A lesson in patience

I'm pretty sure my previous prediction will be wrong. Way to go Liam... prove Mommy wrong! Little stinker! :) Look at me, bad mouthing my unborn son.

I predicted Hurricane Earl would come through yesterday, which he did and thankfully didn't harm anyone or anything, and that Liam would be born today and NCSU would win their game tomorrow. Now, unless Liam gets a move on, he's not coming today... otherwise I will have a very short labor and delivery. Presently, he has less than 9 hours to make his appearance. I've been bouncing and rocking all day without one single contraction. So I don't see it changing.

There are so many old wives tales that I have been told and/or read about that I've decided to try. Of course at 39 weeks & 3 days, I'm pretty ready for this to all be over. On the flip side, I know that, generally speaking, babies who are overdue and/or bigger at birth tend to sleep better and eat better, which of course equals happy baby and happy family. So... do I want to go through another 4 - 10 days of misery to have the chance to have a "good" baby? Hmmm... Depending on if that theory is true, then maybe. Realistic and logical Ashleigh is no where to be found at the moment. She went on vacation. In my current physical and psychological state, I'm stuck in the here and now and it seems as if I will be pregnant FOREVER and that's depressing to me. Therefore the drive to try almost every method known to man to try to naturally induce labor. So, here is the list of things I've tried so far and subsequently failed: (*disclaimer: I know the only sure fire way for labor to start is to let nature take its course and he will come when he is ready to come, but why not have fun trying??)

1. Walking - I really could probably do more of this, but it's so dang hot outside! Going to the mall would just end up being a power struggle between Ryan and I to get him to either hang with me or stay in the stroller.
2. Eating fresh pineapple - I've eaten a total of 3 whole pineapples since Friday, August 27.... You be the judge as to if this method works.
3. Climbing the stairs - I think my legs are going to fall off... but I keep doing it! Apparently if you climb the stairs by 2 it engages all the muscles necessary during labor and helps push the baby down into the pelvis.
4. The exercise ball - bouncing and rocking on the exercise/yoga ball is supposed to do the same as climbing the stairs. Even if it doesn't work, it feels better than sitting in any chair, so I'll keep doing it.
5. Eating fried chicken - that did nothing but send me to the bathroom.
6. Eating chili - that also did nothing but send me to the bathroom.
7. Eating baked ziti - back to the bathroom...
8. Have sex - I'll spare you the details since I know my father reads this regularly... it doesn't work.
9. Pray to God for a drop in barometric pressure - 2 people told me that a drop in the barometric pressure from Hurricane Earl will bring on labor. One of those people was a nurse. Both people were wrong. I watched the barometric pressure like a hawk for 24 hours. It dropped, yes, however, Liam did not.... method/theory failed.
10. Getting angry - there have been a couple times in the last couple weeks that I have been angry... one of them this morning... therefore, I can conclude that getting angry does not induce labor.
11. Stripping of the membranes - As mentioned previously in my blog, this was done on Tuesday. Today is Friday... I am indeed still pregnant.
12. Drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea - I have not consumed this tea during this pregnancy. However, for the last 2.5 weeks of my pregnancy with Ryan, I drank this nasty stuff twice a day. I was induced at 41 weeks.... the tea did nothing for me except make me hate hot tea even worse than I did before. I will not be trying it again this time.
13. Cleaning or doing anything of the like - Let me assure that while my house is not spotless (I have 1 husband, 1 son and 2 dogs to mess it up while I clean) I clean regularly... and I deep clean regularly. Not to mention the house that we own and rent out that we've been getting ready for new renters to move in. I have done my fair share of cleaning, organizing, painting and moving... "hard labor" doesn't induce labor, but it will give you one hell of a back ache!

There are more things that I haven't tried yet. Tonight's objective is to consume oregano and basil (supposed to encourage contractions), climb the steps some more and spend the rest of the time bouncing and rocking on my ball. I think I will also go and purchase primrose oil. That is supposed to help with effacement, not actually induce... you can't birth a baby without effacement, so I figure why not try it too.

Nonetheless... God is once again teaching me a lesson in patience; the same lesson that I am taught time and time again. I seem to have trouble with retention.