Forty Weeks and Four days (but who is counting)

At the park the other day a nanny looked me up and down and remarked, "soon, baby will come very soon."  I replied, "I hope so, my due date was Monday."  Nonplussed, she remarked "oh that is normal, very normal, baby come early, baby come late, all normal."  And once again I found myself wishing I could transport myself to another country where birth is considered a normal event for the remainder of my gestation.  I don't mind being late, which is a big statement given the fact that patience is NOT my strength.  I told this baby it could come when it wanted to.  I do mind the oh, you are still pregnant, vibes I sense from people on the street.  I much preferred the calm certainty of the nanny in the park who knew that eventually, the baby would come out, and that all was good.
I think I willed Khady, my first, to come early.  A good month away from my due date, I had already planned the closing of our Chicago house which we were selling AND the closing date of our new DC house that awaited us just a short 13 hour drive or so away (a drive that would be lengthened by stops for frequent nursings and walks around the car to improve circulation in my newly postpartum body).  And of course the baptism was scheduled as well.  There was no margin for error and I am sure this was what encouraged me to ask my midwife to vigorously strip my membranes the day before I went into labor.
With Fenimore, my VBAC baby, I spent most of my time calm and sure of my ability to birth but VBAC anxieties gripped me from time to time and of course I hoped baby would come sooner then later.
With this baby, despite the house rehabbing and selling and the house hunting, I have remained committed to the belief that all will work out and baby will come when he/she needs to.  Of COURSE I am overly excited to meet this baby and I do sing "baby come out" songs but I do not feel she/he absolutely must come out now.
I am also feeling a lot of empathy for moms with caregivers who talk induction after 40 weeks.  It is hard enough to push away the culturally ingrained feeling that baby should come out around 40 weeks.  To remain calm and committed to the belief that baby will come when he/she needs to while your caregiver is ordering any number of tests and setting your induction date must be very stressful indeed.
Once I am attending births again, I will over-emphasize that my clients should not etch a due date into their heads.