Haircut? and Grant's Favorite Show

There was a time when I thought Grant would never grow any hair. He had a cute, round little had with blond fuzz on top for the longest time. It didn't surprise me. Stephen and I were bald babies as well. Over the past couple of months his hair he really grown! It is also becoming unruly in the back. He might be growing a mullet! The hair on top of his head seems to be ok and will stay down with a little coaxing, but the hair in the back...that's another story. See for yourself!

Grant LOVES Wheel of Fortune

My Sweet Boy!

As you can see from the pictures I might need to schedule a first haircut appointment, but I want Stephen to be present for this monumental milestone. Maybe we can work something out this weekend. I don't trust myself to do it myself.

On a side note Grant seems to like game shows. Family Feud, The Price is Right, and his all time favorite Wheel of Fortune. He really gets into it, clapping and yelling "yea!!!" for each contestant regardless on if they get the question right. He gets very upset when a commercial break comes and sometimes cries the entire time until the show is back on. I guess you just never know what kids are going to like!

Still Hanging On

I had a routine check-up today. Everything is still looks good. I am nearing the end of this pregnancy and I am ready for this little girl to make her appearance! My doctor is going to be out of town next week so I will see the midwife on Monday. He wants to schedule an induction if the baby hasn't come. I am not sure how I feel about an induction. I was induced with Grant and it was a very LONG labor and I was pretty much confined to bed because I couldn't be off of the fetal monitors. I had said that I wouldn't be induced again if I could help it. On the other hand, I am anxious for this baby to arrive. I guess we will have to wait and see what this week brings. I am officially on maternity leave, so all I have to do is wait!

The Stomach Virus Strikes Again....and Again

Well, we have had a rough week. Our suspicions were right. Grant did have a stomach virus. Stephen woke up Wednesday night just before midnight with it. I felt fine and hoped I wouldn't get it. Stephen always gets stomach viruses. Well, I wasn't that lucky. It hit my about 4 am. I couldn't keep anything down and was becoming dehydrated very quickly. I was white as a ghost! Dehydration brought on contractions. By the time I went to the hospital to Labor and Delivery I had already thrown up 21 times! I knew I wasn't in active labor, but I was concerned about the baby and knew that I needed fluids.

When we they hooked my up to the fetal monitors the baby's heartbeat was staying around 200 bpm and only dropping to about 160 bpm during contractions. I received saline, phenergren (which doesn't and didn't work on me) antibiotics because all of my blood panels were elevated and stadol because I had terrible back pain. I told Stephen that I hoped the baby wasn't on her way because I didn't want to be sick when she was born. The nurse had told me that they would not allow me to nurse her if I was sick. (I was so dehydrated it probably wasn't possible!) After about five hours my contractions slowed down back to regular Braxton-Hicks contractions and they discharged me. They sent me home with Zofran (the only anti-nausea drug that works for me) and a script for cephalexin due to my elevated lab tests. I went home a slept for a few hours only to wake up sick again! They had told me to wait to take my meds until everything they had adminisitered in the hospital had worn off. I went ahead and took some Zofran and have been doing so around the clock!

I feel better this morning and I actually ate some grits for breakfast. We are going to take it easy for the next couple days because I need to regain my strength for when Erin decides to my her grand entrance into this world.

I have to thank my sweet husband for taking such good care of me, even when he was sick himself. It wasn't a very romantic Valentine's Day, but one I am sure we won't forget!

One Sick Boy!

Poor Grant! He seems to be feeling a little under the weather. I am not sure if he has a stomach virus, or if he has thrown up/had diarrhea due to a combination of teething and seasonal allergies. He has been cutting all 4 canines since last week and teething always brings along upset stomach, lack of appetite, runny nose and just plain irritability, but yesterday he threw up three times and had an upset stomach. His nose has been running a lot and I am sure that the blanket of pollen everywhere and smoke we had from a local "controlled" burn that got out of hand doesn't help any. Needless to say, we are treating this like a virus and are spending the day at home. I am going to keep him home from church tonight in order to spare the other babies in his class. I am hoping we are wrong and these are just symptoms of his teething because I surely don't need to catch a stomach virus! He seems to be better today thus far, except I have to hold rock him continuosly. Hopefully, he will be back to his old self by tomorrow.

