39 Weeks and 2 days left

I'm home today! Maternity leave is awesome. I finished up everything at work on Friday and passed off everything I had. Then I walked out of the door and felt like dancing. I might have danced a little. I feel weird not being at work right now and I feel weird because I dropped W off at daycare at 8:45 and now I'm spending a few hours just uploading pictures from the camera and making sure everything is backed up to our online photo storage. But these are VERY important things. I never get to sit and just do this. 

I still have 5 rooms to clean until the house is 100% ready (and when I say 5 rooms, I'm including things like hallways and the laundry room - I like to check things off lists!). 

Last night around 8 pm I was settled on the couch when I had a contraction. No big deal. Then 15 minutes later, I had another one. So I decided to download a timer app and see how things went. After the 4th one, I told M what was happening. We decided if they were still going around 9:45, we would call his mom and let her know. I had several good long contractions, about 8 minutes apart, until I decided to go pee around 9. And they stopped completely. I felt a little let down. But not too let down... I still have to clean those rooms! And I had been looking forward to my 2 days to myself at home. 

M decided to sleep in a little today. We usually wake up at 5:20, so we slept in to 6:30. He wants to make sure we are well rested in case we have to go to the hospital. I like this plan, too! When M went to work this morning, he left me every phone number of every person in his office just in case he steps away from his desk. I think I'll be fine. 

Here's something I've been wanting to show off for a while: 

Check these suckers out!! They are awesome. Laura sent these burp cloths to me a while ago and I love them. They are at the top of the pile - a few upstairs and a few downstairs. I love the colors and everything about them. Thank you Laura!!!

37 weeks and AWAKE

37 weeks down. Clearly, I'm ready for this to be over.  It's so bittersweet, though. I want to be done with pregnancy, but I'm trying to squeeze every last bit out of it. I hope this is my last pregnancy. I'll never have these little tiny elbows poking from the inside again. I'll never again get to sit with a giant laugh and hold my belly while it shakes like a bowl full of jelly. I'll never again have random strangers smile at me and hold doors open or let me go ahead of them. I'll never again have the excuse to let my thoughts come out of my mouth completely unfiltered. 

But I will be sleeping better. I swear I'm the only person who looks forward to the baby because I'll be sleeping better. I know it could get worse ... But I've been wide awake at 4:30 every morning and my body will not let me sleep before 10:30 at night. And there's all the long hours of laying awake between. 

The baby's going home outfit is washed. The bassinet is set up. We are installing the car seat bases today after dinner. We are SO close to being ready. I'm also almost completely ready at work. That means the baby will not be here anytime soon. 

I had the GBS test last week at the doctor. And I currently weigh 8 pounds less than my husband. I have to keep feeding him late night desserts. It was the first of the no pants appointments and I was sweaty. Of course. So they gave me the little blanket to cover up and I threw it on the floor. The doctor walked in and I was sitting there all spread out with nothing covering the bottom half of my body. And I didn't give a single F about it. The doctor checked me and I was 1cm and VERY high. That meant it was the most uncomfortable thing ever. I might ask them to skip the next time (no I won't).  And, as usual for me, I had to peel the table paper of when the appointment was over. 

10 days left of work. 

2 weeks and 3 days until we have a baby. 

36 Weeks and a Sprinkle

Here we are.... 3 weeks and 1 day left. I still don't have the idea that this is real. 

I had a small sprinkle on Saturday. My SIL hosted it and she had an adorable idea - everyone brought children's books instead of regular baby stuff. I loved it!!! We had been worried that we'd get more baby blankets or bottles or towels, but everyone brought books (we did get a few extras and I'm not complaining, especially about the huge boxes of diapers!). 

Last night, we took a small family trip to the mall and we bought a little tiny going home outfit. 

Ridiculous. So cute. I decided I would allow myself to buy one outfit for the baby and there it is. We did get another tiny onesie with a crab on it because (a) we live in Maryland and (b) it was $4. 

I'm still doing about the same. I am completely exhausted in the evenings after work. I am not sleeping well and my hips really hurt. None of these are a big deal or anything weird. It does mean that I wake up on the weekdays and think to myself exactly how many work days I have left (14 including today). 

