This picture is to illustrate how long our childs toes are!
Her beautiful profile

Another profile pic

Our baby has hair!!! OMG! I cannot believe it!!
Her foot, measuring approximately 2" (ok, she's only about 17" long!)
 
Her fingers. These are actually her pinky and ring finger flipped up.
I don't know if its good enough to make out, but to the right side is her nose and her lips right below and then her chin (the words nose and chin are on the pic)
Her chin... a good strong chin. And you can make out both eyes, which she was blinking.
Her big toe (top part of the pic)
Her arm, really hard to see, but those lines just above her rib cage are her arm bones.

Ok, now you have them. Hope they make you smile. The ultrasound went well, she's measuring really well, 2 pounds 15 ounces. My fluid level is good, all is as it should be. We don't have the results of the glucose test yet, but even the lady doing the ultrasound said that my one hour really wasn't high enough to indicate gestational diabetes and that I shouldn't worry. (We are 29 weeks yesterday.)

I gotta run, lots to do before we hit the road for Louisiana... errands AND packing!

Love to all!

Hello all. I hope this finds everyone doing well. It is 6:10 on Tuesday evening and I am completely exhausted. But today is done and I am certain that tomorrow will be a better day.

So Gary came over yesterday evening, just before Tancy left for work. We showed him the baby's room and the other work that we have done in the house and then Tancy had to leave. Shortly after he and I headed out for dinner. We had a great dinner, although the waitress was really awkward and embarrassing and just a pain in the ass. We left there and went by the grocery store to pick up some items for a dinner I was cooking once we got home (yes, I had already made a shit load of jambalaya... this was for something dinner). Then we came back to the house and I started cooking. We visited and talked the whole time. I just love Gary. I guess it was somewhere between 9:30 & 10:00 when he left for home. It's a good haul from where we are to where he lives.

Daniele had called while Gary was still here, so once he left I called her back. She was calling to check on me because she knew I had a rough day AND it was the first night of nights (which is always the hardest). We had a good conversation and I so appreciated the phone call. Very sweet and incredibly considerate. I folded a load of clothes while we were on the phone, nothing like multi-tasking. I think it was around 10:00 when she and I got off the phone. I was so tired. I already had on my jammers, I finished putting the clothes away and tended to the clothes in the dryer and then climbed into bed. I ran through the guide 2 or 3 times before being frustrated that there wasn't a damn thing on to watch and closed my eyes.

At 3:00 I woke up to see that the satelite was running its daily test. Made a potty run, crawled back in bed, shut off the TV and sacked back out. I woke up again and thought it was still the middle of the night and finally decided to look at the clock, it was exactly the time that my alarm was suppose to go off... only I had apparently forgotten to turn it on when I set the time! How lucky was I to have woken up on my own?!

I got up, got ready, gathered my stuff, folded and put away a load of clothes and then left out for my glucose test. Tancy was 2 minutes from home, so I turned around so that I could take the car instead of the truck. Kissed her good morning and hit the road again. I dropped dinner off to a friend for later today and then to the lab for my test. Wow, that syrup is even worse than that 1 hour stuff.... it has a better flavor (if you can say that), but it was soooo much sweeter that the flavor really is irrelevant. The first two blood draws didn't hurt at all. The third stung badly. The fourth I cussed, twice. It really hurt. By this time, the two sticks in the middle of my forearm are also incredibly tender feeling. I shouldn't complain and I really don't mean to... but I hate to give the impression that it was all roses. The first hour I felt incredibly sick. I saw another lady drinking her syrup and just the sight nearly made me throw up. It's like that...

By 11:15 it was all over and I gladly got the hell out of there. I stopped and got lunch, picked up something for Tancy and got to the house as soon as I could. She woke up while I was in the bedroom changing my shoes, so I crawled in bed next to her. I could have gone soundly to sleep. I felt like I hadn't seen her in days. We talked a bit and I left for my massage and pedicure.

The pedicure came first, wonderful. The girl who does them is hilarious! She also does a great job. So relaxing and entertaining at the same time. What more could you want. Then came the massage. Heavenly! Honestly, Frankie is so good. I was feeling a little emotional, no tears, just emotional and the massage seemed to make me feel more emotional. Normally he and I talk during the massage, but today was a quiet massage. By the time I got out of there I was so sleepy I could have layed down just about anywhere and gone soundly to sleep. Tancy was still asleep when I called her on my way home.

When I got home she was drinking a cup of coffee, we caught up on each others nights and my day. Now, this is to give you an idea of the amount of jambalaya I cooked last night; 8 cups of rice (dry), 2 good sized pork picnic roasts, 3 packs of smoked sausage and 5 large onions. Tancy said that out of the two large ziploc containers she took (SLAP FULL of jambalaya) that a quarter of one was all that was left. She said one guy had 3 bowls before their 7:00 meeting (just an hour and a half into shift). That makes me smile. She's tired, I'm tired, we talked... but it wasn't our usual lively conversation. That's ok. Just makes me miss her more while she's at work tonight.

So, I have no idea as to my test results. I might get the results tomorrow when we go in for the ultrasound. I hope so. Not knowing is no fun. I just want to know what I need to do from here. We are going to leave here in the morning when Tancy gets in, get breakfast and then go get dog food... by that time it'll be time to go to the doctor. From there we will head home and Tancy will try to get some sleep. Hell, I might even take a nap with her. We'll just have to wait and see.

I had every intention of packing tonight (most of it anyway), but I don't think that's gonna happen... so it'll have to wait till tomorrow. No biggie, just accepting that I don't have the get up and go to do much of anything tonight. I AM, even though maybe I shouldn't, going to get some frozen yogurt in just a bit. Then I am going to come home, soak in a warm bath and take my ass to bed. I really don't have any juice left in my battery. I have even debated not going to get the yogurt cause I don't want to leave the house... but I know I'll sit here and think about it, wanting it, until I go get it. So, here in just a bit I'll get off my ass and go get some!

Maybe, if I have the energy when I get back, I'll make my list of things to pack... then, whenever I pack, all I have to do is mark the items off the list as I pack them. Or maybe I won't do anything at all. I want to see my baby tomorrow and know that everything is ok. Then I want to be in Louisiana. Those really are the only two things on my mind at this point.

With that said, I am gonna go ahead and get that yogurt so I can be in bed early. I hope you all have a great night, rest and relax. I'll post more tomorrow, if I have the time, as to the results from the ultrasound and glucose test (should I actually get those results tomorrow). If not, then I probably wont post until we get back from Louisiana. So, have a great week, weekend and start of the next week (just in case I don't blog).

Love to all!

Hello all. I hope this finds everyone doing well. It is 6:10 on Tuesday evening and I am completely exhausted. But today is done and I am certain that tomorrow will be a better day.

