricco. I never thought I'd write this on a blog, but I was dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced without feeling a single "real" contraction. I kept telling myself that it could be days before he came but deep down was excited to think one, this pregnancy was over and two, I finally get to meet this little guy who can almost knock me to the ground when he kicks and squirms. So now that the weekend has come and gone, I'm getting well I don't know. Discouraged, yes. Sad, yes. Disappointed, yes. Tired, yes. Annoyed, yes. Fearful that if he doesn't come by Friday I'll have to start "nesting" again and clean and do all the laundry!

I knew having a baby last week would really throw a kink in Jeff's schedule at work - it being month end and all. (For all you none financial types, including me, basically this means May doesn't start until Jeff closes out the books for April or in layman terms, Jeff works looooong hours everyday and really can't take time off until it's over.) He had a firm talking to Ricco earlier in the week that he couldn't come until today. Well, it's today and I'm still here! I haven't decided if Ricco is actually that obedient, considering his sister's listening skills some days, or if he is just trying to suck up to his dad. I'm leaning towards the latter idea at this point. Even our Sunday bike ride - well in my case waddling behind Jeff and Pearl on their bikes - didn't get things started. Although I was pretty sure there were a few times Ricco was going to fall out of me!
It's sort of funny too I suppose that he didn't come this weekend as we anticipated because ALL the family was in town for various things and hoping to visit us in the hospital. Oh well. We ended up having an impromptu bar-b-que with my family on Saturday to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday and try to induce my labor with the "labor inducer" pizza from Cafe Trios (guess I didn't eat enough of it... but with garlic cloves the size of my eyeballs all over it, I was a little scared of the consequences if it didn't work). Then Sunday Jeff's parents came down to spend a few days at a hotel for his mom's birthday. Pearl got to spend two days at the "hotel, motel, Holiday Inn" as she says, or rather sings, with grandma and grandpa. Jeff was such a good dad to take her swimming both days she was there, despite the "heated" pool that must have been filled with hose water. So here we are. I was going to blog about this last night about 4 a.m. when I couldn't sleep but figured I better get it over with just in case. I know it's not even my official due date yet but Pearl spoiled me by coming two weeks early and I let myself become one of "those women" who actually got their hopes up after their doctor's visit. All I know is I'm sick of going to work with no projects to work on - finished those up last week - and can't wait to meet this little guy. I wonder who he will look like, if he will be a good baby, how big he will be (and how fast he will get here once things start rockin' and rollin'), and if Pearl will like him as much as she says she does now. It's super cute because she is always kissing and hugging my tummy and talking to Ricco, telling him "he's so cute" in this little high-pitched voice. Pearl has all sorts of plans for the two of them. Like eating popcorn (how do you explain to a two-year-old that babies don't have teeth?), giving him a bath, taking him on a bike ride, going to the park, reading him stories, and my personal favorite playing mermaids with him (Jeff has already kaboshed that idea). She keeps asking if it's his birthday today and eventually I'll get to tell her YES, it's finally Ricco's birthday today!

And for sentimental reasons, here are some pictures of the flowers Pearl gave me for Mother's Day. I opened the door to a cute little voice saying, "Happy Mother's Day" followed by a big hug. It was "so cute" as Pearl says.