Months NINE and TEN!

It really has been way too long since I have posted an update on Grayson.  The holidays and busy season at work really sucked the life out of my motivation to document events on the blog.  It is hard to believe that the little guy is 11 months old today!  We are talking about his first birthday party already.  People always tell you how fast time goes by once you have a child, but you never fully understand the sentiment until it happens.

Grayson turned 9 months old on November 6th and we had our 9 month well visit shortly after on the 11th.  He weighed in a 20 pounds, 2 ounces and measured 28 3/4 inches long.  The doctor is really happy with his development, but he also had another ear (double) ear infection.  The pediatrician is not too concerned just yet, especially since he is in daycare.

Since the last posting, Grayson has celebrated several first holidays.  Here he is as a gnome on Halloween:

He was originally going to be a fox for Halloween (naturally), but the company that I ordered the costume from sent a notification that the fox costume was discontinued/back-ordered.  There wasn't a whole lot of time left, and we wanted a costume that would be unique and we couldn't resist how darn cute the gnome costume was!  Grayson did go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood with Ben and he did really well.  He was fascinated by all the kids.

Here is Grayson just hanging out (and making a mess) at the house: 

Grayson is now able to clap, wave, blow kisses, show his muscles, give a high five and fist pump (knuckles). Waving "hi" to all of his fans:

We all ran the Wiregrass Wobble on Thanksgiving Day.  It was a little chilly in the morning, but we all had a really good time.  The course took you through the Wiregrass Mall parking lot, to the Hospital, and then up the ramp of the parking garage.  (Going down the ramp was the hardest!).  It was pretty difficult to maneuver the stroller around all the people, but we actually were the second stroller to finish the race.

The rest of our Thanksgiving was delightfully uneventful.  :)

We also took Grayson to Ergle's Christmas Tree Farm so we could pick out our Christmas tree.  Grayson did an excellent job cutting down the tree, don't you think?!?

Here is a photo from the Safety Harbor Snow Fest event that all the babies got together for: (Left to right - Graham, Ronan, Hailey, G, and Liam)

Big boy that now drinks from a sippy cup:

Taking in the light show at the Shops at Wiregrass:

Checking all the Christmas lights to make sure they work:

First meeting with Santa!  We were at International Plaza to pick up my race packet for the Holiday Halfathon and saw the awesome Santa setup they had.  It was a whole Peanuts experience with fake snow and several staging stations.  We started with plastic snow, Christmas trees, Peanuts clips and then moved in to a dome with "snow" coming from the ceiling.  It was actually rice, which was great since G probably ate some of it...  But it was on the ground and in his hair, and he really liked it.  Until we had to leave and see Santa - which is what you see here:

We also had our first family photos taken.  We couldn't be more pleased with the results and Heather from Inspirefly Photography.  The location we decided on was awesome (Edward Medard Park in Plant City).  Here are some of my favorite photos:

As of December 17th, I was officially on Winter Break from work.  Grayson and I had a lot of fun together for two weeks, but it was also super exhausting!  I really think staying at home with him was WAY harder than working!  I did get a chance to catch up with some of my friends and G got to eat his first cupcake:

Here is Hailey, Ronan, G and Liam before the cakes:

Grayson's first Christmas was really a lot of fun but also exhausting.  He wasn't terribly interested in presents, but enjoyed ripping paper and opening boxes.  At the end of the day, he still wanted to play with the TV remote and water bottles... New Year's Eve was also pretty quiet.  We went over to a friend's house and Grayson fell asleep well before midnight.  

A few other updates - Grayson finally broke two teeth!  He is also VERY close to walking.  He stands on his own and will walk assisted, but has yet to master walking on his own.  He likes to bounce in place and take an adventure step as long as he has something to grab on to.

Also, when I brought him back to daycare this week, they asked me about moving G up to the 1 year old classroom.  At first, I was a little shocked because it seemed so early.  But his teachers said that he is getting really bored in the infant classroom and his buddy was going to be moving up at the same time.  Much to my surprise, on Tuesday (yesterday), he transitioned in to the new classroom.  I truly had a harder time that he did...

He did really well and even went to sleep on his own without being in a crib.  This was the first of many milestones that we will experience.  Ben and I have been talking recently about how different life is this year compared to last year.  We have both had our moments, but parenthood has been the most rewarding experience of my life thus far.

Until next time!

B*L*G

Three Months!

