What if Baby Girl Turner laps Finnabee, as Rosie asked not long ago?
And gets borned first, despite being due 3 weeks later?
Don't even think about it.
Waiting for a baby is a ridiculous exercise in answering the question, “How are you?” or “How is she?” Obviously it has to be asked, but there's no actually satisfying (to anyone) answer before the baby has come.
Try “What can I say? If there were news, you'd have heard it!” Patiently expecting and letting baby come in his/her good time does not leave much room for exciting updates.
I hope to have some news for you soon!
Meanwhile, here are some internet thoughts for you.
- Rosie says, “This method of cooking bacon seemed very counter-intuitive to me, but I've tried it and it works. I am now a believer.” The comments mention cooking sausage this way, which I do – adding a little water to the pan, especially as my favorite sausage comes frozen (hence, no preservatives), and that's how they say to do it on the package. I've not tried bacon this way and usually make it in the oven, but if Rosie says it's a good way, I believe her.
- I slipped away from the baby watch to visit with Natasha and soak up some grandson time with Francis. (Wonderfully, the Hong Kongers are now closer to moi! More on that later.) I was working through the Kitchener stitch with her on a super cute blanket she is finishing for a certain baby provisionally named Finnabee. In theory I have more practice because I do make socks. I can memorize it from one sock to the other, but usually, enough time lapses that I actually end up having to look it up to remind myself what to do. And lately I've been making shawls, so yeah, not on top of it. I find that this video instructing you how to memorize the Kitchener stitch is the most rational, least blindly-follow-directions-y of the explanations. If I Kitchenered more often, I think I would have it memorized for real.
- I'm not ashamed to bring up some old stuff when it's solid, though I will spare you my favorite cat videos. But recently I was going through some saved links and found this post from BooMama. True, it's from 2009; please don't give up on me. It's a Protestant making fun of Protestant-speak, but I bet with very little trouble we Catholics could come up with the same kind of thing. If it was this funny, we'd be doing very well. Every time I read it I snort myself silly. The comments are priceless, but warning: there are about 200 of them. I may or may not have read every one at some point.
- Now for the serious stuff. A few weeks ago Deirdre linked to the story of the priest who used social media to find adoptive parents for a Down syndrome baby in danger of abortion.
- Well, it turns out that the priest's father died a few years ago in a rather horrible and heroic way, saving his Down syndrome son who was drowning in a septic tank. Rosie and I remember reading about him then (actually, I first heard from friends who are friends of the family), and being very moved by the story. This family is full of love.
- Apparently, unbelievably, some mean-spirited pro-choicers somehow found a way to criticize the priest for saving this unborn baby's life and the hundreds (almost a thousand!) families willing to adopt, saying that pro-lifers only care about babies and manipulating women. This writer points out that this is baloney.
- When pro-lifers were told that they were only against abortion, not for babies, they were already working to save the babies and praying at clinics. When they were told they only cared about the baby, not the mother, they had already set up pregnancy help centers. When they were told that they didn't care about the baby after it was born, they were already throwing showers, offering employment, and providing adoption services. When they were told that the pregnancy help centers weren't staffed by medical personnel, they were already getting doctors to work there (often as volunteers).
- One of the best rebuttals to what can only be called calumny against pro-lifers is a man named John Ensor. Our family has been friends with the Ensors since the days when John painted houses to raise enough money to buy a full-page ad in the phone book to offer women an alternative to abortion. What I love the most about John and the pregnancy help centers he founded (called A Woman's Concern) is his and their dedication to the Gospel and to marriage as the only true haven for the baby.
- If you were a woman in trouble and went to AWC, you would hear about help for your baby, but you would also be asked what help you needed and where the father is. Many a man has been offered a job by John himself, usually climbing ladders to paint houses. Many a couple has been married in John's office (he's a minister as well as a baby-rescuer). That's how to save babies!
- Please go “like” PassionLife on Facebook if you are on there. John Ensor is now traveling with his wife to preach the Gospel of Life (which he freely “borrows” from Pope John Paul II, good Protestant that he is) and turn hearts towards babies in nations plagued by abortion, infanticide and gendercide.
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EmilyRose says
I want to see your favorite cat videos!!!
Julie says
Two babies ago my sister and I were due 4 days apart. She ended up with issues requiring an early induction, and I remember remarking, “I'll be really bitter if I'm still pregnant three weeks later.” That's just what happened when my baby decided to stay put for a LONG time. All's well that end's well though.
Barbara says
Great edition, Leila.
Praying for babies very soon!
Kirsti says
Maybe you could just refer people to this website? 🙂 http://haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/
Caitlin says
Oh gosh, I feel for Deirdre! My best friend and I were due a week apart with our firsts (I on the 18th, her on the 25th). Her son ended up being born the day before my due date and my sweet daughter was 10 days late! You can't imagine how sorry I felt for myself! Those dear babies will come in their own sweet time.
Mamalion says
My favorite advice for kitchenering (is that a word?) is Techknitter. She has 2 separate posts about it- this one:
http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2012/11/step-by-…
And my personal favorite for socks, this one:
http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2007/05/easier-w…
I love poking around her website! I also found when I had to kitchener a shawl that went on forEVer that I much prefer a 3-needle bind off.
Margo says
I can't help myself and I have to tell you: many years ago, my mother's due date for me was February 28. Her sister's due date was March 17. So, the sister ends up giving birth around her due date while my poor mother delivered me FINALLY on March 28, a whole month later. So I'm officially younger than my cousin Tom, although gestationally, I am older. He always lords it over me, however. And my mother says I acted like a one-month-old baby, too – held my head up and made eye contact right out of the womb. No doc would ever let a pregnancy go that long these days! I wish Deirdre the best and a good birth.
Kelsey says
Good job, Deirdre! I know how hard this is because I'm experiencing exactly the same thing right now. It's a very difficult and sensitive time. Lots of prayers!
April L. says
I had a cousin due almost a month after me with my last pregnancy…she had her baby a week before me. Of course I wasn't jealous of her premie (who was only slightly premature and turned out just fine), but I have to admit I was a little deflated when I heard the news!
I made the mistake of looking up the Jezebel article to see what the pro-choice comments were saying…ugh. Thankfully there were a few reasonable voices (i.e. “I believe abortion should be legal, but I can't find anything wrong with this story.”) but most of the comments made me lose my faith in humanity for a minute. Makes me scratch my head when they say that we are the hateful ones.
Melanie says
I do feel your pain! My first two babies were right near their due date, but the next three were very late…like 10-14 days late. Such a misery. I woke up every morning thinking, “Maybe today!”, and….nope. Try to stay busy and, well, give up making yourself crazy trying to start labor. It rarely works and makes you nuts.
Katie says
Thanks for posting about John Ensor's work! He's is my husband's uncle and we are so proud of their work and sacrifice.
Valerie says
The re-post from BooMama “Needing Some Closure” was hilarious… and those comments…
Through the prayers of St. John Vianney,
(insert name of pious Catholic here)
Claire Michelle says
Thanks for the fun, ecumenical post! My husband and I got a big kick out of it. I agree, the comments are worth reading.
In company with the Holy Mother of God and all the saints in ceaseless prayer,
Claire
ar_danziger says
Thank you; great pro-life post. Prayers for the expected babies! Also, I just now realized who The Chief is 🙂 My husband and I have been readers/supporters of Catholic Culture for at least 4 years.
NJKim says
Oh my gosh, that link to BooMama was priceless. I snorted my morning tea reading that and with so much stress in our life right now, it was a wonderful way to start the day! Thank you!
Grateful for the undeserved grace that He bestows on my unworthy self,
Kim