Mom's surprise visit

My mom is spending Christmas in Australia with my brother and his family. They live in Melbourne and she's going out there for the first time to be with them and spend Christmas with them. She missed her connection in L.A. because of mechanical/ weather issues in Houston and got stranded in L.A. for 24 hrs. So we got a 1 a.m. phone call from her saying, "I'll be fine, I don't want you to come and get me, it's too late... etc, etc." ... thank goodness for my sister in law in Australia for talking her into calling us. My mom is so silly, Of course we would go and get her and we were so excited about it. Eric insisted and hopped in the car and went to rescue her. My kids were so excited the next morning to wake up to Grandma Marilyn being there. She was able to come to my Dr.'s appt. with me that next day and help corral Brent. And we also go to Taylor's Christmas party together. It was such a great surprise. Since she was here, we decided to let the kids open their Christmas present from her... a Wii! They were so excited, and we've had so much fun as a family bowling, playing tennis, etc. It's really a lot of fun. I loved to be able to spend the day with my mom. It's going to be weird to have her so far away, not that Texas is that close, but Australia is really so far away and 14 hours ahead of us. I have to really plan out calling her now.
... Oh, at my Dr.'s appt. I found out that I'm 3cm dilated and 70 % effaced. That was last Friday and I'm still pregnant but on Sunday I'll be 37 weeks, so I'm grateful she's still in there. I want her lungs to be nice and developed. So we will see when she chooses to come.
Brent looks at my belly everyday and holds it and says, "Mommy your baby is so big"! (belly pictures, soon to come)