So we head off to the hospital this afternoon – if you don't hear from me again that means they kept me and I'm finally having this baby. They are going to test him and check me out, but at the latest I'll be induced tomorrow. I hate hospitals so much, and the big challenge for me with this whole natural thing is trying to relax in a hospital setting.

Thanksgiving was wonderful – of course I ate too much but I think that is always the case. We made yo-yos in my dad's woodshop and Joe made one for the baby. When it's finished I'll post a picture.

One small mishap at dinner. Anne made paper turkey placecards that were very cute. After we ate one of them caught fire from a candle and completely disintegrated without any of us noticing. It marked the table and of course ruined the tablecloth.

Gotta run, Joe is taking me out to breakfast.

It's very chilly out this morning, especially for Arizona. It's hard to believe it's Thanksgiving, but my mind has been occupied elsewhere for a while so I guess it snuck up on me.

Still no word from the baby. The doctor's office called yesterday afternoon and they want me to go in for a Fetal Stress Test tomorrow, so I'll be heading over to the hospital at about 4. They will check Jack's heart rate, amniotic fluid, and movements. I can tell them right now he's fine, and there is really no need for alarm. I'm only a week late and have none of the risks that would cause fetal distress.

I love doctors. Although it's probably more the lawyers fault, scaring them to death with lawsuit after lawsuit. It just seems like they create fear and anxiety out of normal situations. My baby is fine, I am fine, why can't we just wait for him to get here?

We are heading up to my mom's house for turkey. I'm bringing my hospital bag just in case – it makes me nervous being that far from home. The last thing I want to do is ride in a car for 45 minutes while I'm in labor.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We're on to day six of the baby being late. No major changes, although I was having some contractions this morning that were stronger than before, still nothing that would put me into labor.

My brother and his family are in town and I spent the day with them yesterday. I’m so used to having a nap and taking it easy, by the time I go home last night I was simply exhausted! I’ve only recently dragged myself out of bed. They were sure I was going to have the baby last night because they gave me balsamic vinegar, which is supposed to induce labor. Yet another old wives tale out the window.

We saw The Incredibles yesterday, which I thought was a great movie. The baby’s name is Jack Jack, so now my baby has a nickname before he’s even born. I was impressed with myself for sitting through an entire movie.

I just saw Jen's comment - it's so funny because I finally got out of bed and my first thought was, "Oh no, the blog! People are going to think I'm having the baby". Sorry Jen, not yet. But I know you guessed today, which isn't over yet.

Things may be moving a long a little – I'm feeling more pain in my lower back and am hoping it's a sign of something starting. But who knows? It could be nothing. We're going to walk the dogs this morning before Joe goes to work – yesterday it was raining so we couldn't take them out.

My family is visiting from Colorado – they got in last night expecting a baby to be here already. I guess we all expected that. They were planning to leave on Sunday but we'll see what happens when Jack finally shows he face.

I talked to Julie yesterday. Mac is eating so much and growing so much she is completely exhausted. She said he gain ¼ of a pound in less than 2 days. I guess he eats almost every hour! He is going to be big, Dave is pretty tall compared to the rest of us.

So if he's born today, Greg is the winner. And so am I, because I'm really ready for this kid to arrive….

Well, we went to the doctor and I have not progressed at all. Not even one measly little centimeter.

My induction is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, meaning the baby will be here sometime Sunday most likely.

The doctor grilled me a little bit about why I am opposed to inducing. I can see the point of it if it's medically necessary, but my baby is doing fine and has a strong heartbeat and plenty of fluid. There is no danger to him or me, and I don't see the point in rushing labor. Induction is more painful and takes longer to recover from than a normal birth. That is certainly not something I want.

I am trying not to get discouraged. I am still hoping Jack will come on his own.

Still no news, and no real changes. Joe had a talk with the baby last night and explained that today after five might be a good time to come (of course, because Joe has a conference call at four). I don't think the baby is listening.

We did a few more things around the house – hung curtain rods, installed batteries in the play yard, repositioned the J hanging on the wall. We're basically just puttering around and waiting for him to get here, knowing it could strike at any minute. We'll probably walk the dogs again this morning and see if that helps anything, but so far walking hasn't gotten me anywhere.

Our doctor appointment is at two – he's going to strap me to a monitor and do a 20 minute fetal stress test to make certain the baby is okay waiting. I'm sure he'll do another ultrasound as well to check the fluid. I feel a little like a car going in for an oil change.