New Addiction...Ebay

Alright, I admit it...I might be addicted to Ebay! Over the past few weeks I have purchased some pretty cool stuff on Ebay. Mostly clothing for the baby. I am desparetly searching for spring and summer dress clothes for Grant, but I have not won any aucitons. It's seems to be harder as he gets bigger. I guess there aren't as many listings for the toddler size clothes as the infant sizes. I have bought Erin some beautiful smocked dresses, cute swimsuits (we are going to need these with Mimi and Papa's new pool!), and bloomers. I have been able to get a lot of the items brand new with tags! I am going to keep trying to find Grant some jon jons. You can't find this kind of clothing around here very easily. People send their boys to church in shorts and a t-shirt in some cases! I prefer to dress my kids up. I have a pattern for a jon jon that I could make and monogram if I had the time. Maybe if I stay off of Ebay and sew I WILL have the time!

37 Weeks and Counting

Today I am at the 37 week mark in my pregnancy. There's not much time left. I went to see the doctor today and ended up seeing one of the midwives in the practice because he was attending a birth. Things seem to be progressing nicely and I have officially "dropped". I can never tell if I have dropped or not, but according to my mom, grandmother, mother-in-law, Steve's grandmother, co-workers, patients, strangers, and now the midwife I have! My GBS test did come back positive this time so I will be given IV antibiotics during labor. It's not that big of a deal as long as they administer the antibiotics.

I am hoping to make it through next Thursday before I begin active labor. I have too much to do before then! (Ha! We all know babies come when they want to come, not by our schedule!) Stephen has to remind me of this everynight when I don't think I can stand another day being pregnant. (I usually feel better in the morning after a few hours of sleep.)

Grant is teething again! He's been constantly cutting teeth since Christmas. He had been very cranky and exhibiting all the signs for teething, but I couldn't figure out why. His lower molars finally erupted a couple of weeks ago. I was able to get a good look last night and now his upper canines are erupting! Poor guy. I feel so bad for him. He wants me to hold him all the time, but is hard for me to carry him around constantly. I know he doesn't understand why I can't. AND... we could have the baby any day now if that isn't enough! Hopefully, these teeth will come on in and he will feel better in a day or two.

Happy Birthday Stephen!

Today is Stephen's 29th birthday! We celebrated last night with his family, but I wanted to wish him a very happy birthday today. Thank you for being such a great husband and an awesome dad. I don't know what we would do without you! We love you!!

--Leslie and Grant

Quick Pic!

One of my favorites from today. I will post more later! I am tired!!!

Grant This Week

Grant found Stephen's old glasses in a drawer the other day. He thinks he is so funny when he puts them on! (I know I shouldn't let him play with prescription glasses, but it was so cute!) He looks very smart too!

Grant and his puppy! Grant absolutely loves Hunter. We are so lucky because Hunter has such a great temperament. I wish I could have gotten this shot from another angle because Grant was pulling Hunter's lips up to look at his teeth. Grant corners Hunter regulary for an inspection of his teeth and ears! Grant laughs so hard, and Hunter endures it without complaint! Hunter is such a good boy!

28 Days to Go!

I saw Dr. Powers today for my 36 week check-up. From now on I will see him every week until the baby gets here. We are still right on track for delivering around the end of the month. I am trying not to get my hopes up that I will go into labor early. I have 6 days of work left and I am ready for maternity leave. I am so drained by the end of the work day. It's getting very difficult for my to reach my patients and I keep bumping them in the head with my belly! This makes for a sore back by the end of the day. (If patients wouldn't act as if I am standing them on their heads when I begin to lay them back it would help me out. It always bugs me. I think, "Can you not lay down at night to sleep?" It's also funny how they complain when I lay them back, but won't say a word about it when the dentist.) Nevertheless, I will hang in there. I have several patients that are trying to get in to see me before I go on leave. Hopefully, I won't dissappoint them.



