Can you hear that? Turn down the iPod. Can you you hear it now? That's the sound of my heart beating really fast as I live out the last 2 hours and 9 minutes of the day before my due date. My stomach is clenching a little bit, but it's hard to tell if that some kind of prelabor contraction practice of just plain wigging out. I believe that only time will tell at this point.
Today my coping strategy for living through the day before the due date was to keep on moving. I left the house at 7 am and didn't return except for a brief snack stop in the afternoon, until almost 7:15 p.m. Not bad for someone who is 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant. It was a really great day too. I made it through group therapy, which is a great feat regardless of how pregnant I am, and then a lovely breakfast with my mother-in-law, followed by an all-important mani/pedi appointment, time with friends, a 2.5 mile walk at the gym, and then a movie date with my husband. I am really happy I got some time with Jeff and could interrupt his industrious nesting schedule. I sit back in awe of Jeff's nesting instinct which has transformed some old frozen chicken bones into delicious corn/broccoli/cheddar soup. In his spare time, he has made about 1 gallon of turkey pasta sauce, 1 pan of enchiladas, and he's still at it. Last night, he let the chicken stock boil for about 8 hours and we woke up in the middle of the night smelling like chickens. We will be eating very well during those first harried weeks with our baby girl.
Speaking of the Baby Girl, last night I had a contraction, most likely a braxton hicks, around 3:00 a.m. Damn thing woke me straight up wide awake with its intensity and strangeness. My uterus got all bunched up and pointy and it felt not quite painful, but I can see clearly how that little maneuver could get painful really fast. Just as soon as I realized what was happening, it was over. I got some water and laid down and there was no more bunching up. All day there has been weird tightening of my uterus and strange sensations in places that I don't usually discuss in a public forum.
In short, I am fascinated and having a blast. I think that little braxton hicks made me cocky. I have half a mind to just plan on a natural childbirth. No one loves an endorphine rush more than I do. I hear that having a natural childbirth is like ingesting oxycotin and meth all at once, except that it is ALL NATURAL.
Who knows? One thing we do know is that the doctors won't let us go more than 2 weeks from tomorrow. So in less than 14 days my littlest and most beloved tenant will be evicted from my body and forced to contend with my undying love and attention and fascination with all things Peppermint. How weird to see my baby's face and how weird to see my toes again. So much to look forward to.
I have already decided that the first movie we will take her to is Fame, coming to a theatre near us in September/October 2009. There is no movie that has had a greater impact on my life than Fame. My obsession with Fame, the original movie, is one of the earliest and most convincing signs that I may have a slightly addictive personality. I knew all the songs from the record within 3 hours of receiving it from Santa Claus. I knew all the lines because it was the first movie that Santa rented for me when he brought us a BetaMax. (Santa thought the VHS was just a fad and that the BetaMax was the wave of the future.) Fame was my first love and when I listen to the album today I still remember the dances I made up in my room for all the songs, the jubilant and the mournful. As soon as she gets her bearings and gets her palm in synch, I will get on Pepps' calendar and made a mother-daughter movie date.
This is going to be so fun.
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