Atomic Tonic

The very end of pregnancy can bring with it a host of things signaling upcoming labor. The first time I did this, the bodily signs went right over my head. I wasn't even 40 weeks. I wasn't that uncomfortable. It was my first pregnancy. I assumed I'd go over my due date so when my body started to empty itself, I didn't pay attention. The night before labor started, my back hurt but I didn't think anything of it. I was nearly 10 months pregnant. Of course my back hurt.

One thing that was absent from the days leading up to my labor was the nesting. We'd gotten all of that out of the way in the first and second trimesters as we'd moved into our house just as I was missing my period. Since we were painting and moving anyway, we continued on and did Matilda's room at the same time. The walls were painted and the furniture was assembled. The tiny clothes were washed and folded away in her dresser months in advance. The hospital bag was packed. We were set. We spent the last month of that pregnancy watching Law & Order re-runs.

This time, I did the majority of the new kid's room early on. But now, in week 37, it's still not complete. It requires yet another trip to IKEA.

My hospital bag is packed for the most part, I guess. The tiny clothes are folded into the new dresser but that's only because this kid is a girl so we already had the clothes. I'd say we're 85% ready, house-wise, for this kid to make an appearance. I'm 110% ready to not be pregnant anymore, but my body, the very one that was so anxious to expel this kid at 32 weeks, is now holding tight. No bodily signs aside from the aching back, but then again my entire body aches.

I have the desire to nest. My brain thinks another trip to IKEA sounds fine. It's all for cleaning the kitchen floor and vacuuming the living room and making skor bar for the L&D nurses but I can't seem to drag myself into a standing position to accomplish any of this. The insomnia is doing a number on what should be my waking hours. I feel like I'm wearing a suit made of lead. I sit on the couch and glare at the toast crumbs on the floor and the piles of laundry. Looks like labor is nowhere near.