So Gary came over yesterday evening, just before Tancy left for work. We showed him the baby's room and the other work that we have done in the house and then Tancy had to leave. Shortly after he and I headed out for dinner. We had a great dinner, although the waitress was really awkward and embarrassing and just a pain in the ass. We left there and went by the grocery store to pick up some items for a dinner I was cooking once we got home (yes, I had already made a shit load of jambalaya... this was for something dinner). Then we came back to the house and I started cooking. We visited and talked the whole time. I just love Gary. I guess it was somewhere between 9:30 & 10:00 when he left for home. It's a good haul from where we are to where he lives.

Daniele had called while Gary was still here, so once he left I called her back. She was calling to check on me because she knew I had a rough day AND it was the first night of nights (which is always the hardest). We had a good conversation and I so appreciated the phone call. Very sweet and incredibly considerate. I folded a load of clothes while we were on the phone, nothing like multi-tasking. I think it was around 10:00 when she and I got off the phone. I was so tired. I already had on my jammers, I finished putting the clothes away and tended to the clothes in the dryer and then climbed into bed. I ran through the guide 2 or 3 times before being frustrated that there wasn't a damn thing on to watch and closed my eyes.

At 3:00 I woke up to see that the satelite was running its daily test. Made a potty run, crawled back in bed, shut off the TV and sacked back out. I woke up again and thought it was still the middle of the night and finally decided to look at the clock, it was exactly the time that my alarm was suppose to go off... only I had apparently forgotten to turn it on when I set the time! How lucky was I to have woken up on my own?!

I got up, got ready, gathered my stuff, folded and put away a load of clothes and then left out for my glucose test. Tancy was 2 minutes from home, so I turned around so that I could take the car instead of the truck. Kissed her good morning and hit the road again. I dropped dinner off to a friend for later today and then to the lab for my test. Wow, that syrup is even worse than that 1 hour stuff.... it has a better flavor (if you can say that), but it was soooo much sweeter that the flavor really is irrelevant. The first two blood draws didn't hurt at all. The third stung badly. The fourth I cussed, twice. It really hurt. By this time, the two sticks in the middle of my forearm are also incredibly tender feeling. I shouldn't complain and I really don't mean to... but I hate to give the impression that it was all roses. The first hour I felt incredibly sick. I saw another lady drinking her syrup and just the sight nearly made me throw up. It's like that...

By 11:15 it was all over and I gladly got the hell out of there. I stopped and got lunch, picked up something for Tancy and got to the house as soon as I could. She woke up while I was in the bedroom changing my shoes, so I crawled in bed next to her. I could have gone soundly to sleep. I felt like I hadn't seen her in days. We talked a bit and I left for my massage and pedicure.

The pedicure came first, wonderful. The girl who does them is hilarious! She also does a great job. So relaxing and entertaining at the same time. What more could you want. Then came the massage. Heavenly! Honestly, Frankie is so good. I was feeling a little emotional, no tears, just emotional and the massage seemed to make me feel more emotional. Normally he and I talk during the massage, but today was a quiet massage. By the time I got out of there I was so sleepy I could have layed down just about anywhere and gone soundly to sleep. Tancy was still asleep when I called her on my way home.

When I got home she was drinking a cup of coffee, we caught up on each others nights and my day. Now, this is to give you an idea of the amount of jambalaya I cooked last night; 8 cups of rice (dry), 2 good sized pork picnic roasts, 3 packs of smoked sausage and 5 large onions. Tancy said that out of the two large ziploc containers she took (SLAP FULL of jambalaya) that a quarter of one was all that was left. She said one guy had 3 bowls before their 7:00 meeting (just an hour and a half into shift). That makes me smile. She's tired, I'm tired, we talked... but it wasn't our usual lively conversation. That's ok. Just makes me miss her more while she's at work tonight.

So, I have no idea as to my test results. I might get the results tomorrow when we go in for the ultrasound. I hope so. Not knowing is no fun. I just want to know what I need to do from here. We are going to leave here in the morning when Tancy gets in, get breakfast and then go get dog food... by that time it'll be time to go to the doctor. From there we will head home and Tancy will try to get some sleep. Hell, I might even take a nap with her. We'll just have to wait and see.

I had every intention of packing tonight (most of it anyway), but I don't think that's gonna happen... so it'll have to wait till tomorrow. No biggie, just accepting that I don't have the get up and go to do much of anything tonight. I AM, even though maybe I shouldn't, going to get some frozen yogurt in just a bit. Then I am going to come home, soak in a warm bath and take my ass to bed. I really don't have any juice left in my battery. I have even debated not going to get the yogurt cause I don't want to leave the house... but I know I'll sit here and think about it, wanting it, until I go get it. So, here in just a bit I'll get off my ass and go get some!

Maybe, if I have the energy when I get back, I'll make my list of things to pack... then, whenever I pack, all I have to do is mark the items off the list as I pack them. Or maybe I won't do anything at all. I want to see my baby tomorrow and know that everything is ok. Then I want to be in Louisiana. Those really are the only two things on my mind at this point.

With that said, I am gonna go ahead and get that yogurt so I can be in bed early. I hope you all have a great night, rest and relax. I'll post more tomorrow, if I have the time, as to the results from the ultrasound and glucose test (should I actually get those results tomorrow). If not, then I probably wont post until we get back from Louisiana. So, have a great week, weekend and start of the next week (just in case I don't blog).

Love to all!

Hello all. It's currently just before 2:30 and I am taking a few minutes to update ya'll on my weekend and my day today. I hope you are having a great day, it's closer to over than it was when it started at the very least.

Saturday evening the girls came over. Boy did we have a house full. They put their fish on the wall in Lillie's room. We ordered pizza, played Wii, played guitar, played Sequence. We talked, laughed, cut up. It was a good night. I guess everyone cleared out around 1:30. I could not believe I was up that late. I had contemplated, on more than one occassion, making my apologies and going to bed. But I was a champ and didn't go to sleep til 2:00.

Sunday morning was just rude. I was awake by 7:00. How can that even be possible?! I layed there till nearly 8:00,  trying desperately to go back to sleep. No luck. I got up, made coffee, let the puppies out. Sandy was still here (she was too tired to drive home the night before) and we had coffee and chatted till Tancy got up, around 8:30 I guess. We all chatted a bit more and at 10:00 we had to get ready for lunch with Jen and Tab. So we politely pushed Sandy out the door and left not far behind her. Jen and Tab are two of our friends who had recently found out they were going to have a baby. They had gone in to the doctor on Friday and found that Tab had a miscarriage. They were, of course, devastated. My heart, and everyone we knows hearts, broke for them. So Sunday we were having lunch and just putting our eyes on them. We had a good visit. They seem to be doing well, processing, dealing, moving toward the next step in it all. It was just good to see them honestly. I can feel very protective of those that I love, especially when they are hurting. Not that there's anything I can do, just puts my mind at ease a bit to see them. We stayed as long as we could, hated to leave, but we had other things to get done, so by about 2:00 we were on to the next stop.

