My View (vol. 23)

What I am reading: Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

What I am eating: Progresso soup, English muffins, applesauce, baked potato, green beans.

Grace had cheese.

Meal planning: None. I was sick this past week(s), so I had Will do the grocery shopping. He bought all chicken. Nonetheless, my SIL bought me a super cute meal planning pad for the fridge, so I think I'll start using it this week. (Because the pad means I am serious...!!)

We're working on our food budget + Grace's diet. She is interested in adult food, but only what is on our plates. When I fix her a GHB dish, she usually tosses it on the ground. Scrambled eggs have been the exception there, fortunately or unfortunately. We're sticking to her baby food for now, but we're both getting more serious about more "grown up" baby food. Tomorrow, we're trying a quinoa, black beans and avocado dish out of the baby + toddlers cookbook I have. We'll probably dish up more chicken too!

This week in history: Hard to remember; all I really know is how tired and not well I was... and that one student told me to stop yawning in class because I was making her yawn! I promise I am sleeping! More pregnancy nausea; trying to offer it up.

My in-laws left (I'll post pictures from Grace's birthday this week); class for me; Grace made great progress in therapy (including an extended arm crawl!);

Like a boss.

Will ended his anesthesia rotation, started his OB rotation, and rocked his ATLS (advanced trauma life support, aka his job) test!

Grace had an awesome 12 month check-up, complete with four shots and a new board book! 

Yes Grace, a few more minutes...

We also made the family decision not to go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It would just be Grace and I (Will works holidays), and either I would have 14 hours in the car to Cincinnati (maybe more! Eek!), or I would have to fly with a baby on my lap plus a nice sized preggo bump on an airplane. Neither sounded very appealing, and our budget thanks us for not spending the money too.

This will be my first Thanksgiving without my family, and my second Christmas. My Dad was cheering me up by saying how good it will be for me to spend it with my real/new-ish/little Baldwin family ...

... is it weird that I still struggle with the familial lines? I love Will and Grace more than life, but I am so programmed to being with my extended family as well as my first family during the holidays. I know exactly what my family will be doing on major and minor (e.g. Mother's Day, etc.) holidays. We move like clockwork. It is a very different way of celebrating now - more Baldwin style, I suppose, since Will did not grow up with all of his extended family in close, within 15 minute range like me. He's not as sentimental either, perhaps.

Fortunately, an ER attending couple has a 48 hour Thanksgiving at their house every year, and a college friend of Will's invited us to his parents' house an hour+ away. During Christmas, my bestie Vivian is coming down from NYC for two days, and then my family will arrive the next day! Positive thoughts!!!

Oh, and duh... this week, we felt the baby roll around for the first time!!!!

Prayers: The Middle East! For private intentions. For all celebrating (and living) Spina Bifida Awareness Month (check out the #embracethebif campaign!) Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and Pregnancy & Infant Loss Month this October! We celebrated World Cerebral Palsy Day on October 1. May these lives shine light on the inherent goodness of all humans.

Next week, I am going to: Laugh and play a lot with Grace. Teach class. Pack for my friend Kate's wedding in VA. Run the dishwasher once a day. Feel better. Grade a lot of papers. Try to write more. Hopefully sleep more. Have my 20 week anatomy scan!

Will and Grace playing peek-a-boo!

For more giggles, here are Will and Grace in action. Happy weekend!