The belly cast!!!!

Here are a few pictures of the belly cast that my mom and sis helped me do on Jan 4th... I got really lightheaded while it was being applied and drying so there aren't many "in the process" shots...

Brooklyn's Room (only 1 thing left to do...)

More pics of Brooklyn's room (so close to being done it's killin' me!)...

Baby Shower at work today...

The girls at work are throwing me a babyshower here at work in about 20 minutes... Nice little break from the usual swing of things on a Friday! I'll update to let ya'll know how it went...

:)

I really needed this...

Next time you make a wish, Erica, wish for what is, because really and truly, things don't get much better than this.

There is a purpose, a plan, and a reason for all things. What doesn't make sense, will make sense. You are exactly where you should be; your challenges are what they should be; your rewards are what they should be; and the best is yet to come. Time has served you well. Love is in the air. And you're looking mighty good in the light that now surrounds you.

A toast to life... to you... to us...


** This is what was waiting in my inbox at work this morning... So needed this... One of the girls that I used to work with convinced us to all sign up to receive these inspiring, empowering emails every morning and honestly, I usually ignore and delete them due to lack of time... It actually is very fitting for today and put a smile on my face as soon as I read it... No point to dwell on the negative.... My daughter is perfectly healthy and happy and will be here soon. End of story! I will worry if and when I need to, but until then, I'm just happy at how easy this pregnancy has been and how blessed our life is... Have a good one all :)

Headed home for a little rest...

I'm squirreling out of work early to head home and get a little nap in before I have to pick up the Duke from daycare... My ankles are crazy swollen and I can barely keep my eyes open... See ya manana...

Frustrated and Bummed...

So, I've been doing inversions at my house for the last 2 days (basically spending as much time as possible with my ass 20"+ above my head) and I'm pretty bummed that they don't seem to be doing a damn thing. Can you blame me for wanting an instantaneous result? I want her to flip SO badly... I never pictured myself as having to have a C-section and I sure as hell don't want to start now! It would be one thing if I was staring down a repeat of a truly crappy, intense labor, but Lukey Duke's birth was, dare I say it, a breeze!

Please, to all out there who had 30+ hour labors, I'm not bragging and I don't want to piss anyone off, I'm just saying that his labor was so easy, that I was more worried this time of not being able to make it to the hospital in time while in labor! Every woman in my family has had super speedy, generally easy labor so I was obviously psyching myself up for a repeat of last time... Now, I'm staring in the face of major surgery that is probably going to knock me on my ass for a week or two and make it absolutely impossible for me to be of any use at all, as well as a scar, the possibility of complications, an increased hospital stay, and all of the other lovely things that come along with a C-section.

Oh yeah, and I currently am playing Russian roulette with going into labor on my own, you know, like you're supposed too!! If I happen to go into labor on my own, which I would think is a pretty good possibility since Lukey Duke was almost 4 weeks early AKA the equivalent of Brooklyn already being almost a week old, and she hasn't flipped, I'm facing an emergency C-section....

I'm sorry about the ranting, I'm just really tired, really bummed out and generally pretty dishartened by the entire thing. This is not what I had pictured/planned and it really sucks...

Officially adjusting due date back to Feb 2nd, 2009...

Just a heads up that per my doc and Brooklyn now being breech, we are reverting back to the original due date of Feb 2nd to set date for C-section, ECV, or induction purposes...

My life is never dull

I really wasn't expecting much other than the typical heartbeat and tummy check at my doctor's appointment today, but got a surprise when my doc came in pulling the ultrasound machine behind her. She said that she just wanted to see for herself and check my amniotic fluid levels so I was more than happy to be able to get another peak at my lovely little bean. She put the transducer on my tummy and looked up at me kinda puzzled and asked if Capt. Duke had been breech... I told her no and she said," well, this one sure is," and showed me that the reason I've been so uncomfortable and unable to breathe is because Little Miss Brooklyn is frank breech, basically, her butt is settled into my pelvis, her head up under my ribs, and her feet piked up in front of her face... Never dull huh?!

This means that we are hoping and praying that she will flip herself head down soon so that I can deliver her vaginally. If she doesn't flip on her own by 39 weeks from my original due date of Feb 2nd (around daddy's birthday Jan 27thish) we will schedule an External Cephalic Version (manually turning her from the outside, OUCH!!) with induction following that same day. Worst case scenario is that I go into labor on my own in the next 2 weeks, Brooklyn hasn't turned and is still breech, and I have to have an emergency C-section. I really, really don't want to have a C-section, but I will do whatever it takes to get this lovely girl out happy and healthy. Other than that, everything else looks perfect and super healthy.

I will post pictures of my belly cast that we did this weekend as soon as I can get them uploaded...

Sleepless

It's 7am on a Sunday and I've already been awake for close to 3 hours... I don't know what's up with me today but I'm so restless that I gave up on trying to go back to sleep around 5 and went to play on the computer. I've been sitting here in our sun room for a few hours and am actually watching the sun rise, or at least begin to, right now. Lately, I can't quite my brain and everything is screaming to get done NOW. I'm going to wash the car seat cover and get that thing installed in the car today, my mom and sis are going to be here in a few hours to slather me in plaster to make my belly cast, and I finished the big mural/art piece that I've been working on for Brooklyn's room for a few weeks... Everything is washed and hung/folded, so all we are waiting on now is for her to make her big entrance... I hope it's sooner than later...

Happy Belated New Year!

New Year's Eve was quite boring this year as we were all in bed (daddy, Capt. Duke and I) by 9pm and totally asleep by 10pm. Sleep is becoming more and more elusive for me as each day passes and I get larger, and more uncomfortable. It's funny to think that this is actually the first time that I've managed to be 36+ weeks pregnant! Lukey Duke was born at exactly 36 weeks so I was kinda spoiled in that I never had to deal with the thoughts that maybe this will never end, or that maybe she'll stay past her due date. I really hope that she decides to evict herself sometime soon. I know that she is fully developed and perfectly healthy and I really don't want to have her get TOO big. Maybe it's time to start thinking about some of those tried and true natural induction methods, though the thought of chugging Castor oil makes me want to throw up right now.... We'll see where we can get this weekend... My next doctor's appointment is on Monday so we'll see if we can get my cervix to start working it's way toward the finish line... I'll keep you posted...


Luvs!