We met up with Travis and B-Lock and his girlfriend Emily for lunch yesterday. It's funny to be around a girl who has baby fever but isn't even married yet. Isn't even engaged for that matter, although they apparently have been ring shopping. I think she's getting a little ahead of herself – she was talking about when they have babies and she can stay home and watch them and work part time at a golf course.

Well, if he's waiting to be a different astrological sign, today is the day it switches over to Sagittarius. Now he will be the same sign as both of his grandmothers.

It started raining last night, which of course is allegedly supposed to bring on labor. It doesn't, in case you were wondering.

We went to the zoo yesterday, and this elderly woman came up to me by the owls. She said "I'm sorry to ask you such a personal question, but when is your baby due?" I almost sent the poor girl into cardiac arrest by telling her two days ago. She grabbed my arm and said "Oh dear, you need to get home. You're giving me goose bumps!" It was very funny.

Unfortunately the walking didn't do a bit of good. As you can see I'm still here, typing away, wondering when this baby is going to decide to come. He just can't be comfortable in there anymore – it's really getting crowded.

Today we are supposed to have lunch with two of Joe's college friends – Travis Cooley, who was our best man, and some guy known only as B-Lock. Why is it men feel the need to give one another dorky nicknames or refer to them by last name alone? In one case they called a guy H. Just H.

I didn't sleep so well last night so I will probably nap while Joe goes to the office this morning. He has one thing he has to get out by tomorrow – why does it always seem like there is one thing he HAS to do before the baby can come? I'm glad this is a holiday week and people will stop trying to give him work. He has enough hours billed that he can basically take off the rest of the year and still be fine, but I know that's impossible.

So Anne and Barb Dawson were wrong about the date. I don't think anyone picked today, and of course my mom has dibs on tomorrow because she had a dream. We'll see if any of them are right.

I've learned a lot living with a lawyer – especially one who litigates as much as Joe does. An argument is not always best won by using the reason you most believe in, instead it's often important to call in the experts. Joe is not concerned that Jack will get sick at my knitting party. He just doesn't want to take him to the Litigation Christmas Party on the 4th. So yesterday he sent me this article intended to sway me into believing it wasn't safe to take Jack out that early.

If you happened to click on the link, you will see it was written by Fisher Price.

Another thing I've learned is to choose your experts wisely.

So Jack will be coming to the knitting party, and not the lawyer party. That was easy.

Still no news on when the little guy will make his appearance. We went for a walk yesterday afternoon with the dogs and I fell. (Don't worry mom, it wasn't a big dramatic fall or anything, I just tripped on the sidewalk and lost my balance.) I was hoping that would trigger something, but of course it didn't. Today we're going to the zoo to walk around and see if we can scare him out with some lions. Too bad they got rid of the alligators. Now that was a scary exhibit.

My brother Greg has adopted a fun new habit. He calls me and says "Have you had the baby now?" just like the guy in that annoying Verizon commercial. I think he's a bit anxious. They get here Monday and they would like the baby to be here by then so they can hold it. Take a number buddy, there is a long line of people waiting to hold him.

My father always says of my mother that she was a fine pregnant woman until she was one day late with my brother. Although I doubt anyone will say I have been a fine pregnant woman, I can certainly relate. What do you mean he's not here? It's the 19th of November. Doesn't he know he was due the 18th? Someone has suggested that maybe he's not a Scorpio, maybe he's a Sagittarius. News Flash to Jack: we don't believe in horoscopes, so get your butt out here.

The family is starting to weigh in on when they think he will come. Anne says Saturday, my mom Monday (she had a dream, so it must be right), and Greg Tuesday. I'm really fine with any of these days – I'm fine as long as I don't have to be induced at this point.

Joe and I are having a debate about when the child is allowed to go out in public. Of course our pediatrician will settle the argument, but in the meantime please feel free to comment. I have a knitting party on December 9th and plan to take Jack with me. We have a baby sling so I'm planning on just carrying him around all night. Joe thinks this is dangerous and I should leave him at home. He will be somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks old, and I'm not leaving him at home, but I don’t want to be locked in the house either. (On a side note, I was on a boat when I was 12 days old. So maybe I have a different perspective than him.)

Last night Joe and I went to Target with our gift certificate we got at his work party. Of course we spent way more than they gave us. Julie mentioned to me that none of Mac's clothes fit – all the 0-3 month sizes are way too big and she didn't have anything in the newborn size. So I got two sleepers that are newborn, and a few extra onsies. Joe wanted some masculine hats, and we also needed wipes. Oh, and a new dog bed. And sweatpants for me (men's large Hanes sweatpants. Right now I do not own a better piece of clothing. And they were only $6.50)

I'm off to clean for the maids – they are going to be surprised there is no baby yet….

