Pregame

When we sent out invitations to our family baby shower, we asked people to join us for "the big game"--AKA, the birth of our baby boy. Well, sports fans, we have officially arrived at the pregame.

A successful visit to our doctor a few days ago brought the happy news that we are out of "pre-labor" and into actual labor--albeit the early stages. I am 70% effaced and 1-2 inches dilated, which means my body is doing what it should to get ready for the proverbial kickoff.

During pregame, players warm up so that when the time comes and the crowd is cheering and adrenaline is pumping, they can score points without thinking about it. In the same vein, my tummy is contracting very regularly and with increasing strength, so that when it matters, our little guy can make a smooth entrance into the world (toooouchdown, baby!).

The crowd during pregame is always super excited, and our family and friends are the same way. Everyone is waiting on pins and needles--Husband has a plan set up at work so he can leave at a moments notice on "vacation". Godparents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents check in on a regular basis. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them showed up in the hospital waiting room with big foam fingers.

Everyone knows that pregame is often the most exciting part of the game. The air is ripe with possibility. Everyone has energy. Anything could happen! No one is overheated from sitting in the hot stands, no one has spilled soda down the front of them, and no one feels sick from consuming too much game day food. The anticipation of getting to meet our little guy is almost unbearable, but in a good way--and I'm consuming as much pregame food as possible, because once that scoreboard clock starts ticking down, it's ice chips and saltines until way after the stands are empty.

So we're enjoying pregame as much as possible, because I know in a blink of an eye, it will be the end of the fourth quarter.