Overdue......

My youngest sister was due with her first on August 6th. The list that I "misplaced" may be worthless soon. Most of the guesses as to due date had her going on or before her due date. I know better. I picked August 18th.

Before you all start thinking that I am mean let me point out a few facts. Over two thirds of first babies are born after their official due date.

And here's the kicker: they say that you birth more like your sisters then your mother. Which is great if you happen to have sisters. And they happened to have had babies. In my younger sister's case, both are true.

Based on this assumption, she may have to wait a while longer before she holds her child in her arms. I present as exhibit number one my third sister. She has two children. Her first was induced when she was 8 days overdue. Her second was 10 days "late".

Exhibit number two is my second sister. She went full term with TWINS. Since that never happens we can put her in the "late" category as well.

Last, but not least, is yours truly. And this is where the cards get stacked heavily in favor of longer family cooking times. My first two children were both induced at 10 days. My third, my attempt at a home birth, was four weeks late. No, that was not a typo. I was the most pregnant woman in the entire State O' Maine. But that is a story for another day. My last child was 11 days "late".

So what does all of this mean for my sister? Well, I think that the evidence clearly points to the fact that we need to grow our babies for a bit longer then the norm.

That's a hard pill to swallow when you are awaiting the arrival of any child, but especially hard when it is your first. Add to that the worry of her husband leaving on the 28th to return to his oil rig and you have a recipe for...anxiety.

Plus she has started to receive the daily phone calls from well meaning family and friends. The "How are you today?" calls. I can remember wanting to scream,

"I'M STILL PREGNANT AND DON'T YOU THINK THAT IF I'D HAD THE BABY I WOULD HAVE CALLED YOU AND TOLD YOU AND I FEEL LIKE A GIRAFFE WITH A MEDICINE BALL STRAPPED TO MY BELLY AND I'M PEEING 15 TIMES A NIGHT AND THE HEARTBURN IS KILLING ME AND PLEASE DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TELLING ME ABOUT ANOTHER SUREFIRE METHOD THAT WILL PUT ME INTO LABOR LIKE FULL MOONS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS CHIROPRACTORS ACUPUNCTURE CASTOR OIL BLUE COHASH FULL BOXES OF KRAFT MAC AND CHEESE DRIVING OVER BUMPY ROADS OR PUTTING A CAT ON A WET TOWEL ON MY BELLY BECAUSE NOTHING WORKS AND YES ME AND THE HUBBY HAVE BEEN DOING IT LIKE RABBITS EVEN THOUGH I FEEL AS HORNY AS AN 80 YEAR OLD NUN BUT I WANT HIS SPERM BECAUSE EVERYONE TELLS ME THAT WHAT GOT THE BABY IN WILL HELP GET THE BABY OUT BUT THAT IS NOT WORKING EITHER AND YES I WILL CALL YOU AT THE FIRST PANG OF LABOR HAVE A GOOD DAY I'LL CALL YOU I PROMISE BYE."

I am guilty of calling her often. I try to find other excuses for the call. Some of them are pretty thin. I just need to hear her voice and tell her that I love her.
And possibly make her laugh. That's about all I can do.

So, send your positive labor energy northeastwards. Pray that my sister goes into labor soon because I know from personal experience that being pregnant has gotten old. She is more then ready to make the leap to motherhood. Each day brings her a day closer.