diff --git a/kernel/mm/mm.cc b/kernel/mm/mm.cc
index 6e5a894..f3cdec5 100644
--- a/kernel/mm/mm.cc
+++ b/kernel/mm/mm.cc
@@ -10,29 +10,42 @@
 
 #define MM_MAX_MMAP_ENTRIES 64
 
-static pagedirectory_entry_t * page_directory;
+/* mmap management */
 static mm_mem_range_t mm_mmap_entries[MM_MAX_MMAP_ENTRIES];
 static int mm_mmap_num_entries = 0;
+
+/* free/total page statistics */
 static int mm_num_free_pages = 0;
 static int mm_num_total_pages = 0;
+
 gdtr_t mm_gdtr;
-static u64_t * mm_gdt;
-static u32_t mm_heap_base;
+static u64_t * mm_gdt;              /* NOT mapped into virtual address space */
+static u32_t mm_heap_base;          /* virtual address of start of heap */
 
 /* physical addresses of page allocation pages to map in before the heap */
 static u32_t page_alloc_page_numbers[1025]; /* supports 4GB physical memory */
-static u32_t num_page_alloc_pages = 0;
-static mm_page_alloc_page_t * current_page_alloc_page = NULL;
-static u32_t page_alloc_page_index = 0;
+static int last_page_alloc_page = -1; /* index of last valid page alloc page */
+static int page_alloc_page_index = -1;
 static mm_page_alloc_page_t * page_alloc_pages;
+static int page_alloc_pages_index = -1;
 
 /**************************************************************************
  * Internal Functions                                                     *
  *************************************************************************/
 static void record_phys_page(u32_t base_address);
 
+/**************************************************************************
+ * Compile-time tests                                                     *
+ *************************************************************************/
+static void build_tests()
+{
+    /* check that a mm_page_alloc_page_t fits exactly in a page */
+    BUILD_BUG_ON(sizeof(mm_page_alloc_page_t) != PAGE_SIZE);
+}
+
 /**************************************************************************
  * This function is run in segmented memory before paging is in effect.   *
+ * Record an mmap entry from the bootloader into our kernel space.        *
  *************************************************************************/
 void mm_record_mmap_entry(mb_mmap_t * mmap)
 {
@@ -59,11 +72,6 @@ void mm_record_mmap_entry(mb_mmap_t * mmap)
 void mm_bootstrap()
 {
     u32_t max_ram_address = KERNEL_PHYSICAL_ADDRESS + KERNEL_SIZE - 1;
-    /* this function requires a big enough initial stack to run */
-    BUILD_BUG_ON((STACK_INITIAL_SIZE * PAGE_SIZE) < 8000);
-
-    /* check that a mm_page_alloc_page_t fits exactly in a page */
-    BUILD_BUG_ON(sizeof(mm_page_alloc_page_t) != PAGE_SIZE);
 
     if (mm_mmap_num_entries < 1)
     {
@@ -112,10 +120,9 @@ void mm_bootstrap()
         }
     }
 
-    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < num_page_alloc_pages; i++)
+    for (int i = 0; i <= last_page_alloc_page; i++)
     {
         mm_early_map(mm_heap_base, page_alloc_page_numbers[i], 0, 1);
-        current_page_alloc_page = (mm_page_alloc_page_t *) mm_heap_base;
         /* move the heap back to after the page allocation pages */
         mm_heap_base += PAGE_SIZE;
     }
@@ -129,7 +136,6 @@ void mm_bootstrap()
 
     /* allocate the page directory */
     u32_t page_directory_phys = mm_page_alloc();
-    page_directory = (pagedirectory_entry_t *) page_directory_phys;
     pagedirectory_entry_t * page_dir_virt =
         (pagedirectory_entry_t *) (page_directory_phys + KERNEL_OFFSET);
 
@@ -139,7 +145,7 @@ void mm_bootstrap()
         page_dir_virt[i] = 0;
     }
 
-    /* now map the kernel's virtual address space into RAM */
+    /* map the kernel's virtual address space into RAM */
     for (u32_t page_base = KERNEL_VIRTUAL_ADDRESS;
          page_base < KERNEL_VIRTUAL_ADDRESS + KERNEL_SIZE;
          page_base += PAGE_SIZE)
@@ -147,6 +153,9 @@ void mm_bootstrap()
         /* map page_base to page_base - KERNEL_OFFSET */
         mm_early_map(page_base, page_base - KERNEL_OFFSET, 0, 1);
     }
+    
+    /* map console memory */
+    mm_early_map(CONSOLE_MEMORY, CONSOLE_MEMORY, 0, 1);
 
     /* set up the global descriptor table */
     u32_t gdt_base = mm_page_alloc();
@@ -172,7 +181,7 @@ void mm_bootstrap()
             : "ecx");
 
     /* set the page directory base register */
-    write_cr3(page_directory);
+    write_cr3(page_directory_phys);
 
     /* turn on paging */
     write_cr0(read_cr0() | (1 << 31));
@@ -180,9 +189,15 @@ void mm_bootstrap()
     stack_bootstrap();
 }
 
+/**************************************************************************
+ * This function is run in segmented memory before paging is in effect.   *
+ * Record a physical page in the page allocation pages.                   *
+ *************************************************************************/
 static void record_phys_page(u32_t base_address)
 {
-    if (page_alloc_page_index == 0)
+    static mm_page_alloc_page_t * current_page_alloc_page = NULL;
+    if (page_alloc_page_index < 0
+            || page_alloc_page_index >= NUM_PAGETABLE_ENTRIES)
     {
         /* allocate a new page alloc page */
         mm_page_alloc_page_t * old_page_alloc_page = current_page_alloc_page;
@@ -192,7 +207,7 @@ static void record_phys_page(u32_t base_address)
         page_alloc_page_index =
             sizeof(current_page_alloc_page->pages)
                 / sizeof(current_page_alloc_page->pages[0]) - 1;
-        page_alloc_page_numbers[num_page_alloc_pages++] = base_address;
+        page_alloc_page_numbers[last_page_alloc_page++] = base_address;
     }
     else
     {
diff --git a/kernel/mm/mm.h b/kernel/mm/mm.h
index baa9dc2..84a1a77 100644
--- a/kernel/mm/mm.h
+++ b/kernel/mm/mm.h
@@ -21,11 +21,7 @@ typedef struct
     u64_t   length;
 } mm_mem_range_t;
 
-typedef struct mm_page_alloc_page_s
-{
-    u32_t   pages[PAGE_SIZE / sizeof(u32_t) - 1];
-    mm_page_alloc_page_s * next;
-} mm_page_alloc_page_t;
+typedef u32_t mm_page_alloc_page_t[NUM_PAGETABLE_ENTRIES];
 
 /* http://courses.ece.illinois.edu/ece391/references/descriptors.pdf */
 /* granularity: 0: limit in bytes; 1: limit in pages */