Trick or Treat

For his first Halloween, I dressed baby up as a pumpkin. Note the resemblance to the round, red ball at the top right of the picture.

Lauren and Baby's Halloween Costume
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Check Back in a Week

Went to the doctor's again today--I'm not getting much closer to labor. It will be 41 weeks on Halloween. My costume ideas are all based on large, rotund objects--pumpkin, blimp, a small planet.

We scheduled an appointment for induction for a week from today. Hopefully, he'll decide to show up before then. I'm certainly ready now.

When oh when?

I had Mom move her flight a week out because there isn't much action on the baby front. She's coming in next Saturday. We surmised that maybe baby is waiting for grandma to get here. I have an appointment on Wednesday, and they're going to "talk about induction." I suspect that they were off a week on my due date--one reason is that at our 10-week ultrasound, the embryo was measuring a week earlier than they anticipated, but they decided not to change my due date.

Here's baby's horoscope from yesterday. I think it's kind of funny:

You have a lot on your plate already and the world seems to be piling more upon it each day. A grim situation which you can't wait to be free from looks as if it is determined to hover for a while longer. You are beginning to lose faith in the notion that one day, things will be easier and lighter. But the thunderous noise that you can hear in the distance is not an imminent heavy storm. It is the sound of hooves. A cosmic cavalry is riding to your rescue. Soon you will have a real cause for great celebration.

Sweater on Phineas Picnic

I just finished sewing a baby sweater for junior. In the photo below, Micah holds Phineas Picnic (bunny knitted for me by Danette) who is modeling the sweater. I used fabric from a cashmere sweater that I accidentally shrunk and added a fish applique and blanket-stitched yarn around the edges. I have two more shrunken sweaters to transform into baby items. One will become a blanket, the other, maybe another sweater.

Sweater on Phineas Picnic
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Additional Belly Castings on Flickr

This photostream is pretty cool-check out all the designs she's used to paint the belly.

Belly Casting (Amy's 1st) Sports theme
Originally uploaded by Hope's art

Plaster Cast of Belly 39 Weeks 5 days

I'm off work now, and it's so nice! I've been cooking and freezing food for post-baby, running errands, planting mums in containers in the back, cleaning house, and try to walk a bit each day. This evening is prenatal yoga--maybe (hopefully?) my last class. Tomorrow is a prenatal visit and I scheduled an at-home massage. Mom flies in on Sunday, and hopefully baby will come along before she leaves on the 2nd of November.

Last night Danette came over and we made a plaster cast of my torso. It's drying here in this picture. I'm thinking of a few ideas for it..and am accepting suggestions. :)

• Halloween costume for Micah
  
• paint it navy blue, drill little constellation-type holes in it and light it from behind
  
• paint it with a henna-type design
  
• make it waterproof,hang it on the wall and have plants growing out of the top
  
• flip it over and use it as a fruit bowl
  
• use it as a slightly inappropriate centerpiece during a dinner party
  

Plaster Cast of Belly 39 Weeks 5 days
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

New Arrival?

No, not yet, junior has not arrived. But I wanted to share one of the half dozen pictures I've collected of cute things. Rather than use a candle, or a rock, or a peacefull image to focus on while in labor I'm going to have a whole bunch of pictures of really cute things that make me feel giddy. I'll report back and let you know if it works.

Cute Kitten
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland