Yesterday morning I woke with proper contractions (ie. not Braxton Hicks) - short, painless and irregular, but frequent.  My whole lower body ached as well.  The two days before I had been nesting like mad and felt slightly nauseous.  So guess what I thought?…early labour, how exciting!  DH had the day off anyway, so we went off to a BF Support group where he played with the girls and I chatted to mums.  After that we did our food shopping (I sat and drank tea in the coffee shop!), came back, tidied up (our plan was to get things at least tidy *in case* it was labour, but not set anything up until things started progressing), DH and the girls had lunch (I wasn’t hungry…another ’sign’?), then we went to buy the Christmas Tree (it’s not up yet - that’s happening on Thursday morning when DH starts work late), came back, had supper then remembered we hadn’t yet done my belly cast that DH bought!  Maybe the baby was ‘waiting’ for that (ha ha!) so we settled down with hundreds of towels and a bowl of water for some really messy time with the girls.  It was good fun, if a tiny bit stressful, and has produced a somewhat bumpy cast due to the girls randomly placing screwed up bits of plaster on my tummy.  Went to bed having felt absolutely exhausted since 2pm (another sign?) still having contractions.  Had an horrific night with little Mopsy (not sure why, but she was desperately unsettled) and me finding it very, very difficult to sleep anyway, what with an aching pelvis and frequent contractions.  Finally we all managed to be asleep at around 2ish (by my reckoning) and slept the rest of the night peacefully.  Guess what!  Hardly any contractions this morning at all!!!!!!!!!   Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!  I’ve been planning so strongly to just be patient this time round, and to try not to think about whether contractions mean labour or just a pain in the back/tummy, but I just couldn’t help it!  I’m cross that it’s all come to nothing and cross with myself that I got my hopes up.  I’m not even that desperate to have the baby soon - I want to go to DH’s Christmas do on Saturday night, and I want to do our couples antenatal yoga evening next Tuesday.  So why is it so frustrating to not be in labour?  I guess it’s the not knowing - I’d rather just get on with each day without having contractions coming and going, each one seeming to taunt me with “I might mean something, I might not…”. 

Plan for today:  My good friend is coming to pick us up to take us to BIBS so that will hopefully distract me for a couple of hours.  My MW is coming to see me for the second time this afternoon, so that will be a nice chance to chat over plans and feelings etc.  Then lots of tv/computer for the girls while I doze on the sofa I think (just about all I have the energy for in the afternoons at the moment!).

Plan for tomorrow:  Tree decorating!!!!!!!!!!  Yay!  Then DH goes off to work and won’t get back until 9pm so my mum’s coming over for the afternoon - maybe we’ll take the girls somewhere fun…mum, what do you think?

Plan for Friday:  My BFC Tutor is coming over first thing in the morning for my exit interview (I’ll have to get up and going early - I’m still in my nighty right now!  Eek - just saw the time (10.50am) - my friend will be here in half an hour!).  Afternoon…Katherine…did you get my email?  I’m hoping you’ll come over to play (well, the children can play, we’ll try and fob them off all afternoon!). 

Saturday:  Mum and Dad come over on Saturdays, then my Dad’s going off to visit his family and leaving Mum with us to babysit while we go to DH’s work do in the evening. 

Sunday:  Mum will be with us most of the day - will have to make some plans.

Monday: Nothing - aaarrrggghhh!!!  Yoga in the evening.

Tuesday:  DH’s day off - might take the girls to see Father Christmas.  Couples yoga in the evening.

Weds:  BIBS?  Nothing else.

Thursday:  Mum comes over - due date!!!!!!!!!!  Hopefully won’t have got that far (ha ha ha!)

Can’t think any further ahead - hope to be cuddling my baby before the end of the plans I’ve made so far!