35 Weeks and Officially Disgusting

I had my appointment on Wednesday and I got some disturbing news: I have a fungal infection on my underbelly. Think about that for a second. I essentially have athlete's foot on my belly. From being disgusting. The doctor breezed over it. "Oh, do you have some itching" (a little) "You have a small spot of yeast on your belly down here. Get some {blah blah can't understand-izol} creme, the stuff for jock itch, and put it on the spot. That will help." Then she told me that next appointment (the 17th) will be the Group B strep test and my first cervical check. So last week was my last pants-on appointment and now I get to sweat through the paper on the table while I wait for the fun (who doesn't love the cervical checks!) bits. I have the creme and I now cover my bottom half in gold bond powder every morning to lessen the sweatyness. I'm not sure if it helps. 

Anyway. 

Baby is head down. Heart rate was 140-150s. 

Since I had an extra long weekend (W was sick on Wednesday, so I had 5 days off!), I got a ton of work done on the nursery. M got his tools out of the way and hung the curtains for me. We brought up lots of boxes from the basement. I did 4 loads of laundry* and folded everything. I still have 3 boxes left to sort out and at least two more loads of laundry. I will set up the crib with the bumper and then take it out when we actually start using the crib in a few months. I am crazy. 

W helped me sort out baby stuff. I pulled out a ton of breast pads that I hated (why did I keep them?) and he found the baby food containers. I got distracted by organizing the linen closet (everything! must! be! perfect!) and came back in to see every baby food container filled with a breast pad. He told me the diapers were ready for the baby. 

*Laundry: I know (because I am smart) that I don't need to use dreft. I know that the scent free/dye free detergent that I already use for myself is perfectly fine for the baby stuff. I also know that dreft smells like babies and I love it. So I bought one container and I promise not to buy anymore. But you know what was frustrating? Standing in Target looking at my options (I could only find a picture of one. You can guess what the other looked like): 

So, right there and then I had to decide the sex of my baby. I ended up picking the girl detergent. Only because they had one bottle of boy detergent and three bottles of girl. I didn't want someone who knew they had a boy on the way facing the crisis of buying GIRL detergent for their baby BOY. The horror!

34 Weeks and thirsty

Here we are. It's July! That means it is almost August. 

I'm trying to make an effort to enjoy these last few weeks. I really am. I want this to be my last pregnancy and I want to savor the moments, but it's hard to enjoy feeling like this. Not that it's hard *right now*. I feel fine right now, sitting at my desk with the cool air around me. It's still early enough that my hands aren't sweating. I just had a snack and a diet coke (I try to limit this to once a week and I hate it when I waste my Diet coke on Monday Morning!!), so I don't feel hungry or tired. 

I've been craving gatorade. I've gotten out of bed on weekend mornings just because I'm so thirsty. I'll ask my doctor about it on Wednesday, but I'm guessing it's just because it's so warm outside and I keep sweating. 

M and I had a date night on Saturday. We went to a fantastic grown up restaurant outside of DC and then to  see a talk about my favorite radio show. The dinner was so great and relaxing, also very rich. Then we went and sat in a sold out theater for 2 hours and 15 minutes. By the end, I had my shoes off and my pants rolled up and I was sitting forward in my seat. I was still covered in sweat... my shoes were off because they would have ripped. They could not contain my swollen feet. I'd like to apologize to the people around me. Sorry. 

Interesting things from this past week:

We went to the pool and got into the grown up pool for the first time this year (W prefers the baby pool). I felt so great in the water. So light and cool. Then I got out. Holy crap. It was like returning from space. I felt like I weighed 800 pounds. I had to stand and hold a handrail for several minutes. M must have thought I was going in labor. 

We had a family picnic this weekend (which took 100% of my energy all weekend... now my house is a mess and all the clothes are dirty and I'm stressed) and M's cousin did the pendulum test. you know the one - you dangle a necklace over a pregnant belly. It goes in a circle for a girl and back and forth for a boy. I'd never seen this done and we had 3 pregnant girls at this party. It said boy for all three (one is confirmed boy). M's cousin would "zero" it over her hand and we'd watch it clearly go in a circle. Then when it went over our bellies it would be still and then start going back and forth. Kind of creepy, but also very fun. 

