4/20 4:20 420

One amazing day, when we discovered that we were expecting a baby, we also learned that our baby was due to arrive on April 19, 2010. Wow, it sounded so far away! And as any mother would, I began to worry. My first concern? Ooooh, that is really close to 4/20. Ugh.

If you're my mom, 4/20 has no meaning. But if you're the rest of the world...

• April 20 ("4/20" in U.S. date notation) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis.^[1][2] In some locations this celebration coincides with Earth Week.^[6][7][8] At events in the United States, it is common to hear about Abraham Lincoln, one of many American politicians known for past use of cannabis, who wrote that one of his "favorite things" was "smoking a pipe of sweet hemp".^[9] Some events may have a political nature to them, advocating for the decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States. (Wikipedia)
• According to Steven Hager, editor of High Times, the term 420 originated at San Rafael High School, in 1971, among a group of about a dozen pot-smoking wiseacres who called themselves the Waldos, who are now pushing 50. The term was shorthand for the time of day the group would meet, at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur, to smoke pot. Intent on developing their own discreet language, they made 420 code for a time to get high, and its use spread among members of an entire generation. While our teens feel that they know something we don't, you can let them in on the fact that it was your generation that came up with the numbers. A quote from one of the Waldos in the High Times article states, "We did discover we could talk about getting high in front of our parents without them knowing by using the phrase 420." Fortunately, your teenagers will not have that same option. (about.com)
• International Smokers Holiday, celebrated on the fourth month twentieth day on the fourth hour and twentieth minute p.m. (also a minor daily tradition to smoke at 4:20 p.m. tradition started by a group of students in california that used to meet at a certain place at this time after class daily. (normally marijauna), 4:20 was a code word so teachers and administration would not catch on to their activities. (Urban Dictionary)

...Just to share a few. So this is the only day I DID NOT want our baby to be born. Fortunately, there are no further signs of labor so far today, though the day is young. And yes, I said "further." It's true. I've been having contractions and even some pain. But nothing has been consistent enough to be called labor just yet. Yesterday was only the due date, so if we give or take a few days we're still well within a reasonable time frame without being considered "late."

My focus right now is not to stress out about it. I've gotten a lot of suggestions about ways to start labor, progress labor, you name it. Honestly though I feel like the more I try the less likely it is to happen. My approach is to go about business as usual and let my body and the baby do the deciding. My leave began yesterday, and though I probably could have continued going to work (especially since I have a sub already teaching my classes), after a rollercoaster weekend of pain and contractions, I felt like it was not in anyone's best interest to make a scene at work when things actually did go into action. So I am at home for the long haul, taking care of some last minute things around here and otherwise trying to relax. I've had a lot of visitors (you know, moms, sisters) since Friday, and today Miss Carsen and I are on our own... to my knowledge. We have a few things on a to-do list that we might get to, or we might not. Life will go on either way. I'm just trying to remain peaceful and calm and trusting that she'll be here when the time is right (like, maybe tomorrow since that's the day I picked in the pool...)