Wal-Mart. Yuck! Tancy volunteered me to cook a jambalaya for nights tonight, so we had to go get the stuff. Luckily I didn't need much and it was quick. Then we stopped by Heather & Sonia's house. Sonia had forgotten her rings in Lillie's crib while she was painting, we dropped them by for her. I know I would have been a nervous wreck. We didn't stay long, food in the car and more scheduled for the day still. Home James to unload the groceries.

Tancy layed down for a nap before heading off to our next stop of the day. I clipped coupons from the Sunday paper. We have decided to be more diligent about saving money where we can. I clipped what I think I will use before the expiration date and plan to get a Sunday paper each week and continue the process. Before long though, it was time to leave again.

Off to Mandy's. She was making steak and gravy for dinner and Ty and Val were coming out to eat as well. We had a good visit. Tancy, Tylor, Lauren & Mandy rode the three wheeler. Mostly Ty and Tanc. There were mud holes behind Mandy's, in the field, and they busted them wide open. They had alot of fun doing it and we had alot of fun watching them. Before long though, they were inside, the water was cold and so was the wind... once they were good and wet... and the sun started to sink down, they got cold too. Tylor and Val left a little while later. We stayed till about 9:00. I was exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and ready for bed. It was round about 10:00 when we got home, we both went to bed. Tancy should have stayed up, but she was tired and it just wasn't happening.

This morning my alarm went off at 7:20. Time to get up, shower, get dressed and go to the OB for a check-up. I felt a bit apprehensive this morning. Nothing major, just a funky feeling I guess. I got to the doctors office, left my urine sample and no sooner sat down in the waiting room till they called me back. My anxiety level was up, I kept taking deep breaths in the room, long exhales, just trying to settle down. I had gained 2 pounds (in two weeks... ugh) but when I inquired about that I was told that was a right where they want you (1/2 pound to 1 pound each week) so I shouldn't worry. My blood pressure was 122/78, good. They had my results from my glucose test. They want you under 140, I was at 149. SO! I get to do the 3 hour glucose test now. Fun. Our midwife talked to me about what all that means and what happens if I do have gestational diabetes (I get to go in once a week and have a 30 minute fetal heart monitoring done). They initially try to regulate any blood sugar issues with diet. If that doesn't work (I'll have to stick myself each day and test my blood sugar) then they move on to more aggressive methods like medication and possibly shots. We talked about what that meant for the baby (higher birth weight, broader shoulders, possible heart defects - in severe circumstances and seizures after birth - again in severe circumstances). I felt calm and anxious about it all at the same time. I suddenly wished that I had asked Tancy to come with me (we both agreed it made more sense for her to stay home and try to get some sleep before starting night shift). So she listened to Lillie's heart, sounded good. Then she measured my belly. She said that my belly was measuring big. I asked what that meant and she said that it could mean that she'd hit a growth spurt (it isn't until the third trimester that babies grow individually, prior to that, they all basically grow on the same schedule and within the same parameters), she could be in a funky position (I picture her head down, ass up, poking my belly out) or I could have some additional fluid. So I have to go in for an ultrasound to check her out and make sure everything looks good and so does she. I thought of it as an opportunity to see her  that we wouldn't have normally had. But there went my anxiety level, up again. I asked about my urine, she said I had some sugar, but nothing major. We talked some more about the glucose test and what will happen. Since I have a history of PCOS that is already an indicator to them that my body doesn't process insulin quite normally. Pregnancy puts a strain on your pancreas and sometimes it just can't keep up.Also, I guess the sugar in my urine is a possible indicator that is what is happening, i.e. gestational diabetes. The only way we will know is to do the test. I think I will get the results there and if I do have (2 markers out of 4 indicate) gestational diabetes I will be sent next door to the Diabetes Center for a diet to regulate my blood sugar and some education about what it all means and what I have to do from there. I asked every question I could think of (and have provided that information to you now) and left out of the exam room to schedule my ultrasound. The glucose test was already scheduled, bright and early tomorrow morning. Yay me. We'll have the ultrasound done Wednesday morning.

I left the doctors office called Mom, Dad and Casie to tell them (they eagerly await my report after a check up) the news. Normally I would send an email, but I was concerned that they would be worried and I wanted to give them a bit of information and assure them that everything was ok and there was really nothing to worry about. I could tell that Mom and Dad were still worried, but I knew they would be... I just hoped to have lessened that by calling rather than emailing. I called to reschedule my massage/pedicure since the glucose test would be going on at that time. I'll go tomorrow afternoon instead of tomorrow morning.

I got home and cried while I was telling Tancy. I am not sure why. But I do know that the anxiety level I had been feeling suddenly escalated and it was all I could do. I know that gestational diabetes is manageable IF I have it, which we don't even know yet. To just have the test isn't a big deal, lots of women have to have the three hour test done. I don't think that "measuring big" is anything to be overly concerned about it. It wasn't indicated to me that it was a cause for concern. But I think the urgency in scheduling the glucose test and the ultrasound got to me. Can't really explain it. I continued to feel raw and prickly even after crying (more to come) but couldn't put it to words. I got busy on the jambalaya for Tancy to take to work. About half way through getting it ready to go in the oven I completely fell apart, sobbing, ugly face, snotty, can hardly talk crying. Tancy just held me. Tried to get me to talk about what I was feeling. It's strange because I know the reality of it all. And I don't feel scared that she's not ok or that I am not ok. I just felt completely overwhelmed, like a ton of emotional bricks hit me at one time and I just couldn't bare the weight. I have two irrational thoughts: 1. If I have gestational diabetes it is my fault for being fat to begin with. 2. That I now cannot have anything to drink other than water and nothing to eat if it isn't protein or good vegetables. I know these are irrational. But everything else is perfectly rational. I know what it all means, I know how common it is, I know people even who have had gestational diabetes and had healthy babies. So I can't really explain the overwhelming emotions... chalk it up to pregnancy hormones working over time.

In the meantime our modem/wireless router crapped out on us and I had to call AT&T to get a new one. They told me 3 - 5 days before I'd get a new one and I just about lost my shit. I told her that we were without internet for a week after getting our equipment and that it had been AT&T's fault. That I wouldn't even be home in 3 - 5 business days and I must insist that she expeditiously get me a new modem/wireless router TODAY! She did agree, maybe she heard the lunacy in my voice... not sure... I was near tears (this was pre-break down) at this point. She told me that someone would be here between 1 - 5 with my new equipment. Thank heaven for small favors (cause I really needed to blog and let go of some of this).

