Trust me, I made a valiant attempt at having a baby this week. Apparently the little man is on his very own birthing schedule; my efforts failed to faze him! So, in place of the exciting labor and delivery escapades I know you're anxious to hear, I'll simply have to regale you with tales of an 'average' labor-less week!
Monday found us at the coffee farm. A solid day of weed whacking seemed like the perfect outlet for this prego's impressive stores of energy. Yes, I'll admit, we were also secretly hoping it would spur on the contractions. But the end result was not the trip to the delivery room we were so eagerly anticipating. The only proof of a full day's work, apart from beautifully cleared rows of coffee trees, were my swollen ankles and an apetite rivalling that of a hippo! Derek grilled cheeseburgers and we finished off the day with homemade peach cobbler and the knowledge that, try as we might to intervene, the timing will remain in God's hands.
Landscaping jobs are keeping my husband fairly busy these days. He even has his own business cards, now! While he is out beautifying the properties of Kona I am left to my own devices. This means I do all that I can to stay active, productive and not obsessing over when I'll finally go into labor! I clean, do laundry, bake, pull weeds and go on long walks. I read books and re-pack the hospital bag. This week I attempted a crafty project; homemade signs that I want to hang in the living room and nursery upon their completion. With paint brush in hand and my piano station cranked up on Pandora I felt like quite the Leonardo! My paint shirt doesn't fit quite like it used to, though and I had to scrub quite a bit of paint off my belly that night.
There was a change in plans for Derek's Wednesday job so we headed to the coffee farm again. This was a very wise choice as it prevented me and my newly discovered artsy side from taking on the repainting of the entire apartment! An awesome friend from church came out to help us weed whack and we powered through an impressive amount of rows! I did better at thinking non-labor related thoughts and just enjoying the day. But as the rain started pouring down that afternoon I did find myself wondering if I'd be able to tell when my water broke because I was already sopping wet from head to toe!
We really do have peace about the remaining days on the pregnancy calendar and know that He has the perfect plan. But, that doesn't keep us from a few other quirky attempts of our own. Derek brought home a soursop for our eating privileges. This exotic fruit resembles a giant, spiked pickle and has a slimy taste similar to that of a banana/pineapple. Through our Googling research we discovered that, among other things, soursop could be the cure for cancer and might induce labor! 'Oh, how incredibly convenient', I said! Unfortunately, we could now be featured on myth-busters for that theory..
Derek's been eyeing a new camera for awhile but knew that the purchasing couldn't happen until we sold our current camera. So, with our first born son on the brink of arrival.. my husband listed the camera online. And it sold the same day! I was convinced that would be all the prompting this baby needed. "Oh, my parents are camera-less, here I come!!" But, he proved us wrong once again and this time I was grateful; camera phones can only do so much. Not to worry, we are now the proud owners of a very snazzy new picture taker that only Derek could explain the true capabilities of. It will document the arrival of our son, and that's all that matters to me.
[39 1/2 weeks]
Other excitement in the week that did NOT prompt anything labor related: a stroll downtown on the fourth, our favorite clam chowder and a great fireworks show! The arrival of fun baby packages in the mail. A hilarious attempt to chase a bird out of the church sanctuary; Derek and I were hopping from seat to seat, waving brooms in the air! Finally the little guy landed, just as exhausted as we were, and I was able to scoop him up and take him outside. After church yesterday people started placing bets on when Owen will make his grand entrance; there's over $20 in the pot so the pressure is on now!!
Here's the moral of this week's story. Amidst all the hype and unknown and 24/7 wondering of the past few days, I come to a new understand of God as my Rock. He is unchangeable, the only constant in all the variables of this life. I've been searching out 'labor verses' and it's incredible how many times and in how many ways the Bible reminds me of the steadfast, unfailing faithfulness and love of my King. In the Psalms alone I've found enough verses to accompany me through multiple hours of contractions as well as these last few days of waiting FOR the contractions, which is painful in its own way!! God is my Refuge, my Rescuer, His love never ends, His mercies are always knew. He gives me strength, He enables me! And that's just a few of His amazing promises, from just one book of the Bible!! The wealth at my fingertips is truly unfathomable.. I could pack an entire hospital bag just with memory verse cards, but I'll just take my Bible.. :)
So, YES, I'm ready to meet my son. And, call me crazy, but I'm feeling excited about facing the contractions and conquering this unknown. We may have to wait a few more days or even a week.. or more (I shouldn't even type that!) BUT God is in charge and He will equip me for all that is to come. And when I'm starting to think I can't take it any longer, the waiting or the laboring, these are the words I will cling to...
'The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.' Psalm 18:2
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