The Great Labor-Predicting Dog Experiment

So I still officially have 22 days to go until my girl's due date.  However, my dogs started acting a little strange...and if you recall reading this post (from 3 days before Grey was born 2 weeks early), you can understand why I've now become a little suspicious that our dogs know something we don't know.

Starting yesterday, Bully has become on hyper-alert of any noise in, out, or around our house.  At the slightest wind against the door, he'll start barking like a crazed lunatic.  Both Bully and Trixie have been following me all around the house; I go upstairs, they come upstairs, I sit on the couch, they want to sit on (or near) the couch.  Outside of the super-alertness of Bullet, he is otherwise subdued and kind of mopey; not trying to get into any trouble.  When Brandon comes home from work though, they are mostly back to normal - it seems like its only when I'm here by myself that they go into weird dog mode.

And I'm not the only that thinks dogs (and other pets) are labor/pregnancy predictors!  Check out these forums here , and here, and here, and here!!  (which I obviously googled to check my sanity level...not really a legit sanity checker, but you know what I'm talking about)

I, myself, have been feeling a little 'off' for the past few days.  Just super tired (even more than normal pregnancy tired) and like my belly is so full of baby and my guts that it might just tear at the seams.  Occasional tightening of my belly muscles and sporadic sharp/hot pains 'down there' (ew?) have also contributed to Brandon making comments like, "Please don't let your water break in here" (while out to breakfast on Sunday) and me texting my parents saying, "the dogs are acting weird - can I get your work schedules for this week?"  (which of course led to some frantic call backs insisting I tell them if they need to a)boil water or b)immediately leave work).

Besides just feeling off, my belly is so big that strangers that see me out, say things like, "Wow, how much longer?" and "Geez, you aren't going to have that little one in here are you?"  I have a lurking suspicion that people are tempted to follow me around with their hands outstretched ready-if-needed to catch a baby that they think might at any moment fall out of me.  (oh, don't you just wish that's what they'd do though - just 'fall out.')

Anyway, after all that rambling and somewhat TMI-info dump...I'm getting to the point:  Last time, it seemed like Bullet gave us about a week's notice of Grey's arrival...so...the point of the experiment:  If I don't have our baby by next Monday 1/30 - then you can all have a good cyber laugh at the woman who thought she can speak the secret, intuitive language of dogs.

If I do however have my girl before then, well I'm going to come on and post as we leave for the hospital and write something to the effect of, "booyah, told'ya so, my dogs are magical, holycrapwe'rehavinganotherbaby, why are animals so cool and amazing, see you on the flip side of reality when i am a mother of 2."

in the meantime, this little episode has been (at the very least) a fire under my booty to do all my last minute baby prep stuff, including:
1. finish all work leave paperwork
2. clean the house
3. stock up on necessities (toilet  paper, dog bones, cat litter, etc)
4. make a labor playlist :)
5. empty camera memory card & charge camera


stay tuned.
(cue ominous twilight zone music)