The guy showed up around 1:30 - 2:00 I guess and was done before we knew it. Lillie has been moving around so much you can watch my belly do a fast version of the wave. I have the jambalaya in the oven and once Tancy leaves for work I'll go get what I need to make dinner to take to Jen & Tab for tomorrow when they get back from the hospital. Gary is coming over tonight to visit for a bit... I am so glad that he is, I really don't want to be alone ALL night tonight. And I wish there was some way I didn't have to be alone for the testing tomorrow. But Tancy has to sleep and I know that, so I'll suck it up and be a big girl.

I'll get up early in the morning and take dinner over to Jen and Tab's first (so it doesn't sit in the car the whole time I am having the test done). Then to have my glucose test done. I'll either leave at the end of the 3 hours and come home, or go to the Diabetes Center for education. After that I'll go for my pedicure and massage (which I will desperately need by then). Then home to see Tancy for a quick minute before she goes to work... after that it'll be making my list and gathering things for the trip to Louisiana.

I just want to get back to my main focus being on my excitement for being in Louisiana for a bit. It isn't that I am not still excited, its just that I have other things in the forefront of my mind at this point. I don't feel overly emotional at this point, just ready to do what we need to do and know what the result is. And, obviously, anxious (in a good way) to see our Lillie again. Thankfully Tancy will be with me for the ultrasound.

I need to go find something to eat, I am feeling hungry. I just don't know what to eat right now. I feel a little gun shy when it comes to food right now. I normally might have a can of fruit (but I was advised to stear clear of fruit at this point) or a glass of milk (which I was advised to drink 2%... I just as soon not drink milk at all) or... hell, I don't know... but anything I can think to have at this point seems to fall into the bad category. It's very frustrating. I don't want to sit here and not eat anything until the test is over... that would be ridiculous. But I do want to be careful not to eat anything that might make it high either. Ugh!

Tonight, in addition to cooking food for Jen & Tab, and having Gary come over for a bit, I also need to get the laundry done and clean the kitchen back up from making jambalaya. I have a pretty full schedule for the rest of my day. Tomorrow will be full as well (glucose test, pedicure, massage AND getting a bag of dog food before I head home). Wednesday shouldn't be overly full, but I've got a feeling I'll still be feeling the pace of today and tomorrow. I am going to do my best to get some rest tonight (the first night of nights is usually so tough) and prevent total exhaustion. Keep your fingers crossed for me that works out.

Alright, I really must find something to eat. I hope you all are having a good Monday and that the evening just gets better. I don't know if I will blog again, I would say most definitely if I am feeling overwhelmed and probably not in order to get all my stuff done. I'll blog tomorrow evening with the results of the test, etc. Send positive thoughts and energy my way, I can use all I can get... and appreciate it too.

Love to all!

Well kids, I am just as proud and happy as I can be.

We put the utility room back together, face plates, key holder, ironing board organizer, etc. Tancy put the shelf up for me (with a little help from one lovely assistant). Our freezer got here prior to that, which was great. Fit perfectly into place and seems to complete the utility room.

After the utility room was done I worked on putting my laundry stuff up on my shelf and everything in general in its place. You know how I like it when everything has a home and is in its home. Tancy started work on the attic access. I bout had a nervous breakdown. On a ladder in the back of the truck perched on the blocks that are still in the back of the truck for the shed that's coming. I just kept saying "Oh please be careful." Getting the siding back in place was a real pain in the ass (for Tancy) and a panic attack (for me). But she finally got it. Next was the "triming out" with a 1x6 around the edges. It doesn't look overly pretty, but it works and certainly looks better than it was. I am sure we'll have to have a professional fix it when we list it again, down the road, but for now it does the trick.

While she was up in the attic she also took all our paint cans (cause ya'll know we have done some painting since we moved into this damn house) up there so they weren't hanging out in the utility room anymore. Yay! Another thing done... and it wasn't even on my list... but I had been talking to her about where we could put them that would be out of the way. She also took the paint supplies up as well. Lastly I had a few totes that needed to be put away, so she took those up as well. Our utility room looks SO good! It's neat and orderly and has very few items in it. The pantry has collected some unnecessary items, so I need to straighten that out soon... its looking cluttered and I don't like that. I worked too hard in there to let it be cluttered so early in the game.

The table is cleaned off, which always makes me happy. Seems like it collects the most shit out of any surface in the house. But you know, when the table is cleaned off, most everything else has found a place. I managed to send off our rebates for the freezer delivery and for the shed. Should provide us some money (store cards) back. And I am thinking those store cards are going to be used for bathroom storage/organization. Either that or for the materials to finish out the aquarium. Both of those items are on our list of things to do in the house, so that'll work.

I am working on Tancy to do the "L" brackets... I think she might just be tired enough of hearing my trap to do it... which means I shut it now so as not to push her past the point of willing. LOL. I know I've been a pain in her ass... but she loves me and knows how much I appreciate her (I hope).

I think all the girls are coming over tonight for dinner and Wii. I will probably need to retire earlier than any of them, but I'll hang for as long as I can. It's been a long time since we all got together at the house. Should be an interesting evening. I think a few of them are even going to add their fish to the wall. I am so ready to get all the project stuff out of that room so I can start putting it together when we get back from Louisiana. I do know, however, that Aunt Jan will put her touch on the wall, so it will be sometime after that before I can remove all the small paint cans, etc. But it'll be worth it for everyone to have a part in Lillie's room. That means alot to both of us.

With that said, let me get on it because they'll be here before I know it and I want to have a shower by then AND have the pantry straightened around as well. So, ya'll enjoy your Saturday. The weather here is shitty and I am over it... but everything else it wonderful so I'll not complain.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all doing well. Maybe even still sleeping.

I had a restless night, my hips hurt and there was just no getting comfortable, even with my pillows. I am not sure what time I woke up, didn't want to be awake, laid in bed till 8:00 and finally decided to get up. Tancy made coffee, I fed the pups and just as we sat down to enjoy our coffee Lowe's called that they were on their way with our freezer. Now, I am happy that it is coming... but I wasn't ready to have on real clothes, brush my teeth or feel so rushed yet. Oh well. The car has now been moved, we are both dressed and ready for them to get here.

So I'm gonna go back a bit now to Thursday and catch you back up. So Thursday morning I had my glucose test. I got there early and it started early. I only had to drink half this time, thankful. I still felt like shit, so I came home and went to bed (I think I covered this already). Tancy got home around 1:00 I guess. We had a bite to eat and chilled out a bit, piddled around here and then headed out to get our hair cut. That was alot of fun, we like the girl who cuts our hair and she's a mess. We left there and headed to meet Heather and Sonia for dinner. We had a great time. It was good to catch up. When we were all full we came to the house so they could see Lillie's room and all the changes we had made to the house. We just continued the catching up at the house. I was sooo sleepy. I felt like I was being rude, but I couldn't stop yawning. That usually happens to me after dinner. I am ready to pass out. I think it was around 10:00 when they left for home. I was in bed at 10:01. Terrible, I know.

