No progress at all.

Well little guy,
It seems likely that you will be a February baby. We just got back from the doctor, who did a cervical check, and it appears that I have not dilated one iota from the last cervical check, which was on the 7th or 8th of January. I'm simultaneously a little disappointed by that but also quite relieved. It was a lot easier for me to send your dad off to work for the afternoon because we were able to agree that tonight he will come to bed at a normal time - whether the work is done or not. If you should surprise us and come soon it will be fine. February 1 is still our favorite choice but it really doesn't matter anymore. All this said, the fact that I'm not progressing at all means that I'm now up for the natural induction route. I had already started a little bit of natural induction stuff. Specifically, I'm taking a tincture by Suki Roth called "Labor & Delivery Support" that our doula recommended. It's granola, no doubt, but I'm open. It has blue and black cohash in it, which are thought to be labor inducers, as well as a bunch of other things. I'm also drinking red rasberry leaf tea, which is said to help the cervix and uterus tone up for the work of labor, and is generally recommended for people trying to speed things along. Effectively today, though, it's no holds barred. I'm up for bumping around on gravel roads, power walking, eating spicy foods, and whatever else I come across from remotely reputable sources. The one thing I'm not desperate enough to try yet is castor oil, especially now that I just read about exactly what that entails. Yuck! The doctor even mentioned that as a possibility today, but I'm just not ready to go there. I'll stay tuned for your decision, but from out here, I'll try to make it a little easier for you to come whenever you think the time is right.

Much love and eagerness,
Mom