Amy Writes It All: Week 39

You were thinking I birthed a baby, weren't you? I know, I've been quiet since last week, surely by now there'd be news of a kid by now!

Well, the Reality of motherhood, babies, and nature has set in. As of last Tuesday, I was still 2-3 cm dilated, 80% effaced. But on Wednesday, I started having fairly intense, longer contractions. I happily indulged in many speed-things-along techniques - which apparently only give me wonderfully strong contractions that make me think that I'm in labor! Walking, sex (sorry mom and dad!), spicy foods, etc. - oh, they bring on the contractions! Friday, after doing 3/4 of my Christmas shopping online (in jammies, drinking coffee!), I dusted and vacuumed, decorated the house for Christmas - by that evening, the contractions were kickin'! So much so, before Trey and I went to bed, I gave him a heads up - "I don't want to freak you out, honey, but they are hitting with some consistency, here, so let's go to bed and get some rest...I think this could be the beginning!"

Poor Trey. While I slept like a rock for five good hours (because the contractions completely stopped!), he slept with one eye open, freaking out over every sleeping sigh to come out of me. But even when I woke up Saturday morning, the contractions started back up again for a short time. And then nothing. At all. All day.

And last night...they started to hit with some regularity again. Humorously (well, funny in one of those Parenthood kind of ways), I was thinking that labor may be a reality around 3 and 4 am this morning, when Sean started to cry around 4:30. I peeked in to see what was up - and chaos ensued for the next two hours. Sean, for the first time ever, was throwing up - four times in about an hour and a half. Mommy-mode kicked in - get him cleaned up, changing jammies three times, eventually went to towels for blankets.

And you know what? The contractions stopped. As if Ryan knew - "Big bro needs Momma right now, I better wait." Or more likely, he was never coming this morning anyway, and he decided to stop f'in with me while I cleaned up my Lil Boo of head to toe pukey! (Can I throw in an aside that I had my stepdad make his awesome Eggplant Parmesan for dinner last night? That's what Sean was covered in at 4:30 am this morning!)

So here it is, after 9am on December 1st, seven days left on that baby ticker to the right. I'm a bit more content this morning than I thought I would be. While I don't want to stay in this state forever, I'm not really that uncomfortable - certainly not the misery I experienced in the last few weeks of my pregnancy with Sean. My 39 week appointment is in one hour, and we'll see what the Doc says. Either way - it won't matter. Ryan will come when he is ready. All these signs are only signs of the inevitable, but not necessarily the imminent.

So enjoy these belly shots - taken Right Now! Let me enjoy these last minutes, hours or days of life growing inside of me, as I am most likely never doing this again, and I will miss the wonderful feelings of a baby growing and kicking me from the inside. I will cherish these last moments as long as Ryan gives them to me. And then I will cherish the lifetime of love ahead!