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Today Hadley and I joined Beth, Clara, Adelaide, Christine, Hannah, Luke, Annie, Norah and Conner for a playdate at Beth's house before heading to Nebs in Oshawa where the kids enjoyed 5 frames of bowling.   (They were allowed up to 2 full games but that is all we had time for as their bowling balls roll quite slowly down the lanes).  They all took turns very well and clapped and cheered for one another.  They also enjoyed a few snacks at the table.  
Hadley had a small mishap and dropped a ball on her hand leaving a bit of a bruise but she still wanted to play so we iced it between turns and she said that helped.
We all signed up for kidsbowlfree.com and only had to pay for shoe rental.  $2.25 per kid.  Not bad for an afternoon of bowling.

- Leanne Verkley

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37 wks LMP (35 wks gestation).
The baby weighs approximately 6.30 lbs or 2859 grams and is approximately 19.13 inches or 48.6 cm long.  This is the earliest date for full-term birth.
The baby settles in under my pelvis at this point. This process is called "lightening" which makes breathing a little easier for me but the baby's new position doesn't stop the kicking and punching.  This is all according to pregnancy.org but...

Today at our midwife appointment after an unusual reading of the baby's heart rate, we did a non stress test and an ultrasound just to check in on the baby.  After all that it was determined that the baby was fine and weighs in at approximately 7.9 pounds and is closer in size to a 38 and a half week baby instead of a 37 week baby.  Even with the 37 cm which was measured.
My blood pressure was it's usual low self coming in at 96 over 60.
I am supposed to count each day and make sure that I have 6 movements in 2 hours.
Weekly appointments start now.  

- Leanne Verkley

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Today Brian, Hadley and I went to visit Lindsay and Jamie and their new baby Henry!    He was born on the 28th of August and now at three days old we finally got to meet him.  
He is SO cute!  And little.
I am so excited for their new little family.  I could totally relate to delivery stories, sleep deprivation and being totally in love.
And now I start to think of the arrival of our second baby.  
Such an exciting time!  

- Leanne Verkley

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I used to read all the time.  
Before I was a mom I read on the GO Train a lot on the way to and from work.  Usually the newspaper in the morning and a novel at night on the way home.
However, since taking on this new career, it has mostly been kids books, or snippets from an online article or the newspaper as I find the time.
It has taken me 3 years to finish Michael Crichton's - Travels.  It was a good book and included a section on Kilimanjaro which was truly fun to read.  However, I am super glad it was written in such a way that I could start and stop this book.

In the last month or so, I decided I would start another book.  I read Malcolm Gladwell's - The Tipping Point.  An interesting read on how things can change in our society.  I decided I would dare another book that I could pick up and put down.  However, this time I didn't need such a book.  I read the whole thing in under a month.  Sure there were days I didn't have time for reading but it still didn't take three years.  A huge achievement.  :)

- Leanne Verkley