At first I mis-counted and thought this was installment 3 of this series. I'm just a little bummed to see it's part 4. OK, I'm past it.

What I would have missed if I'd gone into labor yesterday.

• The opportunity to get lots of stuff done—clear some of the junk out of RB’s room, go to IKEA and buy a new chair for C’s room (the “bear chair,” a reclining foam thing in the shape of, well, a bear) so that the glider can be moved to the nursery, help mom remove some badly damaged cane from a couple of old chairs so they can be repaired.

• Speaking of IKEA, we dropped C off at the play place there, where parents can leave children to play and watch videos for 30-45 minutes while they shop. I didn’t think she would want to stay—she’s pretty cautious about new environments where she doesn’t know anyone. But she did! And had a good time! [Ahem] Don’t mind the teary-eyed pregnant woman wandering through the lighting department…

• The chance to go to dinner with my sister and her family, my stepmother who’s in town, and her new beau. It’s strange to think of her as “my father’s widow” but that’s who she is. She seemed really happy to see the grandkids and pending anything really major happening labor-wise in the next, oh, two hours, I’ll see her at church.

• The chance to talk to a great “spiritual mother” of mine who called because I have been on her mind for the last few days. Yeah, no kidding!

• The realization that I might as well make the best of this, so each day I’m going to do something for me, and something for someone else (even if it’s just writing a check for the Christmas Joy Offering, which is being collected today at church). My other small act of service today will be to be gracious to the literally dozens of people who will say “You’re STILL here?!?” this morning. Although I think I will keep a count, and if I reach a certain number, maybe I will just go home.

• Last night R put C to bed. He came downstairs and said C was asking for a goodnight kiss from me. My mother had just come in from an evening out so I sent her up (MaDear has been trumping Mommy lately). She came down and said C was still asking for me. I went up and when I walked in she had a huge grin on her face. I asked her what she was smiling about and she whispered, “You.”