Hello N Sullivan,
Thanks for asking your question here in the Apple Support Communities. I understand how important it is to have all your apps. Thank you for the great description of what is happening, also. This "waiting" issue happens for two reasons. One is that you do not have enough space on your device to download the apps. The other is that there is something stuck in the queue to download. Do not worry, I will provide a solution for both of these issues.
The first thing we want to ensure is that all your data is safe. You can make a backup in iCloud or iTunes. Use this article for help with that: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Once your data is safe, go ahead and make sure you have space to download these items. Please open this help article: Check the storage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can use this help article as well, to help you delete content manually: If you need more space for an iOS update.
If you have plenty of space for the apps, please open this help article: If an app you installed unexpectedly quits, stops responding, or won’t open.
Thanks again, and have a wonderful rest of your day!