New Website

Dearest Blessings~

It looks as though after over 3 years and 1145 letters, I have managed to run out of storage for photographs of you all.  So, I have continued my letters onto another website ....

http://docwatson44.blogspot.com/

I hope you all one day find the time to read and enjoy these little letters ....

I love you all so much!

~Mommy

Vacation!

Dearest Miracles~

Everyone slept better last night!  Woo hoo!  Looks like everyone is on the mend!  And, you two were both awake this morning and playing as daddy and I were getting ready for work.  So, everyone got kisses before we had to leave.  

Speaking of work .... this is my last day!  Yippie!  Once I see my last patient I will officially be on vacation .... err, maternity leave!  ;-)

You all had fun with Penny again.  You both ate well and did a sticker project today.  You all made little signs that said 'Happy Birthday Mommy' for me!  How wonderful!  My birthday is this weekend, so the signs are hung on the fireplace for everyone to see!  ;-)

Also, little man, you did well with Quinn!  You all worked on your same words but trying to make them 'explode' .... hand motions help.  ;-)

I got home early at 5:30pm!!  I don't have to go back to work until March 6th!!  I have 12 whole weeks to play with you all and your new little sister!  I'm so excited and happy!  :-)  You all gave me kisses when home and we all ate dinner together. 

This evening we played.  You all did more puzzles and we read some books together.  Daddy played the guitar.  I had lots more kicks and movements from baby biscuit.  Daddy got to feel her.  I think I might have had some more braxton hicks contractions during the day too.  We have our last OB appointment tomorrow morning, so keep praying for a healthy little sister! 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

39 Weeks

Dearest Gifts~

Today we're 39 weeks gestation with baby biscuit!  Woo hoo!  Today and tomorrow are my last two days at work!  How exciting!  Are you two ready to go from a family of 4 to a family of 5?  :-)

Grace, you ended up waking up as we were getting ready for work.  Then, you napped on daddy's shoulder after we got ready and we waited for Penny to get here.  She found the three of us relaxing on the couch downstairs with little Grace dozing on daddy.  ;-)  Joshua, you were still sleeping when I left this morning, but I still gave you kisses before leaving.  :-)

You all had fun with Penny today and everyone felt better too.  For arts and crafts time, you all made snowmen together.  They're so cute.  Also, Penny said you all ate really well and you all even made it to the park!  

I got home late .... 6:50pm.  I made sure all my charts were done before leaving just in case we go into labor tonight!  You two gave me kisses when I got home.  You all were having art time with daddy and he drew a picture of Santa for you all.  :-)

I had a lot of baby biscuit kicks this evening.  You all played a put together puzzles.  There's one puzzle that we can't find a piece to.  Actually, I'm surprised there's just one puzzle that's missing a piece with the way you all walk around with all the pieces and hide them.  :-P

It was nice to relax and watch you all play.  I'm so glad you all are feeling better too!  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Watching Movies

Dearest Angels~

You two were both up early this morning.  I was groggy from my sore throat all night.  I think I sucked on a cough drop every two hours.  :-P

You two did well with breakfast .... you both ate your cereal and I gave you all some more medicine.  Once we were upstairs and dressed, I put some laundry on and you all watched a Mickey Mouse.  I organized the playroom a little.

For snack time you both ate your yogurt and applesauce.  Joshua threw up a little, but I think it was my fault.  I gave you a spoon full that was a little bigger than you were use too.  Sorry!  I quickly changed your outfit and then I swept and vacuumed the downstairs as you all played. 

We ended up putting the movie Shrek on after snack time.  Our cable box started to malfunction today and erased everything on our recorder.  So, we had no Mickey Mouse.  We all sat on the couch and watched half the movie together.  I tuned my electric mandolin and played a little.  I ended up changing my 'goals' this month.  My 'physical' goals of working out are going on the back burner .... I won't be able to do much with the C section surgery and will need to heal for a few weeks.  So, I changed my 'mental' goals to include practicing the mandolin and reading more.  We'll see how that goes.  ;-)

Neither of you two ate a big lunch .... though Joshua ate  more than Grace.  Afterward, you all had a second dose of medicine and story time.  You were both napping by 1pm.  I had to wake you all up at 2pm though so we could leave at 2:30pm for our 3pm speech therapy appointment with Gloria. 

