So, we’re nearing four to five weeks until labor/birth day for our newest member of the bunch.  I figured I would delight everyone in knowing what goes into my suitcase for such an occasion.  Some of the things are things we always carry…but others are new to us.  I’ll just share a few at a time.

And we’ll start with Mark’s toy.

Yep, it’s a smartphone.  Last year, the Droid debuted and Mark was hooked.  He didn’t care much with the iPhone came out.  But, this Droid and the operating system that accompanies it really intrigued him.  He was hooked and began daydreaming about it.  Not constantly but as an “that would be nice to have.”  However, the phones and subsequent plans did not fit into our budget.  We couldn’t justify purchasing one of these phones nor paying for the plans.  He kept checking back every few months and tried to justify the purchase/plans. And he never could get it figured out…until a month ago.  When we found a deal online that would allow us to get a Droid Eries (which he preferred over the Droid but still has the same operating system) and not go bankrupt with the plan.  It’s taking some tweaking and a downgrade in our internet service (from cable modem to DSL), but the smile on his face is soooo worth it.  And…get this…it’s got an app (what smartphone doesn’t) where he can time my contractions for my “non induced labor.” 

But that’s not all…it also has unlimited internet which means our labor day updates will be much more detailed as I dictate to him between contractions.  Aren’t you all excited to have another live labor day blogging!?!  He’ll probably be able to get video and pictures while we’re there…although I’m not sure that that would be the best time to capture me on camera.

But wait, there’s more…

I got a new phone too.  It’s a Samsung Reality and it’s not a smartphone.  But it is a multimedia phone.  We opted out (because we didn’t want to sell our firstborn in order to pay for the monthly plan) of having unlimited web but I do have email access…that along with the other fun features keeps me happy.  Besides, I need a qwerty keyboard…trying to type on Mark’s phone is a bear and tests my patience.  I can put music on this phone and have, but I think I’ll stick with my iPod Nano that straps to my arm to worship while in labor (no, I’m not kidding).

So, while in labor, you can check our blog for regular updates and then email me to see if I can respond (in between deep breathing, ivs, monitors, and bouncing on “the ball.”). 

Stay tuned…more Labor Day Essentials to come every Friday until the big day (I think).