The waiting game

I didn't plan to let a month and a half go by without writing. But with all the pre-baby preparations, the weeks just kind of got away from me. Then, as my due date drew near, I just figured I'd write after he arrived, to let you all know he was here.

That day has come and gone and still no sign of the little guy. Friends and family have been calling, emailing, and texting hoping for some sort of update, but unfortunately, they keep getting the same one. I'm four days overdue at this point, so at least I know I'll finally be meeting my son very, very soon.

As eager as I am for him to get here, so I can finally see what he looks like, and hold him in my arms and and sniff the top of his little head, I have to admit that I've enjoyed these final weeks of waiting.

For one, I'm still not sick of my pregnant belly. I'm going to miss all the kicks and jabs, especially the ones that make my stomach stretch out in certain spots as he tosses and turns. Sure, sleeping isn't the easiest and I wake up at least three times per night to use the bathroom. But I'm sure both those things will seem simple when I'm taking care of a newborn 24 hours per day.

It's both incredible and surreal to be on the cusp of a life-changing event. To know that one of the most euphoric experiences of your life is so close. Sometimes I have a hard time letting myself imagine what his birth will be like. I keep thinking of that moment when he'll be handed to me. I can get a clear picture in my head, but thinking about how I'll feel makes me so emotional it almost hurts.

At the same time, I know as soon as that moment arrives, the ones I've been experiencing these past few weeks will be a distant memory. Daniel and I didn't expect to have all this time without any concrete plans. But I couldn't be happier that we do.

The nursery is all set up. All the baby's clothes are washed and put away, and thanks to a shower at Daniel's office, we now have enough diapers to last us a few months. My bags are packed, the stroller's been put together and our fridge is stocked with lots of frozen food. There's nothing left for us to do!

So, to pass the time, we've been cooking and eating. A lot.

Two weeks ago, my doctor told me to start working from home and to get more rest. Like a good patient, I'm making sure to do that. In fact, I even take a 1-2 hour nap almost every afternoon. But a very pregnant lady can only sit still for so long.

I've made this homemade granola three times in the last few weeks. A few days ago, I made a double batch. Daniel and I love it so much that we wanted to stock up before the baby comes.

Two Sundays ago, on what we were sure was our last weekend as a twosome, we set out on a walk through Park Slope, planning to sit in one spot for lunch. Instead, we found ourselves grazing at a bunch of different places. Our first stop was Willie's Dawgs, home of the high-end hot dog, where we sampled all-natural, grass-fed ones on homemade rolls with sauerkraut, melted swiss cheese and grainy mustard. We've been dreaming about when we'll go back ever since.

From there, we moved on to Trois Pommes, a patisserie that lured us in with the promise of homemade jelly donuts. We sat outside, slowly savoring each of our halves (stupidly, we decided to split just one), powdered sugar sticking to our lips. They were light and not overly sweet and the type of treat I could eat every Sunday (which is why we went back yesterday and I had one all to myself). You'd think that would have filled us up, but according to Daniel, we really hadn't had a proper meal yet. And so we ended our day at Franny's, where we split a warm artichoke salad and a simple tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza.

And then my due date came and went last Thursday and still no sign of our little guy. We'd been staying in every night, expecting to have to rush to the hospital, but when he didn't show up that day, one of the prettiest spring days I can remember, we felt like we still had to celebrate. Soon, emails were flying back and forth with our friends Tim and Judith about an impromptu barbecue on their Brooklyn roof deck with an overzealous menu of spring rolls, sausage, steak, grilled tilapia with a mango cilantro salsa, and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and a sprinkling of sea salt from Baked, a great bakery in Red Hook. We were sure it was our last night before becoming parents. We were wrong.

The food and fun continued on Friday when I took a break from working at home to meet my friends Doug and Karlyn for lobster rolls at Brooklyn Fish Camp (which I think might have better ones than its sister restaurant, Mary's, in the West Village), followed by tangy frozen yogurt at Oko. We also figured out where Jennifer Connelly lives in Park Slope (yes, lent is over, so I'm allowed to say that!).


On Saturday, Daniel and I woke up early and walked to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, a place neither of us had ever visited even though we've lived so close for the past seven years.

There couldn't have been a better day to visit. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, making it a perfect place to take what felt like the gazillionith photo of my pregnant belly. We were amazed by all the parents and kids and bright colored strollers. It made us excited to come back with our own little boy so Daniel can take him to the rain forest room where tropical plants and damp, humid air transport you straight to Brazil.

From the gardens, we walked to Joyce Bakeshop where we refueled with a black and white cookie, banana bread pudding, and my first sip of coffee in over a year. Everywhere we went, people were curious about when I was due. At Corduroy Kid, we spent a long time talking to the Australian owner about both of her labors. Her advice? Go home and have a "nice shag and big spicy meal." She promised that would get things moving.

Later in the day, on our way to visit our friends Joe, Marie and their son Lach, we passed by a restaurant called Tom's that had a line snaking around the corner. We soon learned that it's one of Brooklyn's oldest and most famous breakfast spots. The food looked like standard diner fare to me, but I'm still curious. We'll have to go back after the baby finally gets here. I hear they have some pretty amazing Belgian waffles.

A part of me can't help but think that the baby is giving us all this free time to really, really enjoy ourselves before he sweeps into our lives and turns them upside down (in a good way, of course). And for that, I am very thankful. I feel more relaxed and in love and blessed than words could describe and while I can't wait for this new phase that is so, so close, I'm grateful for these last few moments of peace, freedom and guilt-free relaxation.

But now I'm ready and really want him to get here. Anyone want to place any bets on when he'll finally decide to show up? I'm hoping he's holding out for Earth Day, so we shall see!

As Lach likes to say whenever he checks out my belly, "Baby, come out!"