Grant, on the other hand, is oblivious to the changes about to happen at home. He seems to being going through his on changes. As I have said before, he loves his new room and big boy bed. He now begs to go down for a nap or to go to sleep at night. It used to take me rocking him in order to put him to sleep. This is a welcomed change. Now at bedtime he runs to the bathroom so we can brush his teeth and then crawls in bed and snuggles up with his pillows. I thought I would be rocking him to sleep for the rest of his life! Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind it. I love the special time we had before bed, and if he ever needs me I will gladly rock him again.



Tomorrow, we are having a big birthday party for Stephen's grandmother. She turned 89 this past Wednesday. There will be close to 50 people out here, and that's not the entire family. Stephen has so many cousins!!! (I only have three.) I know we will have a good time and the weather is going to be nice. I am planning on photographing the party for Granny so I should have some pictures to post tomorrow.

(I planned on posting a few snapshots today, but blogger is not cooperating!)

Mimi's Birthday Party

Grant making his silly face for the camera
Playing with the tissue paper

Me, (Baby Erin), and my mom

5 weeks to go!

Our little Lion

We had Mimi, Papa, Old Papa, Granny Peggy, and Aunt Vicki over this evening for dinner and Birthday cake. My mom's birthday is on Monday, so we celebrated tonight. Grant enjoyed putting on a show for the family. He still does not have a large vocabulary, but tonight he had a lot to say. I don't know what he was telling us, but I am sure it was important.

I still have about 5 weeks to go before the baby is due. I have had more Braxton Hicks contractions than I had with Grant. Maybe I just notice them more this time because I know what they feel like. Either way, I hope that in 34 days (or before) we have a baby!

Week Recap

Well, it's been a week since I was able to update my blog. As always, I have been very busy. It all began last Friday when I managed to grocery shop, take Grant to his play date in town and fix dinner all before lunchtime. Friday afternoon I treated my self to a much long overdue haircut. I am ashamed to say it had been a year and two weeks since my last haircut. I know, I am bad! It's just that I never take the time to just do it. Anyway, I rushed home to eat dinner. Then Stephen and I went over to Jon and Amy's for a game night. We ended up playing Catch Phrase (which I LOVE!!!!) for most of the night.

Saturday morning I woke up early (again!) because I had to go into town for some last minute shopping for the baby shower that I was hosting on Sunday. I came back home just in time to whip up some dessert and go to our young adult cookout at the church building. It was originally supposed to be at the park, but due to the cold rainy weather we moved it indoors to the church building. We had a great time and Mr. McDonald made some of the best ribs I have ever had!!! After lunch everyone broke up into groups to play different games. We brought Grant with us so we ended up leaving early because it is hard to play anything when you have a sixteen month old to watch. Stephen and I tried taking turns, but I am going to be honest. I am huge and I just can't wrestle (yes, wrestle) him as easily as I used to. I know that it's going to be difficult when the baby is born to juggle to kids, but part of me will be relived to have my body back!

Sunday was another long day. We had a fellowship meal after church. Then I hosted a baby shower for a friend who is expecting twins about the same time that our little girl is due. The shower was very nice and I am glad I was able to do it for her. So I didn't get home until about 9 pm Sunday night. I was worn out!

Monday was back to work. Nothing exciting happened this day. Tuesday evening Stephen and I had the opportunity to go have dinner with a family from church. Stephen had fixed their computer a few months ago and the wanted to do something nice for him in return. We really had a good time and the food was great! I have to admit I didn't want to go because I was tired, miserable from being on my feet all day, but I am glad we went.

Wednesday I had a day off. Yea!!! Grant and I spent the day at home. I started working on all the burp cloths I need to make. There are so many babies being born in the next few weeks! I was able to get a good start and I hope to finish everything up this weekend.

Today was a regular Thursday. It's the night that the office is open late. All of us dread working that one extra hour, but today wasn't so bad. Now, I am just looking forward to another busy week! I will say that even though it sounds bad....I am thankful to be so busy. Time is flying by and hopefully we will have baby Erin here soon!

I've Been Tagged!

Thanks to my good friend Kelly I have been "tagged", as you will, to complete this list.

The Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

or Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.

or Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old.

Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.

I am going to do the top 5 places I would like to see or see again.