You did well little man.  We're working on the 'f' sound now.  Grace, you ate some crackers while we were waiting.  We made it home by 4pm.  I made my lunches for work this week as you two played and then Quinn came over by 4:30pm for our second speech therapy appointment of the day.  You did well again Joshua .... she worked on some possessive combinations (mommy's petunia) and trying to make sentences by yourself.  :-)

I made dinner afterward .... some taco meat for burritos and some mac and cheese.  Then, we watched the rest of Shrek until daddy got home.  We all ate dinner together.  Then, we played this evening and everyone got more medicine before bedtime. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Cereal All Day

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Ugh .... we were all congested last night again.  I wish we'd all feel better soon.

Despite being sick, you all did well at breakfast.  I also gave you all more medicine this morning.  Then, we relaxed upstairs with some Mickey Mouse.  We had a quick snack time and you both ate a good amount of applesauce.  Then, we headed out.  First we returned a library book that I checked out the other week and then we headed over to speech therapy with Kim.

You did really well little man.  Kim wants to do a new evaluation on you next week.  She sees a lot of improvement with you and knows you're in the school system twice a week with Gloria too (plus Quinn).  If you score in the average range she'll likely recommend a discharge from her and to continue with Gloria.  Which would mean one less appointment a week.

I told her that I would 'hopefully' be there on the 10th (next week) though someone else may be there on the 17th which may be your last day.   Either way, Kim is out of the office on the 24th and the 31st so you only have two more appointments with her this year.  Wow.  Time is just flying by!

We were home for lunch.  You two mostly ate cereal.  I gave you all more medicine and then we had story time.  Joshua, you fell right to sleep.  Grace, you fought it.  I rested next to you two and then read.  I had lots of baby biscuit kicks! 
 

Once daddy was home, we all had dinner together.  You two ate cereal again.  Then, we made a very quick trip to the grocery store for milk and medicine for everyone.  All four of us are sick now .... daddy was the last one to get congested.  :-P  When we got back home, we relaxed and all took more medicine before bedtime.

Sleep tight little ones!
 

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Birthday And Championship

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

You two had little coughing spells over the night but overall appeared to sleep ok.  My throat was so sore and painful.  I ended up sucking on cough drops all night.  :-P  I wish we'd all feel better soon!

We all played downstairs after breakfast.  We put the Christmas tree lights on and some Christmas music.  Daddy made a butternut squash casserole to freeze for when baby biscuit comes.  Then, we continued to play and relax until company came over.

By noon, Aunt Katie, Uncle Brennan, Grandpa Mike, and Mimi were here to help celebrate Aunt Katie's birthday.  Uncle Brennan brought over hamburgers and hotdogs for us to grill out.  There was lots of food!  Aunt Katie opened her birthday gifts .... we got her some coffee items.  Then, you all went outside and played with some bubbles.  The weather was beautiful and I took some photographs of you all.  :-)

 

Once people left, we cleaned the downstairs and then you two took late naps.  You all ended up curling up on daddy to sleep and he and I watched the UNC women's soccer championship game.  We won our 22nd championship!  Woo hoo!  You two were so cute on daddy!  ;-)

When you two woke, we had some dinner.  But, none of us ate a lot since we were full from lunch.  You all played and did some puzzles after as daddy and I baked a sausage breakfast casserole.  We'll freeze this one too for when baby biscuit comes.  :-)

This evening we just played.  I hope these colds go away soon!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Runny Noses

Dearest Precious Gifts~

 

Welcome to my birthday month!  Let the celebrations and festivities begin!  ;-)

I had bad insomnia this morning.  :-(  I was awake from 1am to about 4am.  Joshua, you had a coughing spell around 4am.  Grace, you slept a little better.  But, you were grumpy when you woke this morning.  Joshua, you ended up throwing up.  Ew!  Fun fun!  Needless to say, you all had more medicine at breakfast and then we watched some Mickey Mouse to relax afterward.  You two need to get better soon.  :-P

We had lots of baby biscuit kicks and movements this morning.  I'm not sure, but I think I had some braxton hicks contractions in the shower.  We'll see if that leads to anything.

