The Countdown Has Begun

Of course I don't know exactly how much time is on the countdown, I just know that it's started.  My doctor told me this morning that I'm dilated to 3 cm, 50% effaced and at a -2 station.  Cooper is definitely head down, too.  So for those of you who have not had babies, that means that my cervix is open 3 centimeters out of the total of 10, and it's halfway thinned out/shortened.  The station means the approximate location of Cooper in the birth canal, +4 station means birth is imminent, so he's not super low, but that's normal with a second or subsequent baby.  They don't drop as quickly as the firstborn does.  I can't remember the exact numbers from my last appointment with Garrett except that I was 3.5 cm and I was induced the following Monday.  Of course that was 1 week further along than I am right now.  I'm sure if I had encouraged my doctor this morning, he would have agreed to induce this week, but for many reasons, I decided not to do this.  

So next Monday morning is my final appointment and at that time, we will decide on a date for induction.  Keith and I are currently considering our options along with what his birthday would be and what our preference would be of all the dates available next week.  It's silly, I know, but hey, if you're given the chance to choose a date that you'll need to remember for the rest of your life, you might as well pick a good one.  Not to mention working through logistics like where Garrett will be or with whom he would be with.  The fact that my mom flies in next Thursday.  The last minute things we would like to have done, etc.  Of course all of this planning could fly out the window if one of two things happen.  1. Cooper decides to come on a date of his own choosing between now and next Monday.  (That will be fine, son, so long as my water doesn't break in the middle of VBS this week.  Or, worse, at Walmart.)  2. The date we pick for the induction doesn't work for the hospital or our doctor.

I will keep you posted on how things progress.  For now, I feel the need to rest and clean my entire house from top to bottom.  We'll see which urge wins out.