1. I would love to take a trip to the Grand Canyon. I have never been any further west than Oklahoma. There is so much of this beautiful country that I haven't seen.

2. I have also always wanted to travel to Australia. Maybe one day I can take a trip "Down Under."

3. I had the wonderful opportunity to take a musical tour of Europe when I was sixteen. I had such a great time. I saw so much history and art, but I don't feel like I fully appreciated it at 16. It wasn't until I studied most of the places I had visited in college that I realized what a great opportunity I had. With that said I would love to travel back to Rome. This time with my husband. I did throw my coins in the famous Trevi Fountain so we will see when I shall return!

4. Along the same lines as #3, I would love to go back to Switzerland. Not for the same reasons as I would Rome. We had the chance to hike in the Swiss Alps while we were there. It was truly breathtaking. I had been to the Appalachian Trail many times, and while they have their on beauty, the Alps are magnificent. We went during the summer so we only had patches of snow. I can remember a moment when my band director and another guy on the trip stopped on the trail and sang the song "How Great Thou Art." Every time I sing this song I see the greatness of God in his creation!

5. Lastly, I would like to travel back to New York City. I went to New York as a Junior in high school and had a blast. Stephen and I always talk about going back. There is so much to see and do. I would love to see another Broadway show on Broadway! I know Liz and Brian want to go. We need to bite the bullet and plan a trip one day!


So as the rules go I must tag some people...most of my short list of blogging friends have already been tagged. I will tag Melissa, Liz and Tricia. Complete the list if you want.

Brothers Forever!!!

Stephen and I just finished watching American Idol from last night. I haven't laughed so hard in such a long time. (Maybe this is due to the fact that I am exhausted. I tend to think things are very funny when I am tired.) Normally, I get annoyed with the crazy auditions of people dressed in costume, but I enjoyed this guy. I don't think we have seen the end of his career.

So Sweet!

I took this yesterday when Grant was napping. He recently found his Glowworm and now totes it around with him. I think it is sweet considering we will be bringing a new baby home soon. (Stephen, however, thinks it too closely resembles a baby doll!) I am sure Grant will be fine if I allow him to play with a Glowworm!

Grant's "Big Boy" Room and the Nursery

Grant moved into his new room and big bed right before Christmas. We wanted to go ahead and make the transition before bringing the new baby home. He loves his new room. All in one swoop he moved out of his crib, into a new room, and gave up his bottle! He thinks he is such a big boy! He has only gotten out of bed in the middle of the night one time and he came straight to our room. (Although, he hasn't given up his night waking habit! We are still working on that one, but at least he doesn't roam the house at 2 am!) I think the decor in his room will last a while for a little boy.

We finally finished the nursery. There was some debate over whether to paint the room pink or not, but I like the green and I think it goes well with the bedding. Stephen was happy that I didn't make him paint this room too. The walls were green because it went with Grant's nursery bedding.

I only have 16 working days left before I go on maternity leave! Yea! (Don't get too excited...I only work 3 days a week!) I am really looking forward to being home all the time with Grant and Erin. I know it will be a challenge at first, but I will adapt like all other mothers of two or more. I will be on maternity leave until May when I will return to work two days a week.

Flashback!

I have been trying to upload this photo for some time now. Does anyone recognize these people? This is a family snapshot taken by my Uncle Tony 26 years ago. I love this photo! (Sorry mom, I know you don't.) The extra baby in the middle is our cousin Kristin. As I understand it, Uncle Tony had stopped by the house one Saturday and took this picture. What a happy little family!

A New Hairdo?

This is what daddy did New Year's Eve. Grant did look cute and he was squeaky clean when they were finished!

New Ultrasound Pics

Today Stephen and I went back for our second 3-D ultrasound. We still didn't get the pictures we thought we'd get because her little head is right by the placenta. (I think the earlier ones might be better.) This doesn't pose a problem during the regular ultrasound, but when they change over to the 3-D images it gets in the way. Oh well, the best thing is that she's healthy. (Yes, we did confirm that she's a girl!) She is right on track for delivering on or around the due date. They estimate that she weighs 4 pounds today. I think she is going to be close to the same size as Grant. He was 7lb 3oz and 21" long. She seems to be pretty long herself. I only have 8 weeks to go! My last day at work is Valentine's Day. I have to go back to work tomorrow : ( I have been off for the last 2 weeks. At least I will stay busy and before I know it we will be blogging from the hospital announcing Erin's arrival!