Grayson is growing so fast!  It would be nice if he could stop for a week or two.  I could literally watch his sweet face for hours.  He really has been a good baby - as long as he's fed on time.  We don't have a doctor's appointment again until June so we attempted to do measurements at our house this month.  We don't own a scale, so we have no idea how much our little turkey weighs, but he was measuring 24 1/4 inches long.  That means he is over two feet long!

Big things this month - I went back to work on May 4th.  Luckily, Ben was able to take off the entire week from work to be with Grayson at home.  We were hoping that would make his transition a little easier, and it really seemed to help.  The week of May 11th, I started a four day work week with Friday's off for the remainder of the summer.  Our plan for summer is for Grayson to stay with Granny on Monday's when I work a later shift and on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Grayson will be at a daycare center (Kiddie Campus University in Lutz).

Leaving Grayson at Granny's house was a breeze!  I knew he was in super capable hands and would probably be getting more attention than I typically give him.  But, I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been having nightmares about Grayson being at daycare.  Part of me is so scared that he won't do well or get enough attention and the other part really wants him to be independent and socialize with other babies.  The first dropoff was pretty rough.  I cried when I left the house and again after I left the daycare.

The first day went pretty well (I only called twice).  The second day was a little more difficult.  Grayson only took one nap all day, so he was really grouchy and clearly exhausted when I picked him up.  I brought his swaddle blanket for the third day, and he did much better with napping and was in a much better mood when I got there.  Like anything, it's going to take a couple of weeks for him to get used to his new routine.  But, the daycare is well staffed and has been super patient with all my questions and phone calls.

Here are some photo highlights of the month:

Clean baby fox:

Friday morning shenanigans:

Having fun on a run:

Today is Mother's Day?!?

Foxy pajamas

Oh SNAP!

Happy boy

Grayson's very first race medal

Dinner with the big kids (Emily, Ruud, and Alex)

Who me?!?

Sticking my tongue out is my favorite past time!

We are still trucking along with breastfeeding.  I've been pumping at work, first thing in the morning, and right before bed.  Nursing is a little more difficult now that Grayson is used to taking a bottle during the day.  The initial plan was to make it to six months and then he will start eating and taking less milk, but I'm trying to keep my plan flexible.  (Y'all saw how great my birth plan went, right?!?)

Grayson also started sleeping through the night nearly every night the Sunday before I went back to work.  It was the strangest thing, as if he knew that things were going to be changing and we all needed to get a good nights sleep.  Typically, he goes to bed at about 8:30 now and will sleep until 6:30 or so.  He has gotten up at 1 am one night and 4:45 this morning.  Typically after waking he goes right back to bed after he's done eating/diaper change.

He's also been drooling up a storm.  It seems pretty early for teeth to be coming in, but it is possible that he could be breaking a few teeth.  (My online research says anywhere from 3 months to 18 months - that's a pretty big window..)  I've felt around his gums, but haven't felt anything just yet. 

That is all for now - I've tried several times to write this particular blog and have gotten sidetracked, so I had to go back and re-write certain things.  But this is pretty much all of the happenings as of recently.  Until next time!

B&L&G

Week 28 - subtitle - THIRD TRIMESTER!

Wooo - finally made it to the third trimester, y'all!  The baby is approximately 14.8 inches long, 2.25 pounds, and approximately the size of a head of Chinese cabbage.  I'm not sure that I've had Chinese cabbage before, but here is a picture:

Here is a run down of all the happenings this past week:

Workouts:

• Monday - yoga!
• Tuesday - 5 mile run/jog
• Wednesday - rest
• Thursday - pregnant lady workout videos!  (This week I tried this one and this one)
• Friday - 5 mile run/jog
• Saturday - 5k race at Busch Gardens
• Sunday - 4 mile run/walk

Speaking of the Busch Gardens 5k, Ben and I both had a really good time at this race.  Previously, the race was only open to friends/family of Busch Gardens employees, but this year they opened the race up to the public.  It was huge!  There were over 1000 people there.  It was a great fundraiser for the Wildlife Conservation Fund, and it was really cool to run through the park.  Even better, the 5k entry included admission to the park for the day.  

This was officially my last race as a pregnant lady!  My goal was to finish under 30 minutes and not fall/slip.  I'm very happy to say that I squeaked in at 29:26 (or 9:30 minute/mile pace).  It was a bittersweet moment to know that it's going to be a long while before I put on another racing bib or cross another finish line, but the payoff in the end is going to be so worth it!

