Me, Ma, and Mari

Calm down people, there's no baby yet!!! Mom got in Monday night and we've had tons of fun doing the last bit of preparing, shopping, and relaxing that needs to be done before Alex gets here, so blogging hasn't been at the top of my priority list. But I'm here to redeem myself with a deliciously juicy post!

Okay, not really. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning, so mom got to meet Mari and see the clinic. It was pretty much a rerun from last week, with the exception that Mari noticed how much lower A was hanging. Although he is not officially engaged, which I could've guessed by the amount of movement that is still going on, he has moved even further south. But he is definitely still quite mobile at this point. There has been plenty of thinning going on but no dilation to speak of as of yet. Good boy, Alex, mommy hasn't been to the pool yet. Hang in there one more week, 'kay baby?

We also had another labor and delivery class at the clinic last night that included a tour of the hospital facilities. The first portion was basically a summation of all the other classes I have taken, but it was great for mom to get the refresher course on a lot of subjects she hasn't heard or spoken about for, well, about 23 years! Of course, a lot of things have changed since then, so one of my biggest challenges may be to get her to let the "protective Grandma" shield down long enough to let people in the room to visit and, well, to touch or breath near her precious new grandson. (A chosen few may be allowed in without much struggle, but the rest of you may want to be armed with compliments and chocolate to persuade her.)

We got lots of good info about the hospital, the delivery room, and basic procedures, so I think mom and I feel a little more prepared for what lies ahead.

So other than waiting for a baby to show up, mom and I have big plans to clean the house, go to the pool (if weather permits), and finish one last piece of artwork for Alex's room. There's so much to do still before he gets here - the list never ends!! Including giving poor Murphy some focused attention before he doesn't get any at all. Luckily he and mom are best of friends, so he has definitely been relishing her time here.

And I think he will miss the belly, too. Hopefully he can cuddle up with Alex the same way once he is actually born...