Part of the problem with being pregnant is that, unless you're having an elective caesarian, you have no idea when baby will actually arrive. You are given a "due date" based on the size of your baby at the first scan (usually taken around 10 weeks), but I hear that the majority of babies will make their own minds up and tend to arrive anything from a week or two before, to a week or two after (and if they're not out by then, The Medical Profession (TM) may want to intervene. So we have no idea exactly how long it'll be before he's here, but we know it'll be less than a month from now...
This, of course, doesn't really help. Am I safe to go shopping today? Can I drive over to see a friend? Worse still, what if I'm driving when baby decides it's time to start things moving? There's no way, really, to tell. I'm going to have to try to relinquish a lot of stuff like driving to James when we're together from now on (not easy for a control freak / terrible passenger like me), and I'm trying to leave any proper shopping til James is around, just in case. The house is nice and tidy - I have a few tasks still on the "to do" list (damn those awkward tax returns), but the big stuff is now complete.
I've watched loads of programs on The Baby Channel on Sky, and I've sat through several of Discovery Home and Health's gloriously detailed and gory birth stories. I've read loads of stuff in books and on the Internet and I'm not really all that scared about the prospect of giving birth. I think the thing I worry about is The Medical Profession (TM), and how much they will want to step in and try to take away my control. The impression I've got from the midwife of the birth centre (slightly more homely place for low-risk types like me) and of the attitudes of staff in this local health area is that I will be the one in control, but I still worry about people telling me that they know what's best for me/baby when it might not actually be the best thing for me/baby in the long run. Having a James is great in this respect - we've talked over all the different options and things that could happen during the whole birthing process, and he seems to be as comfortable as any man can be with the details, so he'll be representing all three of us as I grunt and groan in the corner while adopting strange positions on a birth ball.
Of course, the whole birth thing is really a short period of time (my mantra during labour will be "labour is finite, and once it's over, I'll have a baby") - once he's out, then the fun will start. Basic needs will have to be met, but given that these needs are essentially eat, sleep, be cuddled, fill nappies, and require cleaning, at least there aren't that many parameters to deal with in the initial stages. Not that it's going to be easy (every single piece of documented evidence I've read states quite the opposite, so don't think I've got rose-tinted glasses on), but I think I'm ready to start meeting those needs. It seems like an eternity of waiting - and of bumping into things with a whopping huge bump in front of me. I feel him kick and wriggle all the time, and I just want to meet him - I want to be able to talk to him face to face, and to start to learn more about this little person who's almost ready to make his entrance into the world. And I will be SO glad when I can fit back into relatively normal clothes again, do some proper exercise, and sleep in whatever position I want to (though not necessarily _when_ I want to, or for as long as I might like to!)