After the race we got cleaned up and prepared to spend the day at Busch Gardens.  The only ride that I am able to go on is the sky ride, which wasn't in operation (womp womp).  But, we had a really good time taking in the shows, checking out the animals, and people watching!  We stayed at the park until 4:00 or so.  It never really rained, but stayed overcast, so it was nice that the park itself wasn't too crowded and the weather was comfortable.

Here were are post-race at IHOP:

Ben petting a wallaby:

Kangaroos so stuffed that they just fell right asleep!

Over-feeding of the kangaroos:

Super ugly emu!

On Sunday, we went back to the hospital for a breastfeeding class.  I was really not feeling like spending two and a half hours in a class on a beautiful Sunday (during the Bucs game, even!), but I knew that it would be good to go and learn.  First, I would like to say that Countryside should NOT have their classes in the basement.  No bueno.

I was surprised that there were so many people in the class (and VERY happy that Ben agreed to attend with me).  There was one other couple that was not finding out the gender of their child, everyone else shared their genders, names, due dates, etc...  I was REALLY surprised that several of the other students were due in December!  Ack!  That is the last thing that I want to be doing when 9 months pregnant.  But, I learned quite a bit and am really glad that we went.  We do have a childbirth/parenting class coming up the first weekend in December as well.

The Lovenox shots were up for refill this week (yes, we are still up to date on the shots), and I was a little nervous that there would be another issue with my insurance and the refill.  Thankfully, the prescription was able to be refilled with no issues this month (woo!).

On Wednesday, we had a doctor's appointment.  The appointment was pretty uneventful.  The doctor was pleased with the baby's growth, my current weight gain, blood pressure, etc..  The baby's heart rate was 154, which is a little higher than it's been in the past (which shoots my boy theory down, as girls typically have higher heart rates).  We will be going back again in two weeks (December 9th) for another appointment.

Finally, we have so many things to be thankful for this year, but I truly thank everyone for their questions, comments, suggestions, and concerns for our new addition arriving soon!  Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!  

26 weeks!

This week we have officially reached the final week of the second trimester.  The baby is approximately 14 inches long and 1.75 pounds or the length of a hothouse cucumber.  Again, I don't know what a hothouse cucumber is, but it appears to be a thinner, longer version of what we all know and love as the cucumber.  Here's a photo:

The baby's lungs and brain are much more developed and can now also hear outside noises, like Ben's voice.  The baby's favorite game to play is after one kick, wait to Ben to put his hand on my stomach and then refuse to follow up with subsequent kicks.  After a little coaxing from Dad, the baby starts kicking again.  We also have less than 100 days (or so) until the baby arrives.  That. is. CRAZY!

Here are the latest and greatest adventures from this week/weekend (another busy one!):

Ben and I have been diligently working on building a baby registry, but there are so much things that we are uneducated about!  Not to mention, some of the "suggested items" seem completely unnecessary (and expensive!).  After much thought, we decided to register at Babies R Us and Amazon (links to our actual registry).  Any suggestions from my mom and/or mom-to-be friends for items that are an absolute must are certainly welcome.

Ben and I ran the Little-Markou Race to Educate (5k) on Saturday morning (11/8) and we both had a good time.  The weather was good and the course is relatively flat.  I was able to run a 28:50 (about 9:18 minute/mile), which I was super happy with.  Ben ran a 24:24 and placed 3rd in his age group.  We got to see quite a few people that we haven't seen in a while and the race swag was unbelievable!  Here is a picture that includes Ben's age group award (glows in the dark!):

We also returned to the home where we got married on Saturday for a BBQ/Fall Festival.  When we walked up, there was a huge tent (pictured below), beer on tap, wine, and more food then we even had at our wedding!  This was the first time that I've been back to the house since our wedding day, and it was awesome.  Del and Diana (the homeowners) treated us like royalty and all of their friends were excited to meet us, since they had heard so much about the wedding and us.

Diana even started welling up talking about future Baby Raposa.  This is a yearly event that they host, so she is excited to have the baby attend next year.  There may have even been jokes about birthing the baby in their horse barn and having a full-service wedding/birthing center....okay, there were.  I even didn't mind so much when Diana rubbed my baby bump (which is something I have only let Ben do so far). It appears that I'm going to have to get a little more comfortable with that as my bump is growing.  Here's a shot of us right in the same spot we sealed the deal:

This week we had a doctor's appointment where I found out that I passed my glucose test (yay!) and my iron levels look good, which means that I'm not anemic (woo!).  The doctor broke that news that visits will now be every 2 weeks versus every 4 weeks.  I was a little surprised, but since this is officially my last week in the second trimester, I guess that is to be expected.

