I'm still around, darn it! Tyler is teasing me with labor signals that don't amount to anything
I'll only be at the hospital for about 2 days, but I think at that point I will be so ready to get home and TRY to establish some sort of routine (impossible, I know ).

No, the mucous plug isn't the same as the water breaking. You can walk around for days without a mucous plug, but as soon as the amniotic sac (your water) breaks, the clock starts ticking and you'll usually be induced within 24 hours to prevent infection. Bacteria *might* get up in there with the mucous plug gone, but Tyler is still well protected by the amniotic sac.

I'll do my best to let you all know when I go into labor If I don't have time to post, I'm sure that my Mom will. She must be so tired of hearing from me, I seem to call her at every little twinge or discomfort that is unfamiliar What can I say?