29 Weeks and Dirty Clothes

I noticed something this week. This is my second round with these maternity clothes. I lent all of them out to my cousin when she was pregnant last year. I also lent some shirts out to another friend. So some of my shirts are on their 4th pregnancy. I'm happy they've had so much use... but I also realize that pregnant people are sloppy. I'm not blaming my cousin or my friend. I'm blaming me. Almost all of my clothes have some sort of stain on them! I'm sure they are my fault. I feel bad for lending out stained clothes! Gross! I know it's me because most of the stains are grease stains. I should try to get them out, but I'm too lazy. 

Baby is still behaving. My mom was able to feel some kicks over the weekend. I had a very fast appointment last week with a heart rate in the 130s. I gained 8 pounds in 2 weeks, so I'm going to watch my snacks over the next two weeks to try to slow that down a bit. 

Here's something cool: We went to the beach on Sunday. The weather wasn't that great, so I wore capri pants over my suit. I wore a maternity bathing suit top. This was the very first time in my life that I had ZERO body issues at the beach. I saw super hot girls walking along and I didn't care. I took pictures of just me, full length! That never happens in a bathing suit! I sprawled out on a chair. I threw myself down in the sand to dig a hole. I just let it all out there and it was great. I don't know if we'll make it to the beach again this summer, so I wanted to hold onto that feeling. I wish we could all have that! I'm sad that I had to be 29 weeks pregnant to feel that way. I told M about it and he said that I should feel that way all the time. I'm glad the person that counts thinks that about me. I'll try to keep that feeling next year. 

5 weeks and all is well.

Today I am five weeks. That is a milestone for me, which is kind of sad.

My symptoms are still strong. My boobs hurt so bad that I need to hold them when I go down stairs. I feel a little queasy a lot of the time. And I’m super emotional and tired. These are all good signs, but I can’t really hold onto them as comfort. All of this could just be side effects from the progesterone. I feel like I could be completely not pregnant anymore and the progesterone is just making me hold onto it and giving me all these fake symptoms all the time. I hope that’s not the case.

I could also blame the tiredness on a certain little boy who doesn’t like to go to sleep.

I’ve just started lurking on the birth boards. I tried to stay away, but I seem to crave being around people who understand. The rainbow board for August is a private group and that makes me happy. It’s easier to let your true emotions show in the private groups.

My weirdest symptom is still going strong. Every weekday morning, I pee around 9 or 9:30. That pee is always very cloudy when I am pregnant. It was happening near the end of the last week of November and I briefly wondered about it and decided I was crazy. It happened all through my pregnancy with W. I talked to the doctor about it and they had no explanation, just that it could have something to do with dehydration. They did test it again for proteins, though. It is only on the weekdays and only in the morning. Does this happen to anyone else? 

First milestone!

We passed the first milestone. This is officially more successful than my least successful pregnancy.

Today I am 5 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I don't feel pregnant, but I don't feel not pregnant. That's the thing about this time around - I'm not really focused on being pregnant. I actually forget all the time. I remember twice a day - breakfast (when I take my vitamins and baby aspirin) and dinner (when I don't drink wine).

We don't talk about this pregnancy at home. I know M is worried, but neither one of us wants to get the other worked up. He does mention to me every once in a while something small, like, "Did you take your medicine today?" and "Make your drink now so you can fake it."

We were out shopping over the weekend and I saw the most adorable big brother t-shirt that was on sale. I asked M if we should get it just in case and he said no. We could come back and get it when we need it. I wouldn't have bought it anyway, not now. We'll tell our parents after we see a heartbeat and that appointment isn't for another 2 weeks (Jan 17, 4 pm). I agreed that I'd rather not have to put the shirt in a drawer to find some other day. We have enough stuff like that in drawers around the house already.

W news: He stopped sucking his thumb over the holidays and that means his naps went to crap. I told M that in a few years we'll forget how rough this no-nap time was with him and we'll tell other people how we're fantastic parents and we got our toddler to stop thumb sucking at 19 months old.

40 Weeks and 2 Days

Four more wake-ups until induction. I'm scheduled for 8 am Tuesday morning and it can't get here fast enough.

After this post, I'm taking myself for a walk. I don't have any fears that the baby will start coming out while I'm walking, so I'm ok with going while home alone. I feel dumb that I used to worry about that.

