Before the big day...

So here I am, sneaking away again! Continuing from the last entry...

My mom arrived about 2 weeks before Emily was due, and at that point my nesting instinct really kicked in! For a few days, everything was a flurry of “get ready for the baby—she could come anytime!!!”

So we set up the baby bed, bought diapers and other baby supplies, put clothes and baby stuff in its places, packed for the hospital, went over our birth plan, etc.

I did have a few contractions during those few days, and they served as more incentive for finishing up the last few things!

We also took a few pictures to commemorate the occasion…and to remember just how big my belly got! Once things were ready for Emily's arrival, we relaxed and decided to explore a bit and have some fun. Our biggest adventure was the day before I went into labor. First we went to Maesa National Park and enjoyed a nice little hike and a view of several beautiful waterfalls.

There were several places for Caleb and Dave to climb and enjoy the rocks, and it did all of us good to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the peace of nature.

And of course, we were all careful not to do any sharking while on the overlooks... (whatever that means!) =)

Mom and I sat at a picnic table a little ways up and Dave took the kids on to explore the trail a bit farther. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and chatting in the morning sun beside the falls is one of my favorite memories of my mom’s time here.

After lunch, we headed to Maesa Elephant Camp to see the elephants perform. First they bathed in the river...
and then grabbed a little banana snack before show-time.

During the show, they danced, played harmonicas, played soccer, threw darts, stacked logs, and even painted pictures with their trunks!

Here are a couple of pictures that were painted that day...

...and you can click on this link if you’d like to watch a video of one painting: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5395904137314845364. (About halfway through the video, you can hear Susanna talking about the "e'pant pain'ing").

The artist my mom recorded was a young elephant, and here is her finished product.

I’ve seen elephant shows before, but this was by far the best I’ve ever seen. They seemed very healthy, happy, and well-taken care of, and I think that is what I enjoyed most of all.