Update:
We had another doctor’s appointment yesterday and things are moving along. I am now 3 cm dilated but still 80% effaced. The new plan: the doctor is going to set up an induction for me one day next week, but hopefully I will go into labor on my own over the weekend. After the doctor’s visit Shane and I went to the mall and walked around for an hour. We are going to do the same tonight. They say it is going to snow on Saturday so maybe that will send me into labor.

Not much to report.
I know this will be my last Monday at work. We are closed next week and my doctor won’t let me go over my due date that long. I am feeling big and uncomfortable to be honest. It isn’t the end of the world but I am ready for normal breathing and stuff like getting up or out of bed without help. I am doing everything in my power to speed things up. I was at the gym this morning hoping to walk myself into labor. My next doctor’s visit is Thursday. Hopefully he will have better news at that visit.

Your Baby: Preparing For Labor
Fully developed and ready for birth, your baby will weigh somewhere between 6 and 9 pounds and will measure between 18 and 21 inches in length. When labor starts, your baby's body shifts gears to prepare for the journey. The fluid in the lungs is absorbed, airing out the lungs in preparation for breathing. The fetal hormones are on the rise to help maintain blood pressure and blood sugar levels after birth. It's showtime!

The people I work with are so nice. They knew I was bummed about being at work today and not at the hospital in labor so they got me this pretzel! Can you guess what it is?

Update
My parents made it home safely yesterday and I am sure they were shocked by the temperature change. My doctor’s visit was not as exciting as my parents return. I am dilated to 2.5 cm and 80% effaced. So, things are still happening, I just wanted them to happen a little faster. But, after about 3 hours of being bummed out I am over it. I am not that uncomfortable (it could always be worse). I enjoyed a bowl of cookies n’ cream ice cream last night, because I lost another pound (nothing to worry about) . I slept pretty well last night and I know this baby will come when it is good and ready.

I thought maybe I would be at the hospital today.

Yesterday after lunch I started having contractions. I had a few in the afternoon and several in the evening. A few of them were pretty intense. But, at 8 pm them stopped. Isn’t the human body weird? I have had a few contractions today but nothing worth noting. I have another doctor’s appointment on Thursday so we will see if we are any closer. Also, my parents will be home Thursday at 4 so this little baby can come anytime after that. At least the contractions from yesterday got Shane to pack his bag. Wouldn’t it be nice if I had the baby on Friday got to stay in the hospital over the weekend then go home on Monday. Shane gets the week off then we have the weekend again before he has to go back to work. (no pressure little baby but I think you can make it happen)
If you are at home tonight at 7 watch Bones on Fox. You won’t be sorry.

Your Baby: Reaching Full-term
During the last couple weeks of pregnancy, your baby might gain a very small amount of weight or may stop gaining at all. Now considered full-term, your little one may weigh anywhere from 6 to 9 pounds and measure 18 to 21 inches long.

We made it through the weekend with no baby. I tried to rest as much as possible but it is hard to rest when you know the baby could be here at anytime. I am still feeling good. I am having contractions every once and a while and I am feeling pressure.

Report from doctor’s visit on 2/1/07:
I am currently 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. For those of you that don’t know what that means read below. Dr. H seems pretty sure I won’t make it to my original due date 2/19/07. I would like to wait for my parents to get home so I am taking it easy for the next week. That means no exercise! Can you imagine being told not to exercise? I slept into day and it was weird not going to the gym and not feeling guilty about it.

Cervical effacement and dilatation
As labor nears, the cervix begins to thin or stretch (efface) and open (dilate) to prepare for the passage of the baby through the birth canal (vagina). How fast the cervix thins and opens varies from woman to woman. In some women, the cervix may efface and dilate slowly over a period of weeks. A first-time mother often will not dilate until active labor begins.
Late in your pregnancy, your health professional will manually check (wearing sterile gloves) how much your cervix has effaced and dilated.
Effacement
As the baby''s head drops down into the pelvis, it pushes against the cervix and causes the cervix to relax and thin out, or efface.
See an illustration of cervical effacement .
Throughout your pregnancy your cervix has been tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. When the cervix effaces, the mucus plug is loosened and passes out of the vagina. The mucus may be tinged with blood. This passage of the mucus plug is called "show" or "bloody show." You may or may not notice when the mucus plug passes.
Effacement is described as a percentage. For example, if your cervix is not effaced at all, it is 0% effaced. If the cervix has completely thinned, it is 100% effaced.
Dilatation
After the cervix begins to efface, it will also begin to open (cervical dilatation).
Cervical dilatation is expressed in centimeters from 0 to 10. Zero means that the cervix is closed, and 10 means that it is completely dilated.