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 #34 - subtitle - I'm running out of creative subtitle ideas!

This week the baby is about 17.75 inches long, 4.75 pounds and about the size of a large cantaloupe.  The baby's lungs are continuing to mature in preparation for breathing in the outside world.  It is hard to believe that our little babe will be in a mere six weeks or so!  It's very exciting and scary at the same time.  I feel like there are so many things that need to be done before he or she arrives, but I just have to have faith that things will fall in to place

Workouts this week:

Monday: yoga
Tuesday: 3 mile walk with Ben
Wednesday: 3 mile walk with Ben and exercise on demand video
Thursday: rest
Friday: Exercise on demand video
Saturday: 3 mile walk with Ben
Sunday: 4 mile solo/run walk with 1 mile walk cooldown

Sunday was the first time that I've actually ran/jogged in a bit and it felt really good.  Ben and I met up with Tracey and her family at Flatwoods and I forgot how much I liked it out there.  It has been unseasonable warm in Florida (shocking!), so I just make sure that I keep my heart rate in check and drink plenty of water when exercising.

Things we accomplished this week:

Got the car seat installed!  Ben is officially in charge of putting together and installing all things related to baby.  On Sunday, he set out to put the car seat base in my car because we are supposed to "be ready" at any time now.  I was really surprised when he came back inside after about 3 minutes and said he was done!  It was a lot easier than he thought (yay!).  We are still going to have one of our firefighter/paramedic friends check out the base to make sure it was installed correctly (the hospital told us that 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly).  But it is REALLY strange to look in my back seat and see a car seat!  Yikes!

Here's a photo of his hard work:

Also, we found a pediatrician!  Woo!  I also did not know that the baby will need to be discharged by a pediatrician and my doctor will discharge me from the hospital.  We were given a list of pediatricians who visit Countryside hospital and I was able to schedule a couple of appointments for my last week of Winter Break.

We decided to go with North Pinellas Children's Medical Center in Westchase.  (Also, there is a Starbucks right out front of their building - that did not hurt matters at all).  There is a group of doctor's at the practice, so they do try to keep you with the same doctor, but that may not necessarily be the case every single time.  I also liked that they had a separate newborn waiting room so that babies do not have to be around other sick children.

I went back to work!  The It really hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be and everyone gives me a little extra special treatment because I am pregnant.  It really is amazing to me how interested perfect strangers are about my pregnancy.  Students that I don't even know ask me so many questions and are so excited about someone they hardly know.  I can't believe that someone would waste the time they have for themselves to ask questions about me...

Ben and I have both been putting in more hours than normal this week, so it makes things pretty hectic.  At least for me, the peak registration/busy period will only last through January 16th so there is an end in sight.  I do not know how people who have jobs that are physically demanding (i.e. nurses, police officers) are able to work while they are pregnant.  The tiredness alone is enough to make me want to put my head down on my desk at some moments.

Thanks is all for now - have a great week, y'all!

Week #33 - subtitle - Ciao 2014!

This week the baby is approximately 17 inches long, 4.25 pounds, and about the size of a pineapple.  The baby will continue to gain another half pound per week until next month.  I would say that pregnancy is starting to get more uncomfortable at this point.  However, we are coming in to the "home stretch" and things have been pretty good thus far.  With the exception of the Lovenox shots, I would say that my pregnancy has been fairly easy and uneventful and I consider myself very lucky.

Several people have been asking if I'm still running/working out and the answer is yes, just with much less intensity.  I wouldn't classify myself as a "runner" these days, but it feels good to get outside and get my heart rate up a little.  Here is a sample of what I did last week:

• Monday: Yoga
• Tuesday: 3 mile solo run/walk
• Wednesday: 4 mile walk with Ben
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: 4 mile solo run/walk (mainly walk)
• Saturday: 3 mile walk with Ben
• Sunday: 5 mile run/walk with Tracey

You should probably know that on our walks, I will be sweating like a pig and Ben will only break a sweat if I make him sprint to the finish and wait for me!  But the time that we spend together walking, talking, and dreaming about the future is priceless.

This past weekend, we did some serious cleaning/organizing for baby at the townhouse.  We are in a lease currently until the end of June, so there are going to be a few months where we will be here with baby.  But, we aren't planning on setting up a full nursery here.  Our plan is a bassinet for the first few months and then we will move the baby to his/her crib when our living situation is a little more stable.

Luckily, we got a few very thoughtful and generous Christmas gifts that are going to help us out.  Here is an organizer from my sister that we were able to set up and organize all the baby goodies that we have received so far:

A new welcome wreath from my parents (fox themed, of course):

Peanut's family tree (as researched and prepared by Ben's mom):

Super cute personalized Christmas ornament from Aunt Faye and Uncle Johnnie (Ben's side): 

If you are interested, this ornament is from Bronners.  We have received several ornaments from Bronner's as gifts in past years and they are always beautiful.  I can't wait to open the boxes every year and see them again.

