A labor activity is something you pick out beforehand that you can do whilst the early contractions of labor begin. These early contractions are, from everything I hear, far apart and not entirely horrible, and one needs something to do to take one's mind off the fact that one is starting the long journey of labor. Three weeks ago I decided my labor activity would be to bake cookies. I have probably not baked cookies in 20 years. But I have been seduced into cookie-making lately by my friend Yvonne, who makes them pretty regularly, and her house always smells good, and each time I go over there and she's baking the aforementioned cookies, I feel a sense of calm. Besides, how better to start life as a mom? Right? Won't my kid want me to bake him cookies?

But here's the thing. The baby has not yet come. So every day for the last 2 or 3 weeks, since buying the ingredients, I stare at the package of Toll House chips and the Neiman Marcus recipe downloaded from the Internet, and I wonder, "Will it be today?"

Finally, this morning at 6AM I could wait no more. I woke up and never got back to sleep. I wept. "When is this baby coming? Why is he taking so long?" And I vowed, "Today I'm making those fucking cookies. At least THAT is within my control."

So I'm not in labor.
But I am baking nonetheless.
And the house smells good.
And we're still waiting....