Friday morning we got up and had coffee. I love Tancy's days off because they are like a day off for me. I know I have said it before, and it is a a small thing, but it really feels like I get a break when she gets up and makes the coffee and feeds the dogs. Those are the only days that I get up and do nothing for a little bit. Any other morning as soon as my feet hit the floor I have something to get done. So, when she makes me coffee and takes care of the puppies it is a wonderful repreive from my "work day". It was too soon before I had to get dressed and go to the chiropractor. Tancy stayed behind to work on the utility room (remember I wanted it to be done before we leave for Louisiana). The chiropractor said I was doing well, not a complainer (he doesn't read my blog), and a good grasp of what to expect. But that the issues with my leg and now hands, just part of it. My hips and back are keeping in align, so that's good. I told him that I was having a pregnancy massage on Tuesday, he said that was truly one of the best things I could do for myself. He's apparently a big advocate of pregnant women getting massages... he said that they help to force you to take a little time to do nothing, as well as releasing tension, which is very important. So, I don't go back for 3 weeks. Yay.

I came home and we had lunch... before long it was time to go for Tancy's MRI. We got there and registered, they'd had an emergency and it was going to be an hour delay, so we got to eat for free in the hospital cafeteria. We got bottled water and ice cream. (We had already eaten lunch remember.) We checked out the OB facility, small and not exactly what you might describe as up to date. The staff was nice and took the time to talk to us and show us around... but doesn't fit what we are looking for in a birthing facility. Plus after I had to go to the ER that time for my back and the experience we had there I don't think that either of us could see ourselves having a baby at that hospital. It was after 2:30 (appointment was at 1:00) before they took her in for her MRI. When it was all said and done we were both tired. So we headed home and chilled out for a bit. I guess it was around 5:00 when we left for Lowe's to get what we needed to finish out the utility room and attic access.

We got a call that no one wants to get while we were there. I can't go into any details, but I am sending a tremendous amount of love to those hurting. My own heart is broken for them. Please just send your love and support out there, I know it will make its way to them. And if they are reading, I love you tremendously and if there is anything I can do, I am here.

Sorry for the serious note, but I felt it necessary to put that out there. I am sure at some point I will be able to share more with you about what I am talking about, but for now that is enough.

So, with a heavy heart we continued on our task and got the items we needed. I think we were both in shock. We were mostly quiet, when we weren't, we were talking about how such heart break gives you pause. We came home and unloaded everything we had picked up and Tancy got to work on sanding the walls in the utility room. Before I knew it she was trimming in with the paint we concocted (remaining partial paint cans) because neither of us thought it made sense to buy paint for the utility room. I rolled on some paint, but got out of breath and felt dizzy a little (the paint was unusually stinky). So I was benched. I kept going back in there to see if I could help and she kept sending me back to sit down. She's so good to me. She was finished in no time! It was 9:00 - 10:00 when we headed to the back.

We sat up for a bit and talked a bit about the days events. I just couldn't get that phone call out of my head. I tried to settle in and eventually went to sleep. Tancy was asleep before me, not exactly unusual. But I didn't sleep well, it was restless and uncomfortable. My left hip, which is the side I sleep on and normally comfortable, hurt me most of the night. My left arm hurt and it seems my left ear gets bent in my sleep and even IT hurt. I couldn't lay on my right side, it hurt already. Once I was awake and just laying in bed, I layed sort of half on my back with my knees up... that helped some, but not enough to go back to sleep. Oh well, just one more thing I can get used to for the duration I am sure.

So our freezer is here! Yay! I am so excited (it's the little things). The utility room looks good. As soon as I wrap this up and Tancy finishes watching the roast of Larry The Cable Guy, we will finish putting the finishing touches on the utility room. Here's what has to be done: The shelf above the washer and dryer, the face plates on the light and electrical outlets, the key holder up, the ironing board holder/organizer back up and all my laundry stuff up on the shelf. Sounds like alot... but not really. From there work starts on the attic access. We got a 1x6 to put up to trim out the space around the door and the siding that's in place. I am not sure how long that will take, but if we have enough time, I hope to get our furniture attached with "L" brackets and have that done. Then I can put the canvas totes in the cubbies in Lillie's room and her books, etc. We are making some serious progress on our list folks and right on track to meet my goals for before we leave for Louisiana. I am excited and have to give Tancy all the credit.

I just need to take a minute and give her the credit she deserves. She's been terrific. She's put up with alot of my shit and all my neurotic requirements in the house. She's also done what I needed done in order to chill out. She's dealt with my tears, founded or otherwise and never once made me feel like a lunatic. She has also, most recently, hit the protective phase of the pregnancy. She's now aware that I have physical limits and holds me to a certain bar with regard to taking care of myself. She will take on more of the work just to keep me from pushing myself to far because she knows I can't let it go. It's not that she wasn't protective before, or that she didn't expect me to take care of myself, or anything like that... it is just different now. She's definitely experiencing changes in how she sees things and what she expects (her maternal instincts kicking in I suppose... or spousal response to the changes... or both). She's worried about the trip to Louisiana. She's worried about my comfort level. I do try not to complain. I don't lie about things I feel, I don't lie about much of anything. I tell her if something hurts or feels funky, I tell her everything. But I also let her know that I know it isn't a big deal or that its nothing to worry about, just part of the pregnancy. She "wedges" me every night with pillows and helps me try to get comfortable. She's just been terrific. I couldn't ask for better support, love and affection. I think that every pregnant woman should have the love and support that I have. It really makes a big difference on a shitty day and makes a good day that much better.

Well, she's at work in the utility room already, I need to do the same. I hope ya'll have a great Saturday. Enjoy the weekend. I personally grow more excited by the day...we'll be in Louisiana soon! Yay! I cannot wait.

Love to all!

Hello all. I didn't have a chance to blog this morning before leaving for my appointment. I hope your morning went well. I also hope that the second part of your day is going good. For some quitting time today is the start of the weekend.

Anyway, I couldn't have anything to eat (I could only have water to drink) this morning... no coffee sucked! I got there early and they started the test early. Those ladies do a great job of blood draws. Thankfully I was only required to drink half the amount this time (based on doctors preferences). It still sucked but they let you have alot of water to help with it while you are there waiting to have your second round of blood work. I had brought my breastfeeding book to read so time went quickly. It really has a wealth of information, I would recommend it to anyone (will have to post the name later), it's amazing all the things that breast milk does. But that's another blog entirely. Seriously, a whole blog... another day though.

