Hurry up and wait.

3:15pm: email from arkady saying that I shouldn't panic, but the waters seem to have broken. 3:18pm: depart work. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. I got home at four and the midwives arrived soon after. It appears to be just another hindwater leak, and after a week of labour she's dilated ... one centimetre. Aaand exhale.

This afternoon we go into Whipps Cross for an examination, just to make sure nothing's ruptured. In the case of a leak this late in the pregnancy, Whipps Cross like to induce within 36 hours. WHO guidelines are 96 hours, so Arkady plans to follow those, barring an actual problem.

I have been in adrenalised bounce-splat since three, and it's 5am and I haven't slept.

I got this in the post from rosefox yesterday, which should be a suitable way to win at Wikipedia.

The work you do with those kids, it's amazing.

Dear [spambucket address],

Thank you for signing the "Jail Paris Hilton" petition at iPetitions.com website.
Your signature is valuable and makes a real difference. Please encourage others to sign the petition as well. To do that, just forward the text below to everyone who might be interested:

------- FORWARD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS -------
Hi,

I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:

"Jail Paris Hilton"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/jailparishilton?e

I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time.

Thanks!
---------------------------------------------

Once again, thanks for signing the petition!
Sincerely,
-iPetitions Campaigns Team

p.s. If you would like to start your own free petition, you can do so here:
http://www.ipetitions.com/start-petition