The Final Countdown: 14 Days

Originally written on April 28, 2008

Come hell or high water, I will have a baby 2 weeks from this very day. If I don't go into labor by May 12, they are going in after it. Hallelujah and Happy Mother's Day to me.

There is a period of time in a pregnancy...or maybe I should say in my pregnancies...when you stop looking just big and cumbersome and awkward and as if maybe utilizing the Lil Rascal scooter carts at the grocery store would really be in your best interest, and begin to look conspicuously and gloriously pregnant. Still awkward. Still cumberson. But the waddle has meaning now and that wonderful watermelon of a belly is just right out there announcing to all the world that yes indeed you are carrying life and not just suffering from too many midnight Twinkie raids.

For me, that stage hit right around 32 weeks and I loved it. My belly popped out and I was knocking things over right and left and poor Liam, at perfect belly height, was getting regularly prodded with my belly button or inadvertently bounced out of the way if he came up short in front of me. Sadly, this stage has been short lived.

Now I am just simply awkward and cumbersome again....my belly is still there, bigger than ever, but now just seems to taunt me into thinking that maybe *this* time I can get out of bed to pee without first rocking back and forth several times to gain momentum. Or that I can roll over in bed without getting stuck on my back like a flipped turtle struggling to right itself, only to find that once I have successfully made it over, all of that movement has made me have to pee again thus the rocking starts anew. Or that just this once I can get on the floor to help Liam with his shoes without first scouting out the surrounding area for something I can use to pull myself back up with.

Just last night, husband watched in amusement as I rolled myself off the sofa, onto all fours, crawled over to the arm of the sofa and hauled myself up to standing. Just to go pee for the one millionth time that hour.

All very dignified.

So. Fourteen days. 2 weeks. That's it. I suppose I should get crackin' on the to-do list that has grown exponentially along with this belly. I have told myself that I will be in good shape if I can just get one thing done each day between now and baby.

It is 3:53pm and all I have done today is look at my list and tell myself that I will be in good shape if I can just get one thing done each day between now and baby.

It's a start.