I saw the  midwife last night after a whirlwind day of activities with H.  Blood pressure is good, and I haven’t gained any more weight (yippee!)  I’m now 3 cm dilated, 70% effaced, zero station.  Things could go on this way for a couple more weeks (like how they did with H), but who knows.  The only reason I like having this information is so that when labor starts, I know where my baseline is, and know that there are 3 cm that I don’t have to worry about.  It’s more of a mental thing for labor, as I know it doesn’t really provide any useful information about WHEN labor will start.

A couple of nights ago I had some contractions that woke me up pretty early in the morning.  The contractions felt like true labor contractions (they were in my back), but they didn’t last long like “real” contractions.  I stayed in bed, waiting to see what would happen, but nothing did.  I ended up e-mailing my boss and co-worker later that morning to say that I would not be coming in, not because I thought I was in labor, but because I was afraid of working all day, only to go into labor that night and be totally exhausted.  My boss and co-worker thought maybe I’d come in today, but I ended up e-mailing them and saying that I just really need to be home now.  I think I reached my limit with work—sitting in one spot was excruciating for my back, and I’ve been in so much pain at work that I don’t think I’m actually all that productive.  It’s been nice to stay home today while H is in school—I’m getting some light cleaning done (the house has been a disaster for weeks), and I’m polishing up a couple of chores that I’ve been meaning to do for years (like back-up all of my old files from my 10-year old laptop!)  I assure you, this is not nesting behavior, this is just “my-house-is-a-freaking-disaster” type of behavior, and I’d be foolish not to clean it now while I can.  Family will be here soon, and I assume that my parents will come up at some point, so I’ve had to prepare the guest bedroom and guest bathroom, and generally create a more hygienic environment for everyone.  Yes, it’s that bad.  But at the same time, I am AMAZED at what I can get done while H is in school.

It’s snowing here now but not sticking to the ground.  The grass has begun to turn green, and there are buds on the trees.  Our flowers are starting to poke through the ground.  My hospital bag is packed and in the car.  We’re feeling ready for this little guy to get here, but I’m not sure he’s quite ready yet.  Technically, I’m not due until April, yet the e-mails started coming last week, with people wondering if I’d had the baby.  It’s annoying, even though they do this to settle their own curiosity and anxiety about things.  So, it might be time to unplug soon, for my own sanity.