Ready Or Not?

I had contractions all day yesterday, low-level ones that kept coming and going, with the occasional strong contraction to knock the wind out of me. The baby did a lot of turning and kicking as well. Then late last night when I got up to go to the bathroom, there was some blood. Looks like things are finally getting started, although I don’t know when I’ll go into actual labor.

I recall having a huge freak out back in January when I wrote about the changes in my weight and in my work hours, both caused by the pregnancy. I’m still a little freaked, but feel a little calmer now. I finally finished my novel and the submission package heads out the door today to a publisher. I don’t care what happens after that. I can go into labor in the damn parking lot of the post office, so long as that package goes in the mail first. I’m finally ready to switch over to full-blown mom-duty for a little while.

Of course, I have been devising ways to keep working after I have the baby. I’m no good at not working. That would just drive me crazy.

I bought a portable laptop desk and set it up next to the glider in my bedroom. I can wheel the desk over to my side or my lap and type away while I nurse or rock the baby. Or I have the option of running a handwriting recognition program, since I do have a graphics tablet connected to the laptop. I can certainly draw on the computer with that set up. So I’m ready to do the work.
My only concern is will I get any time uninterrupted to do it. Cassie is a very curious child, and she will probably spend a great deal of time standing at my shoulder watching me nurse, asking, “Whatcha doing? Huh, Mommy? Whatcha doing? Can I help? Can I push the buttons on your computer?” I’m considering making Michael get Cassie her own mini-laptop, so she can play with that while I work and nurse, but then the problem is what happens when Cassie can’t get the laptop to do what she wants and she gets frustrated. I won’t exactly be in a position to get up and help her.

I know, I know. Quit worrying about hypothetical situations that you don’t even know are going to happen yet. It will only drive you crazy.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to plan for said situations, now does it?

I’ve got nothing else on my mind this morning. I’m just a ticking time bomb, counting down the seconds until my water breaks and baby Sam finally makes the long journey down my birth canal and out into the world. I hope I’m ready for this, but I know I’m probably not.