We made a very quick trip to Target this morning for some groceries.  You two each ate two cookies but Joshua was coughing the entire time.  We probably should have kept you out of the produce aisle!  Ha!  You both had runny noses too and barely ate a lunch when we got home.  Daddy and I gave you all more medicine once home and then tried to get you all down for a nap.  I was tired too from the early insomnia.  Grace, you fought a nap and didn't go down until 2:45pm.  Daddy worked on some yard work as you all napped and I rested and read.

Once awake, we all relaxed in the playroom for a little bit.  Then, we made some dinner.  We cooked some chicken with some noodles and pad tai sauce.  We knew you all wouldn't eat it, but you all did eat some crackers and drink some milk. 

We came back upstairs by 6pm for the UNC basketball game.  We won!  We folded a lot of laundry while the game was on.  Joshua, you never stopped coughing all day!  I felt so bad for you and you're beginning to lose your voice!  Grace, you pretended you were on the phone with Gigi.  :-)

 

Before bedtime, you all had a nice bath and then had another dose of medicine.  

 

Sleep tight little ones!

 

I love you both so much!

 

~Mommy

Pizza Buffet

Dearest Blessings~

We had another early morning OB appointment with baby biscuit this morning, so Uncle James came over to watch you two.  Grace, you were really sick and congested.  Joshua, you were congested but playful.  I gave you both medicine this morning. 

Our appointment went well.  Basically, we had no changes as far as effacing or dilating.  We're still effaced 50% with no dilating.  We're just over 38 weeks gestation.  My weight is holding strong at 169.2lbs (still haven't broken 170lbs - woo hoo!) and my blood pressure was 100/74.  No protein in the urine and our uterine height is 40cm.  Baby biscuit, your fetal heart rate was 140.  So far so good!  We have our last OB appointment next friday and then the C section on 12/12/12.  We'll continue to see if we make it that long!  ;-)

You all were playing Wii games when I got home at 8:45am.  We all relaxed a little and then headed to speech therapy with Gloria.  Joshua, you're still practicing and working on 'h' sounds at the beginning of words.  She was impressed at how far you've come.  Uncle James, Grace, and I played in the lobby.  Grace, you ate a little .... which was good since you really hadn't eaten all day.

We went to lunch at a pizza buffet around the corner.  Grace was pretty crabby.  Neither of you ate a lot.  Both were congested and warm, so we headed to Gigi's house right after for diapers and more medicine.  You both went down for naps pretty quickly, which was nice since I was tired too.  I ended up dozing a little next to Grace.  ;-)

Uncle James had decorated Gigi's house for Christmas.  There was a tree up with stuffed animals all around for you all to play with.  Some of the ornaments on the tree were from when Uncle James and I were little!  And, there was a little tree off the side that had pictures of us when we were kids!  There was garland over the doorway and the piano was decorated too with Christmas music books out. 

Gigi came home from work early.  Joshua woke up, but we left Grace to nap as we visited.  Grandpa Jim came home around 5pm.  Grace was up by then so we all visited and played.  You both ate a little but were still congested.  We got home around 6:30pm and we ate a little with daddy.  We all relaxed this evening and you two rested.  Daddy and I gave you all more medicine before bedtime and then Grace got really fussy at 9:30pm.  Ugh!  I hope this doesn't turn into a long night.  :-P

So, how did we do with our november family goals?  I can already tell you that I was pitiful with mine.  Once I was told I was 50% effaced, I didn't continue with my workout goal because I didn't want to start dilating!  Ha!  Also, I slacked on my 'mental' goal as well.  Here's how we did:

Spiritual:  

Goal - church twice a month .... accomplished 100% of goal

Goal - daily Bible reading .... accomplished 100% of goal

Family:

Goal - family outing once per quarter .... accomplished 1 outing

Goal - date night once per quarter .... have not completed (this is the first month in the new quarter)

Mental:

Goal - photography practice 3 times a week (mommy) .... accomplished 50% of goal

Goal - guitar/banjo practice 3 times a week (daddy) .... accomplished 100% of goal

Goal - read a book a month (daddy) .... accomplished 100% of goal

Physical:

Goal - exercise 3 times a week (mommy) .... accomplished 42% of goal (yikes)

Goal - exercise 4 times a week (daddy) .... accomplished 75% of goal

Oh well .... I'll likely change my goals for next month too.  There's no way I'll be able to workout with having a C section.  I did really well reading those this month to try to relax a little before biscuit comes .... I read 4 books!  Go me!  ;-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Subwoofer

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

Guess what today is .... it's Aunt Katie's birthday!  Woo hoo!  We'll celebrate with her on the weekend since we'll be at work all day today. 

