One Down, Two More To Go

My first doctor's appointment of the week is out of the way. Only two more to go.

My big news for the day is that my OB is rescheduling the twins' birthday. I'm very happy about this. I'm sad to lose St. Rita, whose feast day is May 22, as our prayer partner in the birth process but it's for a good cause. Since both babies are head down and have remained head down - as of today - my OB is going to let me try a regular delivery of the non-c-section variety. The catch is, of course, that they have to stay head down. If either switches then I'm screwed and off to surgery I go.

Our tentative date for induction is May 27. I'll be 38 weeks and 3 days (or so - there continues to be a several day discrepancy between my counting, my OB's counting, and the peri-nate's counting). That does mean more days of finger pricking and more days of big belly time. But it also gives the twins a slightly better chance of having mature lungs at birth ... and it gives me a better chance of going into labor naturally so I don't have to be induced - which is part of my master plan.

Today the doctor strongly encouraged me to have the epidural. It's as if she could see the natural child birth books on my dresser. How did she know? I shave my arm pits. I don't look like a woman of nature who shuns epidurals. What she doesn't know is that I'm so woefully unprepared for natural child birth that I sincerely doubt that I could do it again this time around. For starters, I'm too tired. For seconders, I'm getting absolutely no backrubbing from my "birth coach" (which is supposed to be happening every night to ensure that I'm relaxed enough to go to my "special place" when real labor starts).

Also a factor are the labor-like pains I'm experiencing everyday. I get a lot of cramping (which I believe I've mentioned) that radiates around to my back. It's a lot like labor pain. It's pain that makes me angry. No other way to describe it. I just get really angry. That reminds me of real labor and how bad it felt and that makes me think that maybe getting stabbed in the spinal column isn't so bad afterall.

In other news, Will got to see the Pope today. He went with his grandma to D.C. She said he was mature and very well behaved. Huh? My son??? I'm so proud! I wish I could have seen him. He led one decade of the rosary on a bus full of older kids and adults. He said to my mom, "I'm going to volunteer to lead. I have the courage." And then he did. When he finished, the entire bus clapped because he did such a good job. I can totally see him in seminary! He saw the Pope-mobile but got confused and thinks that it's a black stretch limo. Not surprised about that since he's dutifully saving his allowance to buy a limo when he's 16. (as if we're going to let him get his driver's license then).

Mr. Cubby had his first encounter with real sushi today. He likes it. And he loves playing with his chop sticks. It's heartbreaking and hysterical to watch him try to eat with them. He hunches over his tray with a chop stick in either hand. His brow is furrowed and his eyes focused with amazing intensity on the food he wants to pick up. He pushes the chop sticks together and smushes the food between the points and then... the food falls or flies away from his sticks. Poor kid. But so adorable to watch a near-2-year-old try to eat this way.