November in Passing

So this month has gone by quickly. It's been full of doctor's appointments and coughing and running noses. So to finally get off the Halloween post, here's an update from the Gibbons:

Tessa's leg is healing properly. She's still in her cast for another week and a half and we found out at her check up appointment that even after they take off the cast (on Dec. 1st!) she'll have to be in a walking boot for who knows how long. So that drama will stretch on a little longer than I had originally hoped. Just think how small that walking boot must be to fit a kid the size of Tessa. :) Her sponge baths in the sink have been interesting as she gets more and more into them, splashing and getting mom very wet. I'll be very happy when she can at least take a normal bath again!

Tessa's wellness checkups are finally back to normal. For those who weren't aware, Tessa's weight was off the charts as in below the chart, so we've spent the last two months now really monitoring her food and trying to feed her lots of good fatty foods to help fatten her up. Besides her normal three meals and snacks, we've had to supplement with Carnation drinks to boost her calorie intake. Luckily she likes the chocolate milk and after her follow up visit, the doctor was happy to announce that Tessa had finally surpassed the 20 pound mark and was back on the growth curve. (And that measurement was before the cast was put on!) So yeah Tessa!!

My doctor appointments have been going well and as planned - waiting in the waiting room longer than I'm actually in with the doctor. I had a second ultrasound because my placenta was low-lying (could mean a c-section if it stays low-lying for the entire pregnancy), but the second ultrasound showed that it had moved so no more stressing about that. And we got a verification that we're definitely having another girl, so there should be no surprises there.

As the winter season slowly arrives, the girls and I have had your typical runny nose and cough that comes with the season, but unfortunately it's not going away. At least it's not the flu I guess, but it still isn't fun. Tessa continues breathing treatments on her nebulizer each night to make sure her cough/cold doesn't affect her breathing or lungs. Luckily she's been fine in that regards, but seeing a little 20-month-old hold her own mask while she breathes in the medicine is so cute, yet sad in a way. The things some kids have to learn for their health.

On a brighter note, the girls and I did spend one weekend in WF with my family because it was my 10-year high school reunion. Crazy I know. Tyler unfortunately had to work, so the girls and I only went to the event where kids were invited. It was fun to see some old friends. I thought I'd regret it if I didn't go when I live so close, but after going and seeing people I recognized but not remembering their names, I decided it's probably something I can miss in the future. The people I remember and want to see are usually the ones I already keep in touch with anyway, so it works out. It was fun to show the girls my old stomping grounds, not to mention the classroom where I saw the name of Mr. Pearson, who's still teaching. He was my History teacher who is one of the two teachers who taught me and all three of my older brothers (my oldest being 7 years older than me.) So if that tells you anything, he's been there forever. But I think that is awesome because even though history is NOT my favorite subject in the least, he was a really good teacher who knows his stuff and loves teaching. So that was cool for me to see.

So that's been our November. I'm sure with the upcoming week of Thanksgiving, there will be plenty more eventful things to post about, so for now we'll just express our thanks early for all of our family and friends who keep us going. Thanks to you all!