So I left there around 9:00 and headed home. I stopped to get breakfast, high protein, thinking it would help to soak up some of the sugar in my belly. From there it was directly home. I got home and let the puppies out and then crawled into bed. I felt so bad and so tired (no coffee maybe? I am not sure) that I just wanted to be in my bed. I dozed off and on for about 2 hours. I probably would have gone soundly to sleep if I had been able to turn the phones off, but we were waiting on a call from Home Depot about the mower. That didn't come... so I could have turned the phones off as it turns out. ugh!

I got up, had some cottage cheese. I had some popcorn too. I wanted something, but didn't know what. I wasn't hungry really but felt like I needed something to eat. Tancy was on her way home and brought some chicken tenders. I think I had 3. Then I started telling her about the breastfeeding book and my phone call with Home Depot (I called them after I got up to see what was up). Then I started blogging. The Home Depot guy just got here, so she's out there with him.

So here's the story with the mower. It was delivered yesterday. When the guy dropped it off it had so little gas in it that it wouldn't start. So after I got back from all my running I added gas to it and tried to start it. It wouldn't start. I left it for Tancy, not wanting to mess something up and not sure if I was suppose to turn a switch or choke or something. The driver had said it was running rough when they loaded it up. Anyway, Tancy got home to check it. Seems the battery is dead in addition to having had no gas in it. Also they didn't leave us the owners manual. So, the guy is here now with a new battery and our owners manual. I hear them out there trying to get it started now. The guy that's here has been given strict instructions not to leave until the mower is purring like a kitten. That's just what he'd better do too because he's gonna have one pissed off blonde to deal with if he doesn't (Yes Tancy, and yes it takes ALOT to get her that mad). HEY! I hear it running now... and sounds like she's purring to me! Yay! Oh, that makes the rest of my day look so much brighter! Turns out it had a brand new battery in it, it was just dead. The mower had never even been started either, so the choke the first time is a little tricky. We got the owners manual and all the additional parts we also weren't given. She's a happy girl now!

We both have hair cuts this evening at 4:00. Our grooming prep for the baby shower. Haha. Actually, I am getting a pedicure... but the hair cut is as far as Tancy's going. Tomorrow I go see the chiropractor. Then Tancy has her MRI. I am anxious, as I know she is, to get the results. Then we will know what we do next. I haven't seen it give out on her like it was... but I do know its still hurting her. I know if she needs surgery that she will put it off as long as possible, which I have a hard time accepting, but there's not much I can do about that.

On Monday we go in for another OB appointment. Lillie has really been moving around in there lately. I think she's making sure that I know she's there... like I could forget! She likes music (I was listening to it yesterday and she was moving alot... I think that means she likes it. Haha!). She's really active in the morning and at night. She's intermittently active during the day, but not at specific times I can pin point just yet. She wakes me up on the mornings I could be sleeping in, at about 6:00. At night, either not long after I eat or not long after I get in bed.

I can tell you in the last few days my energy level has decreased, I haven't accomplished much of anything around the house. My list hasn't shortened at all since Saturday (shed and mower). Time seems to be speeding up and normally I would feel more anxious about not accomplishing anything, but honestly I've been feeling pretty calm lately. I think that has to be a good sign. I wasn't ready to mellow out on the "to do" list this early in the game... but it is what it is. I know we will get things done. Tancy's been great about not wanting me to over do it. She's really worried about my back and my leg lately. She's worried about the trip to Louisiana and how comfortable I will be sleeping there (not because the bedding is bad but because I have trouble in our bed with a ton of pillows finding comfort). I hurt so bad in the night sometimes if I don't get my pillows right. So she's worried about all that. I've tried to reassure her that I'll either bring my own pillows or get what I need there. She's still worried. I love her for wanting to take care of me, I can't complain. It isn't like she's over bearing or wont let me do anything... she just helps out where she can and encourages me not to do too much.

I don't think we will leave till Thursday, but I really would love to leave on Wednesday, even if it were evening, allowing us to travel some after the rush hour traffic. But Tancy and I haven't really talked about that possibility at this point. It would help me to take the trip easier and also give us a little more time in Louisiana (I want as much time as I can get there this trip). We'll see.

I still feel tired with a little bit of a headache but not nearly as terrible as I felt last time, thankfully. I hope they have the results of the test on Monday. If memory serves they have a short turn over time. We are having dinner with friends tonight, I am looking forward to that. I have been missing our friends. Seems there's been so much going on and its been hard to connect. Its hard at times and our odd schedule (Tancy's work schedule) doesn't always make it easier.

I am looking forward to Tuesday, a massage and a pedicure. Yay. Those massages are wonderful. And a pedicure after is just icing on the cake! I might even be able to squeeze in one more (pedicure) before Lillie is born. The nail tech said that I have to have pretty toes when I go into labor. I disagree... if the doctor is looking at my feet he/she is obviously focused on the wrong area! Haha! But it is a nice way to relax and pamper myself just a bit. I cut my fingernails too often (cause they grow too fast) to have a manicure at this point. Pedi's are the better of the two though.

Well kids. I really don't have much else to report. Just rambling at this point and feeling full from what food and all the syrup I've had. I hope you all have a great day and a good weekend if I don't blog again. I hope to finish the attic out and the utility room this weekend, so we might be too busy for me to blog. Hope your weather is good too... ours is suppose to SUCK all weekend. Oh well, if we've gotta stay inside we might as well be working on the house.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all doing well on what promises (for us) to be a nasty Wednesday. Maybe ya'll are having better luck weather wise.

Yesterday was fairly unproductive. I got up and got dressed around day break. Gotta get dressed eventually, right? I finished up the laundry and the dishes, glad to get that out of the way. I picked up around the house, its amazing how many things find there way to places they don't belong. Then I took out the two breast pumps that I got and started working on them. I got the "Pump In Style" for double pumping, at home, or long trips when we drive... it does the "big" work. I also got the "Swing" which is highly portable, it would fit down in my purse if necessary. Its only a single pump, but perfect for short trips where we might fly and wouldn't want to check the bigger pump (like September). I took all the pieces apart and then figured out how to hook them up. I don't really want to be in a position to need to hook them up and not know how. I wiped all parts down (that I could) with disinfectant wipes and set the rest aside to be sterilized. I will wait till we get (either through showers or on our own) the sterilizer we registered for to do that. No sense in doing it now and then having to do it again in 12 weeks anyway. I made my list of parts that I need to replace... I put a few on our registry, trouble is, I couldn't find some... so I definitely have to sterilize. If I could find all parts there wouldn't be much to have to sterilize. Oh well. I set aside "spare" parts and marked the bag. I divided the two pumps into their respective parts and then put it all away. Done!

I had just put all that away when the phone rang, it was the shed guy telling me he'd be here in about an hour. Not long after he called, his office called to get some information (shingle color, etc.). We've got install scheduled for April 9th. They'll come out sooner if they get a cancelation. I am just excited about getting things picked up outside.

