I'm feeling so good today. Tired, but good. It's Eldest's 9th birthday today, and two days ago it was Youngest's 5th. I'm hoping this little babe holds out for a couple more weeks, because we need a bit of a break after all the post-Christmas birthdays, but with all the contractions and "shooting crotch pains" lately, I'm starting to wonder if labor might be closer than I thought.

This birth is so different than my last two UCs. In Louisville, I had a few friends in the neighborhood, and they came to see Middle Boy the next day, but I hadn't talked all that much to them about my birth plans. With Youngest, I hadn't really connected with anyone in Rochester after moving back here just before I got pregnant, so her birth felt very secluded. This time around, I have a whole list of friends who've requested a call when I go into labor, and I have to admit that I'm very much digging the idea of a "labor party".

I'm especially hoping that my dear, dear friend Brittany is able to make it down from Watertown in time. Of course, my history of 2-3 hour hard and fast labors doesn't bode well for my dream of a long, slow labor with friends and their children coming and going as they please.

I think I'll spend tonight bouncing a bit on my birthing ball and drinking RRL tea. Tomorrow I'm going to try finishing up all my labor preparations around the house. Then it will just be a matter of keeping it that way for the next two weeks or so.

37 weeks (taken by Eldest):