For anyone who’s lived the military life, you know that phrase all too well. Usually it’s regarding deployments, or long sought after reunions with our beloved, or finance paying us back for a goof up on their end.
For me, “Hurry Up and Wait” is all about this baby currently (still) residing in me. I’ve been so anxious to give birth recently, with the constant asking of myself ‘Am I in labor?’ – ‘Am I not in labor?’ An endless cycle of ‘any day’ has now become ‘Whoa baby, hold on just a little bit longer.’
Why? Because that dry throat has become entirely too much more. I’m fully sick now. And I’m not the only one. My husband, 8 year old son, 4 year old son, and me, we’re all sick. Similar if not identical symptoms.
Stuffy head. Weak, flu-like tiredness. Sore or scratchy throat. Congested chest. Cough.
And instead of preparing for this baby’s birth, it’s become a rat race to ensure the rest of the household doesn’t gets sick, things get cleaned/sprayed/antibacterialized promptly, while praying the baby holds out while we all get better, hopefully sooner than later.
My life has become that phrase. “To a T.” And this one sick, pregnant, ready-to-give-birth-any day momma isn’t too tickled about our current predicament, nor having to wait a bit longer for our newest member to join our family.
I want to inspect his/her long fingers, smell his/her sweet baby smell, nestle him/her against my neck, watch his/her little legs curl up instinctively, tucked against its chest.
I want my children to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ and fall in love right along with me as we look on to our newest family member. I want my husband to cradle our newborn in his big, strong arms while fighting back tears.
This wee one wants out, too. Pressing legs, elbows and knees against me, swishing about, letting me know that he/she is okay, but wants to make an appearance.. soon.
But the best thing for everyone is to wait. Ah, the torturous nature of it all, as if being sick wasn’t bad enough, now our excitement has to wait so long as the baby and my body holds out long enough. After all, giving birth while ill, while my family is ill, and exposing this new baby person to germs galore is less than the ideal circumstance with which to bring a newborn home into.
But the waiting is sheer torture.
