9 Months

So, this is it - the final month. I am really, really hoping that I do not have to go all the way to my due date. Since this will be my third delivery and the fact that Jenna came two weeks early, my doctor thinks I have a pretty good chance of going earlier than my due date. I had my first weekly appointment yesterday and found out that I am dilated to a "loose" one and the baby is head down (my doctor felt the head). Of course, I could stay there for a couple of weeks or I could go into labor any day now. This is the part that is driving me crazy!! I hate not knowing when it will happen as I am such a planner. I took the kids for a bike ride today and half-way through it I thought I was going to throw myself into labor!! It is hot and sticky out, I swelled up like a balloon and what I have believed to be the baby moving (arching his/her back or stretching) are actually Braxton-Hicks contractions and I had a few of those! Joe is working on a project at work that is due today and he is the only one who can do it. All he asked last night was that I not go into labor today! I don't think he would have approved of my actions this morning! This afternoon I'm taking it easy and helping the kids make big brother/sister t-shirts that they can wear to the hospital. I have realized that there are two time frames in their minds - Before Big Belly and After Big Belly. I was a much more fun mom, apparently, in the time of Before Big Belly. This phrase often is associated with when we went to Disney. "Mom, do you remember when we went to Disney and you could do things because it was Before your Big Belly..." Ahh, nothing like the sweet honesty of kids.