The blame game

Don told me last night that both Desiree and Dakota were born later than expected. He estimated the actual birthday of our baby to be two weeks late. That would mean that the baby would be born as late as April 11th and that just better not happen. I know that very few women actually give birth on the day that is expected and that it all depends on when baby is ready to greet the world but if our son decides to make a late appearance, I blame Don!

I actually have evidence to back this up if need be. Ever since I have known him, my charming husband has lived by his own rules, including his own perception of time. Before I knew him, I was one of those annoying people who had to be early for everything. It's a family trait [I used to hate it because we were always the ones who were ready hours before any event]. So, you can imagine what it was like when Don and I first started dating. I would tend to be early for everything [first date was an exception and I expect to hear about that for the rest of my life] and Don would be just a wee bit late. Now, in polite society, being a little late is not a problem. However, when you combine that with the inevitable wait of the notoriously early person, it can truly try your patience. It's a good thing that I found out early on that he is well worth it.

Dakota also seems to share this trait with Don. In fact, she really lives in a different world when it comes to being able to tell time. If you tell her that it is okay to visit her friend down the street but to call at a specific time, you can almost always predict that she will either forget to call or will call hours later. The first time this happened I was in such a panic imagining everything that could have gone wrong and the worst of it was I wasn't entirely sure what house her friend lived at and didn't have a phone number. Another issue is bedtime. Dakota goes to bed at 10 pm - for me, this means she should have finished brushing her teeth, chasing the cat, talking about her latest sports injury, remembered that she had an important notice for us from school about a bake sale the next day, etc. and be in bed at 10 pm. For her, this means she will wait about 15 minutes until Don reminds her that she has to go to bed, wait another 5 minutes before she is told to brush her teeth, then come back and do all of the above and suddenly develop a fascination with the nightly news and stand watching it until Don or I tell her once again that it is in fact her bedtime. That kid never actually gets into bed until about 10:30 then wonders why she's so sleepy in the mornings. I must remember to ask Don's parents if this is what he was like as a child.

Now I know that my own pecularities are not necessarily a good thing. It's nobodies fault but my own that I have spent a good amount of my time waiting. Over the years, I've managed to relax to the point where I manage to just be on time - not too early, not late. A researcher that I am working with in Ottawa always laughs at me though because I call her every Friday at 1pm on the dot. I don't have to even identify myself, she just knows it's me. I tried once to call her a little later but only managed to wait for about a minute or two before I broke down and made the call.

The point is, as much as I know you can't plan ahead in terms of things concerning the baby, logic and statistics just don't factor into my own world at the moment. I was told the baby was due on March 28th and it had better come on March 28th - or even a little earlier if it takes after me [Yup, I was a born early - by a month and a half]. If it doesn't, well, I'm just saying you can draw your own conclusions.