Honestly I have no idea what I did to keep busy till he got here, but I know I kept busy. I was outside checking the mail when he drove up. We checked out the site. We've got to get some concrete blocks for them to level it, but nothing major, no trees to cut or anything like that. We were just about wrapped up when David (our neighbor) came over to talk to us about the work we want/need done in our yard. We are going to wait till Fall to do our front yard... its going to need quite a bit of grading (the entire yard) and we've got a few dead trees in the front that he'll remove as well. Since the yard will be basically dirt for a while until the grass comes back (we will put down seed obviously) I didn't want to go through the summer having to worry about watering in the mornings and evenings and the heat and having either mud or dirt all summer. Its just a smart decision all the way around to wait till Fall. The back yard we are going to bury the down spouts coming off the gutters, this should help with the raging run off we get when it rains (we have some serious wash out in places) and the drip off of the air conditioner that keeps the yard wet right by the deck. Then we are mulching the back yard. Can't get grass to grow with the dogs, tired of trying and tired of it always either being mud or dirt. We will wait till the shed is built and then have the back yard done. It's alot of work. We've taken on alot of projects this spring.... the shed and mower we financed, but at 0% interest I can't feel bad about that, plus I've budgeted to have it paid off within a year (taking full advantage of the 0% interest). The yard has needed attention since we moved in... the other projects we just have to plan it into our budget as we go and be smart about it.

After the guys left from all that I headed back inside. I went to the carport door and found that I'd left it locked so I had to go back around to the back door. My leg and back hurt so badly it was all I could do to get back around to the back door and get in the house. It sucked. I just sat on the couch for the longest hoping that it would ease up. It eventually did, but never really went away. I decided to look at our budget (gotta be productive somehow if I am going to be sittin' on my butt) and see the best places to work in our projects. I do think, after looking at it, that we will have to wait to work on the deck till next year probably... I mean we might work it out, but chances are that will have to wait. We wont hardly be home this year to do it anyway. I think I got it all worked out with the other stuff (the yard is the biggest thing, the rest are nickle and dime... so to speak) and feel pretty good about what we've managed to accomplish.

Looking at the budget for that long and knowing what we need to do, I decided to get out the baby magazines and look for coupons. I got the scissors and went to work. There weren't alot (most of the magazines were from December), but I clipped what was there. I got busy doing this and lost track of time. Before I knew it Tancy was calling to say she was on her way home. I put the magazines aside and went to get dinner ready.

I pan friend pork chops. I also cooked some cauliflower. I sliced a couple of tomatoes. I personally wanted a pork chop and tomatoe sandwich (which Tancy called my "pregnancy concoction") and she ate all three parts as a dinner plate. Whatever! She didn't even try the sandwich and it was YUMMY!

Once dinner was done Tancy was sweet enough to put the dishes in the dishwasher. She's been so helpful and it just means so much to have that little bit of help. Makes us a team and doesn't leave it all to me, which I appreciate. A bad habit had developed (no matter if the dishwasher was empty, full, clean or dirty) of setting the dishes in the sink or on the counter... that was frustrating. So, we are getting better at working together on the house work stuff (we do really well on just about everything else).

I got back to the magazines and working on clipping coupons. I have resolved to do better about coupons. I need to educate myself on who gives double/triple coupons, who honors competitors coupons, clipping them, keeping them, keeping track of when they expire. I need to start getting the Sunday paper as well as looking online. I am open to any and all information that any of you can give me. I have couponmom.com but I honestly find it to be a pain in the ass... Am I the only one?

By the time I finished with that it was 8:00. I was exhausted. My evenings have gotten increasingly uncomfortable. It starts right after dinner. I feel full... not like I ate too much, but like there's no room on my insides for my own breath. My belly gets tight and even some Braxton Hicks. Lillie moves around, which she does more when I am at rest and/or just ate. My lower abdomen has been kinda tender (ligaments stretching) and that seems to be where she puts the most pressure. (She's kicking my boob now, lol.) Anyway, I'll get a bath and feel like I can barely get my big ass into or out of the tub. I've had to start putting my legs under me for support instead of just lowering or raising myself with my arms alone... that puts too much stress on my back and I can feel muscle bands pull in ways that could spell trouble. I see showers in my near future. By the time I get out of the tub, dry off and put on my jammers I am absolutely spent. I am out of breath and border miserable. I make my way to the bed, get my body pillow in place, have Tancy wedge the other pillow in behind me and could fall asleep immediately if I could catch my breath. About the time that I can breathe and could sleep, I've got to pee. I move the Oh-so-comfortable pillow placement (not before asking Tancy if she'll hook me up again if I get up) and roll (quite literally) myself out of bed. I unconsciously make terrible noises on my way to the bathroom cause my body feels so heavy and uncomfortable. I make my way back to the bed and by the time I get the body pillow in place (Tancy's not "wedged" me yet) I am out of breath again. She puts the other pillow under my back and honestly within about 15 minutes I am out cold. Most recently I've been waking up at 2:00, 2:05, almost exactly the same time every morning, to make a bathroom run again. I grunt and groan the whole way, completely unintentionally... even when I recognize I'm doing it I can't seem to stop it. My body feels even heavier than it did before going to sleep. I've rolled over my back wedge to get out of bed so I can climb back into position and be comfortable again without waking Tancy (though I don't know how all my racket doesn't wake her). I make my way back to bed absolutely certain that I'm waddling at 2:00 in the morning... though I don't think I do that way any other time. I no sooner lay down than I am back to sleep. This is my routine every night recently.

I didn't want to get up this morning. I didn't even hear the alarm. When I wake in the morning I am a little stuffy, every morning. I chalk this up to allergies and no allergy medicine and just being pregnant. But no breathlessness, no heaviness, no waddling, no grunting (well, there's grunting but its because I'm a crab ass in the morning... different kind of grunt). Its amazing how yuck I feel between dinner and sleep and then wake up without any of that. Thankfully I wake up without it. I am going to go out on a limb (not really) and say all that, at night, is my bodys way of telling me to go to bed.

So today I have to wait for them to bring the mower. Then I am going to the Home Depot (a.k.a. Homo Depot) in Hickory to get our refund on the leveling fee and the bricks we need for leveling. They will load the bricks for me, so there's no work involved. Outside of that, not sure what I will drive at. I need to see if the utility room needs more mud or if its ready to be sanded... then maybe get on that. Remember, my goal is to have the utility room back together before we leave for Louisiana. I am sick of it the way that it is right now. And its the last room in the house to put back together, so its important.