I don't have much else to talk about. The baby is moving fine and I'm cranky and uncomfortable. My Father in Law gave me a nasty, sinus-y cold. So I'm kind of grateful that we don't have a baby right now. When my MIL found out that I got sick, she went ape-shit on FIL. You know that scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie's mom asks him where he heard the F word and he blames it on Flick (or Swartz... I can't remember)? And Ralphie's mom calls Flick's mom and you hear Flick's mom start beating him with the phone? That's what happened to my FIL yesterday. Poor man. It's not like he was trying to give me a cold. Now she's all doom and gloom about M getting sick, but mostly about her getting sick and not being able to touch the baby.

The thing with this cold is that now I feel all protective. No one is coming near our little family without a doctor's note saying they are healthy. And maybe I'll make everyone wear surgical masks. I'm absolutely in misery and I'm 30 years old. Imagine being 30 hours old and getting your first head cold.

So that's my update. I'm cranky. I'm sick. I'm still pregnant.

40 Weeks

Hi! It's my due date! Where's that baby???

The good: I've made it to a fully cooked little (big?) baby! We're both healthy and happy. One of us is a little too happy... I am fully prepared to have a child in this house. I have cereal now.

The bad: Well, it's my due date and the baby is still in my belly. That's not why I was counting down to today!

The ugly: Me. I'm not in too bad shape, but I know poor M must think I'm gross. I'm just really a huge lump of sweat and farts that has to pee a lot. He's being nice and pushing my butt to help me get off the couch. But I'm gross and I know it.

The Appointment:
I did not gain any weight this week. This is the first thing I've had that I can find on my "what happens before labor list" that we get in childbirth class. The Drill Sergent told us that we would stop gaining weight or loose a little right before we have the baby. I am pretending that it doesn't matter that this was a morning appointment and I usually am in there right after lunch.

I measured myself with the tape before the doctor got in there because they never tell me where I am. It said 39 weeks. M said that means I have another week. I told him to never talk to me again. Then the doctor came in. She said I measured on time. I am 3-4 cm dilated and the baby is "way up there." So that's progress and I know I won't have to worry about going to the hospital and having them tell me I'm at a 1. That would suck.

I asked her about work and told her I stopped going on Friday. She said to just leave the disability forms at the front desk and they'll get them filled out for me. That's a great thing. Now I won't feel (semi)guilty about not working this week. And I can get another week out of my very crappy short term disability.

Then we started talking induction. I wanted to go as soon as possible. She said Tuesday. One of us is a doctor, so that person wins. I am currently waiting for a phone call from the nurse to get that scheduled.

Then for the fun! I got a Non Stress Test, which was awesome. I got to curl up in a huge comfy recliner and listen to the baby's heart beat for 20 minutes. M got to sit with me on a wooden chair. He had to pee, but he was afraid he'd miss something. So he just sat with me the whole time. I called my mom so she could hear the monitor and she liked it. The doctor took a look at the chart and pronounced us good. The heart beat was steady the whole time.

Next was an ultrasound to check the fluid. The baby looks SO different now. I couldn't tell what anything was, not even the head. We were on an old machine, so you can't really see much anyway, but she measured the fluid pockets and checked the position. Everything is perfect.

I guess I couldn't ask for anything more. We're both doing great, so there is no need to induce me now. That's a good thing (I keep telling myself). And with this much dilation... I could still go at any time (right?).

The emotional stuff: So, May 18th (Tuesday, induction day) is exactly one year since we found out our baby died. The worst day of my entire life. I could be leaving the hospital with a new baby one year after leaving with no baby. This is kind of hard for me to take. I told M I didn't really want the baby born on the 18th or 19th because those are bad days for me. But I also think that maybe it will be ok... I mean, it's like having a baby on Sept 11... it brings some good back into that day. Something positive.

The Waiting

I'm happy to say that I'm not bored out of my mind. I am enjoying these days of relaxing and cleaning at a slow pace. This morning I am going to give the kitchen a good cleaning and do some vacuuming. Then the house will be as clean as it can get (except where I look down right now and see where M tracked leaves in from the grill last night... men!).

I had one "contraction" feeling thing this morning at 5:45. But still no other signs that anything is happening.

M and I feel like we're getting ready for a camping trip, but we don't know when we're leaving. We've stocked the house with non-perishable items and I'll make a trip to the store again today or tomorrow to get a few more things. We have enough meat in the freezer to last 3 weeks. Does it matter that we live 1/4 mile from the grocery store? That my mom will be here with us? That we have M's family 5 minutes away and amazing neighbors who would get us anything we need? It's a complete unknown out there. Our lives are going to explode with change this next week and we have no idea what to expect. I deal with it by cleaning. M deals with it by... um... not really doing anything different.

