Baby John has a tentative birthday--August 10

Four weeks from today, folks, unless he happens to have a mind of his own and be born earlier, baby John will be making his debut. Ella has set her brother up for an early delivery since she weighed so much- almost ten pounds. He will be 38 and an half weeks gestation--considered full term plus a week. My doctor is also going on vacation, and we didn't want to have a repeat of the grumpy stranger who wanted to give me a a c-section in the middle of the night so that he could get some sleep. So, I'll either go into the hospital late on the ninth or early on the tenth.

E was quite a grump on the way to the doctor's office, but she cheered up once she got there. The baby's heartbeat sounds like a pony, and we were joking that if there is a pony in there then all of Ella's dreams are coming true. She'll have a pony but won't have to share her mama with someone new. He is staying in the same position all the time now, my right, with his feet kicking me towards the left. The feet don't hurt, but the little bottom does. Hmmm. Can you stretch a stretchmark?

Enough about me, this is Ella's world. She had ballet and swimming today. Even she knew that she would need a nap, but I dragged her out of bed for the doctor's appt at two. I'm signing her up for another two weeks of swimming. She is so thrilled to be there and so willing to try whatever the teacher says. I see these other mothers being just horrible and gettting angry because their kids are scared. These are preschoolers. One especially paranoid mother sits by the edge reminding her even younger toddler of all the ways he could drown. No wonder big brother won't let go of the edge and cries for thirty minutes. One little girl dropped out today--she wouldn't go in at all and her mother was outright mad. There is a new little guy with down's syndrome, and he is so happy to be in that water. His mother stays back and lets the teacher's direct him, and he is doing fine--totally willing to put his head under and come up laughing.

Ballet was fine. I think there were only three girls today. We are going to pick up Hyumi and go to the library one day next week for some playtime.