Seriously, what planet have I been on?

I was not aware that Madonna had a new CD that was released yesterday. I am so running to Target once Brooke is up from her nap to get my copy. Tim will love more Madonna on my iPod :)

12 Week Appointment

Everything went well. Dr. Folley found the little peanut's heart rate right away. Still cranking it out at 166. I was down 1 pound. I say this because this will be the only time you will hear me talk about my weight. I am sure it will all be up from now on. I had no problem packing on the pounds with Brooke. The morning sickness has defiantly improved I am just "full" all the time, which is so not like me. The only bad news? I am no longer immune to Rubella and the Hepatitis was inconclusive despite being up to date on all my immunizations. Looks like I will be getting immunized along with the new baby and Brooke. YUCK! Brooke tagged along for this appointment. I am sure most of the people in the waiting room were thinking, "who brings a baby to their OB/GYN"? The appointments are so short and it's not even like I have to change into a gown. The moment we stepped in the office Brooke burst out in tears. She must have thought it was her Dr. that we were going to. All in all everything looks great and I will return in 4 weeks.

More Dance Moves...

Running low on creativity this week. Brooke especially loves "ghetto" music. She will stop right in her tracks to break it down.

Lets not forget...

The little peanut...
12 weeks today, nearing the end of the first trimester already.
See the big picture
How baby's growing:The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

How Mom's life's changing:Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. Though you probably won't need maternity clothes for several more weeks yet, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.You may begin to experience heartburn (also called acid indigestion), a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. Many women get heartburn for the first time during pregnancy, and those who've previously had bouts of heartburn may find that it worsens. During pregnancy, the placenta produces a large amount of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. Particularly when you're lying down, gastric acid can seep back up the pipe, which causes the uncomfortable burning sensation. For many women the problem doesn't begin (or worsen) until later in pregnancy, when your growing uterus starts to push up on your stomach. The discomfort may range from mildly annoying to intense and distracting.

Brooke is 17 months old!

I will post a few pics later but for now some reading material :)
How your toddler's growing: She's becoming much easier to understand now that she often combines pointing with a word or two. And her growing independence is asserting itself in numerous ways: She can undress herself (dressing herself will come much later), brush her teeth without your help and feed her dolly. But you should continue to brush her teeth for her, until she truly masters the job.She can sort things by color, shape, and type, which makes toys that encourage sorting particularly popular now. If "no" hasn't already become her favorite word, she'll begin using it with a vengeance. She's gradually easing toward one nap each day, which means this is a transition period that's potentially hard on both of you. If she's having trouble sleeping, try cuddling up with her for a few minutes to make it extra cozy.
How Mom's life's changing: Toddlers are known for being finicky eaters, so save yourself some time and heartache by keeping meal preparation simple. But try to present a fairly good mix of foods on her plate at every meal. If you offer a variety of healthy options, chances are she'll get all the nutrition she needs — though it may mean she's eating her vegetables at one end of the day and grains at the other.

Finally, the park

Brooke and I are both so happy to see the sun out and the temperature rising. We took another trip to the park and I remembered my camera this time. Only problem, I was too busy chasing her around making sure she didn't go down the biggest slide at the park that these are the only 2 pics I got. The girl seriously has no fear. She finds the biggest covered slide that turns in circles and runs right for it. Sorry, I don't think so. She loves the swing but only in intervals of a few minutes before she spots something better. Brooke wouldn't let my water bottle go. Mommy's water always tastes better.

She was not happy when I said it was time to go. As you can see the sun was bright and hot that day and bad mommy didn't pack the sunscreen. If the poor thing has my freckled pale skin she would have been fried, now if she has her daddy's skin she would be tan as can be. I wasn't about to find out what genes she has.

Brooke's Playlist

Tim and I both tend to throw our gym bags in the back room. The problem is that is now where Brooke has most of her toys. If the bags aren't zipped she rummages through to find our water bottles and iPod. The girl even knows how to work the ear buds. Geez, instead of a doll for her 2nd birthday she is already going to be asking for an iPod. Just kidding.

More Toys...

