To Do.

I am not certain that I understand how this happened (It could be that as of the past three days, I have been having a ton of intense contractions that have left me wondering several times if I'll even need to be induced). I have spent this entire pregnancy preparing for Baby B, down to the minute details of readying her baptism papers and so on, and yet I still have one killer to do list before we leave for the hospital in 31 hours. Here's a sneak peek:

*Hang stuffed animal hammock
*Set up pack & play/bassinet in our room (We haven't done this yet since we didn't want to take up space before we had to...)
*Finish packing (OK, this isn't my fault either, since all I need to add are things I'm going to be using before it's time to go, like makeup)
*Pack away clothes (some of the maternity clothes I borrowed that have been too big, and some of my normal clothes that aren't practical for a couple months when it warms up)
*Return library books
*Fully clean house (this I do constantly, but one last sweep pre-baby won't hurt!)
*Install car seat (we don't have one until tomorrow, since we're having to borrow one until we get the one that's being given to us when D goes back to work)
*Pedicure
*Pick up tabloids to read during labor (these get outdated fast)

Upon looking at this list, I suppose I do see how this may have happened....some of these things really and truly had to be done last minute. Today I think I'll spend assembling her little bed for our room, since she'll sleep in that initially until I am sure I'll wake up to her cries and her room gets a bit warmer, and work on packing away my clothes and cleaning the house. Tomorrow I fully intend to take it easy, hence the pedicure. If I can have a totally relaxing pre-labor experience, that would be fantastic. Oh, the benefits of induction. I once worked for a mom that two months out, scheduled an elective c-section, and I really badmouthed her to my family when telling them about it. While I still don't think an elective c-section is worthwhile unless there are some serious reasons behind it, I now understand her a little bit better. I have really struggled in the past month (and throughout my pregnancy, to be honest) with the fact that this event, and my pregnancy itself, is something I have about zero control over. And being a major control freak, that's really difficult for me. I've been trying to roll with the punches on certain things to the best of my ability, since I know that will be an invaluable skill to have once the baby is here, but generally it's very difficult for me to relinquish control, and this has been a big factor here for me. That being said, knowing when I'm going to the hospital and being able to plan/clean/load the car with that in mind has made the past few days a trillion times easier. I've actually slept nearly eight hours per night (less a bathroom break or five) the past three nights. Heaven.

On another positive note, my net weight gain as of this morning was right at 28lbs. My doctor had said he wanted at least 30 due to my small-ish size pre-baby, and I had said that over my dead body would I top 30 pounds, so I am 100% okay with this. Especially since I am looking a bit swollen, and think that some of it may very well be water weight. It's shocking (and extremely exciting!) to me to think that this time next week, I'll be watching the scale go down (albeit it could go slowly). I could very well be sitting at 15lbs less this time next week with a little luck and a massive fluid flush of my system. Here's hoping!

Have a wonderful Saturday of post-Christmas shopping everyone! Santa forgot a little something for Baby B (who, now more than ever, still doesn't have a final name, sadly), and I got a certificate to my favorite book store, so besides cleaning and prepping for baby, I'll be doing a bit of shopping and then indulging in Greek food. Delish!