What to do on your due date (when the baby's not doing anything!)

Soo...here we are at April 13, 2013.  A date we've said hundreds of times in the last nine months because it happens to be the day that the doctor's estimated that baby would arrived.

Here we are at April 13th, and baby isn't doing anything.  Yes, I'm having some lower back pain, a few Braxton Hicks contractions here and there, and the occasional "crampy" feelings down low. But nothing significant or consistent.

So what do you do on the day your little one is due?  Of course, we have nothing on our calendar, as you don't plan to attend big parties on the date you may have a baby.  But the last thing I wanted was to sit around all day.  So, below is a list of the things my husband and I decided to "due" on this special day.

1. Schedule something early.   Yesterday afternoon, when I realized I probably wouldn't be having a baby in the (very) near future, I called my salon to get a haircut.  Because then it's still a 'do date, right?  I wanted to get in early so that I would have a reason to get my booty dressed and out of bed!  I sat down in the chair and my beautician said, "Remind me when you're due."  When my response was "today," I really thought she was going to have a heart attack.  (That was kinda fun.)  The hubs went to "That Man is You" bright and early at 6:45 this morning, a men's faith-sharing group.  It sounds like the other guys were pretty surprised to see him there!

2. Go out and do something.  After my hair appointment, I called Brandon to see if he wanted to accompany me to Target.  He was already at Theisen's buying a shovel.  

3. Shop for other people.  We have 3 sets of couple-friends who are also expecting: One yesterday, one tomorrow, and one in a few weeks!  I really love shopping for other people, so it was exceptionally fun to browse the baby aisle at Target for them :)

4. Squat and stretch and walk. I'm pretty sure I've read every "old wives tale" about how to go into labor naturally.  I think I've tried 20% of these methods (because, seriously, some of them are ridiculous and/or scare me!)

5. Talk about the baby.  Pretty much all we could talk about was our little bundle of joy and the fact that we want to cuddle him/her on the outside...and then we'd talk to baby and try to persuade it to begin it's entrance into the world.

6. Visit the hospital.  Friends of ours had their beautiful baby girl yesterday afternoon, so at least we got to cuddle a newborn (even if it's not ours!)    We figured maybe just being in a labor and delivery room or holding her would persuade Baby K that it's pretty cool out here in this world.  Baby did kick when I was holding Grace...or maybe it was a high-five (they're certainly going to be friends!)

7. Walk stairs.  We took the elevator down 5 floors and then walked up the stairs to the top.  Then took the elevator down again.  Because maybe the old wives tale about stairs could really be true? 

8. Nest.  My husband's nesting instincts kicked in--I'm not even joking! We completely reorganized our basement, and let me be the first to tell you that I did not initiate this reorganization (although I did participate).  Included in this organization overhaul was washing some baby clothes and cloth diapers and throwing away a ton. of. stuff.  I was definitely in a "purge" mood--is that the same as nesting?

9. Call family.  You know...to scare them/get them a little bit excited, but just to reassure them that nothing at all is happening. at all.

10. Cook dinner.  Yes, we do this every day.  But I had a taste for mac-n-cheese, so we're making it the old fashioned way (aka: not the stuff from the blue box) in the oven and adding chicken for the protein!

11. Visit the hospital again.  Truth be told, different hospital this time. And no, this doesn't mean we were actually in labor.  We found out that our very good friends who were due tomorrow had their darling little girl today!  So, of course, we can't keep ourselves away from a good newborn.

12. Enjoy one another's company.  We realize that we won't have as much time to just snuggle on the couch together.  So, we did, while talking about how excited we are for sweet pea to join in our cuddle times!

13. Nest some more.  Truth be told, it took until my due date to get baby's clothes hung up and in drawers  But--now it's done!

While we didn't have a baby on our due date, we did get a lot done!  Hope this list helps if you're wondering what to do when baby's due. :)