After seeing how Brooke bonded with her baby at Grandma's I thought she needed a bottle for her baby here. Naturally, it didn't stop at a simple bottle for the baby. The aby needed a stroller. Brooke loves pushing her little baby around in her very own stroller. She also loves terrorizing the dogs by chasing them around with the stroller. The house has been overtaken by yet another toy. I pointed out to Tim the other day that not only are we going to have all of Brooke's stuff out but come November the baby gear will also be everywhere.

More from Christa....

Helping Papa

Taking pictures.

Just eat it!

My guess, watching Elmo with Aunt Christa.

Taking the doggie and baby for a ride.

Note and Pics from Grandma

Well brookes weekend at grandma and papas is over. Everyone had a great time. Aunt Christa, Tyler and Logan did a sleep over also. Not sure if our hearing loss (from brookes screaming) will return. We do remember Brooke's Mommy doing that same sorta scream..but brookes is so much louder. When tyler came in the front door he noticed the door decoration (fridge magnets) and said, "oh my gosh i wasn't aloud to touch the walls". I guess things have changed a bit. We will miss you Brooke, we will surely keep our weekend sleep overs regular. The only problem
is mommy never gets a break, we will work on that one. Hopefully aunt christa will post her outside pictures.

While Brooke is away...

Mommy will work :( We took Brooke for an extended weekend to my parents last night. I have been awaiting today, sleep in till 11, watch TV, go shopping, things I used to do. What happens? In bed at 10:10 last night and I had to drag myself up off the couch I was so tired and wide awake this morning at 8:10. Mark that one down, guess I don't need Brooke's babbling in the morning as an alarm clock after all. Tim is seeing golf balls in his future for the weekend. I have to get my schedule back on track with having the last few Sundays off leaving me to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. I know, you 5 day a week people are like, "ya whatever, 3 nights". 12 hours on night shift, need I say more? Brooke also wanted to wish Grandma & Grandpa S. a safe trip and happy winnings. See you Monday, Brooke. Be good for Grandma and Papa.

Bodysnatchers

You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves well. . .
My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. I went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just that quick. The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Who's thighs were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans.
And then the thieves struck again. My butt was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear-end to the thighs they had stuck me with earlier. But my new butt was attached at least three inches lower than my original! I realized I'd have to give up my jeans in favor of long skirts.
Two years ago I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was fixing my hair and was horrified to see the flesh of my upper arm swing to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really getting scary - my body was being replaced one section at a time. What could they do to me next?
When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a turkey neck, I decided to tell my story. Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee! Those plastic surgeons are using REAL replacement body parts - stolen from you and me! The next time someone you know has something "lifted', look again - was it lifted from you?
THIS IS NOT A HOAX. This is happening to women everywhere, every night. I have not had the chance to look into Snopes but I am sure it is there!WARN YOUR FRIENDS!
P.S. Last year I thought someone had stolen my boobs. I was lying in bed and they were gone! But when I jumped out of bed, I was relieved to see that they had just been hiding in my armpits as I slept. Now I keep them hidden in my waistband.

Chef Brooke

Mmmm chocolate chip cookies sound good!

Bucket Head

Brooke has found many ways to keep herself entertained with a sand bucket. That is a good thing since I am not sure when she will tolerate the sand long enough to use it for it's intended purpose. Anyway, she put the bucket on her hand and walks around the house pulling it up occasionally to make sure she knows where she is at. It is so terrible but I can't help but laugh when she bumps the wall or a chair. This was our after dinner entertainment last night.

EEWWHHH...

Get it off, get it off, mommy please, get it off...

I am certain these are the words going through my little Brooke's head at these moments. The neighbors have this ginormous tree that leaves a mess all over the driveway, deck, and yard each spring. Brooke just can't handle it. Each time she takes a tumble or puts her hand on the ground at least one sticks to her little hand. She immediately stares down at her hand, starts to cry, and holds it out until someone wipes the mess from her hand. Guess she is just our little princess. Now if only her clothes didn't look as though she likes to roll in the dirt. I am seriously going to have to buy Sam's Club sized Shout and Biz this summer.

