not yet

Nope...no baby yet. But thanks for all of the texts and messages checking in and wishing us well. Obviously - babies are on their own time schedules and there's nothing we can do to speed them up...nor do we want to. The downside is that it's looking like we will not be able to head to the Twin Cities for Thanksgiving. But hopefully we're not still in the hospital over Thanksgiving either!

I spent some quality time at the midwives' office today and even though my contractions are still steady - there's no change. It's so strange how different pregnancies can be with each child. You'd think there would be a lot of similarities - but they each have been completely different. I'd be quasi-ok with a delivery like Elliott's - completely fine with one like Emma's - but DO NOT want to have one like with Isa. Here's the story of the 18+ hour labor in case you're interested. (I'm really glad I typed it out because I would have forgotten a lot of details.)

Stay tuned...we'll have a new story to share soon.

But I'll leave you with one last thought for today...the idea of a 'due date' is rather silly when you think about it. Everyone (especially the mom) gets it in their head that if you go past your due date the baby is late. The reality is that the due date is the average and it's basically the center of a bell curve with some babies born before and some after. I think the terms should be changed. Instead of 'due date' why don't we just start either calling it something else or using the latest-possible-date-you're-allowed-to-go as the standard. Wouldn't that make more sense?
The way it is now it seems like everyone thinks there's something wrong with you or the baby if you are past the due date. The anxiety seems to build with each day after that because you 'missed' the date the baby was 'supposed' to be born. That's just untrue. Everything we associate with having babies is a guesstimate. Thankfully we know that God decides everything about the baby...from the gender...to what it looks like...and how many days it will be on the inside (and the outside for that matter). I'm glad I have no pressure to choose all those details for my baby.

So, yes, technically Baby Cuatro is 'overdue' but not late. The little bundle will be here when it's time.