i have this ring. it's shaped like a butterfly. it has my birthstone, landon's, my mom's and a garnet. for january.

i always thought it would be cool to have a baby in january so all the stones in the ring would have significance.

this morning, i thought it was gonna happen.

i woke up at 6:30 a.m. with a contraction. not that ususual. i've been having braxton hicks contractions, especially at night, for the past couple of weeks. i usually have one or two and then go on with my business.

but this time it felt different. i laid there for a while, watched the clock and kept having contractions about every seven minutes. i sat up, and i kept having them. i walked around, and i kept having them. i took a shower, and i kept having them.

if you know anything about braxton hicks contractions (false labor), they are supposed to go away if you change positions, drink some water or a number of other remedies.

but these persisted. i had them every seven minutes for about an hour and a half, and then had a few that got harder and were five minutes apart. it was around eight by this time, and landon agreed i should call the doctor. we've been told that any rhythmic contractions before 38 weeks warrant an immediate call to the doctor, and we'd already waited longer than they told us we should.

the doctor on call in my office (not my normal OB) called me back quickly, and told me to go to the hospital to get hooked to the monitors.

we got there around 8:30, and i gave a urine sample and got strapped to the fetal monitor for ellie and the other one to track contractions. landon went to register us (they asked me if he beat me while he was gone. weird.), and the nurse checked my cervix and did another test (fetal fibronectin) for a protein that predicts whether you'll likely give birth in the next two weeks. apparently, if the test is negative (the absence of the protein), there's a 99 percent chance you will not give birth in the next two weeks. my cervix was closed - no dialation at all - but my contractions continued. then the nurse left for what seemed like forever.

landon fell asleep, and i laid there, contracting every six or seven minutes, and feeling bad that landon was missing the kick-off service that he's been working SO hard to prepare for. if you watch the video i posted a second ago, you'll see a quick flash of a guy with curly hair preaching to junior high kids. yeah, that's johnny. it should've been landon. i really feel terrible. the numbers were great, and it was the peak of lots and lots of work, and he missed it. it's just not fair.

eventually the nurse came back, and told me that my urine had lots of troubles. she said i have a bladder infection (though t have no physical symptoms), and that those can bring on contractions and pre-term labor. so they gave me a shot of terbutaline (brethine is the name brand), and my contractions ceased immediately. it's a muscle relaxent, so i felt pretty good after that even though the shot itself hurt like heck. that test for the hormones that predicts whether you'll give birth in two weeks came back negative as well. i have an antibiotic for the bladder infection and an oral form of the labor-stopping shot in case i have six or more contractions in an hour again any time soon.

i came home after a quick lunch at chili's after leaving the hospital and crashed out hard for four hours. landon said he hasn't seen me ever sleep like that. i was literally comatose for quite awhile there.

i have to make an appointment with my doctor asap in the morning, and she'll tell me what to do from here. they're growing the culture on the urine sample overnight (yummy, huh?), and so my doctor may have more information when i see her either tomorrow or tuesday.

in the meantime, i've been told to "take it easy," which is a step above bed rest. i'm not supposed to go to work, go shopping or do much more than sit on the couch and walk to the bathroom.

the good thing of it all was that ellie was perfectly fine the whole time. except when i was contracting, she continued to move through the whole thing. her heart beat along beautifully the whole time she was on the monitor, and she showed no sign of distress at all. the nurse told me she's between four and five pounds right now. what a good girl.

when i left this morning, i really thought there was a possibility that i'd be having a baby. i was worried because i have no laundry done, no bag packed. i don't even have a carseat.

oh yes. the washing machine is whirring now, and my suitcase is open on the bed, ready to be filled.

believe you me. we're gonna be ready when it's really time. i promise.

for now, we're gonna cook her for a little bit longer.