To Labor or Not to Labor?

Well, it's off to possible labor I go. Like earlier this week, we will go to an appointment and get a few tests done. Unlike the earlier appointment, we are well aware that we might not be coming home from the hospital today! Depends on whether they determine I actually have pre-eclampsia or "merely" pregnancy-induced hypertension. Yes, I am peeing into the "hat" for a day and icing my collection in the big orange jug.

Since I'm far enough along in gestation to not worry so much about the baby's level of development, any hint of pre-e will send me straight over to be induced. Which is rather earlier than we expected or would prefer! Which sent us into a couple days of last-minute frenzy to get the minimal preparations in place.

I won't get into the paint job that turned into a 2-week saga, but *thank goodness* (!!!) I had taken the effort to clean out the little room for the painting in the first place! See, I am now on modified bed rest and am not allowed to spend much time standing or walking or exerting myself much. This is even harder for me than usual pregnancy slowness! For one thing, all those little errands I was going to run after recovering from my cold are right out! For another thing, I do have friends and family (including Mr Sweetie) to do things for me, but they also have their own lives. Now I not only have to stifle my energetic impulses but ask other people to fulfill them for me! It's hard. It's especially hard when I cannot take care of my usual household routines. I need my routines!

My best strategy for Mr Sweetie is to make a (modestly long, I mean short) list of tasks for him each day. That gives me a place to put my ideas (rather than verbally raining them on him when he gets home), and it gives him something concrete to work off of and see accomplished. So far, we both like it. He surprised me by saying that we should continue this method after the baby is born.

In any case, off I go. Maybe I'll be back home today, maybe not.
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