So the past few days have been busy ones for us. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to cram all our parenting classes into the span of several days (which I'm now a little glad I did, because we only have one left to take and had I spaced them out more I'd be worried about missing out on taking them).

On Saturday I spent more than 8 hours at the hospital (Matt spent 5), and learned about nursing and caring for an infant. Last night we took a two-hour infant CPR class. We have our last birthing class tomorrow (that was a four week-long deal) and then we will be done! To be honest, the classes are a bit tedious, especially the one we took last night, which could have easily been condensed to a one hour class. And I'd forgotten what it's like to take classes with complete strangers.

The other thing we did this weekend was sit down with my parents and have a discussion about all of our expectations surrounding family and baby stuff for the next year. We did this same thing before we got married, and I felt like it was really helpful our first year to have guidelines and expectations we had all agreed upon beforehand.

After the conversation, I was feeling really blessed to have the parents that I have. I can tell that they have put a lot of thought into the kind of parents and grandparents that they want to be. I know it must be really hard to watch your kids grow up and not need you so much anymore, but my mom and dad have done a really good job of encouraging Matt and I to be independent, and have given me a lot of confidence in my ability to make the right choices for my own life and family.

We told my parents about the baby early last December, and since then the main message they have given to us over and over again is that they are confident in our ability to parent. In fact the FIRST thing my dad said to me was "I'm just really excited and I KNOW you are going to be great parents." That is a very reassuring message for a first-time mom or dad to hear. It raises my own confidence and my confidence in our relationship as parents and grandparents of this new baby.

It seems like there is so much going on and so much anticipation building... on the one hand, I am trying to focus on this little person I am soon going to meet. It could be any day! That is a terrifying and exciting thought. On the other hand, I am treasuring the last few days and weeks that Matt and I will have alone to focus just on each other... and hoping to draw them out as long as I possibly can. And to add an extra layer, since I don't have a ton of distractions at the moment, I am completely tuned in to my body and waiting for signs of labor, for this whole process to begin... you better believe I am feeling every contraction now and I can't wait for my appointment on Thursday.

Also, somewhere in the way back of my mind, I am still hoping to get a chance to see Harry Potter 6 before I go into labor.