After waiting for nine months, we are ready for the baby.

Any day now.

The holidays are done, the cradle is set up next to the bed, we have a supply of diapers and blankets; now we are just making minor tweaks to our plans.

I love this baby.

This is our third child. After going through two labor experiences, we have a good idea of what to expect. During the birth of your first child, everything is new, and a little scary. The second time, it is familiar and exciting. This third time, I’m expecting a fast, easy labor with lots of strong pushing and gentle music, warm baths and candlelight, and a trance-like state that comes from being completely in tune with the heroic changes that a human body can only make a few times in its life. (And only a female human body, at that.)

Although it has been my habit to work in the city ten minutes away, it is too far; now I work from an office just down the mountain from our house, so I am on call at any hour to jump to my wife’s side and keep her hydrated and calm.

Our other two children were born in the afternoon, with contractions starting in the middle of the night. Will it be the same this time?

One thing we are all sure of, is the labor this time will be fast. A woman’s third child usually comes out faster than her other two. Zaden was born in 6-7 hours, and Indilea’s labor was four days long.

Johanna’s sister, who was the third child, was born very rapidly.

22 minutes.

Start to finish, that’s how short it took. With this spice in our gene pool, we’re expecting a fast, easy delivery.

The baby is big, which means we will have a healthy boy that doesn’t get sick. Living in the tropics, we don’t have to worry about colds and flu. Our small house is cozy, clean, and ready to accept the baby into it.

Our whole lives seem set up for this moment. Johanna’s parents spend hours with us every day, tending the house and the children. The weather is bright and cheery. Little Taos will be here any day now.

We are asking for our friends and family to help us aid his transition into the world, by being there in spirit.

Please click on the picture above if you would like to receive a phone call when labor starts. (I will also be crowing it through my social media profiles – connect with me on the sidebar if you haven’t already.)

When you get the call, light a candle and pray for a safe, healthy birth.