I hope everyone had a great New Year!

You Just Can't Eat Just One!

Grant has taken a liking to the oyster crackers my family makes every Christmas. They are addicting! This afternoon he fell asleep eating his beloved crackers. He refuses to eat any other snack food if he sees the crackers. I can't blame him, I love them too!

Christmas 2007

I finally made a Christmas Slide show! We had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending time with family. Grant received plenty of gifts. This must have been the "Radio Flyer" Christmas because he got a Radio Flyer scoot-a-bout, a wagon, and a horse! He loves them all!

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas!

http://www.photoshow.com/members/leslielarson/all/Se7ZT2tE

Merry Christmas Eve!

Grant before church

A pregnant pose! 10 weeks to go!

I think I have finally completed everything on my list of things to do! YEA! Now, we can just sit back and enjoy spending time with our family this Christmas. Tonight we are going over to my parent's house for our traditional Christmas Eve Buffet and we will open gifts with my family. We will miss having Melissa, Chris, Brandon, Matt, Brian, Liz, James, Anna and Luke this year!!! I know we have to share you with your family too, but it sure will be quiet with just one grand kid running around.

Tomorrow morning I am having my family and Stephen's family over for breakfast. (I love breakfast!) That way everyone can see what Santa brought Grant. Then, we will have Christmas dinner with Stephen's parents.

Don't worry, I will take plenty of pictures and will try to post them soon! I am on vacation until January 3rd!!!!

Erin's Bedding

Here's the picture off of Babies R Us' website. I will post pictures of the new nursery when it's finished!

Grant's Christmas Party

Grant after church at Mimi and Papa's

He was very silly!

Grant entertaining the masses

He has such a big mouth!

Grant at the party

His favorite toy!

Future drummer?!!?

Yesterday we had Grant's Christmas party for the Cradle Roll through Kindergarten at church. This year they did something different and had it a "Day of Play." It's a place where you can rent party rooms and there are all sorts of toys and an indoor jungle gym to play on. We has refreshments, but Grant did not want any part of it. All he wanted to do was play. (on the swing mostly) We had a great time, but I hope Santa Claus visits next year!

On a side note Grant's new room is almost finished. We put his bookcase together Saturday night and his dresser arrived today. I just need some curtains, and shelves for the walls. I will try to post pictures as soon as it's finished. I also picked out some bedding for Erin's nursery. I spent a lot time designing and making Grant's bedding and I always dreamed I would do the same if I had a little girl, but due to time constraints I am settling for the set I picked out. I think it will turn out cute!

Grant's 15-month Check-up

It has been a while since I did an update on Grant. We went for his check-up today and he received five shots including his flu-shot. He did very well. I love our pediatrician! She has four kids of her own, and I found out today that they are all 18 months apart! She talked to me about the transition of bringing the new baby home and I feel a little better about the whole thing. Grant has fallen out of the 95% into the 90% for both weight and height. He weighs in at 28lbs and is 31 3/4" tall. He is doing so much now. He prefers to feed himself and uses a spoon and fork very well. He is running and climbing on top of everything! He likes to play outside and his favorite thing to do right now is push anything with wheels...everywhere! He shakes his head "no" when we tell him know, but is having trouble shaking yes. We are working on it. He is a man of few words. He is beginning to jabber more, but his list of words include uh-oh, mama, dada, thank-you and something that sounds like no. (He does this when he does not want anymore food.) It is truly amazing to watch him grow and change right before our eyes. He is very inquisitive and like to see how things work. I know one day I will come in and he will have taken something apart!

Our "Tank" has arrived!

Well, this has been a very exciting day to say the least. Stephen and I still can't get over it. Poor Stephen stayed up half the night painting Grant's new room blue. The nursery is painted green, which will work for a girl. I just have no idea where to begin. Of course, Grant and I went shopping this afternoon and I bought a little "going home" outfit for our little girl. I also couldn't help myself and I went to Dillard's and bought two beautiful smocked dresses! This is going to be so dangerous!