Joshua, you had a coughing spell starting at 3am this morning.  Daddy and I gave you some medicine at 3:30am when we realized you weren't able to stop it on your own.  I was so tired when my work alarm went off this morning.  :-P  Grace, you were awake this morning as I was getting ready for work, but Joshua was still sleeping.  So, I gave him kisses as he snoozed.  ;-)

Both of you all had more medicine with Penny.  You all made some crafts with her too .... you all made more ornaments for the tree.  Grace, you apparently impressed Penny with your fine motor skills.  Quinn came over for speech and you did well, even though you were congested little man.  I feel so bad for you two. 

I got home late .... it was around 6:50pm.  We had a baby shower at work for baby biscuit from my coworkers.  Wasn't that nice?  :-)  Everyone is so excited for us!  I only have two more working days left .... next wednesday and thursday .... then, I'm on maternity leave until March 6th!  Woo hoo!

We all ended up relaxing this evening and ran some laundry.  The Christmas gift that we ordered for daddy came in the mail today and he saw it!  Poo!  Of all the days for it to come it arrived on a day that he came home earlier than me so I couldn't intercept the mail.  :-P  Anyway, we got him a subwoofer, so now we have a huge box in the bonus room with a 12" subwoofer inside.  Daddy thought it was funny that I didn't actually know it was going to be that big.  I thought it would come in a small box that we could hide in a closet!  Ha!  Anyway, he likes it, so we'll have to hook it all together to make sure it works.  Perhaps we should find something small to get him so he actually has something to open on Christmas.  ;-)

Everyone got more medicine tonight before bedtime.  I hope you all feel better soon!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

38 Weeks

Dearest Blessings~

Today we are 38 weeks gestation with baby biscuit!  Woo hoo!  We're definitely in the home stretch now!  Two weeks from now we'll have our C section .... unless something happens between now and then!  Our next appointment is this friday so continue to pray for a healthy little sister!

You two were still both congested last night.  No one really slept.  :-P  Grace, you were really congested this morning and grumpy as daddy and I were getting ready for work.  We gave you some medicine and then you rested on Penny when she got here.  Joshua, you were still sleeping when I left for work, so I gave you kisses as you snoozed. 

Neither of you ate for Penny today.  She gave you all some more medicine too as daddy and I were at work.  You two did have some fun though .... you made and decorated a gingerbread man cookie and made some ornaments for the tree!  :-)

I got home around 6:20pm.  You two were coughing but playful.  This evening we all relaxed.  We felt a lot of baby biscuit movements and kicks.  My coworkers are taking bets if we'll make it to our due date. 

Everyone got more medicine before bedtime.  I hope you two feel better soon!  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Cuddles

Dearest Miracles~

We had a late start this morning.  You two were up a lot in the middle of the night.  Grace woke up crying several times.  You both as still congested with runny noses.  I gave you all more medicine this morning.  It's a good thing we picked up some medicine the other week.  You both ate more though .... you each ate your cereal at breakfast.

Once you all ate, we cleaned the downstairs and vacuumed around the Christmas tree.  I put the lights on as you all were playing.  :-)

Then, we went upstairs and watched some Mickey Mouse and you two sat on the couch and rested.  Then, some Sesame Street came on.  It was the only way I could get you two to rest and not run around though I don't like just having the tv on.  I took some photos of you two.  My head was getting clogged too, so it was nice to relax on the couch with you two.  We ate a little lunch together, but Joshua didn't eat much.  Grace ate half a banana and some cereal.

After lunch, we went upstairs for nap time.  Grace fell right to sleep.  Joshua, you noodled around and rested.  I laid next to you both and ended up dozing for about 45 minutes .... I set an alarm first though!   ;-)

By 2:30pm we were in the van on the way to our 3pm speech appointment with Gloria.  You did well little man.  She's also working on more 'h' sounds and gave us some homework.  Grace was congested and laid on me.  A lady came by and said she remembered those days when her children still cuddled.  I love when you two are cuddly!  :-)  I know one day that will end, so I hope to enjoy it as much as possible now!    

