So tired and sore...

A HUGE thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for basically making Brookie's room a truly beautiful place this weekend! My mom made bumble bee cushions for my rocking chair, replaced the cushion on my ottoman to back and white gingham to match, with matching decorative pillow, made curtains, and is in the process of creating Brooklyn's "B," so she'll have one just like the Duke. My dad, the super Mr. Handyman extraordinaire, managed to turn an old dresser that once belonged to my mom as a child, into a perfect replica of a cherry red, standing Snap.On tool chest for Capt. Duke's Car.s bedroom! He also fully refurbished a solid wood toy chest for Brookie's room that is absolutely adorable and matches perfectly! They brought over the coolest piece of wall art ever. My sis bought this round 1 billion piece Mary Engelbrei.t puzzle with my favorite of her sayings on it and after 3 people took turns putting it together, my dad Hodge Podg.ed it together so I can hang it on the wall above the changing table (Thank You Mel, Mom & Nancy for your mad puzzle skills!). So, her room now has a built and waiting crib, changing table, rocking chair and ottoman, and toy chest. Pretty much all that's left is filling said dresser/changing table with clean munchkin clothes, decorating the walls, and prepping for the little princess' imminent arrival!


Promise to post pictures of Brooklyn's room tonight when I get home from work...


Note to self, marathon cleaning for 7 hours is fully possible while almost 8 months pregnant, but HIGHLY not recommended. Pretty much every muscle from my knees up is sore and I'm walking like a 90 year old today... Not a good plan! Oh yeah, got a visit from my old buddy pitting edema this weekend! Was hoping that he'd stay far, far away this time but obviously not...

Swollen Cankels AGAIN

Really, really tired today as I finally gave in to my fanatical football fan of a husband who's patiently waited to buy a new flat screen TV until last night... Poor Matt had previously been relegated to watching an 11 year old 31" dinosaur so I was really happy for him last night as he signed for the new (BIG) TV, sound system and TV stand/entertainment center. It was like watching a kid at Christmas morning! Anywho... We are now proud owners of a 42" fancy schmancy flatscreen TV, rockin' Bose surround sound system and all the fixin's! It really is pretty cool and I can't wait for Lukey Duke to be able to watch Cars and Finding Nemo on the new TV.

Oh yeah, back to why this is titled "swollen cankels!" I have, yet again, woken up to massively swollen feet and ankles. I guess "normal" swelling is supposed to fully drain after a night's rest, so I'm getting a little paranoid as mine is MORE swollen when I wake up then before I went to sleep. And it wouldn't be so bad if it had only happened once but it's happening twice or 3 times a week and has been for the past 3 weeks. I hope and pray that it is just swelling and not the beginning of Pre-E hell. I really , really don't want to deal with that crap again.

Ready, Set, NEST!!!!

Here we go! I knew it would hit me full force eventually and I believe that time has finally arrived. I have this overwhelming, aggressive drive to have Brooklyn's room done NOW. Not in a few weeks, or a few days, but now. It's probably the realization that if she follows in her brother's footsteps in any way, she'll arrive early. Lukey Duke graced us with his presence a full 3 weeks early so I have made up my mind that I need to have our little world ready for this sweet girl by the time I hit 36 weeks, just in case of premature poppage. The craziest part of all of that is that 36 weeks is only 6 weeks away!!!! 6 weeks to finish trim, move furniture, wash clothes, decorate, fill my freezer with yummy pre-made meals, install a car seat, pack hospital bags and finally wrap my mind around the fact that for the 2nd time, my world is about to do a full 360. We will walk into the hospital as 3 and leave as a family of 4.

Wow, that still sounds so crazy... I can't wait to meet her though.... I'm so, so excited to be able to hold my little girl.

Oh yeah, all is still (fingers and toes crossed) well on the blood pressure and swelling front. My blood pressure has stayed quite low (120ish/75ish) for the last few weeks, and only a few episodes of swelling after too long shopping trips and wearing heels that I know I'm not supposed to be wearing...


Thank God for my Dad... The man has helped me so much over the past few months that there probably isn't any true way that I can thank him enough. Thanks daddy... I think you may be nesting like me!!

28 weeks.... and counting...

A few snippets from my favorite pregnancy websites...

What's Happening with Your Body
Added baby weight is taking its toll on your body. Chances are you're feeling aches and pains all over! Your feet, ankles, and hands may be swollen. Cramps may cause intense pain in your legs, especially at night, and it may be hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. You may also be experiencing false contractions (called Braxton Hicks) where your abdomen tightens, then relaxes. Hang in there—you're getting closer to your due date!

Your uterus is around three inches above your navel. If you are Rh negative, you'll be getting a RhoGam injection right around now. And those tightening sensations? Braxton Hicks "practice" contractions.


All About Baby
Your unborn baby's survival rate outside the womb increases as each week passes. If he didn't open his eyes last week, chances are he'll take his first peek this week. Your baby-to-be's skeleton and muscles are maturing quickly. This week he can turn his head from side to side.

Most of the lanugo has disappeared at this point and your baby may have a full head of hair by now.

How Big Is Baby?
Your Baby weighs in at around two pounds, seven ounces and stretches to 10 inches (crown to rump).

Fetal development in pregnancy week 28
You know how you’ve been feeling a bit like a barn with legs? Well, that feeling won’t subside before… well, you know, when you finally give birth. For the time being, you’ve got yourself a baby in the business of collecting fat and lots of it! In spite of the dubious joys of being a human-barn, this baby fat business is very serious and you’ve got to put up with it because it’s going to keep your little porker warm and healthy after birth. Other good stuff from inside: their eyes are doing lots of blinking this week because they’re now able to respond to light and dark. Also, their industrious little bone marrow is now a major construction site for developing red blood cells, while their super-cute adrenal glands are actually producing androgen and estrogen—which will stimulate your hormones to begin milk production. Can you say, “Moo?”


So there it is...

I guess that's what I'm supposed to be feeling/growing/doing right about now during my pregnancy. It's funny but I really don't remember much of anything other than being righteously swollen, grumpy and uncomfortable from about this moment on in my pregnancy with Lukey Duke. I've had everything crossed for a few weeks now that the somewhat bothersome swelling that I've been having is actually normal swelling and not an impending sign of crappy things to come. I have my next doctor's appointment next Monday and am hoping that I haven' gained a bunch of weight, there's no protein in my urine, and my BP is average and steady like it has been up to this point. I believe that after this appointment I will "graduate" to appointments every two weeks instead of ever four like I have been doing.

She is calm and chill like she has been, kicking and rolling in response to my Decaf Peppermint Mocha in the morning and then she will settle in for a long nap until lunch time when she'll wake up and assault my insides again for another hour or so... I hope I'm not jinxing myself but she really doesn't keep me up at night like Capt. Duke used to do. She'll move around for about 20 minutes or so when I first lay down and then she is totally quiet until I wake up in the morning. Maybe this awesome skill will stick around!!! Anyway, off to work land... Maybe it will be busy today so my time will fly...