What is going on?!?

I do not normally share this much personal information online but this is what it has come to (beware the word uterus is used alot!)  I have many wonderful friends and family members who have been calling/texting/facebooking all week with baby inquiries.  So many in fact, that my iphone needs to be charged by 11:00 everyday!  I love you all, but am getting very tired of relaying the same story over and over, so here goes...

Monday morning at 10:30 I started timing contractions,  by 12:15 I called the doctor.  Woohoo!! But of course, neurotic me, was this really labor?  Into the doctors we went, I made big V come with me, we brought the suitcase, who knows, right?!?  No luck, "go home, relax," says the midwive, "if the contractions intensify, and the rhythm becomes steady then we know it's time."  Then she spoke those magical words, "you will hopefully have a baby in the next 24-48 hours."  Now, how do you not get excited???  We went home, big V went back to work (of course) and I got things ready.  Straighten up the house, pay bills, pack a bag for little V, tonight could be the night!

Tuesday morning, no baby.  Still having contractions, good ones, 5-10 minutes apart but no steady rhythm.  Ok, this may take a while.  The midwive did say 24-48 hours, right? 

Tuesday night, WOW!  These are getting pretty strong, still no steady rhythm.  I bet tonight's the night.  Make sure little V's backpack is ready for school, make sure she has a lunch packed and everything is ready for a middle of the night hospital run.

Fast forward to Thursday morning.  (Yes, Thursday!) Still having contractions...  Does my body know what it is doing?  Have I lost my mind?  Is this really still happening?  I must have one cozy uterus!  Back to the doctor.  "You are having predormal labor," says the midwive. What?!?  "This is a dysfunctional labor, you are laboring with no results."  Ok, I have used dysfunctional to describe many things in my life, but now even my labor is dysfunctional???  You gotta be kidding me!   "You need to go home and relax, your body and uterus are too tired to push you into real labor at this point."  What?!?  Now I can't go into labor?  Unbelievable!  So guess what they do, send me home with a sleeping pill.  Yep, a sleeping pill and a prescription to get a good nights sleep.  The thinking is that this will force my body (and uterus) to relax enough that I will gain the energy to go into labor.  Then more magical words, "you will either begin hard labor after a good nights sleep or (OH NO! PLEASE  NOT THIS OPTION!) you will go into labor whenever it is time."  In the meantime, I ask what should I be doing?  The midwive tells me to relax, do what you would do to relax if you weren't pregnant,  my response?  I would drink a bottle of wine!  (Remember that whole dysfunctional thing I mentioned earlier?)  Of course the midwive laughs (thank goodness!) but strict instructions for no wine.  Home I go, feet up on the couch until bedtime and sweet sleeping pill induced sleep.

So now it is Friday.  I slept well.  (Remember the past few nights were filled with contractions all night.)  Hard labor?  Not yet.  Contractions?  Yep, still having them.  Will today be the day?  Who knows.  As big V reminded me this morning (much to my chagrin) , my actual due date isn't even until the 17th!  Oh lord...

But, did you know today is 11-11-11????  Thank you to all of you who have been texting me to remind me that today is in fact 11-11-11 and would be a great day to have a baby!  I get it!! I think any day would be a great day to have a baby, especially after the week I have had!

Still waiting...

Yep, still waiting.  I know he will be worth the wait, but who has contractions for this long???

In the meantime, I have been knitting. (Shocking right?!?) Check out the goods...

Finished this up for baby R.  (It's my first sweater!)  Love how it turned out, taking it to the hospital to bring him home in (hopefully very soon!)

My sister requested a scarf, of course little V had to put her 'modeling' skills to good use!

And I whipped up a quick cowl for my first knit-a-long.. (Check out the margins, I was actually timing contractions while knitting last night! Recording them wherever I have open space actually.  This can't go on for much longer, right?!?)

Waiting...

We are waiting.  Waiting for newborn toes and naps. Waiting for life as we know it to turn upside-down.  Going for walks, trying to get comfortable, taking baths, knitting, sewing, getting bills paid, preparing the house, but most of all waiting.  These little ones show up when they are ready, when it is the best time for them to make their grand appearance.  In the meantime, we talk about what he will look like, be like, how our life together will be, who will come visit, how little V will help, trying to help her understand life with a newborn, pretending we really remember what it was like 5 1/2 years ago.  Any day, any minute now.  All the while, waiting...

Leaves

Its hard to ignore the spectacle that mother nature puts on this time of year.  I am stunned on a daily basis by one tree or anothers brilliant show of color.  Of course, around here all of these great fall colors & leaves must lead to an art project...

A walk around the neighborhood to find the 'goods.'

A leaf butterfly,

and a few leaf people.

Leaf rubbing, collages, and poems are all on the agenda for this week.

What is your kids favorite ways to create with all of these beautiful leaves?