We made it home by 4pm.  We had some snacks and I made my lunches for work.  I started on some dinner before Quinn got here at 4:30pm.  She worked on words with ending 't' 'p' and 'f' sounds.  She also thought you were doing well and have come a long way!  If there's anything we especially want to work on we just need to tell her.  Oh, and she loved our Christmas tree.  We had the lights on during the appointment.  ;-)

We finished dinner at 5:30pm.  I called daddy, but he was on a conference call until late.  So, he didn't get home until 7pm.  We had already eaten, but we had dinner all prepared for daddy when he walked through the door.  We made eggs, bacon, and biscuits with BBQ chicken inside.  I got the recipe from a commercial.  :-)

We were upstairs relaxing with Mickey on when daddy got home.  It was nice to sit down!  Today was a colder day and it was raining after dinner.  You were both still congested this evening, so everyone got more medicine before bedtime. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

More Congestion

Dearest Precious Gifts~

As soon a Joshua woke up this morning, he threw up.  It was mostly phlegm.  I cleaned everyone and then put everyone in clean clothes and diapers.  I didn't push you all with breakfast since you all didn't feel well.  You all ate a little but not much.  Grace had a runny nose.  Everyone got medicine this morning.  Then, we watched a Mickey Mouse episode to relax.  

Then, we headed out for Target.  You each ate a cookie while there.  We picked up a Christmas tree and a wrist brace for myself .... my right wrist feels sprained.  :-(  We then saw Grandpa Jim briefly.  He had a few things to pass along to us .... some more carnation/shake for Joshua's milk (adds calories) and the extra carseat that Gigi borrowed last week.

After we left his office, we headed to speech therapy with Kim.  You did well little man.  We're still working on 3-4 word phrases and words that begin with 'h'.  She gave us some more homework too.

We made it home for lunch.  I cooked you all fresh hotdogs but neither ate much.  Joshua, you were really not feeling well.  You both were congested with runny noses and watery eyes.  Poor little things.  I gave you all a second dose of medicine.  Joshua, you fell asleep pretty early.  Grace, you played a little and then napped.

I read and then rested once you two were sleeping.  I've read four books this month, which is quite impressive for me.  But, I haven't done my other family goals.  :-P  I've slowed down with baby biscuit's arrival coming soon. 

Once you all were awake, we cooked dinner together.  We made some chicken, rice, onion, corn, carrots, and broccoli.  You two were still congested with runny noses.  So, you all again didn't eat much.  But, we didn't push you all either.

We played with puzzles until daddy got home and listened to Christmas music on the radio.  After dinner, daddy helped us put up the new Christmas tree and lights downstairs.  It looks great!  We have a little angel on the top.  :-)

Everyone relaxed this evening.  I downloaded another book from the library onto my e-reader.  Everyone got more medicine before bedtime.  I hope everyone feels better soon!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Stocking Freezer

Dearest Angels~

Today is one month until Christmas!  Woo hoo!  Also, it's 2 weeks until my birthday!  Double woo hoo!  ;-)

We all ended up going to bed late and waking up early.  But, you two appeared to sleep well though.  We ate breakfast together and then got ready for church.  We saw Gigi, Uncle James, and Grandpa Jim while there.  Gigi played in the praise team.  She brought you two little magnetic doodle pads/pens.  So, you two drew during the sermon.  You all also ate some snacks.  :-)

After church we made a quick trip to Costco to stock up on some meats for our freezer.  They didn't have any good deals on Christmas trees, so we'll get one later.  

We were home for a late lunch.  Then, we did a few chores after lunch.  We wrote some thank you cards for the Thanksgiving lunch, wrapped a few more gifts, and paid the mortgage.  Whamp Wha!  ;-)

You two each picked out some books for story time and then went down for some late naps.  Once awake, we ate dinner together.  You two didn't eat much though.  We stayed downstairs to play and also swept and vacuumed the floors and rugs.  Once back upstairs, we played and then you all fussed at 9pm because you all were hungry!  Ugh!  Why don't you two just eat at dinner time?  :-P

Oh, and Joshua .... you've started a new routine.  You have a temper tantrum everyday now.  Hummm .... we're going to have to stop that pretty soon little man! 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Pumpkin Cookies

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Everyone slept better last night.  Woo hoo!  And, we all had a relaxing breakfast together.  Then, we headed to the grocery store.  You two each ate two cookies.  We got some extra things to make casseroles to freeze.  We're trying to prepare for when baby biscuit comes.  And, we got some more Christmas gifts for people.  We're almost done! 

