Induction junction, what’s your function?

Now that we’ve entered the eighth month, things have really started to get in to high gear with The Wife’s pregnancy and baby preparations. Lists are being made, things are being purchased and doctor’s appointments have become fortnightly (and soon weekly). At the rate things are flying by, The Baby will be here before we know it.

Speaking of such things, it looks like The Baby will be here a wee bit earlier that anticipated (at least by the all-knowing paper wheel of due date calculation). At our latest doctor’s visit this week, we put The Wife’s name on the schedule for an induction on December 27th.

At first, I was staunchly opposed to induction unless there was some sort of medical reason to do so. I’m a firm believer that nature does a fairly good job of deciding when things are fully cooked. Plus, The Wife says that she’s heard from other women that her particular “lady doctor” is keen on inducing whenever possible and I just don’t see the need to rush things in most cases. (Of course, I’m not the one with small person kicking me in the ribs and bladder constantly. I guess I might understand the rush if that were the case.)

I kind of like the unpredictability of a child’s birth date. Scheduling it just as you would a dental appointment or plane trip seems unnatural. Of course, I’m also the same person who didn’t want to find out the gender of this child, so apparently I’m an old fuddy duddy.

That said, we did go ahead and get her name on the induction schedule and I’m fine with it for a couple of reasons:

1. The Baby is consistently measuring 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule and I don’t think she’s going to make it to her due date anyway. At this rate, waiting until January might mean having a double-digit pounder. I don’t need my child being the next “Odd News” story on the back page of the paper.
2. It is extremely advantageous for us insurance-wise if she’s born before the end of 2007. Stupid calendars and deductibles. (Claiming the tax deduction for this year is a pretty sweet side benefit, too.)
3. Apparently, scheduling an induction for the week after Christmas is like trying to cross the street in Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls. By getting on the calendar now, we’ll have the security of knowing that we’re in the queue and we can still back out later on if we decide things aren’t quite ready.
4. It effectively cut a week off of the pregnancy. This is good, as The Wife is now commenting that she’s ready for The Baby to be “on the outside” approximately once every ten minutes.

So now we’re eagerly counting down the days until December 27th instead of January 2nd. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. As I’ve discussed before, due dates and everything else surrounding the whole pregnancy process is just one big semi-educated guess. (Come on, people – a paper wheel? Couldn’t you bust out a machine that made whirring and beeping noises or at least a slide-rule to get the due date?)

We’ve begun actually preparing for another little person in the house. Her room is being decorated. Birth announcements have been picked out. Treadmills and pet accessories are being relocated so baby accessories can take their place. We’ve begun adding items to the hospital bag.

Also, we decided to bite the bullet and buy a whole new travel system with an extra base. I thought that plastic was so non-degradable that future generations would be crushed under the weight of our discarded 20 oz. bottles thousands of years from now. It appears, however, that the stroller and car seat we bought five years ago are now in danger of disintegration or spontaneous combustion or something if we try to use them again. I’ve learned not to argue with The Wife about such things.

Fries at the bottom of the bag

• The Boy had a good time last weekend, going to a carnival at the school near our house on Saturday and then to the zoo on Sunday. At the carnival, we discovered that The Boy sucks at both throwing darts and launching frogs. We also got matching tattoos, just to anger The Wife. At the zoo, he indulged his love affair with maps and displayed his embarrassing fear of playground bridges. (The carnival also used very odd tickets for their games.)
• Well, it looks like somebody reads this blog. I haven’t seen the Geico Plane since I complained about it last week. That’s right, Geico Plane – you hide. You hide in shame.
• I am not happy that Taco Bell has taken the Cheesy Beefy Melt off of their menu. I can still get it, but now I have to specially request it and hope the genius on the other end of drive-thru window knows what I’m talking about. (Speaking of ordering one, this video is pretty pointless.) The McRib and Peppercorn Ranch Whatachick’n are also back at their respective establishments. Damn you, delicious limited-time promotional food products.
• I am extremely low without any baseball to watch. Hockey and no-name weekday college football just can’t fill the void. Too bad basketball sucks, it seems to be on television all the time.
• After a year of popping and scratching, it appears that the radio in my Car of Infinite Awesomeness has finally been fixed. At least that’s what the dealership told me after keeping my car hostage for three days this week. We’ll see (or hear) after a few weeks, I guess.