The waiting game …

It’s hard to know that your life is going to completely change, but not know when. Will it be an hour? Tomorrow? Three days? A week?

To describe us as feeling antsy is an understatement. We've got lots of restless, nervous energy, but can't focus much.

I still hold onto the fear that I may not realize when labor begins. I know you’re thinking: How could you not notice? It’s supposed to be the worst pain ever. Well, during pregnancy you spend a great deal of time in pain. Your back hurts, pains shoot through your abdomen, bones separate and ache, and then there are the fake contractions (like the real ones, but irregular). The real contractions the doctors told me I have occasionally experienced don't seem to match the descriptions I've read in the baby books.

Here’s what I've been thinking every 20 minutes or so for the last week: is that a shooting pain or a contraction? How long ago was that last shooting pain? Should I write that down?

And now you’re probably thinking, ‘but you’ll know when your water breaks.’ That’s true, but labor starts with a water break in a small percentage of pregnancies.

Every conversation with our families starts with “I’m not in labor,” and I can only imagine how they feel every time the phone rings.

Today we had unexpected entertainment at the doctor’s office. Our highly energetic nurse pantomimed me experiencing my first real contraction and her encounter with other parts of labor’s early stages (I won’t gross you out by elaborating but trust me, it was bad). She also described her problems with yeast and generally had the attitude of a motivational speaker who had just gotten in the employee lounge doughnuts.

The consultation was encouraging and moderately alarming at once.

Luckily, I don’t think we have too much longer to wait. I took a quiz I found in the findingDulcinea Pregnancy Web Guide, called “Am I in labor?” And of course I’m not in labor, as I write this, but the results were encouraging. Of course, the quiz could be completely wrong, and my enthusiasm just wishful thinking.

Belly button musings

My belly button seems to be making a slow transition from being an inny to an outy. I wish it would hurry up and pop out already, as the suspense is killing me. Is it going to suddenly appear one day? When? Will it be huge and noticeable? Will it be ticklish, like it usually is? So far the answer to that last one seems to be no, so that's good. G-I-A-N-T-S GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That cheer is what Tim decided to contribute while I was away from the computer. He was a little bit excited about the Giants winning the Super Bowl. He spent most of the fourth quarter on his feet in our apartment, trying to keep himself occupied without throwing things. After they won Sunday night, we opened the windows and heard people yelling throughout Hoboken while crowds converged on Times Square.

We didn't go to the ticker tape parade today. It was threatening rain, the route was far from our offices in midtown, and by the time we were getting ready for work crowds had already gathered for the 11 a.m. parade. There's some talk about having a parade in Hoboken for the Giants who live here (I've heard Eli Manning and Kawika Mitchell live here, but I'm sure there's more), but I doubt it'll happen.

But going back to the pregnancy for a second, I seem to have grown quite a bit all of a sudden. I often lose sight of my shoes during the day. Over email, I asked Tim if he thought the bump had grown because I was feeling particularly whale-tastic (or Shamu-riffic, if you prefer) today. Surprisingly, he didn't respond. When I asked him later, he ignored me. I guess I shouldn't have eaten all of that ice cream last week.

Tonight's musical selection: The W.A.N.D, Flaming Lips