We were home for lunch and you two helped daddy and I finalize baby biscuit's name.  Joshua can say the name pretty well!  Daddy made pumpkin cookies as you two played downstairs and I cleaned the kitchen.  The cookies made the house smell good!  ;-)

I played a ball game with you two as the cookies were baking.  We worked on passing and catching.  We also rolled balls back and forth.  Grace was in and out of the games.  She got bored easily.  ;-)  Joshua, you liked crashing the balls together and called it a 'crashing game' .... Ha!

Once the cookies were done, we went upstairs for story time.  Grace was napping by 2pm.  Joshua, you didn't go down until 3pm.  Daddy and I read while you all napped.  I picked up my library book once Grace fell asleep and Joshua was just dozing off when I got back.  ;-)  Daddy also folded laundry and watched some UNC football.  It's the last game of the season and we won! 

 

Once awake, we made dinner together.  We cooked sausage, corn, onions, spinach, pasta and put in a pasta sauce.  It was good!  Joshua tried some of the sausage but Grace didn't.  Since Joshua ate all his dinner, we played Wii games in the evening.  Grace helped me wrap the Christmas gifts.  :-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Play Date

Dearest Joshua David and Grace Elizabeth~

Hummm .... more insomnia again around 1am.  :-P  Joshua ended up coming into our room around 2am.  Since I was already awake, I walked him back to his bed to lay down with him.  About two seconds later, I notice my other little roommate (Grace) following me into Joshua's room (she had fallen asleep between daddy and I).  So, the three of us ended up in Joshua's bed.  :-P

Grace, you fell back asleep on my arm.  Joshua, you stayed awake for a while and played with my hair to help you doze back off.  I woke at 6:30 to use the restroom and Grace ended up following me again.  We didn't really sleep that well all night, but at least we're on holiday vacation and didn't have to do anything today.  :-)  Daddy was off from work as well so we all slept in as much as we could.  We had a late breakfast and then played downstairs until mid morning.  Daddy ended up doing some yard work as we played upstairs afterward.

We all ate lunch together.  Grace, you still like to feed a stuffed animal your food before eating it yourself.  It's so cute!  I remember doing that as well.  Every once in a while Joshua saw you do it and he did it too.  ;-)

Joshua, for some reason it was a struggle to get you to finish your lunch.  But, you eventually ate it all.  Grace, you ate and then fell asleep on daddy.

By mid afternoon, (Great) Aunt Beth, Gigi, Uncle James, and Charlie came over for a play date.  You all had fun playing and running around with Charlie!  You all had some cookies and milk too.  We all went to Shane's for dinner and met Grandpa Jim there.  You all had some chicken, fries, mac and cheese.  Then, when we got home, the four of us relaxed and watched some Sherlock Holmes.  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Thanksgiving

Dearest Blessings~

Happy Thanksgiving!  We have to much to be thankful for too!  Thanksgiving is always the fourth thursday in november.  This time last year we were relocated from our house .... remember, we had the hardwood floors placed downstairs.  :-)

I forgot to mention this, but you two can both get into your own carseats by yourselves!  Woo hoo!  Grace doesn't always do it.  She usually just gets into the van and then plays with the buckles in her seat while standing next to it.  :-P  But, even the fact that you two get into the van by yourselves is a big help!  Especially with baby biscuit coming soon! 

I had bad insomnia last night.  I got up around 1am to use the restroom and I just couldn't go back to sleep.  After laying there a while, I started to get hungry.  So, I went downstairs and then read in bed.  I put the book down around 4am.  Ugh.  I hate nights/mornings like that. 

After breakfast, we put laundry on and all watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  We all took it easy and relaxed.  I almost dozed off.  ;-)  Daddy and I gave you two a later snack than usual.  We were going to have a late lunch, so we wanted to time the meal just right for you both.  Joshua had his usual applesauce and Grace had her yogurt.  

We all met up with people for lunch at 1pm once the parade was over.  We got to see Mimi, Grandpa Mike, Uncle Brennan, Aunt Katie, Aunt Judy (Aunt Katie's aunt), Uncle Bob (Aunt Katie's uncle), Betsy and Alex (Aunt Katie's parents), and Rob and Casey (Aunt Katie's brother and girlfriend).  We ate at a restaurant near North Hills Mall.  There was lots of food and everything was so good!  Grace, you got grumpy though and wanted to be held most of the time.