I just went to old navy with Parley after lunch and bought this outfit for Jack:



Joe's comment was, "Are you sure he's going to be here by Christmas????" Not nice.

You can't see the full cuteness of the santa hat/hood, but you get the idea.

Today is the official due date, and since only 15% of babies arrive when they are due, the odds are against us. I recently read a statistic that said the average delivery of a first baby is 41.7 weeks in fact, so we may still have a long wait ahead of us. It makes me wonder why my doctor is saying 41 weeks is the absolute latest it is safe – I don't think he's telling the entire truth. We're going on Monday to have a fetal stress test and check my amniotic fluid to make sure the baby is okay. The thing is, I know the baby is okay – he feels fine, he moves a lot, he hasn't had a single problem this entire time. He's just not ready yet.

Yesterday Joe's office had a surprise mini-shower for us. They called me a few days before and asked if I could come, so I left right after he did and showed up in a conference room where they were meeting. I have never really seen Joe frazzled – he's a pretty even-keeled guy – but when he walked in and I was there he was shocked. They had presents and food and everything. I wish I had taken a picture of his face.

To keep myself busy today I'm going to have lunch with Parley and maybe go to Target. I would like to see a movie but I don't know if I can sit still for that long. It is very difficult to keep me entertained these days – I don't have much of an attention span, I can't walk very far, and I'm not the most pleasant person to be around. Limits my options a bit.

Well, he checked me and I'm not dilated at all. Not even a tiny bit. He wants me to come back on Monday to check the fluid and see how long it is safe to wait to induce. He said normally the latest he would do it would be Thursday, but since that is Thanksgiving he might be okay with Friday.

He said the contractions are normal and they need to get stronger before anything will happen. The good news is that the baby is in perfect position - he's dropped down and is now facing my right side, which is better for delivery. I guess the baby spinning exercises worked!

You know how you get on Pirates of the Caribbean and one of the first things you do is go up and up and up? That part of the ride always made me nervous because when you go that far up, you know you're going to have to come down. And you also know it's not going to be a gradual process.

This is how I feel today. Like I'm sitting on a ride, going up and up and up and not knowing what is on the other end. I just wish the ride would start already.

We go to the doctor at 2:20 today and hopefully he can explain what is going on with me. Maybe I'm actually dilated 4 centimeters and he'll just send me to the hospital where Jack will arrive without incident. Or maybe he'll send me home and tell me I'm not ready. Who knows?

In any event, I'm still having contractions and nothing has really changed much.

I woke up in the middle of the night with two really strong contractions, but that was it. The mild ones continue to be pretty regular. They don't hurt but they do make me tired, so I've been doing a lot of lying around.

Yesterday my dad took me out to entertain me. We went to lunch and did some Christmas shopping in the rain. It was a good distraction to keep me from moping around the house.

Joe keeps telling Jack to come tomorrow, but at this point I don't even know if that will happen! The doctor will see us in the afternoon and we'll have to select a date for induction. Until then, we'll continue to wait.

Last night the contractions came back pretty regularly - Joe was timing them at 7 minutes apart. Now they are back at 8-10! Danielle (the doula) says they are just trying to get the baby in the exact right position so he's ready to deliver, and maybe this means I'll have a super fast delivery. Wouldn't that be nice?

Some of my mom's friends threw her a surprise baby shower on Saturday, so now Jack has even more clothes and toys than before. He is certainly going to be a well dressed baby.

Joe has been whispering to the baby that he should come on Wednesday because that fits really well with his schedule. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if he was already listening to his father. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday so we'll see what he has to say.

I'm trying very hard to not get frustrated, but waking up this morning I was a little disappointed. Still nothing has happened, and I feel like I'm going to be the exception to the rule and I actually will be pregnant forever. I'm still having contractions, they range from 10 minutes to 20 minutes apart, and they are in my lower back. But nothing else is happening.

Joe hung the letters in Jack's room. I guess he's finally agreed on a baby name.


The bags on top of the changing table are our bags for the hospital. I had them all ready to go on Friday when I was so positive we would be heading over, and then I had to get in them to take stuff out.


My mom made a bed skirt for the crib with all kinds of animals. It's really cute:



I know I'm not due for another four days, but after everything that happened I really thought he would be here this weekend!

I'm still not at the hospital. Joe conveniently found a website last night that said "Latent Early Labor can last up to four days". What quack would say such a thing? Of course it was WebMD, the only website our doctor will let us believe. Darn it.

