In three more nigh-nights.....

....that's how my conversation began with Luke when he woke up this morning. "Remember yesterday it was FOUR nigh-nights until Baby Ellie comes out of Mommy's tummy? Well, we just slept for one nigh-night, so now we only have to wait three nigh-nights until we get to meet her!" He sat on his little potty, staring bleary-eyed at me, but smiled when we continued to talk about holding her and kissing her. I can't wait to just hold this little babe and snuggle her close! I can't believe its now just a few short days away!!!!

That is, if she doesn't decide it's time sooner. Yes...I'm still saying that. I've been having a crazy amount of Braxton-Hicks! I've already had three this morning and I've only been out of bed for 45 minutes. On Saturday, we had a baby shower for my friend Laura and I was contracting every ten minutes, and had a bit of spotting to boot. BUT...I had been on my feet all day and was admittedly a little dehydrated. So once I got home, I put my feet up, drank a bunch of water and rested. The contractions subsided and haven't really been regular since. When we spoke with Dr. Hage last week, he said that when the contractions are 6-8 in an hour for a couple of hours, then to go to the hospital. Saturday night was just for one hour. Then they became irregular. And the little tiny spotting that I had stopped. So...we didn't even call.

Funny as this may sound, and despite being completely ready on the practical side of things (bags packed, laundry done, things set up...) I don't want her to come until Thursday! On an emotional level, I want my last three days of being pregnant! I want to be able to bid farewell to this chapter of my life on my terms and enjoy these last 72+ hours of pregnancy. We don't plan of having any more children, so this is it for us. I want to be completely mentally prepared and ready...I want to wrap up the things I have on my list this week....I want to know the date and time.....the extreme opposite of how I felt when Luke was born. And yes, I know all too well that I'm not the one in control of when or how she arrives into this world, but I can still want it to be a certain way, right?! :)

I am feeling anxious about all this 'commotion' in my belly though. On one hand, I really don't want to call Dr. Hage (and don't really feel that I need to) because I don't want to hear him say that maybe I should just come in early and I'm guessing from talking to others that this is pretty darn normal. Yet on the other hand, I wonder if maybe I'm (we) are making a poor decision by not calling and placing myself at undue risk of rupture or something. Uterine rupture due to heavy contractions is the reason I am not allowed to have a vaginal delivery in the first place. Is there risk for me in just having contractions? But I'm assuming that the contractions would have to be A LOT more intense than these that I am experiencing. The ones I have aren't painful...just really tight...and there has not been bleeding or amniotic fluid leaking. In my gut, I don't feel that I need to call, but I still feel anxious. Silly. I just want everything to go as 'planned' on THURSDAY...not sooner. If only for convenience sake. :) Besides, Ty will be working in Torrance tomorrow....over an hours drive without traffic, so she had better not decide to arrive then!

Anyway.....enough of all that. I hear the laundry beeping, telling me it's time to fold the towels and I have a hungry toddler ready for breakfast! :) Just a few more days of what is currently our 'normal' routine! I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts! :) By the way, thanks for playing along in the weight and height guessing! I'll write down your votes and take 'em with us to the hospital....we'll see how was closest! And just for the record, I'm guessing 7 lbs 4 oz and 19 1/2 inches long! :)