So here's to waiting and drinking all the raspberry herbal tea I can handle. At least all the sugar I put in it is keeping the baby busy!

Waiting

9 days until my due date.

I’m starting to believe I will be pregnant forever. This is where my complete lack of patience is starting to show. Every time I have any kind of little pain, I wonder if this is the beginning. It never is.

My plan for the weekend was to walk all over the place and do all kinds of labor inducing things. M would not participate in the ones he would be useful for… he said the baby isn’t ready yet and blah blah blah.

I have lots of little things from the weekend:

I met up with an old friend for dinner on Friday. I hadn’t seen him since 2006! We had Pho (Vietnamese soup made out of salt and beef and noodles). We were sitting around talking when I realized that my feet were exploding out of my shoes. Salty dinner plus hot day…. Oops!

We went to a sheep and wool festival on Saturday with the neighbors. It was a great time. I had Pit Lamb. Do you know how good Pit Beef is? Multiply that by 100. Wow. I did get to walk all afternoon and I wasn’t even that miserable! I had to wear normal shorts (I’m not about to go buy any more clothes!) and I had trouble getting them over my thighs. I did not see any pregnant sheep. Could you imagine being pregnant with something that has hooves???

Sunday was too hot to go outside, so no walking. Maybe tonight?

My bag is packed with a list of last-minute items sitting next to it. All of our windows are painted. My to-do list is still full of tiny things, but they are not anything that needs to be done before the baby comes.

Just waiting. Trying not to complain!

38 Weeks

The good: A healthy moving baby. Nothing can be better than this!

The bad: I’m uncomfortable and sleepy all that stuff. But it’s not going to last forever.

The ugly: I’m getting afraid again. I spend so much time just being thankful for what I have. The May birth board is full of sad stories right now – it seems so many babies are suddenly not moving and the moms have to go to the doctor knowing what they will hear. Each one breaks my heart and can’t imagine just starting this journey now – and with a heavier heart. I’ve started avoiding the board because of the sad stories. I shouldn’t complain about any of my minor aches and pains. They don’t matter.

Tomorrow is my 38 week appointment. My MIL wants to go with me since M is in training. I don’t want her to go. I know she would love it, but I’ll be getting an internal check and sitting there with that paper towel that cannot cover me anymore. She said she could come and just sit in the waiting room… I don’t know. She stresses me out because she constantly voices her fears about things. I can’t be the one to calm her down when she is stressed out about MY labor. If the baby is having a good day tomorrow, I’ll be fine. If the baby is quiet all day, I’ll ask her to be there in the waiting room. She’s not really the person I would want by my side in case of bad news… but she’s better than being alone. She’s a great person, but I would feel the need to comfort HER – that’s too hard.

37 Week appointment and internal check

I’m progressing! Hooray!

1-2 centimeters dilated! 80% effaced! Baby has definitely dropped!

Ok, so here is my experience with the Group B strep and the internal check. I was so afraid that these things were going to be painful and terrible. I was sweating like crazy. I told M that this was going to be bad.

The Group B test was about 2 seconds. She stuck the swab up there and then just barely skimmed the outside of my butt. Nothing went up that one. I actually laughed a little and told her that was nothing like I was prepared for. Whew! Do not be afraid of the Group B test!

The internal check was a little more involved. She said the baby’s head was in the way so she had trouble reaching my cervix. It was less uncomfortable than a pap smear. So I don’t want one every day, but also it is no reason to panic.

37 Weeks

The good: The kid is doing great. Lots of movement! I feel like my stomach is one of those massage chairs. If you have any back pain, just lean against my right side and a foot will give you a deep tissue massage.

The bad: I don’t like riding in cars now. Anything more than 15 minutes is terrible. Bumpy roads make me want to cry. The baby HATES seatbelts, so I kind of hold the lab belt out from the bottom of my belly the whole time.

The ugly: I’m angry a lot. I’m still happy, but my fuse is shorter than normal and I’m more likely to say the mean sarcastic comments that I’m thinking. Sorry about that, everyone I know (sort of).

Today is my 37 week appointment. I’ll get my first internal check and the Group B strep test. I’m not excited about either of those, but I do want to know if we have any progress. I’m hoping for something. M hopes the baby will be late.

