Happy Thanksgiving!

This was a special Thanksgiving for us because the two families celebrated together for the first time -- mine and Paul's. We're very thanksful that our two families are so close and get along so well. It makes for a very enjoyable holiday season for all :-) Jake had a blast with all of the activity and people to visit with, but he didn't pig out on turkey and mashed potatoes like the rest of us! He was more interested in walking around than being confined to his booster seat to eat. But we did capture a couple candid shots of him!

Arriving at grandma's!

Handsome Thanksgiving outfit :-)

Take a picture of me, plllllleeeassee! (loves the camera)

Relaxing after all of the festivities in his jammies.

And couldn't resist adding in a picture of mommy's belly AFTER Thanksgiving dinner :-) Hopefully this will help to start gaining some pounds!!

Yes, that is at 16 weeks. What they say about getting bigger faster with the second one is true!

Congratulations, Sara & Jason!

I have to give a shout out to one of my very best friends, Sara, who got engaged last night!! I know that she and Jason will be happy together for many, many years to come. And I can't wait for the planning and the wedding!!

Jake & His New Friends

Last weekend Jake had a double treat of meeting: Riley, granddaughter of Jake's grandmother's (Kathy's) very dear friend and Owen, Jake's 3rd cousin (pretty sure that is the relation there!!).

Riley is 12 months old and she and Jake just had the best time playing with each other. Jake gave her several big hugs so I think it might be destiny in the works.... oh did I mention that Riley and Jake were already betrothed to one another by their grandparents?!?!

Here they are having lunch together.... their first date! (That's pregnant mommy in the background.) They certainly enjoyed sharing their food, juice, and milk with each other!

Owen is just about 6 weeks old but Jake was interested in visiting with the little baby..... for a couple seconds :-) He was more interested in trying to climb in mommy's lap while she was holding the baby!

This is Owen with his mommy, Anna.

Hail to the Redskins!

Okay maybe it was a not so graceful loss to the Cowboys, but we're still 7-4 and that's nothing to be ashamed of! Jake has been getting in to the spirit this season and he wanted to show you!

He Talks!

Over the last couple of months, I have thought about Jake talking and when he was going to start spewing out words and phrases and sentences..... like, "Mo, No!" and "More Juice!". I have never worried about his progress with talking or brought it up as a concern with his doctor because (1) he is a boy and boys tend to take a little longer to talk, (2) he is a 6 week preemie, (3) he babble talks all day long, and (4) he will do it when he is good and ready! But of course as the doting mom that I am, I secretly hoped that he wouldn't have any speech/talking/developmental problems.

As my mom and I sat on the bed today and watched Jake crawl down off the side, he looked up at us and waved and said "bye bye" and at that moment, I realized that we have nothing to fear. Our little boy is talking his own language every day and is beginning to make the transition to our language so we can understand each other.

Then he walked over to Mosley who was chewing on a ball and said, "ball".

Phew, smart kid :-)

Surgery Update

The cerclage surgery was yesterday and it went well. My doctor said he "felt good about it" so here's to hoping I am waddling around still in May! I went under general anesthesia and the good thing was it was quick and I was back at home in just a couple of hours. Bad news is that it did a number on my body... I have been under anesthesia before and had the spinal epidural when I had Jake and never had a bad reaction to any of that. This time was just a tad different - actually, I have never been so sick before in my life. Luckily that only lasted about 12 hours and I have a bit of an appetite back today. The worst part about today is being so sore that I can barely move -- not from the surgery mind you, but from the anesthesia's aftermath. I am sure you can imagine why. Plus the tube they put down my throat when I was under the anesthesia did a number on making my throat and neck sore. But enough of that! Baby is good, I am good, and resting comfortably at home. I am on bed rest for a week but am able to work from home and have family helping out with Jakers. It goes without saying, but I am very appreciative of all of the texts and phone calls that I have gotten to wish me well and offering to help. It never ceases to amaze me that I have such a tremendous support network. I don't know what I would do without that!

Night, Night Jakey!

Jake loves rocking in his chair before bedtime! He and daddy are spending the night together all by themselves tonight because mommy is out of town at a meeting for work. (I think they secretly love that boy time together!)

Welcome to the 2nd Trimester!

We've made it! One trimester down, two more to go... So this is when I should start getting energy back, feeling a little better (normal, perhaps?), yadda yadda. Let's hope so. I can't deny that I have been feeling a little bit better but I still have good days and bad days. My pre-op appointment was yesterday.... surgery is a week from today. Baby bop is looking good! She/he is about 3 1/2 inches long now and the size of a lemon. Heartbeat was great and I could see the little legs kicking around (haven't felt the baby move yet). The placenta is laying a little low but my doctor said he wasn't too concerned about that as it usually corrects itself as the pregnancy progresses. The cervix is still looking good and is closed, so one week of bed rest after surgery and then he will let me do my thing until 21/22 weeks and we'll reevaluate. Here's to hoping that I can be big and fat and still waddling around at the end of the pregnancy :-)

Jake & Chloe

Last weekend Jake's cousin, Chloe, came for a sleepover with us (she is my younger brother's 6 year old daughter). She was such a huge help with Jakers. The two of them adore each other! I have never seen Jake so content as he was when Chloe was in the rec room playing with him and his toys. I could actually go in to the kitchen for like 5 minutes without him looking for me! They look a bit related, yes? Those Grant genes are STRONG!!

New BG2 Pics

In the last two weeks I feel like I have had like 12 more ultrasounds. Okay, maybe only 3 more but here are some of the newest photos!

First one shows the big head. Second one shows the baby's profile from the side. Third one shows the little one waving at mommy! And the last one is a 3D ultrasound looking at the baby from the top down. That's our little baby!!

Happy Birthday Paul!

It's the BIG 3-0 today!! I hope that you are as proud of yourself and your accomplishments as I am and as the rest of your family is. You have a lot to celebrate today! We love you!!

Jake's Nummy Nums

Okay this was TOO funny not to share! We all know how much Jake LOVES his nummys... they are his security blanket. Well the other morning he must have found like 5 nummys in his room because I caught him walking around with one in his mouth and two in each hand!

Halloween at Work

The ladies (and Jon) from the 7th floor got in to the spirit this year and we celebrated the holiday in style!

Belle: Jen
Snow White: Judy
Cinderella: Jenn
Sleeping Beauty: Abby
Poision Ivy: Jydonne
Dwight (from The Office): Jon

Jake's Halloween

Jake's second Halloween! He was a little more interactive this year. Some of you will recall last year and his blob status as a 3 month old dressed as Pooh Bear who sat in his car seat while mommy passed out candy :-) Daddy took Jake trick or treating to the neighbors' houses and Jake had a thrilling good time digging through the bowls of candy. I think his favorite part was seeing all of the little kids come to the door though. He LOVES other kids. The monkey costume was cute but he hates things on his head, hands, and feet, so the body part of the costume was the only one that really stayed on. Here are a couple candid shots that we managed to grab!