The baby obviously didn't get my (Brandon's) punctualilty

It would be a significant understatement to say that I love to be on time. I was always the kid in high school that showed up to the stag dance, not merely on time, but 15 minutes early. It turns out that this is not cool to do. Fortunately I eventually found friends who were able to hold me down long enough to be "fashionably late." However, years later I continue to be punctual for nearly everything I do, even if I look stupid doing so. One might say that this has become a source of pride for me.

I am sad to report that my wonderful daughter does not appear to have inherited this wonderful quality from her father. Tomorrow is her due date and there is no sign that she will be joining us anytime soon. She is perfectly content to sit back and wait a little longer.

For the last several days, I've been trying to figure out when she is going to come. Although I would really like her to come right now, I think I have finally realized why she is choosing to be late. Assuming she is rational, she understands that the longer she waits the more badly we will want her to come and the more excited we will be when she finally does come. Thus, by waiting a few extra days, she is able to increase her utility. However, as she waits, the marginal returns from doing so will slowly decrease as we become more annoyed. Eventually the marginal returns will become negative because not only will everyone be ticked off that she is so late, but all of the clothes she has waiting will no longer fit. Thus, economics would lead me to predict that she will enter the world precisely at the moment the marginal benefit from waiting inside the womb another day equals the marginal cost of doing so. (See Figure 1 below). I'm not sure exactly when this is, but I'm guessing it will be a few more days. I will keep you all updated.