Progress?

In this age of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and reality TV, is it really "progress" that we can share so much personal information so quickly? Frankly, I'm not sure. For example, I'm about to let you, my devoted blog readers (disclaimer: most if not all of you are people I know well!) what my cervix has been up to these past few days. Too much information? Perhaps. But it's funny how these things are relative. For example, I had a random discussion with a friendly female stranger while waiting to be seated for breakfast at a local cafe on Saturday. She was a new mom and she asked, "are you dilated?" And so I proceeded to tell her, without hesitation, what I had just learned at my doctor appointment. Because it matters! And it has more to do with the miracle of life than it does secret body parts. And it's interesting. And people want to know.

Want to know?

Here's the news, then. I'm now dilated to about 2cm and "effaced" to about 70% (look it up if you don't know the definition of "effaced"... what do you think I am, a science writer or something?) Also, in the past few days, I have had any where from zero (today) to more than a dozen (yesterday) Braxton-Hicks contractions and the baby has dropped MEASURABLY... once in the middle of last week and even more just this morning. Now, those of you who have had children before probably know that these four facts don't necessarily mean anything at all. But in my mind, they could! They might! It just MAY mean that Sean and I get to meet our little angel very soon. Maybe this week, even! You just never know. I'd call that progress for sure.

The Countdown

Yesterday, I bought milk that expires after my due date. WHOA.

Best. Mom. Ever.

My mom's the best. She came over last weekend to help me get all those crucial but hard to get to last-minute tasks done before the baby arrives. Sean and I ordered furniture a while ago for the master bedroom (can you believe we've never really had dressers??) and the nursery, but it hasn't arrived yet. So, all my wonderful baby clothes were still just stuffed in a bag in the closet of the nursery. At 36 weeks pregnant and having already experienced a raging nesting instinct, this was no good. So, with Sean hiding out from all the excess estrogen in the house, my mom and I took care of all those little things that can make a very pregnant lady very anxious! We washed, folded, and sorted all the baby clothes so they're ready to go in the dresser when it arrives. We went to Target with a huge list of all those things I knew I needed but didn't have yet (Boudreaux's Butt Paste, anyone?) She bought me some comfortable, NON-MATERNITY clothes to wear right after the baby's born because I'm so sick of my maternity "wardrobe" I can hardly stand it. We even cleaned out an organized my linen closet because the crazy prego-lady in me was absolutely convinced that had to be done before our little girl arrives.

Sometimes you really just need another person to help you with these things! And while I know Sean would have been happy to help me do it, there's just nothing like spending a quality weekend with your mom in the last weeks before the baby comes. And I suppose I may be a bit biased, but I just happen to have the best mom ever.

Oh, and my midwife swears it doesn't mean anything regarding whether the baby's going to come early, but I did learn last week that I'm about 1.5 cm dilated already! Apparently this is just a normal part of my body preparing for birth, but it's pretty exciting to me!