Been having contractions rather irregularly all day (Sunday). About 8:00 in the evening they started coming at 15 minute intervals, and by 11:30 or so they were at 10 minute intervals. I would say now they are 8 minutes apart or so. I'm trying like crazy to sleep because it's going to be a loooooong day if I don't, but every time I doze off I have a contraction. They are definitely getting more painful, so I would guess that this is the real deal. I sure hope so.

So thank you Lord for the timing! If this is truly labor, then I don't have to go back to work tomorrow. And I don't have to decide if I want to be induced Tuesday morning or not. :) Pretty awesome!

Well, Baby Girl's due date has come and gone. I was really depressed yesterday. Not that I thought she would actually come yesterday, since only 5% of women have their baby on their actual due date. My doctor told me that 85% of women have their baby in the week before their due date, but I think he was just saying that to make me feel good, because the books that I have from the class I took in college say anywhere from 20-30% of women go over. Thanks for the false hope there doctor!

I've been having some cramps last night and this morning, and some other signs (that are just TMI so I won't get into it) that make me really hopeful that this child will be coming in the next day or two. But I'm really trying not to get my hopes up, you know? More as it happens, I guess.

Doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. This time I actually get checked, and I'm hoping that he finds that something is going on. Anything. I'll even take a centimeter dilated, which really doesn't mean much of anything. I swear if there's no dilation or effacement..... :(

A lot of people have been commenting that I look like I've dropped, and I think I agree with them. There's a lot more space between my belly and my chest now, and I can actually eat more than ten bites of food without being stuffed. If nothing else, I think I've dropped because her head is sitting directly on my bladder and if I drink all the water I'm supposed to I pretty much live in the bathroom.

I've actually gotten a good nights sleep a couple nights this past week. Not last night, but a couple, so that's something. I think it's God's way of preparing mothers for having a newborn and not sleeping a lot anyways. Warm up.

38 weeks tomorrow! Still no signs of anything definite or real going on. The Braxton Hicks are coming more frequently - probably 8 or 9 times a day, but nothing steady. As of my appointment on Wednesday her head hadn't dropped down any. Boo! However, no protein in my urine this time, and my blood pressure is still good. Not as low as it used to be, but still hovering below the line where it's considered to be high. So that's good at least. Next week Dr. Knox will do a check to see if I'm dilated or effaced any. I've been praying like mad that I will be because I just do NOT want to go over. It has been a long 38 weeks, and I am ready to meet my baby girl.

I would guess that today she flipped around so that she was positioned with her face out, because I can't feel her hard little butt under my ribs when I poke around. Found a lump that I think was a hand near my belly button, and when I started to mess with it a little, she moved it. I was looking at my stomach at the time, and you could see this little lump travel a couple inches across my stomach. It's just so crazy looking!

On my list of things to get done this weekend: finish packing my bag for the hospital and buy a diaper bag. My bag is about half packed, I just need to add in my coming home outfit, toothbrush, and a couple other things of the sort. The problem is that I have so few maternity tops and bottoms that I just don't want to have to retire any of them by packing them in my bag.

Luke and Zane are going to the lake one last time tomorrow afternoon, and camping there overnight. Don't take that as a sign that you should go ahead and show up, okay Baby Girl? :)