In my pregnancy with Colt we never experienced this unique season of what it is to be waiting on the arrival of a new baby. Colt’s arrival took us by such surprise that Michael and I were literally on a mini vacay, 3 hours away. Our hospital bags hadn’t been packed. The car seat was still in a box in our storage closet. I didn’t even have my doctor’s number stored in my phone. We were clearly not prepared. And even though I have been told by countless doctors that what happened last time was a “medically non-reproducible risk” which should have absolutely no bearing on this pregnancy, I still felt a little bit like a ticking time-bomb until we passed the 37 week mark. And then, almost 2 weeks ago, we passed it.

Now we are in a (short) season of waiting. I will be 39 weeks pregnant on Saturday so we are in the stage where the baby could come in 2 hours, 2 days or 2 weeks. We are so eager to meet him and have him join our family and yet there is something so special and sweet about this in-between. Each day that I spend with Colt feels like a gift. It’s like I am seeing him more clearly and watching him with just a little more wonder than before. I’m seeing the details. And with Michael too – perhaps even more so. Every evening that we spend together, eating dinner, sitting and talking and just enjoying each other feels like a special treasure.

My mom boards a plane to Brazil in 1 week and a week from Saturday is my due date. We will have my mom stay with us for 2 1/2 weeks (and my dad will join for the final 5 days of her visit) and less than 2 weeks after they leave, Michael’s parents will visit for a week and a half. That will basically bring us to October and then it’s just the blink of an eye before we are heading to the US for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And what a blur those first few months are with a new baby. A magical blur but a blur nonetheless. It feels like it will be next spring before we settle into a routine again, this time as a family of 4.

So while we look forward with excited hearts at what is to come, I first wanted to pause and record how thankful I am to be in this exact moment, right now, everything just as it is.