The doctor, Ben, and I myself had a pretty candid conversation about my due date and if/how long past my due date the doctor will allow.  He said that typically around 38 weeks, he will formulate a plan and possibly schedule an induction for the 39th week.  I expressed my concern about the chemicals used to induce labor (mainly pitocin) and how they tend to lead to c-section, especially if the baby isn't "ready".  He listened and didn't really agree or disagree, but said that perhaps my feelings would change by the time I'm 38 weeks pregnant.  Touche', Dr. Ancheta - obviously not his first rodeo.

So, for now, the plan is to wait and see what this baby and my body decides.  Ben was born right on time, my nephew and I were post delivered past our due dates/ late, and my sister and niece were delivered early.  So, it's really a gamble in terms of past family history.  But the doctor will not let me go past 41 weeks.

He also recommended that I drink lots of Smartwater, Gatorade, and/or milk and eat plenty of bananas in order to help with the leg cramping that I've been experiencing lately.  Most people know that I'm a total Smartwater snob, so I'm all about drinking water with extra electrolytes.

That is all for now - lots more coming soon!

24 weeks aka 6 months!

This week marks the 6 months exactly!  The baby is approximately 1.25 lbs and 12.5 inches long.  This kid is a SUPER kicker.  He or she goes nuts right before I get up for any race and in the evening after dinner.  This Friday I'm going to be going for my glucose test in the morning, so I'm hoping everything will turn out well for that.

There was a little "confusion" with my Lovenox shots last week.  I called in a renewal of my prescription on Monday, but the Publix pharmacy (which has been AH-MAZING!) said that my insurance has to authorize a re-fill because I'm only allowed to have the prescription every 67 days.  Even though the prescription clearly states that it's a 30-day supply and to take one shot a day.  Sigh.  Insurance companies make things so complicated sometimes!

So, I had to wait for my doctor's office to call the insurance company to get the authorization to send to Publix.  As you can probably imagine, that did not occur quickly.  I actually went about 3 days without the shots.  However, Monday morning, my doctor's office called and said that my insurance approved the refill and I could check with Publix for my prescription pick up.

Honestly, I was not super excited about the approval.  But, I know it's in the best interest of my health and the baby's health to continue the shots.  Luckily (or unluckily for me), Ben was able to pick up the prescription for me without any issues and we are back in business again!

This past weekend was another busy one!  On Saturday, I went with Tracey and her family to Tampa Bay History Center.  It's been several years since I've been and was excited to check it out again.  I was a little disappointed that some of the displays were exactly the same as several years ago, but it was still interesting.  The best part of the day was lunch at the Columbia Cafe.  The weather was perfect to sit outside and enjoy the amazing 1905 salad, Cuban bread and Cuban.  Not to mention that the people watching on the Tampa Riverwalk is always entertaining.

On Sunday, Ben, Tracey, Dougie, and myself ran the Frankenfooter Half Marathon in Port Richey/New Port Richey.  There was a Labor Day special for the half and it was only $32.50!  Two years ago, Ben, Tracey, and I did the Living Dead Challenge, which is a 5k on Saturday evening and the half marathon on Sunday morning (Dougie did the Living Dead Challenge this year).  I was not feeling quite that adventurous this year, but really wanted to run a half marathon before I take a little hiatus from racing.

I checked out the map for the half marathon before the race and realized that the course would be running right by my parents house in Port Richey.  However, it was the map from last year and the course was reversed.  So the point that we ran by my parents house was way earlier than I told my mom that we would be there.

Tracey and I decided that we were going to run together and the main goal was to run/jog the entire time and hopefully finish with anything under 2:30.  We had our plan for fueling and water stops and decided to break every 4 miles to fuel up.  The weather was really perfect, about 57 degrees (many thanks to our personal Sherpa, Ashley, for carrying around all of our jackets from the starting line!)

