2-5-10

Dear Baby,

Today is your due date! It's the day we've all been thinking about and looking forward to. You have been in my tummy for 40 weeks now. (Well technically 38 weeks…if you're a girl I'll explain when you're older, if you're a boy your wife will try to explain when you're older, but you still may not get it.) Unfortunately baby, you're still in there!

Today is also mommy's first day of maternity leave! Woo Hoo! Yesterday I set my out of office email reply, changed my voice mail and walked out for the next 12 weeks. It was a very strange feeling, but one I've definitely been looking forward to. So to celebrate, I slept in this morning. Well, I was half awake most of the time trying to will the tiny contractions I was feeling into bigger, larger and stronger contractions. Hasn't worked yet. You seem pretty content. I even tried dancing with you in front of your play pen. Not even Bob Marley's "We be Jammin', Jammin' in the name of the Lord" did the trick.

I'm not even that uncomfortable at 40 weeks pregnant. My ankles have been swollen only a couple of evenings, I can still walk upright, I really have no complaints. I like to think its my pay back for weeks of nausea, but I'm going to knock on wood just in case. It's not that I'm not happy to provide you a safe and cozy place to live, its just that we'd like to meet you. We'd like to see your face, hold you in our arms, find out how much hair you have, see who you look most like (I vote for your father), kiss your sweet face, and name you. I can't wait to see your father hold you for the first time and to watch his face see yours for the first time. And then of course we can't wait to introduce you to everyone that's been praying for you all along, your family and friends. Your grandmothers can hardly contain themselves any more!

So sweet baby, I just wanted to let you know that it's ok to come out. Your daddy and I have read all the books we can find, we've checked everything off the list, we've been to the movies, we've been out to eat and now we're just looking for ways to pass the time. There is a perfect timing for you to enter this world, and only God knows what that is. So until then we're here anxiously awaiting your surprise.

Love,
Mommy/Mama/Mom