Lexie's Surgery

Our poor little girl. 4 months ago she had a foot infection. 2 weeks ago we treated it for a 3rd time with antibiotics and steroids. It came back so finally the vet recommended exploratory surgery last Thursday 10/28. Which means he cut her foot open between the toes and took out whatever was continuously infecting her. She has stitches and another antibiotic (while she was out we also had her teeth cleaned & nails clipped). She can't play or run on her foot for 10 days. But she is acting SO much better, back to normal. Last week she was hopping on 3 legs, now she's walking normally -- with her shaved toes and stitches. It's red, but the swelling and infection looks like its gone down significantly. I think we have a harder time with it than she does. We have the hardest time putting on her ugly little cone hat. As you can see, she's enjoying the time off her walks, but she is starting to get a little antsy and wanting to play outside more. Before & after pics.

40 Weeks

I don't really look that big...so why do I feel like it?! :) It's like sleeping with a watermelon under your shirt and trying to bend, twist, and flip without crushing it. After today, Baby, you're welcome to come out anytime.

Another Year Past

I'm not big on birthdays (my own that is), but it was a very blessed one. I had my 39 wk check up, all is good. At work we had pizza, donuts, and presents. I then met up with Mom & Heather for lunch. And then had a romantic tortellini alfredo dinner with my Dearly Beloved at home. I got flowers, lemon poppy seed muffins (my fav!), an electronic picture frame, and a beautiful card with a touching letter from him. Can't forget the most beautiful birthday song and wish on my last "20-something" candle. I received many phone calls, text messages, and well-wishing emails from family & friends. It was a blessed day, more than I deserved and while I dislike my birthday, it's a good time to reflect on just how many blessings I have in my life. Thank you all for making it special.

Busy Bone = Bad, Bissell ProHeat 2x Pet = Good

I bought Lex a busy bone the other day. She loved it. It kept her preoccupied for a whole hour. Unfortunately she was eating in on my tan carpet and it left a gross dark brown stain on my carpet that the Kirby vacuum couldn't get up. Thankfully I have a new toy I finally got to try out. The Bissell Pro Heat has turned out to be awesome with the internal water heater and 3 separate hand held attachments. I highly recommend this carpet shampooer, esp if you have carpets, pet, and/or children. I am very satisfied with my purchase. And I save $50 by buying it @ Sam's Club vs. Walmart.

Nursery is Ready, But Something's Still Missing...Oh, BABY!

Our spare bedroom/nursery is now ready. David did a wonderful job at putting in a closet organizer with many shelves and hangers that helped me restructure. The vanity is fully stocked and labeled (I love my label maker). I did not take a picture of the closet organizer because Dave is taking apart the bear room and we currently have our hunting jackets & snow pants hanging in Baby's closet:).

Baby Can Wave

Actually it's a flopping over of the bottom 1/2 since BB1 is upside down, but you get the point. THe big sweep happens at 17 seconds.

38 Week Baby Bump

Nursery (Before)

Getting the baby room put together with all of the wonderful gifts we received for Baby. (You gotta tear down before building up again!)

37 Weeks - Full Term!

Congratulations! You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean he's finished growing — in fact, he's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so he’s probably not kicking as much, though he’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling. Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for his big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking his thumb, blinking, and turning from side to side.
Had my dr appt today: measuring 37 cm (good!). I still haven't gained weight in the last month, but BB1 has so that's all that matters. Still movin' & groovin' as best we can and having no (real) complaints to speak of.

Baby Shower @ Work

The Girls at work threw me a surprise baby shower today. We ordered pizza, Susie made Jello poke cake (yum!), opened presents, and took pictures. They were so generous, and crazy :) . We took a (normal) group picture, then a funny one with each girl having a ball "baby bump". Susie's daughters were also there (unpictured) and her 2 granddaughters. Pictured are Beth, Sue, Me, Cathy, & Laurie. Thanks girls. You sure know how to throw a party!