Free Yogurt

Everything is better when it's free. Yoplait kids is one of Brooke's favorite yogurts. It contains DHA and has 25% less sugar which makes moms happy. Wanted to share for anyone else whose kid could eat yogurt with each meal.

http://www.yoplait.com/products_yoplaitkids.aspx

Yo Baby is another favorite. Made with whole milk and contains DHA. Get a $1 off printable coupon...

http://www.yobabyyogurt.com/YBcoupons/signin.cfm

Lovin' it

This is how much she enjoys the nice weather....She was so pooped she feel asleep on our walk. I am not sure the last time Brooke has fallen asleep in the stroller. She is usually busy trying to fight her way out.

Four Eyes

Well, I had my follow up appointment with the eye specialist today. I have been having trouble with blurred vision in the right eye after being awake a couple hours for the past 2 weeks. He did a scan a little over a week ago that showed a lot of irregularities to the surface of my cornea and edema. I was prescribed Torbradex an antibiotic/steriod eye drop and NO CONTACTS. So I have been faithfully using the eye drops and wearing my glasses. Today he said the striae is improving along with my vision. He said he still has no answer to what caused it therefore is blaming the pregnancy. I have to continue the eye drops for another week, start using another set after that, and see him back in 3 weeks. Still no contacts :( Guess glasses will be the new look for me.

Ummmmm

You have a little something on your face.

Seriously, What next?

The Today Show had a portion on the chemicals that can be released from some plastic water bottles, baby bottles, sippy cups, etc. As if working as an oncology nurse wasn't bad enough.
http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392973&cat=2_3
Want to really drive yourself crazy? Here is a list...
http://safemama.com/2007/11/22/bpa-free-bottle-and-sippy-cup-cheat-sheet/
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/05/sippy-cup-showdown-safer-bpa-free-sippy.html
Wanna sum it up for those of us that can't keep up on all this?
http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/nahbpa.pdf

Uh-Oh

Whatcha got in that cup Brooke? Do we need to have the drinking and driving talk at such a young age?

In case you didn't know....

Brooke is going to be a big sister in November 2008. Estimated Due Date is November 8. The ultrasound is showing November 11. The Dr. said to pick which ever date we liked and thought 11/11 might be fun. Brooke came right on her due date so we will see what happens this time around. We had this shirt made for Brooke as our way of announcing the news. Some people took a little longer to realize than others while some were so excited they were speechless. How have I been feeling? Certainly not the same easy 1st trimester as I had with Brooke. Sure, I had some fatigue with her but combine that with morning sickness and a toddler this time around and some days it really takes a toll. The Dr. did give me a prescription for Zofran ODT and also recommended Unisom with B6. That has worked wonders and I sleep like a baby. Brooke actually got to eat waffles with maple syrup for the 1st time in 2 weeks. Laundry is really starting to pile up so hopefully the fatigue will soon pass. Just like with Brooke me being already clumsy is intensified. I totally biffed it and fell down the stairs this morning. I have a nice black shiner on my rump to show that I don't fall gracefully, I fall hard. Here are a few ultrasound pictures of the little peanut at 8 weeks.

Weekend Off

Brooke stayed the weekend at her Grandma and Papa's house. It has been a while since they spent most of the winter in sunny Florida. These are some pictures at Great Grandma's house.

What a big girl sitting and eating dinner in a big girl chair.
That red and blue ball you see sitting on the table was a favorite toy of ours to play with at my Grandma's house when we were growing up.

Playing with bubbles.

Panda Baby

Today was Amanda's baby shower and it was great to see everyone. Baby Vivian is defiantly going to be one spoiled little girl. That is just the way they like it! We can't wait to meet you, Vivian!

Brooke also walked away with a nice gift from Laci. It is the cutest little panda chair ever and it's just Brooke's size complete with a sippy cup holder and all. Thanks Laci!

I was bad and forgot to take my camera but luckily my mom had one so once I get them I will post more from the shower.

Are you sure?

I really think that chair has Brooke's name and NOT Nala's.

Introducing...

The amazing, the one, the only, baby with a bucket for legs.
,