Here we are, April 9, our “due date”. My opinion that the full moon last weekend would have an effect on labor proved false. Same goes for my sister’s prediction of April 5th and my mother’s prediction of April 6.

As I’ve read and heard many others say, they should give you a “time frame” rather than a due date. Tell me my babe will arrive early to mid April, rather than April 9th. As that date draws nearer, you begin to consider that any moment could be the moment. You question every cramp or ache or strain. Each night you lay down, you wonder if you will wake in the middle of the night to the onset of labor. And every morning, my husband asks if he has to go to work…with no signs or indications of contractions, I send him out the door.

Up to this point, I have been in no hurry for babe to arrive before they were ready. I am thrilled we have carried to full term. But now that we are here, I am getting anxious to meet our babe. LoCo will choose their birth day, and when it arrives, it will be the most amazing and magical day we have ever experienced. I still am in no major discomfort and am not wishing this pregnancy over like many said I would be at this point.

I’ve joked that early on and throughout the pregnancy I prayed and hope for the strength of my body and asked for a full term pregnancy. We had concerns about the stamina of my cervix, and now it’s showing us just how strong it is! It’s holding well to keep our baby safe and each additional day we get gives our child greater development. The brain and lungs will continue to develop, strengthening and preparing Baby LoCo for life outside the womb.

However, once you reach your due date, the clock starts. Care givers and facilities do not want to see you go beyond 42 weeks. So with that in mind, during my visit on Tuesday they booked an induction date for April 20. I am positive we won’t need it, and should it approach with no labor, I’ll reschedule for the 24th, as we are not at 42 weeks until April 23rd! Induction is not in our birth plan and I am confident our babe will come exactly when they are supposed to–on their own.

Even with the anticipation of our labor day, I continue to remind myself to relish in the moments remaining that it’s just Cody and I. He’s a wonderful husband and we have a lot of fun together. I know that will continue when we are officially parents and he is going to be an amazing father. But our energy and focus will adjust with parenthood. Should today be our last day, or this our last week, or the upcoming weekend the last weekend as a two-some, I’ll be grateful for the time we took for just us.

This week:

• Too bad about our Badgers…. but it was a great season and a great team. Surely they made us all very proud of our WI sports program.
• Babe “dropped.” I noticed a drop in the belly position on Saturday and its a bit more profound now.
• Other than that, no “signs.” No contractions, cramps, etc. And still sporting my wedding rings! Though, finding shirts in my closet long enough to cover the belly is harder these days. Luckily I work from home and my belly is exposed most hours of the day.
• Babe is head down. Legs are still off to my right side giving me jabs to the love handle and lower rib.
• Movements continue to feel big as Babe runs out of space in there. The wave machine look of my belly still amazes me.
• Heart rate was in the 120s again this week with spikes up to 150s during movements. Midwife says that is good indication that my placenta is in good shape! Woo hoo for a healthy placenta!
• Waking consistently in the middle of the night for a restroom break. Surely a result of the babe’s low position, but also my attempt to get more water in my system each day. Hydration is very important and I am working to ensure good hydration for labor by getting 80 ounces of water in every day. Will likely need to up that after babe arrives and I begin breastfeeding.
• Nursery is ready, hospital bag is packed, car seat is in the vehicle.
• Names finalized…? Some days I think so, and other days I think it’s still in the air. I thought we had them decided, but Cody keeps adding to the mix. ……..any guesses? 🙂

Two weeks growth. Nora’s paws made it in the photo both weeks. 🙂