Katie & Justin

Well, here I am in this photo on my due date, August 29. And still pregnant!

More than three weeks have passed since my doctor first made the prediction that this baby was coming early. Baby D, clearly, had other plans! I had another doctor’s appointment on August 30 — the one on my calendar that I never thought I’d have to go to!

Everything was still looking good. My blood pressure is no longer an issue. Baby’s heartbeat and size were all perfect. (I didn’t want to ask how big he or she is now!) But I still wasn’t dilated and there weren’t any changes since that week 37 appointment.

The doctor said they usually try for an induction at some point between week 41 and 42, and that she would contact the hospital about scheduling a date — aiming for Wednesday. She said it’s still very possible the baby could come on its own before then, and that’s what I’m hoping for!

I asked her about some of those strategies you always hear about for naturally inducing labor, and she basically said it can’t hurt to try. She mentioned walking, as well as eating dates and spicy food.

So, on my way home from the doctor’s office, I stopped at Target and scanned the aisles for anything that would help. I picked up extra hot salsa, sriracha mayo, pepper jack cheese and Spanish rice on the spicy front. Then I found a container of dates as well granola bars made with dates.

Also, considering this is my last week of pregnancy and since I’ve stared at the Little Debbie aisle every single time I’m inside the grocery store, I finally splurged and bought a box of Swiss cake rolls AND a box of nutty buddy bars! (They taste just as good as I remembered from vacations in Missouri!)

When I got home, I charged up my FitBit to start tracking my steps again and went for a nice, long walk. That night I also went to yoga and the instructor recommended I do squats or sit in a squatting position on a medicine ball — to let gravity help get the baby into position. (I’m sitting on a ball right now as I type!)

For the longest time, I kept telling baby to wait, wait, wait as I tried to finish up everything I had to do. But now, with that induction deadline in sight, I’ve totally switched gears, now saying come, come, come! Since I started my maternity leave this past week, I have been able to get so much done. House is clean. Nursery is set. And just got word from my boss that my story is not running this weekend but next weekend — which is good because more time means it won’t be rushed and less need for me to stress.

So, Baby D, we’re all ready for ya now! It is Labor Day weekend, after all! :)