Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesEven by Greenwich Mean Time, nine months are nine months—and, though ultimately they'll fly by, the world's still got a long way to go before it gets to meet Kate Middleton and Prince William's firstborn child, aka the most exciting baby ever.
What will the ensuing trimesters really be like for the expectant couple? And what's going to happen once the little prince or princess arrives?!
The British royal family is better than most at keeping a tight lid on their private lives, but we've got some details, starting with how the nanny-hiring process is going for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge...
Well, it isn't going, at least not yet.
"Forget all the stories about nannies, how many William and Kate will have, whether they will have one at all," a royal source tells E! News. "They have not made any decisions yet on that. The likely scenario is that they will follow royal protocol but it's too early to say, as they have not decided on how many nannies, if they will have a nanny, etc."
We're just guessing that royal protocol includes extensive background checks, presuming Mary Poppins herself is not available.
More important than how much she's getting done, however, is the state of Kate's health.
She's back in the public eye, looking proper as always, after a bout with hyperemesis gravidarum, a beyond-morning-sickness condition characterized by violent nausea and vomiting that usually requires intravenous fluids and, in some cases, a feeding tube.
Basically, our source suggests that Kate being out and about will speak for itself with regard to how she's feeling. If we don't see her, that means she isn't up to being seen.
Kate is taking it one day at a time and "is hoping to do a few solo engagements next year pre-birth," the insider says.
As for more couples engagements, Kate's princely husband—who's still an officer in the Royal Air Force, remember?—will have certain duties to attend to, as well.
"Next year, William will be spending quite a lot of time in Anglesey [an island off the coast of Wales] getting up his flying hours," our source says. "It's very important to him that he fulfills his obligations."
Meanwhile, Prince Harry is spending Christmas at his base in Afghanistan but is due back home in January.
"He will spend the first month decompressing," the royal source says, "and so will be off the radar for a bit." (Great news for the royal family, maybe not-so-great news for tabloids.)
But William will be jetting back in plenty of time for the baby's arrival. While no formal arrangements are in place yet, the source tells us that Kate will likely introduce their child to the world on the steps of the hospital—just as Princess Diana did with Will 30 years ago.
Depending on how the duchess is feeling, of course.