Today is Thursday, which is one of my favorite days of the week. It is absolutely Jacob's favorite, as there is Taco Bar for lunch and it is both library day and computer day for his class. I mean, come on, what could be better than that? I don't have such clear reasons for my enjoyment of this day, but I think it has to do with the fact that we've gotten over the hump of Wednesday and are smoothly sliding towards the weekend. (It also may have something to do with my TV shows on Thursday night, but that would just be sad, so I'm going to say it's, um, some other profound reason that I will come up with later.)
So what is on my mind this Thursday? Well, the baby certainly is. Have you noticed my little countdown to Jade widget over by my pictures? Besides being really nifty, it also serves as a reminder to me of just how little time is left before my newest little peanut joins our nuthouse. This is thrilling!!!!!!!!!! and also terrifying!!!!!!!!
I don't really need a little widget to remind me of this, however, as I have now entered what I fondly refer to as the Obsessive Stage of my pregnancy. As I see it, pregnancy can generally be broken down into these time periods: The shock/denial stage, quickly followed by the panic/excitement stage (with varying degrees of both, depending on your circumstances), which leads into the acceptance/ reading-as-much-as-you-can-about-what-the-heck-you're- supposed-to-be-eating-and-doing-now stage, which slowly evolves into the boredom/getting on with normal living stage, interrupted, of course, by various mini-panic stages, especially if you have any problems in your pregnancy, which finally leads to the all-important complete-obsession stage, which comes directly before the birth. It is at this point that your belly is so huge that you simply cannot forget about it, even if you tried, and every single person you come across, whether you know them or not, asks, "Oh! When are you due?"
I find this interesting, actually. I mean, I understand why friends and relatives might want to know my due date, but complete strangers? Why do they need to know? Were they planning on buying me a card and stashing it in their purse during my due week on the off chance that they may run into me again just after the baby is born? Or are they simply frightened that I am about to pop right in front of them, spraying them with amniotic fluid and who knows what else, and they feel the need to prepare their fight or flight instinct? I think it probably is some sort of morbid curiosity born out of misguided simpathy over my impending labor, like a guard asking some poor shlup on death row, "Hey, when's your funeral?" Or perhaps, my belly is just so, so HUGE that they feel they simply cannot help but make some sort of comment, but saying "Wow, you're gigantic!" probably wouldn't go over too well, so they ask an innocuous question instead. Whatever the reason, it always serves to remind me that, yes, very soon I will be entering once more into that realm of trauma known as Labor Land, therein seeking to vanquish the dragon of excruciating pain and emerge victoriously with my sweet little maiden of joy. Prepare, prepare, prepare!!! I must prepare for the journey, for the battle, and for the maiden herself!! And of course, once I am basically as prepared as one can get, it's like, alright, already, let's get this show on the road! The anticipation is killing me!! You can see how this could lead to some obsession.
So that's what's on my mind this Thursday. Of course, that's what was on my mind yesterday, and the day before, and probably tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that...did I mention I'm obsessed? This is why I like to look forward to my TV. I mean, if Survivor and Grey's Anatomy and CSI can't distract you at least momentarily from your own problems, what can?
