This has been the longest nine months of my life. And one of the longest weeks of my life.

Seriously.

On Saturday, I went on an hour-long run, of course trying to help my baby to come into this world. I had been waiting and hoping to get him since Thursday because Brooklyn came 10 days early.

Anyway, with two minutes left on my run, I suddenly turned my ankle and fell HARD on my right knee and left hand. I lay there on the groud shaking, hoping I hadn't done anything to upset the baby. Was I in labor? Was my ankle sprained? It wasn't a pretty moment. I pulled myself off the gravel road, still shaking, and walked home.  Doug sent me to Urgent Care after he saw my cuts, and I got to go there the day after that as well (the doctor and nurse were such sweethearts!).

I kept worrying that I might have done something to hurt my baby, so I took my kids to the doctor's office on Monday to do a non-stress test. During the visit, I kept having contractions, and my baby wasn't showing any increasing or decreasing heart rate (which apparently indicates the baby's happiness). This made the nurse decide that she was going to send me to Labor and Delivery. I was shocked! I clarified: "So, you mean I get to have my baby today?" The answer was yes. I began calling and texting the people who wanted to come from Utah (Mom, Peanut, Shauna, and kids), and I began coordinating with Doug and babysitters. I couldn't believe I was going to get my baby that day.

An hour and a half after I got to the doctor's office, the nurse checked the monitor again and said something like, "Oh, look. Your baby is showing happy signs. This may change things.' She walks out and comes back to tell me that the doctor will check my cervix and see if I am in labor. If not, I have to go home. I couldn't believe this.

I got checked (was dilated to 3 cm, and 80% effaced) and the doctor sent me home. I called Doug, so frustrated, and began the long calling and texting process of explaining that, just kidding, I was not going to have my baby that day.

Since then, I have been very distracted, and I am trying to plow through a heavy grading week, despite the distraction. So hard! Every slightly impressive contraction gets me excited, and every day that goes by without the baby coming means I probably won't get to spent time with my mom, Peanut, and Shauna when the baby comes. Kayla and Dave (my mother-in-law and her husband) are coming on my actual due date, so my family will probably not want to interrupt their visit.

This experience has been teaching me a lot of patience, because I have to keep living my life, not just waiting around twiddling my thumbs.

So feel sorry for me, please, and say prayers that all will go well with this little one. I love him very much and I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief when I get him here safely.