The first: a piggy bank. We have lots of change and we keep tossing it in containers and saying, �For the college fund!� So I formalized it � I got her a cute little pink piggy bank from Target (that I can now no longer find on the site). It was $10 � the pig wears a tutu and a tiara and is absolutely adorable. And the shipping was free. Fabulous!

So that�s gift #1.

Gift #2 is a monogrammed rattle from Red Envelope. It�s not a crazy $900 Tiffany rattle � I�m crazy (oh yes, I considered the Tiffany rattle) but I�m not that crazy. It is sterling silver, though, and it is in the shape of a heart, and it�s just adorable. I�m hotlinking to it, below, but I don�t know how long that picture will stay there. I�m too lazy to save it and link to it permanently. So hopefully you�ll be able to see it for a little while.

Mmmm. We can�t change her name now � I had her initial engraved in it. Hee!

I realize that it is a little silly to give a baby gifts. Because even next year she won�t get the whole gift thing. That�s why I was shooting for more meaningful gifts � a piggy bank (albeit a cheap one) to establish some good money habits, and an heirloom-type rattle that she can enjoy now and give to her own child someday, if she so chooses.

I am nearly 39 weeks pregnant. And I am still at 1.5cm, 25% effaced. Nothing has changed in two weeks. Dang! She�s totally engaged, though � she�s so low that it is hard for the doc to do a pelvic that isn�t anything short of really uncomfortable. Hello, too much information!

Hopefully my body keeps progressing as it should, and this baby comes along on time.

It�s funny � so many of my infertile friends have the opposite problem. They struggle and struggle to keep their babies in long enough for a healthy delivery.

And while I�m not, at this point, late � there is a decent chance that this kiddo won�t be on time. She wants to stay in there!

My OB has already talked about inducing if she�s late � she even �reserved� an inducement date, one week after my due date. Now that�s just weirdo. Just in case she�s late, let�s plan to induce.

I am really emotionally nutso about this baby. One minute I�m totally ready for this child to come into this world, and the next minute I�m panicking, worrying about my parenting skills and chanting, �I�m not ready, I�m not ready, I�m not ready.�

I�ve done so many emotional about-faces in the past few days I�m getting dizzy.

I love having this baby inside of me. I joke that right now she�s �totally portable.� And it�s true � I always have her with me, I know she�s safe, I can almost completely control things � it�s great.

On the other hand, I�m bursting with excitement about actually meeting her. And having her meet her Daddy (who she currently kicks and pokes at, but doesn�t have much other interaction with). And letting everyone else love her as much as we already do.

The whole point of having a baby is to expand our family. Let the love multiply. Let the love flow.

But I�m not ready. I don�t want to share her yet, either.

And I am scared to death of the changes she�ll bring. They may all be the most wonderful changes in the world (and I think they really probably will be), but knowing that doesn�t make it less scary for me.

So it�s probably a good thing that my body isn�t ready to give birth. I�ll be ready when it�s time.

Oh ... one more thing ...