We just walked the dogs, we're still just waiting. No changes in my situation other than I slept really well last night, which may not be a good sign but may also be the last time I sleep well!

This is apparently the slowest stage of labor. It doesn't really hurt or anything, so I'm not necessarily complaining. Ok, I am. Yes, I'm still contracting every 6 minutes, no it doesn't feel any different, and yes, it's been over 18 hours. I've done the laundry, put the bedskirt on the crib, moved Joe's filing cabinet out of the baby's room, taken a nap, listened to my hypnobirthing affirmation cd (you can only take so much of it), had some lunch. Now I'm just puttering around, waiting. Danielle says I could go on like this until tomorrow. Great.

Luckily I stopped my father from going on a hiking trip. What was he thinking? Can you imagine if this baby was born and he was unreachable in the wilderness?

Last night at about 7 p.m. I started having mild but very regular contractions. They are coming about every 6 or 7 minutes and don't hurt very much, but are clearly different than the fake kind. I emailed Danielle and she said things are starting to move so I need to get as much rest as possible until they start to get more intense. Of course it was difficult to sleep, but I think I managed about four hours. According to the information I have, this stage of labor can last 12-24 hours, so we may still have a wait.

The doctor doesn't want me to go to the hospital until they are 5 minutes apart for more than an hour. If I had to guess, that isn't going to happen until at least this afternoon, so everyone can just sit tight and wait. Including me.

I am officially 39 weeks today, putting me one week away from due. I spoke with Danielle, my doula, after my doctor's appointment yesterday and she thinks it will happen sometime this weekend or early next week. I don't think it's today, although I have been feeling kind of funny. Last night I was having a lot of the fake contractions very close together, but since they don't hurt they aren't doing anything to make me progress at all.

The baby is in good position, so hopefully he will come out face down. It must be weird to spend so much time upside-down floating in liquid.

Julie's baby is in the NICU after having some complications from the birth. They expect him to be there a week so they can run tests and monitor him. I am going down there this morning to check on them and see if there is anything I can do to help.

I just returned from the doctor, and although I'm effacing a little I am not dilated at all. He listened to the heart and did a quick ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid and he said everything looks great. He wants to discuss scheduling induction at my next appointment if I haven't started moving on my own. I really want to avoid induction if possible, but at this point there isn't much I can do. He will let me got to 41 weeks (which of course is Thanksgiving Day!), but no longer than that.

We're off to the doctor this afternoon, but I'm guessing he has no news for us. I don't feel any different, just extremely heavy. I lie around a lot and rest. I can easily tire myself out walking from one side of the house to the other. What is with these women who work up until they deliver? Are they crazy or what? I remember seeing Libby, a lawyer at Joe's firm, when she was 39 weeks pregnant and going in for a scheduled c-section (her baby was breech). She was wearing work clothes and looked completely normal. I complain if I have to get out of my sweatpants and into jeans!

Last night my feet swelled up like little hams for not apparent reason. Joe my wonderful husband rubbed them for a really long time. The swelling went down thankfully, and they certainly don't hurt as much today. I have to ask him to carry the laundry outside for me again. I know it doesn't look heavy, but it's just too unwieldy for my waddling self. Maybe I'll wait until tonight.

Julie is doing better, although she's still very tired. I think she and Mac will go home today. It was funny to see her with a baby. This person I've known since I was five is now somebody's mother.

I'll post a quick update after the doctor's appointment.

Here is Mac being held by my mom:



and these are his feet, with the security tag firmly in place:



If you try to steal a baby, his tag will set off the alarm and the whole place goes on lockdown. It's very efficient.

Julie is feeling much better, although extremely tired. I think she'll be staying in the hospital until tomorrow. They have Mac on an IV of antibiotics just in case he got an infection, but he seems to be just fine. His poor little head is pointy from hanging out in the birth canal for so long, but other than that he is just adorable.

I walked around the hospital hoping to convince my body it was ready to have a baby too, but no such luck. I'm still having fake contractions and just hanging out and waiting. We go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon and I'm hoping he can see some progress, but he may not. I'm still 9 days away from my due date.

Julie Clark had her baby boy, John McConnell (Mac) at 4 this morning. He is 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20 inches long.

Her water broke yesterday morning around 7 or so, and they went to the hospital immediately. Unfortunately she wasn't dilated or contracting, so they had to wait a long time for the baby to start coming. Her doctor won't allow an epidural until 3 centimeters, so she had to go through the first part of labor without any medication. Mac was facing the wrong way so his head was resting on her spine and I guess she was in quite a bit of pain. They finally gave her something in her IV that would ease the pain and make her relax a little, and when she woke up she was far enough along for the epidural.