(I can't remember if I blogged about this already or not, so forgive me if I am repeating myself) I want to get the freezer in there pretty soon. What I'd like to do over the next few weeks is to cook a few meals to freeze for when Lillie is born. That way we can just take something out and thaw it, heat it, bake it, whatever... and have a home cooked meal. I might also sweet talk the parental units to make a meal to freeze while they are here as well. So far my meal ideas are lasagna and jambalaya. It'll be summer, so soups are kinda out. But if I have the freezer when I want it, I've got plenty of time to cook/freeze without having to do it all at once. I can over cook a meal and freeze the left overs (like roast), instead of necessarily cooking for the express purpose of freezing the finished product.

Not much else to report here. Tancy has a fit test tomorrow, her day off, but its gotta be done... and she gets over time so we really can't complain. Tomorrow is my glucose test, yuck, I am not looking forward to it... I felt so crappy after the first one. Friday I go to the chiropractor and Tancy has her MRI. The goal for the weekend is to finish the utility room and to finish out the attic access where the siding needs to be tacked and moulding put up. Not much else on our agenda, I think that's quite enough to be honest. She starts back to nights on Monday... but only works a couple of nights and then we head to LOUISIANA!! Yay! 8 days and a wake-up!! I cannot wait!

Alright kids. That's all I got for now. I hope you all have a great day. It is hump day! Half way there!! Just hang on for a few more days and then you've got a break. You can do it! Sending you all my love and positive energy. Send some back my way if you can.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all well. I think some people had a pretty shitty Monday. I hope Tuesday is better.

Today we are officially in the third trimester!!

So ya'll know what my day looked like yesterday. I didn't do a whole lot after signing off yesterday. We had left over spaghetti for dinner. I didn't feel like cooking and why let perfectly good left overs go to waste? I got two loads of clothes washed, only one dried. I finish that today. I need to unload and reload the dish washer before too long also.

As far as stuff in the house that I want to work on today, back to the task list, I'll get back to the utility room. It's my goal to have that done by the time we leave for Louisiana. Its the last project in the house to be completed and I am ready for that. Everything else is outside and although I really want those done and will push to get them done, they are very different than the inside projects.

I do need to tear apart the breast pumps and clean them up. Will try to get to that today. I'll need to replace some of the parts (tubing, membranes, etc.), so I need to see what that includes and make my list.

Basically today will be taking care of things that need to be done inside. Tancy just found out that she has to work Thursday, probably only half a day, but they have to do their respirator testing and its the only time they can get it done. So she wont be able to take me for my glucose screening. Bummer. Oh well.
And the guy to do the site inspection for the shed will be here today sometime. I think we'll probably schedule the build today too. The mower will be delivered tomorrow. So I am pretty tied to the house for the next two days. No biggie, I spend too much money when I get too far outside the yard. Haha!

Talked with Mom on the phone yesterday evening. I always enjoy that. We get a laugh or two, talk about our days, nothing in particular but its nice. I miss our morning chats, but that's just part of it. Sucks being a grown up. LOL. I talked with Aunt Jan by IM or facebook yesterday as well. That tickles me too. Tancy got to talk to her waaay more though and I of course had to give Tanc shit about it. I didn't get a response to my last wall-to-wall and Tancy got several more!! What's up with that Jan-E-Poo?! Hehehe. Actually it makes me smile that those two can communicate and connect. I don't mind it a bit.

I don't really have much else right now. My brain is still foggy this morning. I am almost through with my cup of coffee and hoping that it kicks in soon and recharges my brains! I'll give myself till daylight to get moving (about an hour away) and then its time to get to work, foggy brains or not.

I hope you all have a great day today. I hope the weather is still nice and comfortable. I just have to say, in case she's reading: Happy Birthday Aunt Wanda! And that's all I got for now kids.

Love to all!

Week 28 of Pregnancy: Fetal Brain Activity

Are you dreaming about your baby? At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.

My dreams have been crazy lately. Tancy says she's always in trouble in them, which I guess is true to a certain extent. I told her to just be happy that she was only in trouble in my sleep. LOL. With pillows, laying on my left side I sleep very well... anything else is just crap!

By now, your baby, who weighs in at about two and a half pounds
and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to
toe) has added blinking to his or her growing bag of tricks. (Outside
in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects
out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your
baby's roster in the womb include coughing, more intense sucking, and,
perhaps most important, better breathing.
I don't doubt for a minute that she's doing all these things. She's certainly becoming more active, presently first thing in the morning and when I am settling in for bed (a sign of things to come?). She's kicking/punching/moving so much now that I can see my belly move if I am watching at just the right time. It's thrilling and strange all at the same time. She packs a wallop too, not just light love taps at this point, she means business!

The good news is that
babies born this week, though premature, have an excellent prognosis
because their lungs have reached the point (for the most part) of
maturity  — so you too can breathe a little easier now. Of course, it's
still best if a baby doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet —
there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12
weeks.
I would really like to say that I don't worry about her coming too early... but that would be a lie. I don't think she will come too early, but what we know and what we fear are not usually tied together. I am pretty sure she's fiesty and I take comfort in that.

So, lets see what I've had going on? Well, the newest thing is feeling like my boobs are choking me at night (this made Tancy laugh)... I am serious... they are so big and if I am laying down they smoosh up near my neck, which feels like pressure on the front of my neck, which makes me feel like I can't breathe. I put on a bra last night, that helped that feeling at least.
I am still having general problems with breathing. I think all the membranes in my nostrils are swollen because it feels like I have little barriers in both nostrils... which I don't... no amount of blowing my nose or anything like that changes it. I just have to remain calm (which is difficult when you feel like you are struggling to get a good breath) and let my body correct itself.

Lillie is moving around more and more. I think I talked a bit about that already. Some mornings, this morning especially, my belly feels sore. Not sure if it is from her kicking and moving so much or my uterus and ligaments stretching more... or both. Food doesn't really appeal to me at this point. Milk primarily, frozen yogurt still... but as far as craving anything or any particular thing sounding yummy... I got nuthin'!

In addition to my issues with my leg (since prior to week 20 I guess) I am now having issues with my hands going numb. That's alot of fun! They hurt so bad sometimes, like if I have been holding on to something (say a pencil or paint brush) they go numb from the activity and later the hurt. They feel full and tight when I try to make a fist.

Heartburn has been a real pain in the throat... yes, clear up my throat. So bad I choke and cough. I am still taking my nexium and have added rolaids, not that either seem to stop the terrible burning. I am sure it's just everything getting all cramped in there, space is starting to run out I am certain.

The headlights are always on, which makes me very uncomfortable when I am wearing a soft (the most comfortable) bra. Nothing to be done, I just wear a woobie to keep covered up. I am sure this is just the beginning of embarassing situations with my own, uncontrollable, body. Not to mention they can only stay like that for so long before it is physically uncomfortable.

I find my skin more itchy lately. Probably should just put lotion on. LOL.

No headaches recently, thankfully. No nausea. I think I covered all the bases thus far. I'll try to get back to the weekly updates... its gonna go fast from here!

Now for the real post.