The nice thing about this race is that I was super familiar with the course/area so I knew exactly where we were at all times.  The route was a little boring at times without much to look at.  The turnaround point at about 8.5 miles had a DJ that was pretty entertaining.  The only issue that I had is that I felt like I had to pee basically the entire time we were running.  Here is a photo right before the finish line:

My official time was 2:19, but my watch says 2:18:50 (or 10:29 pace).  Needless to say, I was extremely happy that I was able to reach all my goals for the half marathon.  As Tracey and I were nearing the finish line I couldn't believe that we were going to do exactly what we had set out to do that morning.  Here is one of my favorite photos of Dougie, Tracey, myself, and Ben post race

It just so happens that an article was published in the New York Times Sunday about pregnant marathoners.  Link to the full article here.  The comments are fascinating and I would highly recommend giving it a quick read.  Clearly these women are a different caliber of athlete, but I liked how one woman compared giving birth to training for an athletic event.

This weekend coming up, Ben is taking on the XTERRA Wildhorse half marathon.  Jim from Tampa Races has a great program where I can volunteer and Ben can run for free.  Temperatures should be good for his race on Sunday as well.  That is all the excitement for this week - more to come soon!

23 weeks, Rattlesnake Run, Run with the Quistas

The baby is officially 23 weeks now and approximately 11.5 inches long, 1.1 pounds and is estimated to be the size of a large mango (yum!).  As of today, there are 114 more days until the baby arrives (give or take).  That is BANANAS!!  We had a pretty crazy weekend of running races, celebrating birthdays, and trying to get things done around the house.

On Saturday, Ben and I ran the Ratttlesnake Run.  I was really a last minute decision on this race because it's pretty hilly (214 feet of elevation gain), off road, and a bigger-sized race.  Last year, I ran my best time ever of a 42:24.  This year, my goal was to maintain my normal 10 minute average and just keep running the whole time. I was able to pull off a 47:59 (9:38 average), but because the race was so crowded/off road, I took a small tumble in the first mile.  

I was so upset with myself for putting myself and the baby in a situation that could have been potentially dangerous.  Several people around me helped me and really it was not a bad fall, but I made the decision at that moment not to sign up for any other races for the rest of my pregnancy.  I'm certainly still planning to stay active and continue to run for as long as I can, but the whole racing environment has too many uncontrollable variables to risk.

Ben ran a 41:19 (8:16 average) and got 3rd place in his age group!  Those long legs of his really give him such an unfair advantage!  I was really upset about the fall after the race and we unfortunately did not stick around for the age group awards.  We decided to go to Olga's Bakery instead.  If you've ever been to Dade City, you know about Olga's - it's the best.  I did not indulge in one of their amazing donuts, but Ben did!

After breakfast, we went over to Ben's parent's house to celebrate his mom's birthday.  We were commenting about how this is going to be our last birthday celebration without a baby, which is a little crazy to think about.  We had a really nice visit with lunch and one of my favorite Raposa family traditions - homemade birthday cake of your choice!  Ben's mom picked a pineapple cake, and his dad baked it (with some help) perfectly!

On Sunday morning, we headed over to PHSC for the annual 5k/Run with the Quistas to support the Women's Cross Country team.  When I worked on the New Port Richey campus, I was the advisor for the XC team, so this race is one that we do every year and I absolutely LOVE this race.  The course is nice and flat and super familiar.  Here is a shot of the faculty/staff team before the race:

The race went really well.  My goal was again to just run the whole time and maintain my 10 minute average.  I finished in a time of 29:06 (9:21 average), which was good enough for 2nd place in my age group!  I felt really well throughout the whole race and just tried to keep my heart rate low and "run all the tangents" like Coach Winterling taught me.

Here's a photo of Ben's steal of a second place age group award from Tim:

Tim (1st overall faculty/staff), Ben (2nd age group), and me (2nd age group):

The best part about running with the faculty/staff team is the breakfast afterwards!  About 10 of us went out afterwards to discuss upcoming races, talk about our performances, and refuel.  After we got home, I went on a super exciting laundry bender and feverishly tried to set up my fantasy football line up before all the 1:00 games.  This is either the third or fourth year that I've played in a fantasy football league, and I believe that Baby Raposa is bringing me an incredible streak of good luck!

Today, I spent some time reading Alysia Montano's blog.  You may remember from this past summer that she famously raced her signature 800 meter race while 8 months pregnant.  She wrote about having a goal to run until she was 30 weeks pregnant and even included some of her weekly pregnancy workouts.

I realize that she is a Olympian and a high caliber athlete, but I feel like her outlook on exercise during pregnancy is something I really want to emulate.  I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to run, but 30 weeks seems like a good goal to work towards for now.  This weekend coming up is the Frankenfooter half marathon and it's safe to say that this will be the only half marathon that I'll be running any time soon.  That is all for now - until next week!