I don't know a lot about pain medicine, but I guess an epidural only lasts for so long. Of course it wore off for the worst part at the end, and she wound up pushing for 3 hours! That's a heck of a long time. When he finally popped out he had the cord around his neck and Julie had a fever, so now they are doing all kinds of tests to make sure they are both okay. His initial blood test came back fine, so I'm sure everything will be normal.

I'm trying not to get too freaked out because I know worrying isn't going to make things go any more smoothly. I am glad she didn’t have to have a c-section, and I'm glad it all worked out in the end. But I'm telling you, she sounds exhausted.

I'll take some pictures of the baby this afternoon and post them – probably none of Julie just yet unless she's feeling better.

Supposedly rain and the drop in barometric pressure can bring on labor. Not for me, clearly, but allegedly for some people. I am still in a holding pattern with this kid, and it seems there is no end in sight.

Julie's due date is today. I'm hoping she has him soon, because I know she is miserable and uncomfortable.

Joe and Parley went to Dad's Boot Camp yesterday and they got to hold two babies AND change their diapers. I think overall it was a success - both of them feel a tiny bit more comfortable around kids now. When Joe was leaving in the morning he said "They aren't going to have real babies are they? Real babies make me nervous." Too late, Mr. Adams. You're getting one, so be prepared to be nervous.

Last night I told Joe I was sorry I was so difficult to live with - I'm not blind to the fact that an overly pregnant woman is not the ideal housemate. He said "You're not, I'm just annoying." I couldn't stop laughing. Poor guy.

So here's to yet another day of waiting......

Go figure.

Just 12 days until my due date, but still nothing is happening. Other than I'm extremely cranky. I asked Joe last night if he had recently gotten more annoying, or if I was just noticing it now. There is no way I could have married someone so annoying. I asked him to bring the laundry in from the laundry room (it's a substantial distance from the house, those of you who don't know.) His response was, "You were home all day, why couldn't you just bring it in two trips?"

Hmmmm.

Not the answer we were looking for, Mr. Adams.

He goes to Daddy Boot Camp today. Maybe they will teach him how to manage a woman who is teetering on the edge of sanity.

With my due date one week and six days away, I suppose I'd better start updating this every day. It will probably look the same:

I have not gone into labor
I'm feeling fine
I'm big and tired and hardly have anything to wear.

Joseph goes to Daddy Boot Camp tomorrow, hopefully to learn about taking care of a baby.

Everything is ready, now we just wait and wait and wait.

So the due date is two weeks away, but of course I'm hoping for the baby to come early. I think I know why Jack lied, and why he's staying put for the time being. It turns out his father has some big important meetings next week that he doesn't want to miss, as well as a hearing this Friday.

I think he's been staying up after I'm asleep and whispering to the baby that he needs to stay inside, at least until the 13th. This divisive behavior must be stopped.

Joe made me remove the picture of him sleeping on the floor. It doesn't matter, I know he and the dog are up to something, and I will foil their evil plot.

Nothing. That's what.

I went to the doctor today and nothing is happening. No dilation, no effacement, nothing. The heartbeat is strong, the baby is moving well, everything is fine and I still have two weeks until the due date. He told me I needed to have some contractions to get things moving, and the kind I'm having are fake. He said to talk to the baby. Ha! I tried to explain that the baby is not cooperating in that department.

Last night I realized I didn't have a hat for Jack to wear coming home. It's starting to get cold, so he will definitely need something to cover his head outside. I dug up some yarn and made him two hats, one to go with each outfit I'm considering for the ¼ mile drive home. Here they are:



Both outfits look really big though, so I wouldn't be surprised if we just wrapped him up in a blanket.

We go back to the doctor next Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully something will have happened by then - I'll be a week shy of my due date and I really don't want to discuss induction if I don't have to!

I don't have any Jack news, he's still just hanging around and waiting. Joe would really like him to wait until his due date anyways because he has a bunch of work commitments for the next two weeks. I, on the other hand, don't have very many commitments at all, so I spend a lot of the day resting and knitting. I can't believe how tired I am all the time.

This morning I woke up cold - the first time all year. Lucca was cold as well, as you can see from this picture



She's wearing her sweater that makes her look like a judge.

We go back to the doctor tomorrow. I'm guessing he'll listen to the heart, check me out, and send me on my merry little way. I'm still having a few contractions every now and again, but I can tell it's not enough to make things happen.

The worst part is, Jen's sister Lisa who was due right about the same time as me gave birth last Friday! No fair.