Post-due date update on Pookie Cub

Dear Family and Friends,

We thought we'd send a quick (yeah right!) update since many of you know that our expected due date was this past Thursday, 5/19. So mommy-to-be has been to weekly check-ins with her doctor the past few weeks leading up to the due date. Thankfully the whole pregnancy has gone perfectly on-track for both mommy and baby with no health complications or concerns. We know that labor could start at any time within 1-2 weeks before or after the due date. But we had been hoping baby would not come early so we would have more time to prepare and also relish the last few days as carefree, childless newlyweds! :)

One week ago the doctor said there was no dilation and predicted the birth would happen sometime past our due date. This was welcome news to us since at the time we had yet to acquire a glider (aka "rocking chair"), changing table, or dresser for all the baby's clothes we've been given. So last weekend after a flurry of visiting two different maternity flea markets and following-up on a few Craigslist ads we locked-in fabulous deals on a nice Dutailier glider, a Pali crib, an armoire / dresser, and natural wood changing table. All told we shelled out $560 for excellent condition furniture we estimate would have cost over $2000 new!

In our defense we had delayed the furniture purchases partly due to not knowing if our home would sell before the baby comes. Having received no offers we have suspended open houses for the week before / after the due date. And believe it or not Shu has discovered her internal interior designer and enjoyed setting up and decorating our mini "baby room" with whimsical monkey decals pasted on the walls.

This past Friday at the weekly doctor check-in they conducted a more extensive monitoring of the baby's heart rhythms just to make sure she's still happy and healthy inside. Little "Pookie Cub" (our working title for the baby :) appears to be having too good a time in there and in no hurry to come out! Again there is no dilation or indication that labor is imminent. Our doctor generally likes to give the baby an extra week or so to make her grand entrance in her own timing. After a week past the due date she would discuss with us potential of inducing labor.

We are definitely very excited about the baby coming any moment. It's an interesting time now of being in a constant state of readiness after 9 months of ramp up. For those of you familiar with the weeklong summer foster kids' camp I've led the past 10 years, I've likened my experience now to completing all the months of preparation leading up to camp planning all the activities and coordinating and training all the counselors, staff, and kids only to find myself on Sunday before camp not knowing if it would start on Monday or Tuesday or a week from now!

Thanks for your continued love, support, advice, prayers, and well-wishes as we are one the verge of life as we know it changing forever!

With love and gratitude,
Paul and Shu