The Waiting Game: Week 37

Teresha: So last week I experienced a period of manic activity otherwise known as nesting. I washed all of Marlie's cloth diapers and hung them to dry, organized her drawers, packed the bags, got the car detailed, and had Damon install the car seat. Last Wednesday I had some intense Braxton Hicks contractions that felt different. Hubby told our midwife about them at our prenatal appointment on Thursday while I was in the ladies room checking the PH and protein levels in my pee. She asked me to describe them and silly me says, "they are spasms 'inside,' but they kind of hurt." I guess she is used to clients who lack a grasp of medical terminology because she turned around without a puzzled look and said, "it sound like your cervix is opening up. Let's take a look." Sure enough I was almost 2 cm dilated. She tells me this is unusual for first-time mommies, but great news because I will probably have a fast and easy birth. Yay me! On the other hand, she prefers the babies she delivers to be at least 37 weeks, so no physical activity for the next 7 days (this meant S-E-X too in case you are wondering). She ended the visit by predicting our baby will come in the next two weeks. My heart soared. I could be seeing our honey bunny soon, which was my hunch anyway. Since our appointment, I have on hyper-vigilant watch for signs of labor. This week, a weird calm has come over me, and I have been taking crazy, long naps like a lazy dog in summer! Is this a sign? I have also been looking for the telltale "biological" signs such as shedding of my mucus plug or 'bloody show' and the obvious breaking of my water. But I have a feeling that it will be more subtle for me, like I will start with a slow leak instead of a gush. Several people have also told me that their bodies "cleansed" themselves just prior to going into labor. This would be a welcome change for me! Okay, enough of the over-sharing. I set up a baby birth date pool. The widget is located on the upper left-hand sidebar (the one with the teddy bear graphic). So go take a guess as to when Marlie is going to be born. Will she stay put or will she make an early escape?

Damon: I was kinda worried that Marlie would be a bit early. I think we are physically ready for her to show up, but I don't know if we are mentally prepared yet : ) I still need my three weeks! Butters also wants to have a little more time as a single child. All I can say is bring on the baby.