Hi, Due Date. Goodbye, Due Date.

Yeah, that's right. Today is the day. Of the same. Old. Stuff.

Let me start out this post by saying....YES, I know that the average first-time pregnancy lasts 8 days past the due date. Let me also say that 25 percent of women jump aboard the induction train, some by choice, others by necessity. And also, most due dates are calculated by the first day of the last period....and then later confirmed with ultrasound. In my case, we knew the date of conception...if we went by the date of the last period, my due date would have been Jan. 17. So right now, I am overdue according to the original due date had I not been in tune with the ovulation process. Just sayin....

Ok, so last week... I got a facial. And it was amazing. And relaxing. Though getting BH contractions and flushing fiercely while having a hot towel wrapped around my face was a bit challenging because I didn't enjoy that part. ha But the downside was that the beautician confirmed my suspicions...I have a red spot on the bridge of my nose on the left side...and another one at the top of my lip. She said they are cherry angiomas...and permanent. They are ruptured blood vessels that commonly surface during pregnancy. AWESOME. So the only way I can get rid of these bastards that look like recently popped zits is via laser surgery. Score another one for this pregnancy. I am at least thankful that the one on my nose can be covered for the most part with concealer. The lip one is more challenging as I USE my lips and concealer doesn't stay in place.

Let me break here and say, my cat is weirding me out. He is sitting in front of me on the coffee table and staring somberly at me. He has been doing this for 10 minutes. He'll look away if Neil calls his name, but otherwise, he is steadfast with his attention on me. Maybe he sensed a hormonal change that is coming! Maybe he's waiting for the first real contraction and knows it's not far off. Wishful thinking at least....

I also have been pushing on my pressure points (Neil has been helping)...walking a lot... bouncing around... and flat out praying. ha Nothing has worked...so I've concluded that nothing will. Our son is starting out his life as a procrastinator.

Physical changes... I seem to have plateaued in weight gain...at 25 lbs. I'll take it. I have SUCH extreme pressure down there...i have joked, but am dead serious, I feel as if I were raped with a canon. Twice. I can hardly lift my legs...and sitting on flat surfaces requires me to spread 'em.....making eating at a table awkward because then I can't bend forward and tend to spill all over me. I'm taking fewer showers because it's just too much work to get undressed and dressed again and then do my hair and makeup. And I am now getting lower back pain, as if someone is standing in front of me with their hands wrapped around me, palms at the small of my back, then pulling my skin forward. The pinching "in there" continues as he practices his fist pumps with my nearly effaced, but not at all dilated cervix and accompanying vaginal nerves. And if I'm on the toilet longer than 30 seconds, my legs start falling asleep. Which is more than I can say for my eyes at night. I'm racking in about 3 hours between 1 a.m. and 4...with a wake up in there for peeing and resituating. At this point, I will get MORE sleep when we have the kiddo. I'm not lying.

And Dub is getting MEAN with his kicks. He's so strong. He now can kick during an intense braxton hicks. Let's talk about painful....I actually have though I'm going into labor about 5 times now because of the pain of him being tightened up and then fighting to get out of the embrace. I googled it and it's apparently normal...and I guess a good sign that he's not being squeezed too hard if he's able to move. But gosh darn. Speaking of BH... I got them all weekend every 7-8 minutes... but nothing gets more intense, so I assume I'm not in labor. (And since no baby is literally shooting out of the precious tunnel, I'm apparently correct in my assumptions...) I think many females would have been into the L&D room several times by now due to thinking they were in labor. I have tried really hard to not over-react...so far, I've been right.

So am I regretting not taking up the doc's offer to induce last week? Physically...kinda. But I'm hoping my patience and tolerance will be rewarded.

On to the fun stuff...photos. I realized I never posted pics from the Omaha shower. So here they are... it was hosted by my sister and sister-in-law, and friend Lara, and then my other friend Audrey was an immense help that day, so she deserves credit too. :)

Enjoy the photos taken by Lara (who was in charge of decor...and she apparently excels in this...ha)

and all my ladies in Omaha... :) (Temple, my sis, on far left...me, then Lara & Carys, Wendy--sister in law--, and Audrey...)

And here are two videos (I had to break them up, but they were consecutive)....and this is what hurts when he beats me up. I want to report him to someone....but whom? ha (and btw, this is what he does to my ribs, but I can't move when he does that cuz it hurts too badly, so grabbing a camera is impossible...)

And then the 40-week photos... I actually do look smaller than the last ones. But I do NOT feel like it.

And per request, here is a bare belly photo. Please don't cringe. My gaping scar from back surgery goes the length of my side...hot, huh? And see the indentation under the bra? That is one source of my pain of late....where my rib cage is caved in (in comparison to the other side) and probably has something to do with the pulling of my intercostal space in my thoracic ribs. Bla bla bla. Oh, and I look like crap. But this is what I am. I am a mother in the making. And a cranky one at that. ;)

If I make it to Thursday, we'll get another ultrasound to assess amnio fluid quantity and size of the bambino. So that's something to look forward to, I guess.

PLEASE let this be the last full post for awhile...please let the next one be that he's here. But at this point, I'm pretty sure I'll be induced on Monday. There are pluses to that, so I'm trying to focus on that and if it happens before then, YAY. But seriously. Can it happen before then?