Today (don't forget)

A couple of my milestone doctor appointments seem to have lined up nicely with big moments in politics. Today is Election Day in America, and to kick it off I was in my doctor's office getting a pelvic exam. It was my first since the initial appointment to confirm that I was pregnant, so I was excited to know if there was any progress being made.

As of today I am 60% "effaced", meaning the cervix is beginning to thin in preparation for birth. It is usually firm like the tip of your nose, but mine now feels like the skin on your cheek. It's also in the middle stages of tipping forward, which is something it needs to do before the baby can be born. I haven't started to dilate yet, but there are definite steps in that direction.

He has been head-down for a few months now, and during the exam she said, "Oh yeah, his head is right there." She gave him a few taps on the top of his little noggin and told me that he has probably dropped because of how low he is sitting, but he hasn't yet "engaged". To me this makes him sound like a rocket ship about to launch, which I guess isn't too far off. From now on I get to go in every week to see how close I am to having him.

She told me that no matter what the signs, there is really no telling when exactly he will come. "You can be at the stage you're at now and go into labor tonight, or you could still be three or four weeks away," she said.

Wow, well that's easy to prepare for then. I'll just stay tuned with the rest of you :)