0 Centimeters

Dilated. Yay me! Nonetheless, the contractions have been getting really strong the last few days, to the point of pain, whenever I attempt to do anything more physical than just walk around. Last night I put away three loads of laundry and was up until two with regular cramping. So at the appointment today, despite the good news of not being in "real" preterm labor, the doctor still was pretty stern about taking it really easy, no housework or lifting or anything, and I have a prescription for Vistaril to take whenever I feel contractions. I have to go back in a week to get checked again. He said if you have a history of preterm, you're more likely to go even sooner the next time, so he really wants to keep an eye on it.
This sort of bummed me out, because I had thought that as long as I wasn't dilating he was just going to shrug and say, "You'll have that with second pregnancies." But now I have to force myself to just sit around the house, getting up only to shower, pee, get myself and Adelay food, and change diapers. Oh, and CHASE ADDY AROUND THE HOUSE ALL DAY. Yeah... Still not sure how that's going to work. Poor kid, she's gonna have to be stuck in her play yard a lot more often now.
Still, I'm very relieved. I was so afraid I was going to be posting from the hospital today or something. I had visions of incubators in my head, and it seems that isn't imminent yet. So it's not as bad as it could have been at all. Except that for this week I can't do my water aerobics. The doctor said if I'm still not dilated next week I can maybe start it again and see how it goes. I was supposed to be there tonight, at this very moment in fact, and I am really pining for the cool water and the wonderful stretching and the great way my muscles feel afterwards.
I might get to be in the water this weekend, though in more of a "lying on a raft" capacity than going through a workout. My parents, sister, and Jim and Addy and I had all planned to go to a water park resort this weekend for Father's Day, and even though the doctor was all grumpy and frowny about it, I think we're still going. Because seriously, if I'm not on actual bedrest yet, then what's the difference between sitting around in the car and a hotel room and laying around my own house? If anything, I'll probably be tempted to do LESS work, since there will be all those people to help with Addy. I'll still take my pills, I definitely won't ride any crazy rides or go down the giant slides, and if I'm still cramping a lot, well, I'm sure that city has a hospital too!
Am I being a bad mother? Should I unquestioningly obey the doctor? I will now ask you in a sheepish whisper.