overDUE

The due date, April 27th, has come and gone. For the past several months, I have been counting down the days to April 27th. My planner at work has little X's crossing out each day and the 27th was a big and colorfuly marked goal that kept coming closer and closer with each X. Now, there is an X over the 27th as well. It was very anti-climatic.

I continue to cross out days, although I am not quite sure what I am counting down to, but I know that I can't have this big belly forever. At some point, something has got to happen. Although it sometimes feels like it, I know pregnancy can not be a permanant condition.

Meanwhile, Peter is happy that I am still able to go to work and earn more money and he is still able to study for his finals with out trying to balance school with being a new dad. Peter told me all along he wanted our daughter to wait until after his finals are done, May 6th, and it looks like that may just be what happens.

I haven't felt any contractions at all and think I should be more uncomfortable or in pain if anything was going to happen anytime soon. Yesterday, I decided to do my part to bring on labor and so every hour, on the hour, I hiked up from my basement office to the fifth floor of our building. By the end of the day, several of my coworkers had joined in with me. Unfortunantly, the only thing it did was make my calves ache. So this morning when I woke up, it wasn't with just a sore back but with aching legs. Well, I guess if it doesn't induce labor, it can't hurt to work on toning up my legs.

The doctor encouraged us to set the induction for this Friday, but I really want the baby to come on her own. So we put off the induction date till next Thursday, May 7th, the day after Peter's last final.

I hope this picture is not inappropriate, but I think it is so funny. Peter and I are both amazed at how big my belly has grown over the last several months. Peter wanted to make sure that we knew just how big it really is so he had me hold the chapstick to act as a scale.

The good news is that besides the fact that the suspense and the waiting is killing me, I don't feel as miserable as people told me I would feel at the end. I still have lots of energy and am still enjoying the big belly that is a constant reminder that there is a real baby inside of me. I love feeling her move around, and especially love the constant hiccups. I can't believe how often this baby has the hiccups! Best of all, I love the excitement of knowing that it could happen any day and the constant thinking and dreaming about what our baby will look like and what it will be like to be a mother.