like a kid at christmas

My wife and I are 39 weeks pregnant today. This means we're one week from the baby's due date. As I wait in anticipation for the birth of my first child, I would like to compare it to the anticipation of Christmas. Translation: the nearer it gets the more heightened the anticipation and the increase of the impatience.

Why the comparison makes sense...

Let's face it, we don't think too much about Christmas for most of the year as kids. I mean, it comes up every now and again but for the most part, we don't stress it too much. But come Thanksgiving, all we can think about is Christmas. And each week until Christmas feels longer than the one before. And Christmas Eve feels like the longest day of the year. I still can't fully sleep on Christmas Eve. Maybe I'm still a kid at heart, but I just get so excited for Christmas morning to come. And it has nothing to do with presents either. I just love Christmas day!

Likewise, the first 36 weeks of pregnancy seemed to fly by. Even though things are crawling now, each week has felt a little longer as we near the due date. I am full of anticipation. I simply cannot wait to meet my daughter!

Where the comparison fails...

What I've been discovering though, is that it's not a perfect comparison due to one major difference: the nature of the anticipated date. What do I mean? Well, Christmas is a fixed day. You know that Christmas comes every December 25th. On December 24th, you know that you only have one more day to go. With pregnancy, the due date is not fixed. You could have the baby earlier or later than the anticipated due date. And I haven't decided yet if this makes things better or worse.

On the one hand, I feel like not knowing makes the weeks preceding less anxious as you aren't 100% certain what day you're waiting for.

On the other hand, you start feeling like it could be any day which makes every day feel so long.

I would assume too that it's probably better for those who deliver sooner than the deadline and worse for those who deliver after.

Regardless of the imperfection, one thing remains great for the sake of the analogy: the anticipation. I'm like a little kid on Christmas, waiting for my gift to arrive!