Update - One Day Until Due Date

Claire's due date is tomorrow, so I just wanted to give everyone an update since we've had several recent phone calls, emails, etc. asking for news.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I am now 100% effaced and still 3 cm dialated. According to the doctor, this means absolutely nothing in terms of timing. My body is all prepared and ready for Claire's arrival. Claire could come any time now. However, this also means that Claire could decide to stay warm and comfy inside of my tummy for two more weeks.

They will most likely not induce until Claire is past 42 weeks. This means that the earliest possible induction date is June 1st. (They would only induce earlier if there were complications, such as high blood pressure, the baby was in distress, etc. We don't want any of these things, so please don't pray for this scenario.)

Claire and I are both still healthy. I have no swelling. I'm not having any problems. I don't have the "miseries." She has dropped and is now sitting quite bit a lower which makes getting up from a seated position quite entertaining for anyone who may be watching. It can also make walking for long periods of time a little uncomfortable. And I walk slower now. Other than that, nothing is different.

At this point, it's just a waiting game. Steve is back at work after three days off, so we need Claire to wait at least until late tomorrow evening to make an appearance. I don't want her to arrive without him by my side.

For those of you who are agreeing with us in prayer about Claire's labor and delivery, we are believing for a quick and easy labor followed by a quick and easy delivery without any complications of any kind and that Steve will be my side through the whole process.

What to Expect:
When the time for Claire's arrival gets here, we have decided to keep the notifications on our end fairly simple. I want Steve to be with me and not in the hallway making 50 phone calls. The phone calls that we do make will be short and sweet. Please understand that we won't be able to answer any of your questions since we are first-timers at this whole labor and delivery thing. We have no clue what we're doing, so you will just have to understand when we call with an anouncement and then quickly get off the phone. We love you, and we want to talk with you; but we'll be a little busy. :)

For my family and friends, we will call my mom and/or dad. They will call my brothers and sisters-in-law, grandparents, aunts, etc. From there, let the phone calls begin to extended family and friends. If you want to be included on the notification list and are not sure that you are and cannot wait for a blog or Facebook update, contact one of them to let them know you want to be contacted.

Steve will call Lee, Grandma Jan, Robin and/or D'Wayne, Grandma or Grandpa Osterholm and Grandpa LeRoy. Each of these people can then start calling the extended family, including siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. Again, if you want to be notified, please contact one of these people to let them know you expect a phone call.

We will not call anyone back or answer the phone or email or text message until after Claire has arrived. In fact, both of our phones and the computer will be turned off for several hours following the anouncement that her arrival is imminent. (I know it worries some of you when you cannot reach us. But as I've mentioned, we're going to be busy having a baby. If you're concerned during this time, I encourage you to pray for peace, patience and a quick and easy labor and delivery.) Once things have settled down, we will call the same people as before to share the details (i.e. time, weight, height, etc.), and they can pass it on. As soon as is reasonably possible, we will update our blog, Claire's blog and both of our Facebook pages with pictures. This could take several hours and may not actually go up until the following day (depending on the time of her arrival and how much sleep we've had).

All of this to say that we are so excited about Claire's arrival and know that all of you are too. We will keep you updated as much as possible.

My next doctor's appointment is Monday, unless Claire decides to come this weekend. Thanks for all of the prayers and well-wishes. We'll keep you posted.