It's been awhile....

Well, it's been several days since my last post...I guess between the relaxin time off of work and then the business that is life, I just didn't get a chance to sit down and write about everything that's been going on! So, I will try to start at the beginning....

First, vacation was great.  We were able to spend some much needed time at the house doing absolutely nothing and just enjoying each others' company.  I also was able to get some work done on my dissertation...which, I successfully defended on July 9!!  :)  That means that, on August 15, I will OFFICIALLY be Dr. Esther Bledsoe.  Oh, I like the ring of that!

This picture was taken right after I rang the bell--ringing the bell is a tradition for someone who successfully defends a dissertation.  It's the schools' way of letting everyone in the building know that there is a new doctor amongst them.  Unfortunately, I defended in summer, so there was only one other person who came out and congratulated me.  HA!

The very next day, I travelled to Jackson for Grayson's second baby shower.  My wonderful girlfriends from college put everything together, and I couldn't have felt more loved than I did on that day.  I was so excited to see so many wonderful friends who love Grayson so much already!  We got some WONDERFUL gifts...thank you so much, everyone!!!

See, they love Grayson already!! :)  And, on top of all the wonderful things we got at the shower, David's mom, sister, and grandmother bought us Grayson's highchair, and my parents bought the car seat and stroller.  We are sooooooo very blessed!  

The last several days have been spent working and getting as much rest as I can.  We went to the doctor on Thursday for my 35 week checkup.  Grayson has dropped and is all in place to make his appearance! The doctor again told me that our little boy's heartbeat is perfect, my blood pressure is perfect, and my weight is perfect...although, gaining 32lbs is a little much for me!  We will go back to visit the doctor every week from here on out.  Hopefully there will be progress at each visit!

This past weekend, we got A LOT done at the house.  I think David and I are finally starting to feel more prepared in terms of having things that we need in place.  We have the pack-n-play all set for Grayson to sleep in for the first few weeks, his clothes/blankets/towels/burp cloths are all washed and put away, the car seat is in the car, and his nursery is ALMOST done.  We are still waiting on our custom-made letters that we ordered from etsy.com...I LOVE that website!  Once those come in, then we will officially be all set for Grayson!  Here is his almost complete room:

I think the part about the nursery that I love the most, is the rocking chair.  That rocking chair is so very special, and I am so excited to have it.  You see, my great grandmother, Granny Ruth, rocked every single one of her kids in that chair, as did her mother.  Granny was an amazingly Godly woman (with a CRAZY large family, including at least 50 grandkids, great grandkids, and great-great grandkids), who I looked up to, and still strive to be like.  She passed away over 10 years ago, but I still think about her daily.  I didn't know until just a few weeks ago that she had saved this chair for me to have to rock my babies in....and, I am absolutely in awe that she wanted me to have it.  I think it completes Grayson's room perfectly.  :)

Finally, here is a "preggo belly pic" of Grayson at just over 35 weeks:

Only a month left to go!

We love you all!