The Game Plan (in long, rambling, philosophical format)

I never did have ice cream; we didn't have the right flavor. Instead I had an uber-delicious banana-ovaltine-peanut butter smoothie. Hmmm, I think I'll have another one in a few minutes, now that I'm thinking of it.... Anyhow, it tasted as indulgent as ice cream, but less guilt. I also had some dark chocolates & popcorn. And I did plop down for a movie, but not until evening--I spend most of the day on the phone (SIL, Sister, Sister, Sister, Mom, husband, Midwife) and that was better therapy than couch potato-ism. (though I think I used all the minutes for the month....)

What evolved was a game plan. (if belly pics and detailed prego stuff bothers you, then stop reading now):

Tomorrow at 5 pm my Midwife & team will bring their sleeping bags and gear. She'll strip my membranes again, and continue to do so every half hour or so. She may also break my water, if it hasn't broken on it's own post-stripping. I'm dilated to 2.5, 50% effaced & super soft. The water bag is bulging, and the baby is low. She's surprised that I haven't gone into labor already, and doesn't think it's going to take much to get things going. So the baby will probably arrive sometime on Friday or Saturday (Sunday?). We'll probably avoid castor oil all together, and just stick with the stripping, possible AROM, walking, squatting, and accupressure.

The pros:

• it saved my sanity just to HAVE a plan!
• good timing. HH will get to finish a busy work week, and promises to take some time off work next week. My Mom has knee replacement surgery scheduled for Tuesday, so she'll still be able to meet the baby & help out a little bit. In place of my Mom, at least one sister will be available to help out a little when HH goes back to work. (The scheduling of all of this is what prompted having a plan & it also was what prompted the pity party & stress).
• [TOTAL TANGENT...BEWARE] In conjunction with the good timing, it also allows me to have "babymoon" time. I know that there are lots of people who disagree with me on this, but I believe that new mama's should have down time. Rest for their bodies, time to get breastfeeding established, time to deal with hormonal shifts & new baby stresses. And rest from life. Because seriously, I have my kids every day. I have to get up and make breakfast and get the kids dressed and be here for them all day. And while I love that I get to do that, I also would like a break. After 9-10 months of building and building, it just seems anti-climactic to have life return back to routine (where I do all the regular work + the new needy little person) immediately. I think it's nice to be able to catch up on sleep a little, and have family stop by for visits & to get to celebrate the wee one and rest from the usual day-to-day. The day-to-day can wait a week...can't it? (but I know that a few of my favorite people disagree & pride themselves on the fact that they don't need help & can jump right back into the game.... so maybe I am selfish.)

The cons:

• I'll be 8 days overdue, which is nothing to scoff at, but I do believe that babies should come when they want, in most cases. What if this baby just happens to need more time? Some babies do. I'm not miserable (though I don't like the waiting), so to hurry a baby just to accomodate schedules is unsettling to me.
• while the stripping is ok (It won't MAKE a baby come), I am not so sure about breaking the water. I just don't really like the idea of doing anything that's permanent. Once the water is broken, it's broken. My midwife says that my body is ready enough & I'm overdue enough that breaking the water will result in a baby & not a hospital visit...but there is that chance that things won't go as planned (because really, low-risk birth isn't something that should be PLANNED in my opinion).

Feel free to share your opinion on any of this.

Anyhow.

Yesterday Chick went to the bouncy house with Uncle J & Aunt B & cousins. She'd never been, and I'm so glad that she got to do it. She wanted to go again today.

We also had a playdate (a playdate that sent chocolate chip cookies home with us! How great is that?!), and of course I had my midwife appt.

I also got a speeding ticket, which was a bummer. I can't remember the last time I got one...I don't think it's been since I've been married. I was totally sobbing...I don't deal with that sort of stress well. The officer was unmoved.

After my midwife appt I stopped at the pawn shop & the thrift store. : ) I bought 2 nursing tops (one isn't actually a nursing top YET but it will be when I alter it). One of them is the same nursing top as what I just ordered from OldNavy.com (THANKS, POLLY!!!) but it's a different color and a size smaller. It's a little too small, but I think it'll be good in a couple of months...and now I know to be super excited about the one that I ordered, which will fit just perfectly!! I also got a dress that buttons in the bodice, so I'll be able to wear that for nursing too, I think. And its flattering enough that I think I'll be able to wear it right away & it should just keep looking better and better as my body gets back to normal.

Today I got out the biggest of my "normal" clothes, that hopefully will fit, as well as the smallest of my maternity clothes, and put away most of the big maternity stuff. Kind of fun to see some different things in the closet...I'm big enough & low enough that I'm very limited these days.

And I took 41 week pictures.