I guess I need to fill everybody in on her name:

Erin Ashley Larson

We have had this name picked out for 8 years...before we were even married, so this was an easy one.

I will keep you posted as we finish Grant's new room and I begin the girlie one.

Here's a SHOCKER!

Today we had our 3-D ultrasound and....it's a girl!!!!! We were shocked, but the pictures show a little girl! I was not prepared for this and I am in a little bit of a shock, but we are so excited! I have got a lot to do in the next 11 weeks to prepare for Grant's new baby sister. There is the nursery to do, clothing to buy, things to embroider! I better get busy!

We are actually going back for one more ultrasound on 1-2-08 because my amniotic fluid is a little on the low side. The lady said that she would get us some more 3-d images at that appointment.

Weekend Update

We had another busy weekend (who didn't?). It all began Thursday night when I went to a local Oral Surgeon's Christmas Party. He hosts a party every year to show appreciation to all of his referring offices. It was good to see some friends of mine that work around town. Friday morning I got up bright and early, on my day off, to take the dreaded glucose test. It's really not that bad except that I have to fast, and for someone who continually stays nauseated that can be a bit of a problem. I took a good nap that afternoon when Grant went down for his nap. For some reason drinking straight glucose makes me very sleepy!

Stephen and I actually had no where to go Friday night (which is rare!) We began making plans for Grant's new room We are moving Grant into a new room and leaving the nursery as is, with a few adjustments, for the new baby. Saturday Stephen was able to prime the walls, but he has yet to paint them. We have chosen a light blue for the walls. I also ordered him a new dresser and bookshelf which should be here before Christmas! The goal is to have Grant in his new room by the end of the year. As soon as we are finished I will post pictures.

Saturday evening we went to Stephen's cousin's daughter's (you got that?) birthday party. She turned two! We had a great time and Grant enjoyed playing with her.

Sunday was the usual Sunday filled with church, football, naps, and more church. (I must admit that I do not care much for NFL games. It's just not the same as the good ol' SEC games!)

Stay tuned for some 3-d images of the baby on Wednesday. I will post them as soon as possible ofter the ultrasound!

Christmas Trees, Birthday Parties, and Baby Update

This weekend has been a fun filled, exciting weekend. Thursday evening we decided to get our Christmas tree. We buy one every year from the Middleburg High Band. Stephen and I were both in the band and know how big of fundraiser it is for the kids. It's funny because we used to recognize people working the tree lot because they had older brothers or sisters in band with us, but not anymore. Anyway, we went after dark to pick out the tree (not always a good idea). I couldn't remember if I needed a 7 ft or an 8 ft tree. I had the boys pulling out trees left and right, but I couldn't find one that I thought was as full as last year's tree. Not wanting to inconvenience the guys anymore I settled on the one above. I was disappointed when we got it home because it looks so small. I am satisfied with it, I will just remember to go with a taller tree next year. When we got it home and began to decorate it (I should say "I" began) Grant decided to help me by pulling on the lights. It was kind of cute, but he got the idea that he is not allowed to touch the tree. He does however try to take a Christmas bell ornament off from time to time.

Yesterday morning I had a routine doctor's appointment so Stephen stayed home with Grant. Everything is progressing nicely with this pregnancy and I am right on track to deliver on my due date. It is so nice to be able to go to an appointment and receive good news or no news! It seems like I could catch a break when I was pregnant with Grant. I did get the lab slip for the glucose test. I will have to take it sometime this week. Even that is not as bad as last time because I had to take the long test with Grant. I will now start going to visit the doctor every two weeks. I can't believe that time is passing by so quickly! I am scheduled for a 3-d ultrasound on Wednesday, December 12th and we can't wait to get a glimpse of our baby boy!

Today Grant and I went to a co-worker's little girl's birthday party. It was at a local park and the weather was beautiful! Grant fell asleep on the way there and slept for a good part of the party before he woke up and played on the play ground. We had a good time! I spent the rest of the day visiting with some of the family and cleaning house!