From there we went to (Great) Uncle Laurence's house.  We got to see (Great) Uncle Laurence, (Great) Aunt Marti, (Great) Aunt Beth, cousin Erik, cousin Mia, cousin Christopher, cousin Stephanie, cousin Dean, cousin Charlie, cousin Madelynn, and Gigi!  Whew .... so many people today!  Uncle James and Grandpa Jim were in Asheboro seeing Great Grandpa and Great Grandma. 

We all got to play and visit.  Everyone was still full from lunch, but you two still managed to eat a cookie while there.  ;-)  You two had a lot of fun running around with the other kids!  The bad news was that no one napped, so you all were getting grumpy by 5:30pm.

So, we headed out and were home by 6pm.  We ate a little, but not much.  Then, we relaxed and played upstairs.  We have so much to be thankful for!  I'm so thankful for daddy and my three children!  Daddy got to feel lots of baby biscuit movements today.  She must be getting excited to meet you two!  ;-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

37 Weeks

Dearest Miracles~

Today we're 37 weeks gestation and technically 'full term' with baby biscuit.  Anything less than 37 weeks is considered pre-mature.  Anything 37-40 weeks is considered full term.  And, 40-42 weeks is considered post term.  We'll definitely not go post term since we'll have a C section prior to then. 

You were both awake as I was getting ready for work.  Daddy worked from home to watch you all.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so Penny was with family today.  Which means, I only have to work today and then I'll have only 4 more working days until vacation (maternity leave).  ;-)

You all had a fun daddy day.  You all watched some Mickey Mouse and ate ok for daddy.  You all saw Mimi and went out for lunch.  You all made a gingerbread house, decorated a gingerbread man, and got haircuts.  I was a little disappointed that the back of Grace's hair was cut since it was getting a little long and curled, but you two both look so cute in your haircuts that it's fine.  ;-) 

You two also saw Grandpa Mike briefly after lunch.  You two ended up napping for most of the visit.  Grace, you apparently fell asleep standing up!  Then you napped on Grandpa Mike. 

I was home a little after 6pm.  I had to gas up Oscar the van on the way home.  I had a busy day at work and saw around 24 patients.  But, I'm off tomorrow and we have a long weekend together with daddy too!  Woo hoo!  It was good to be home!

We got more Christmas gifts in the mail today that we had ordered.  Maybe we can start wrapping them this weekend.   We played this evening and watched the next UNC basketball game.  We won! 

I got an email that one of the library books that I put a hold on is now available.  We can pick it up this weekend.  I also have one downloaded on my e-reader.  We'll see how long I can keep up with reading.  :-)

I had more baby biscuit movement/kicks today.  Getting closer .... are you all getting excited?  :-)

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Three Appointments

Dearest Precious Gifts~

Baby biscuit and I had an early OB appointment this morning.  So, Gigi and Uncle James came over at 8am to watch you two.  You all were eating breakfast when they came over.  :-)

The appointment went well.  We'll be 37 weeks gestation tomorrow.  Here are the usual stats:
Weight - 167
Blood pressure - 110/80
Baby biscuit fetal heart rate - 150
Uterine height - 38cm
No protein in urine
No change - cervix closed, no dilating
 

The doctor said we can stay 50% effaced for weeks, or can go quicker.  So, we're still up in the air if we'll make it to the scheduled 12/12/12 date.  If we start having contractions, or if our water breaks, I'm not suppose to eat or drink anything and to call them right away.  So, we'll see!  ;-)

I was back home by 9am.  You all were playing Wii games.  You both had runny noses so I gave you some more medicine this morning.  Grace, you were curled up with Gigi.  :-)

Everyone ate their snacks.  Joshua had his applesauce and Grace had her yogurt.  Then, you two played with Gigi and Uncle James as I cleaned the kitchen.  I picked up some McDonald's for lunch, but they ended up not giving us one of our kids meals.  Ugh.  We made do though and you two still ate well.  Grace, you got cranky though. 

Uncle James and Gigi helped me move one of the second row seats from the van into the house.  This will make an easier access to the third row seating where you all now have your car seats.  Gigi then took Grace with her and Uncle James so she would fall asleep.  Joshua, you and I stayed here since Quinn changed our appointment time to an earlier appointment. 

