A.L.

since october when i found out i was pregnant, everything has been about "before lylah." (OK, so we didn't know her name in october, but you know what i mean.) "this will happen, this has to get done, that will happen before lylah gets here." it's as if there has been a looming deadline at the end of june that has been on the horizon for, well, nine months. everything has been measured in this time before her arrival. afterwards? who cares! B.L.! get it done!

today, a particularly difficult day of waiting (as if there are easy days of waiting any more) that saw the announcement of two other babies (that aren't mine!) delivered, i had a thought: there does in fact exist "after lylah." it started when the women's retreat randomly popped up in my head, and i realized that lylah will go with me to that. and then i started thinking about how we'll have birthday parties and school will start and thanksgiving and christmas will come and...lylah will be with us. A.L....after lylah.

it was just a sweet moment of perspective that as minutes crawl by to the (no-one-knows-it-and-it's-driving-me-insane) deadline, there is so much to look forward to right past that! she's coming! and she's gonna be with us! just a perfect addition to our family.

how very, very exciting (hormonal pregnant lady sob!)!

lylah ruth: 39 weeks, 1 day.

He does not delay.

i drove away from my 37-week doctor's appointment yesterday in a so-so mood. not much change from 36 weeks, but the ob did comment on how the baby is "big enough! definitely big enough!" i was leaving the clinic, and as i was trying to decide exactly how to interpret that comment, a song came on the radio i'd never heard before. i don't know the name or the artist, but one line really struck me:

"oh, my God...He does not delay."

for some reason, the thought resonated loudly to my ultra uncomfortable, pregnant self. i am ridiculously ready for this baby to make her glorious appearance. like...yesterday. times 10. but her birthday is known to One and only One at the moment, and it's not a date He picked at the last minute or as the last item on His to-do list.

He does not delay. how incredibly comforting.

lylah ruth: 37 weeks, 5 days.