Week 40 / T-Minus 0 days

Taken today on Braemer Hill at Week 40 / Day 266 / Projected Due Date

And we have... no blastoff.

Well, here we are at day 266, week 40, the day our little baby daughter is supposed to be born and we have nothing. No Braxton-Hicks practice contractions, no discomfort (aside from the normal stuff due to all the extra weight), no show, nothing. While we understand that only 20% of babies are born on their due dates, it would have been nice to have had a baby today - if not before. We know from speaking to many of you on the phone that you are as excited as we are for the big day so sitting around and waiting hasn't been easy. As SAM said the other day, "I'm wasting all my maternity leave!"

As we wait, though, we've been taking the opportunity to make the very final preparations for the baby to arrive. Last night, we set up the co-sleeper so that Petunia would be sure to have a spot in the house to sleep once she comes home. It was fun laying in the bed pretending there was a baby next to me last night and patting the imaginary baby on her imaginary tummy.


Our new sleeping set up for life with baby. As of now, she's on my side!

SAM might be getting slightly impatient, but she's holding up awfully well and has been in good spirits. It's hard to make solid plans now since anything might happen at any time, so we're taking it easy and trusting that the baby will make the decision to start the process when she's ready. But at times, we're not above whispering to the little one, "It's time..."

Today was our 40th week doctor's appointment. After confirming to the doctor that she was experiencing no signs of labor, Sarah was handed a surprisingly intricate chart to record our baby's movements through the day. Since we want the baby to be born naturally (without induction) if possible, the doctor agreed not to induce labor until two weeks from the due date (as opposed to the suggested one week) as long as we kept careful watch over the baby's movements and recorded how many she had every hour. She suggested that at least 10 movements a day was necessary. We figure that'll be easy as pie since she seems to move 10 times an hour! Also, I've discovered that I can hear the baby's heartbeat by putting my ear up to SAM's tummy so that's a fun way to make sure she's doing ok.

In order to improve our odds that we don't spend another two weeks waiting for Petunia to arrive, as of today we have been pursuing a schedule of labor inducing activities. Before our doctor's visit, we went for a two hour walk up to school and back which left me with tired legs for the rest of the day (go sam!). Then, after the doctor's appointment, SAM had a nice, long foot massage during which the masseuses informed SAM that she was in excellent health as diagnosed from the condition of her feet. After that, we had a dinner of very spicy chicken curry which, we have been told, is good for getting the baby out. And the best part is that the day's not over yet!


At the halfway point of our walk today

Tomorrow, Sarah has already requested a large hotel buffet breakfast which we'll probably satisfy at the Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay before (probably) having another walk and perhaps other activities prone to help the baby be born.

During dinner at the Koos last night, George predicted that Sarah would go into labor tomorrow (tuesday) afternoon and that the baby would be born on Wednesday morning. If he's right, he's definitely getting a free drink!

In other baby news, George's brother, Tommy and his wife Valerie gave birth to a baby boy Sunday around 7:15 PM at NYU Medical Center. They were due 2 weeks after us but Valerie started having contractions during the day, checked into the hospital at 6:00 PM and had a baby in their arms by quarter after seven. Congratulations, Tommy and Valerie, and we can only hope that our delivery is as smooth as yours.