My MIL called M last night while we were at Ikea (hooray!). She called our house at 7 pm, M’s cell at 8, and again at 9. By the time he answered the last call, she was FREAKING OUT. She thought I was in labor and we hadn’t called them. This makes me want to not call them when I go into labor.

Childbirth Class 3

Last night’s childbirth class was much calmer than the one we had last week. We just sat in the chairs and listened and watched videos. We learned all about epidurals and c-sections and all the other gory things.

We watched a video that showed a birth with narcotic medication, a birth with an epidural and a c-section. They were not gory or graphic (thank goodness). I cried every time the baby came out. I might have thrown up a little in my mouth when I got to watch a model of a c-section. But anyway, I was kind of embarrassed about my crying. M did not cry. I am going to be a mess when this baby gets here. Those little slimy, wrinkly babies! I’m crying a little now!

In other news, I had a good night of sleep last night. I think my exhaustion finally caught up with me. I’ve given up on my alarm clock and just get up close to when I am supposed to. I’d rather get 30 minutes of sleep than be on time for work. I’m so lucky that I don’t have set hours that I need to be at work. Whew!

Middle of the night ranting

This might not make sense. I apologize in advance. It's 1:27 am and I am wide awake. I'm so tired that I'm almost in tears. I'm freezing cold and my back is sweaty. I want to sleep for days, but I just can't.

I think my time is almost up. My MIL told me yesterday that the baby dropped. Who knows if she's right. I can breathe better and the baby's movements are lower than before.

I can't stop thinking about what I need to do. My list for stuff at home really isn't that long and isn't anything to stress over. I need to pack my bag and sterilize my pumping stuff. That is all I feel that I NEED to do before the baby gets here. I'd like to have the interior windows all painted, but that's not on MY to-do list anyway. My work list is crazy long, but all I really need to do is sit down with the people taking over the projects and give them an update. Then I can leave work with a clear conscience.

I have spent 5 of the last 6 days with my inlaws. Do I really need to say anything else about that? They are amazing people and did SO much work. We have 17 windows and doors in our house that needed the interior trim finished (wood filler, caulking, some drywall work, priming and painting). 14 of those are finished because my inlaws were helping M. Two of the last three are in the basement. Ideally, they'd all be done before the baby arrives, but the main work is complete and what's left can be done without disturbing an infant.

I just wish I could sleep.

Belly Pics

So I promised to put up some pictures. I think if I didn't have this blog, I would never take pictures. So thanks for that.

We'll do side by side.

34 weeks is in blue pants, which make my butt look ginormous. Black pants ( at 36 weeks) truely are slimming!

Next, we can take a look from the front. It looks like no change from this view.

36 Weeks

Ok, I was supposed to have everything ready by today. I am a little bit behind and I am placing all the blame on home renovation projects. The nursery is set up again, but it’s not finished and cute yet. I’m not sure how to convince M that getting a bookshelf is more important than painting the interior trim in the living room… I guess I’ll have to wait on that one.

The good: Baby dreams. I have dreams a few nights a week that I have a normal, healthy newborn. This is totally crazy for me. Up until now, most of my dreams have been wacko children that are full grown or talk to me in a deep voice or whatever. I am also craving jell-o. I made a huge batch and I just leave the spoon sitting in the bowl in the fridge. It satisfies my hunger and thirst in one! It is refreshing! It is green!

The bad: The usual. Hips hurting and bad sleeping. I’m huge. I will be taking a belly picture tonight and I will do my best to actually post it.

The ugly: I think this baby wants to be born through the top of my uterus, or possibly the side. The baby is constantly pushing out. I think it is stretching and it is painful! Today isn’t so bad, but yesterday made me feel like I was getting beat up. I’m pretty sure my birth experience is going to be less like the books and more like the movies.


My new favorite blog. I hate that she stopped posting a few years ago.

Childbirth Class 2

Well, we simulated labor for an hour last night. It wasn’t a bad labor, we had to put our finger in ice for the duration of each contraction and the guys had to keep track of time and rub our backs. I don’t know if we really learned anything new last night. She reviewed everything from last week. It was good for M, he likes to know what job he needs to do. He didn’t complain when we left last night. I don’t think it really prepared me for labor – when my finger went numb, I decided that the drugs were working. We do know what to do now. I’m ready to be in labor. I’m weirdly looking forward to it.