The calm before the storm?

All my early labor signs from the past two days seem to have dried up. Is this just the calm before the storm? I hope so. James and I walked 4 miles again today and even picked up the pace quite a bit as well. I have not been very hungry today so didn't fancy any spicy food. I was really tired this afternoon (I guess the walking did affect me!) so no obsessive cleaning, er, nesting I mean (though I did wash all our bedding in fragrance-free, dye-free detergent so there will be no chance of Dorian's skin becoming irritated when cuddling in bed with us).

I think I may have jumped the gun a bit on all those early labor signs this week. Yes, they happened but maybe I read way too much in to them. I have to keep remembering that these symptoms can appear days, if not weeks, before the actual birth. I also have to remember that most first-time mothers deliver AFTER their estimated due date, not before, so there is an extremely good chance he won't arrive until after October 17/19 (remember, I have two due dates!) Here's hoping Dorian doesn't stress his Mama out and chooses to come at an opportune time.

The nursing strike begins at 7am tomorrow and will continue until 7am on Monday (it's a 2 day strike but striking nurses are then "locked out" for an additional 3 days). As a nurse manager, my mom has to work through the week-end, including a night shift. Luckily, she has made sure to "reserve" a couple of Labor & Delivery nurses for me in case I go into labor over the next couple days. And while she will be busy, at least she'll be at the very same hospital 24/7 for the next 5 days. Mom says that all her colleagues are betting I go into labor at 7am tomorrow! She herself is convinced it will be soon. She said it has been such an easy pregnancy, it would make sense if Dori chose to shake it up a bit at the end and arrive at a less opportune time. I don't mind if he arrives tomorrow or Thursday, I just hope it's not this week-end...

James will be in Ventura, CA from Friday early afternoon to late Sunday night/early Monday morning. He will be gigging with his band...so many people have asked me why he can't just skip the gigs. You people forget that James is the lead guitarist and that the band is HIS JOB. He has a commitment to perform at all scheduled gigs. If I go into labor while he is gone, we'll have to see if it will be feasible at that point in the week-end for him to fly back or if he can hang on a day or if he can miss 1 gig or ??? It is unfortunate that this week-end is a 3-day one for him and that the band has not 1, but 2 gigs, down south. You can't predict when babies will arrive though so the band could not put the whole month of October on hold for one of their members' impending arrivals. James has a very bright outlook regarding the possibility of missing the birth - he has accepted that while it would be disappointing, he just may not be able to be there. Fathers never used to be present at their baby's births. The baby won't even be that alert or into bonding for the first couple days. He will want his mom's boobs and his swaddle blanket. He will probably care less about his daddy being there. Even though I am relieved that my husband seems to have accepted the possibility that he may miss the birth, I know that I would be really sad. If Dorian has not arrived by Friday, I plan to stay in bed all week-end with my legs crossed.

I am being really hormonal and emotional right now and probably worrying over nothing. I just hate this not knowing when it will happen! For someone who is such a planner, this has definitely been the hardest thing about pregnancy for me. I do know that in the end, it doesn't matter if Dorian arrives in the middle of a nurse's strike, while his father is gone or in a taxi cab on the freeway. As long as he and I are healthy, that's all that matters.