His due date has come and gone, and still we wait for his birthday to be revealed. We've washed the baby clothes, stocked up on cloth diaper covers, and folded the swaddles. The birth tub sits in the hallway next to a stack of old towels, waiting to be inflated. The fridge and cupboards brim with food (& the freezer with ice cream). And in these chilly February days, we wait.
My sister Emmy is visiting for a few days to help around the house and hopefully assist in "catching" the baby when the time comes. With everything prepared at home, we've been trying to get out and venture around the city as much as possible these past couple of days. Uptown, downtown, museum mile, grocery shopping, subway adventures.. we are making the rounds of NYC, and hoping to coax this little boy out while we're at it by walking as much as humanly possible. Biet is simply smitten with our new adventure partner (and also with the sudden influx of delicious home-cooked meals and freshly-baked cookies that she has infused our apartment with), and I love laying here in bed at the end of the day knowing that my big sister is in just the next room, instead of across the country.
Emmy and Gaby helped me with my forty week photo shoot in our living room, and I am overwhelmed with the results. It may take me a while to filter through and pick out my favorites, but I am instantly in love with this shot- with this captured moment between Biet and I. She will be such a treasure of a sister. I also see my bulging pregnant belly and I know that no matter how fiercely I long to see this little boy's face (and let me tell you, I am absolutely dying to meet him), I will miss being pregnant when it is over. These last few days are truly a sacred time.