You did well little man with Quinn!  You did all your words and you put the words on a turkey.  Then, you got to color it for Thanksgiving.  :-)

Then, you and I loaded up to go to speech therapy with Gloria!  Busy busy!  You did well again, though at this point you were getting tired.  Our homework is to concentrate on the 'h' sound.  We have the rest of the week off from appointments because of the holiday.  

You and I then headed to Gigi's house to pick up Grace.  Joshua, you fell asleep on the ride there, but woke once we got to Gigi's.  So, you two had snacks around 4:30pm.  We got to visit with Gigi, Uncle James, and Grandpa Jim.  You two played with toys and played on Gigi's piano, drums, and 'music bells' (her chimes).  ;-)

We made it home after 6pm and I quickly tried to put dinner on the table for you two.  Daddy didn't get home until 7pm.  Everyone had a busy day!  We had just enough time to eat, take a shower (me), and then relax upstairs for another UNC basketball game.  We played poorly for the first half.  So, we all got ready got bed at half time.  The second half was closer, but we still lost.  Oh well.  We'll play for third place in the tournament tomorrow evening. 

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Library Card

Dearest Angels~

Grace, you woke up crying, cried when I changed your diaper and clothes, cried as we came downstairs, and cried during breakfast.  I did't know what your little problem was.  :-P  Everyone was still congested this morning so we all got some medicine.  :-P

I was congested, and it was hard to breathe, so I skipped my bike routine.  I might be skipping a few more depending on how baby biscuit is feeling.  We're in the home stretch, so it's better to keep her safe than to push it.  So, we all relaxed on the couch and watched some Mickey Mouse together.  :-)

Everyone had a good snack time.  Joshua ate all his applesauce and Grace ate all her yogurt.  :-) 

Then, we all got ready and headed to speech therapy with Kim.  Little man, you did well!  You worked on 2-, 3-, and 4- syllable words and phrases.  We're starting to incorporate pronouns.  And, we're still working on saying your name.  :-)

We made a quick trip to the library afterward and I got a library card.  I want to try to download books onto my e-reader.  We walked around a little, but was lunch time, so we headed home pretty quickly.  We got home in time for a late lunch.  You two ate a lot!  Wow!  Afterward, we had story time and then you all went down for late naps. 

I took a shower and then downloaded my first library book on my e-reader.  Woo hoo!  Hopefully this will encourage more reading on my part.  :-)

Once you two woke, we cooked dinner.  We made eggs, toast, bacon, cheese, and fries (for you two).  When daddy got home, we all ate together. 

This evening we played in bonus room.  We made a new train track design as we watched the UNC basketball game.  We won!  Woo hoo!  We play again tomorrow since this is a tournament. 

Grace, you now have your lower right primary canine (tooth #R) erupting!  It won't be long before you get the others!

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy

Christmas Shopping

Dearest Gifts~

Everyone appeared to sleep better last night.  We're still congested this morning but hopefully we're on the mend.  I had insomnia and went to bed close to midnight.  :-P

This morning we did a lot of chores after breakfast:
*Cleaned/organized playroom
*Swept floors upstairs
*Rearranged carseats .... we washed everything yesterday, so we put the seats back together today and moved you two to the third row in the van.  We'll put baby biscuit in the second row in an infant carseat
*Swept/vacuumed downstairs

We made hotdogs for lunch but Grace ending up napping while the three of us ate.  Once she was awake, we made a trip to the mall to walk around.  We got a few things for people for Christmas.  Then, we made a quick trip to Target.  We forgot a few things from yesterday and found a few more Christmas gifts there as well.  As usually, you all each ate two cookies.  Each person is 'suppose' to just take one cookie, but daddy and I always sneak two for each of you.  ;-)

It was around 4ish when we got home.  Daddy made pumpkin bread for work for tomorrow.  They're having their Thanksgiving celebration at his work tomorrow.  I worked on dinner.  I made chicken and added some Pad Tai sauce.  I kept some chicken separate for you two. 

We played upstairs after but Joshua got really cranky from no nap.  This got daddy and I cranky too.  :-P  So, once everyone had another dose of medicine, we headed for an early bedtime.  

Sleep tight little ones!

I love you both so much!

~Mommy