The Last Supper

Well, well, well...and so here we are.

Today has been a little scary and awesomely exciting, all at once. It began with my in-room hair appointment at 12:30. That was of course awesomely exciting. A couple hours later, my doctor came in with the nurse and a medical student to discuss my birthing plan. Great, I've been waiting for this! And then came the scary part...

So ladies. You know when you go in for your annual exam, you get in that fateful position on the table...and right after the audible "snap" of the medical glove around the doc's wrist as the death metal has you cranked wide open like a 6-lane highway, he or she says:

"You're going to feel a little bit of pressure."

And as we all know, that's a lie.

Well, I dream of that exam instead of what I experienced at approximately 3:30 this afternoon. Do you know where your cervix is? I mean, do you really know where your cervix is? And I don't mean theoretically. I mean literally. Yeah, so I didn't exactly either - until this afternoon. And let me tell you - it is quite far away from where it should be for any sort of medical exam - ever.

After putting my eyes back in their sockets and recommencing breathing, I learned that my cervix is "pretty soft" but still closed and posterior. It needs to be even softer and anterior - and of course, open. Thus, Cervidil will be employed to get things going. I'm looking forward to the insertion of this tampon-like drug at 3:00 this morning. It's been too long since something has visited my cervix.

At this time, my IV will be started, with a simultaneous blood draw. If the cramping that the Cervidil causes is too much for me to handle while I try to catch some sleep, I can opt for a sedative. On the plus side, this will help me drift off to sleep. On the minus side, it will prevent me from being able to get up and go to the bathroom - and with no catheter, that means a bed pan. And the fun begins - more on what comes next tomorrow.

After the cervical exam, the afternoon was a blur. But things really picked up around 6:30. That's when my mom wheeled me outside where, according to locals, it was "freezing." According to me, it was just shy of balmy. We spent a little more than 1/2 hour enjoying the scenery before returning to the room, where my mom presented me with some very stylish pajamas she instructed me to put on - complete with my bling bling sandals. I thought it was rather strange she demanded I put them on at that very moment, but I wasn't going to argue with anything that would get me out of a hospital gown for the first time in 5 weeks.

Once I had changed, Brad entered the room, and they escorted me to the labor and delivery room next door, which had been completely transformed into a beautiful little bistro. Flowers, candles (fake ones, as not to set off any alarms), a little table with two chairs, and a feast of all feasts awaited.

OH MY GOD.

I sat at a cloth-covered table, drank a glass of wine, and most important, did not have to eat while lying down (or drink my water out of a straw). The food was incredible. It came from Prime 112, a fantastic steakhouse on the beach. Our menu featured:

-Kobe beef meatballs
-A 22 oz. rib-eye with truffle butter (we split that)
-Creamed spinach with shallots
-Truffled french fries
-Fried oreos

This was one helluva last supper before they begin starving me at midnight.

If that wasn't enough, Brad further surprised me by asking if I'd like my push present before or after delivery (the timing is acceptable either way, by definition!). I think you know what I chose. After all, the baby is present enough for tomorrow, right?

After almost 3 hours out of bed (gasp!) and off the grid, I returned to my room next door, feeling about as calm and ready for this show to begin as possible. I thank you all for your many, many emails, phone calls, texts, blog comments and Facebook messages. While I may not always respond to them, that doesn't mean they aren't important to me - each and every one has helped me through this that much more.

The next time you hear from me, I'll be...a mom (of a human being - Moby, you will always be the first son)! Brad will do his best to send out an update, but fair warning: it's going to be more than a notion to remember all of the intended email addresses. That said, please come back to the blog for the most complete update (and at least one photo).

Wish me luck!

P.S. Thank you, Sherri. You done good.