Speaking of Christmas, we weren't really planning on taking all of our Christmas decorations down this past weekend, but we did.  It seemed like the logical thing to do since we were both home, had time, and were in the cleaning/organizing mode.  I kept joking that Ben probably couldn't wait to go back to work so that he could take a break from all the work that he was doing at home.

Saturday evening, we went over to the Holloway Holiday Party(!) in Trinity.  It was been a while since either of us have seen Chris and/or Elizabeth and we were excited to see them (and their super adorable doggies), hear some great music and relax with friends.  Both Chris and Elizabeth are both accomplished singers, and they invited a few of Chris' voice students as well as Constantine Grame who was an incredible pianist for a great performance/concert.

Elizabeth asked Constantine to play a piano solo (which he said that he had never been asked before) and he chose Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.14 No.2 aka Moonlight Sonata - both parts.  I must admit that I have never heard this particular piece before, but apparently there are two parts and the second part is much harder than the first.  Let me just say that Constantine's performance brought tears to my eyes, it was so moving and beautiful!  The baby was all about this piece as well and was kicking like crazy during his solo.

Here is a photo of Constantine and Chris: (both photos courtesy of Jennifer Crouch photography - who donated her time and talents as a gift for the holiday party!)

Elizabeth, Winston (blond) and Mabel:

It was nice that the party was after Christmas so that we had more time to really relax and celebrate since the stress of Christmas was over.  We both commented that it really put us in the Christmas spirit with all the wonderful Christmas carols.  Another highlight of the evening was all the female singers singing "Let it Go" from Frozen as our friend, Dan, played the Piano. You have to admit that the song is really catchy.

This week is my last week of Christmas break, so I've been trying to take it easy as much as possible.  When I go back to work on Monday (January 5th), we will be seeing tons of students so I'm a little worried about my stamina for an eight hour (probably more) work day.  It has been harder for me than I initially anticipated to slow down.  However, I've grown accustomed to life moving at a certain pace and it's just another transition that is going to have to happen.

I have been scheduling interviews for pediatricians and trying to figure out if I will medically need to be induced or not.  My doctor is closed this week for the holiday, so the majority of our questions (and answers) will have to wait until next week.  Luckily, we have a few weeks to get things figured out before we have to make any decisions one way or another.

Hope y'all have a safe and happy New Year!

Week #30 - subtitle - shots, doulas, and trees (oh my)!

Hard to believe that we only have 10 weeks (or so) to go before we meet our baby! (Eeeek!)  This week the baby is approximately 15.7 inches long and 2.75 pounds or about the size of a head of cabbage (another fruit/vegetable that I know-yesss!).  The baby continues to kick all throughout the day, but I have yet to experience what it's like when the baby gets the hiccups.  Several people have been asking about the Lovenox shots and what they look like, what type of needle, etc... So here are a few pictures (I will spare y'all the one of Ben in action).  In the package:

Afterwards:

Many thanks to my sister for  the Sharps Container and disposing the used needles at her hospital for me/us!

This past weekend Ben and I took in the annual Dade City Christmas parade on Friday evening with his parents.  It's hard to believe that next year we will have a little baby in tow for our annual family tradition.  For me, I love going out in Dade City because I know hardly anyone and Ben and his folks know basically everyone.  We always have a running bet to see how many people Ben will recognize when we go anywhere in Dade City.  Here is a photo that Ben snapped from the parade:

On Saturday, we had our parenting/childbirth class at Countryside Hospital.  The class was taught by the same woman who taught our breastfeeding class.  There was quite a few (graphic) videos shown during the four hour class.  There were a total of 24 people in the class (including spouses), with most of the women being due in December/January/February.  It's always fascinating to me to see other pregnant women and see/hear how their experience has been.

The thing that I was most surprised to learn is that it is not recommended that you give birth laying on your back.  Apparently my training/knowledge from movies is bogus...go figure!  Basically, it is recommended that you either lean over a chair/back of the hospital bed, stand up, or do child's pose that we all know and love from yoga.  Essentially, the idea is that when you are lying on your back, the baby has to clear your pelvic bone; whereas if you are standing/leaning, gravity can do some of the work for you.

The woman who taught our classes is a certified doula.  Since we are completely ignorant to basically everything in relation to childbirth/babies, on our break during class we asked her about the role that she plays, costs, time line, etc..  You can read a little more here about doulas.  But, Ben and I have decided to interview Melissa to see if perhaps a doula would be helpful for us.

There are two main reasons for our sudden interest in the doula.  One, I'm super scared that I'm not going to be able to give birth without having a c-section.  The clotting disorder makes the surgery especially risky, and I'd like to avoid the added risk if possible.  Secondly, I feel like it would be easier to recover if I didn't have a c-section.  With that being said, I realize that a lot can change in a matter of moments during childbirth and my "plan" my not be feasible.  But, going in with a plan with hopefully make things easier.

On Sunday, Ben and his coworker Tim headed up to Croom for the Dirthead Duathlon.  I agreed to volunteer so that Ben could race for half price.  This was the first duathlon for both Ben and Tim, and it was actually a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.  Croom really is such a beautiful place to run and bike, even if it is so far north.

