Four Days Over, or, Pick Your Birth Day

I've observed three interesting psychological phenomenons today. First, I'm now on best friends' terms with scan-man. I seem to have surrendered scepticism and simply trust him and feel protected. We've met 13 times now, he's got this nice way of putting his arm around my shoulder, and I find it very reassuring to know that he's on duty tonight as well as Wednesday night (Alex to Alex's subconscious: TONIGHT!). Never mind the talk about induction. Never mind the 7.45am appointment he's booked for Thursday. We'll ignore that for the time being, I'm too tired to contemplate it just now, I think, and there's still Tuesday and Wednesday, including Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday NIGHT. Such a generous supply of opportunities!
Then there is the phenomenon of group criticism. Go out with my mum and Jose-daddy-to-be and they gang up on me! Crossing the street where the bad red man is on display (There was no car! There so was no car that there probably still isn't now!), boo! Standing too close to the street when actually waiting at traffic lights? Very naughty! Placing a cup of café latte on my tummy? Bad girl! (How hot can milk foam be, through a cup and saucer! Do I have to hit you with it to prove my point?!) I'll be reeducated at 32, and it's so hot and I'm so tired I'll probably give in! Though I have to say it's quite endearing how they herd me in and make me walk on the safe side of side walks, or how they refuse to share the cakes and biscuits I offer them when supplies are limited.
Then there is the phenomenon of surrogate shopping. My mother has taken on the remaining sales, overshops on shoes, and suddenly I no longer feel the urge to buy anything myself (other than peaches that I normally end up having to bin because I buy so many I'm quite unable to keep up with the mold, but peaches are rather affordable). Quite a relief actually.

Back to the subject of choosing birthdays. We now have an induction pending for Thursday. I actually didn't do much choosing there (I trust my friend scan-man now, you see), and, like I said, we still have 2 days and 3 nights before 'the great day', and then there's no guarantee the induction will work on the spot. It can actually still drag on for up to 2 days before the actual birth starts, which then may still take, as i'm told, quite a while. All in all still a time frame of up to potentially six (6) days - any time between now and the end of the month, in short. No news really, then.

Tomorrow (if my subconscious doesn't work and I don't go into labour tonight) I have an appointment with the midwife. She's already promised me, in case that infamous induction was impending, some sort of 'internal examination' that often helps getting things moving. A bit of prodding and poking. My good friend scan-man and my other good friend The Internet filled me in on the details: A membrane sweep consists of sweeping fingers (not mine, I'm afraid) over my cervix, which I fear is not necessarily within easy reach. I'm not sure I'm enthusiastic. Generally I thought the concept of giving birth was that of small family members coming down my, erm, birth canal, not that of large semi-random strangers shoving fingers, hands and/or arms up it?
Natural home birth? A very distant memory...

PS.: That mug stood very still - until baby decided to give it a good old healthy kick, at which point we'd luckily stopped posing for posterity.