July 2023: Waiting

Waiting is the hardest part. Tom Petty sang it. The Janiecs are feeling it.

Jordan’s due date is today (July 30^th). With her track record of going early, we assumed my July reflection would introduce our new child to the world. But since this baby is taking its damn time, the only thing to reflect on is “the waiting.”

We’ve spent most of July enjoying the long-awaited introductions of adorable newborns like Romee Minutillo, Nolan Mouton, Jackson Orton, Ellie Spinelli, and all the other baby announcements across social media. Each announcement brought us one step closer to our turn. And as we patiently waited for our turn, we’ve been packing our bags, preparing the nursery, getting stuff done around the house, taking care of outstanding items at work, and clearing the social calendar. But now that our turn has finally come…it’s been crickets.

And the waiting sucks. I can’t imagine how it feels to be 10 months pregnant– let alone to be 10 months pregnant for the third time in less than 5 years- but it doesn’t take a very observant husband to recognize that this final stretch is brutal for Mom. The days are hot. The sleepless nights are long. The UFC fight going on inside of Jordo’s belly seems torturous. Outside of trying to speed up the process up with spicy foods, massages, balance balls, curb walks, and other home remedies, this baby’s exit strategy is largely out of our control…so we just wait.

I recognize that it’s dangerous to put a positive spin on an uncomfortable experience that I can’t even fathom. So for the most part, it’s probably better to just erase the memories of this waiting period. But if I may…there is one aspect of this memory that I’ll try to preserve.

These past few days have given us time to pause and anticipate the significance of the change that awaits. In these final days as a family of 4, the snuggles have been tighter, the laughs have been louder, the love has been deeper, and my tear ducts have been more active than usual. It’s hard to imagine what’s about to happen, how I’m going to feel, and the way we’ll all be forever changed in the coming days, but there’s something powerful about this experience in the “calm before the storm” that I’d like to hold on to.

And I just hope the extra time that Jordo has had to battle will make the grand prize that much sweeter. She’s been a champ through this whole thing and I can’t wait to meet the little angel that’s been causing all this pain and suffering. Only a few more days…maybe hours! They say the best things in life are worth waiting for. I have a feeling this will be one of those things.