After the race and refueling, we headed over to Ergle's Christmas Tree Farm to select our Christmas tree.  Ben and his family have been frequenting Ergle's since forever. And ever since Ben and I have been dating, we've made it one of our traditions as well.  They really have grown their business in the past couple of years, but we've always had a great experience.  I'm certain our little peanut will enjoy watching Ben cut down our tree next year, too!  

The "one":

Ben doing all the dirty work (as per usual):

We did have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday.  However, we got all the way back to the room and the doctor had to leave for a delivery and then a c-section.  We did get some of our Christmas cards written out while we were waiting, but other than that we don't have much of an update on the doctor front.  We went ahead and re-scheduled for December 23rd, so at least they aren't making us go back this week.  I personally don't think that seeing him every two weeks is necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

That is all for this week, lots of excitement going on with the holidays coming up.  Until next time, y'all!

29 weeks - subtitle - FINALLY some belly pictures, y'all!

This week the baby is approximately 15.25 inches long and 2.5 pounds.  Or about the size of a butternut squash (yes!  I know this one!).  Baby is undergoing a huge growth spurt in the next couple of weeks/months and thing are going to start getting a little cramped!  Here are some of the latest musings of this past week:

Workouts:

• Monday - yoga
• Tuesday - 4 mile run/walk
• Wednesday - 4 mile run/walk
• Thursday - rest (Thanksgiving)
• Friday - 6 mile jog
• Saturday - rest
• Sunday - 6.25 jog
• 20 miles for the week!  84 miles for the month of November!

My goal is still to make it to at least 30 weeks (next week) with my running/jogging and then just try to keep active.  Luckily, I only have about 2 1/2 weeks of work left until we close for Winter Break (yes, working in education does have some really nice benefits) so that will free up some time during the day to fit in some physical activity.

Symptoms: Occasional heartburn and hip pain

Movement: Still lots of kicking!  I get a lot of kicking at work and I wonder if my students can see my stomach moving.  Baby Raposa is a mover and a shaker for sure!

Sleep: Ugh, I miss it!  I've been in a pattern where I get up every two hours or so with hip pain and have to re-adjust my sleeping position.  I've been frequenting the spare bedroom lately so at least Ben can get a good night's sleep.

Black Friday Find!:  46" Samsung SMART TV!

Typically, Ben and I like to go out shopping on Friday to get a few gifts and purchase something for ourselves that we need/want.  Our TV in the bedroom has been intermediately working, so we were in the market to see if there were any good deals on Black Friday.  We live pretty close to a Best Buy and drove by on Thursday on the way home from Thanksgiving - it was an absolute zoo! 

Ben went back in the morning and Best Buy had already sold out of the 50" Samsung model that we were eyeing.  But they had about 10-40" TVs left.  He decided to head to Wal Mart to see the deals they had there and found that they had also sold out of the 50" Samsung model, but did have two 46" TVs left.  Luckily, he was able to snag the very last one and now we have a brand new TV for our living area and a replacement in our bedroom.

We also went over to Citrus Park mall after he got home and didn't really see any great deals.  I have to be honest, I was less than impressed with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals this year.  But after braving the mall on Friday, I will happily shop online for the remainder of the Christmas season.

Question of the week: How many kids are you planning to have?  ONE!  UNO! UNE!  First of all, can I just make it through this pregnancy before I have to answer additional  questions about follow-up children?  Secondly, there is NO WAY (absolutely none!) that I will be doing the Lovenox shots through another pregnancy.  They are really horrendous and I dread them every night.  I secretly pray that Ben will forget, but he's been so good about administering them.

Several people have told me that everyone says they are only have one child until after their first child is born and then gets a little older.   Fair enough, but for right this moment, the Raposa family will be a one child family.  Ben is an only child and "seems" to have turned out okay (love you, honey!).

Current Obsession:  Mrs. Meyer's Basil soap!  Ben and I went to a holiday party at our friend Rhonda's house last Wednesday evening and she had this soap in her bathroom.  It smelled so good!  I asked her about it and she said it was something she picked up at Target.  Since we were planning to go on Friday for some Black Friday shopping, I made a mental note to check it out.  Would you believe that our Target and online was completely sold out/out of stock of the Basil scent?!?!

I texted Rhonda to let her know that she was officially making me crazy!  ;)  However, we were in Spring Hill/Brooksville on Sunday and just happened to be driving past a Target - look at what I scored: (!!)

Speaking of Brooksville, Ben and I went up that way on Sunday for an early birthday celebration for his Grandma.  She suggested that we try a newer place called the Florida Cracker Kitchen.  Oh my goodness, y'all!  This place is a diamond in the rough (the link above will take you to their menu)!  Lots of true southern dishes and nice, southern hospitality from the waitstaff.  (Also, I tried Ben's sweet tea - so good!)  If you are ever near downtown Brooksville and don't want to go to one of the chains on Highway 50, check them out!

Finally, here's a picture of the belly:

29 weeks, 6 days.  

Photo credit to Mr. Raposa, of course. Until next week, y'all!

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!