Ember's getting bigger and starting to shed the hair on her belly.  With about two weeks to go we have the whelping box set up in our laundry room and have been reviewing our puppy culture videos and workbook. Ember is thrilled at the extra food she gets.  She's also realized that her puppy eyes added with larger belly are a hard combo to resist when she asks for food. I have to remind everyone often to not reward begging, although I admit I give in sometimes too, lol. 
We were able to go on several forest hikes this last week, in part due to the cooler weather we've been having.  She's slowed down a little and was more willing to just stay on the trail rather than climbing over and under everything like she typically does. We plan to get out a few more times before the puppies arrive, as long as we can continue to do so without her overheating.  We can't wait to meet these puppies!