Garage Painting and House Trim

The siding on the garage was finished last year and we finially got it painted this year. We went with a medium brown and dark brown trim to match the garage doors, tin roof, and sofeting. Dave's new toy (paint sprayer) made things go a lot faster. After completing the trim & doors on the garage in dark brown, we liked it so much we also did the house shutters and front door. Actually, Dave took the 2 man doors and front door off their hinges, hung them from the rafters in the garage, and sprayed them. There's one of the many things my Dearly Beloved does well is he does it right the first time. It turned out really quite sharp looking.

A Little "Hello" Goes a Long Way

When I worked at Winona Hospital we were expected as employees to smile, make eye contact, and say "hello" to everyone we met, coworker or visitor. This was required of us by the administrator during orientation. I've carried that t/o my career and life. At my current place of employment, no one gets past me without a "hello". Some people are relieved that you said it first, smile and say it back. Others dread seeing me come down the hallway as the "hello gal" and hang their head and avoid eye contact (this is commonly the younger population). That doesn't get them off the hook. They still get a hello. Can you believe people actually try to ignore you in the hallways, like you don't exist? Is this what our society is coming to, that our social skills are so lacking that they don't know how to say "hello" anymore?
I also wave at everyone who moves over on the road when Lexicon and I are walking. If you don't move over, you don't get a wave. But if you do, I thank you. There are even a few neighbors who recognize the big pregnant lady walking the middle-aged furball who move over and wave when approaching before I get to smile and wave first.
Have you ever gone to Wells Fargo bank? They all smile warmly and welcome you. I like that, whether it's fake or real, I still feel like a warm fuzzy when I go into their company. At other banks, you are made to feel bad, like you're wasting their time for having come to give them business. A roll of the eyes and "I'm open" is not welcoming and certainly doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling, even if their rates are good.
Dad always said "howdy" to everyone. This embarrassed me as a child, my Dad pretending to be a cowboy. ARG! But people responded. A big smile and a "hello" back. And people remember him for that too, as I found out this weekend talking to a long-lost girlfriend of mine who used to have Dad work on her computer. You never know the impact you'll make with a simple greeting. Conclusion of today's blog: It never hurts to take that extra second to be kind...so do it. :)

Grandma Brooks' 90th Birthday Party

Grandma is turning 90 in October. The family threw her an open house. Here are her words of wisdom to an expecting mother:
Grandma: "Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?"
Christi: "No Grandma, we want it to be a surprise."
Grandma: "Well you know how to tell if its a boy don't you? They're always late. That's because it takes longer for them to grow that little extra thing, you know?" As she laughs at her own joke. I was rolling with laughter at this point.
Christi: "To put the stem on the apple, in the words of Bill Cosby, right Grandma?."
And this time, I got Grandma laughing. She can be pretty funny sometimes. Thanks for the words of wisdom Grandma!
Picture is from my baby shower last weekend of Grandma and my niece Bry. Gma is trying to spoon cottonballs from a bowl on the table to a bowl on her head with her eyes closed.

Goodland Maki Housewarming

Troy & Heather moved "home" this summer. We had a house-warming this past weekend with the whole fam damily. Good food, good conversations, good times. We watched the video of Earl's band being inducted into the Hall of Fame. We enjoyed it, but I think Ruby & William really got a kick out of "Earl is on TV!" For dessert, the girls had carrot cake (my favorite) with Baby Brooks' ultrasound picture on it. SOOOO thoughtful, thanks girls! Afterwards, Derik & Troy educated their 2 year olds on fire crackers (that's it boys, start them off young haha). It was great having everyone together. Thanks Makis for hosting and hope we helped you warm your house! (to 84-degrees!)
(Top picture of Ruby: she's got her hand on my belly and she's "listening" for baby with the other hand. She told me "There's a baby in there!" after she felt it move.)

Brooks Baby Shower

Baby Shower! Last Saturday 9/25 my family threw me a beautiful baby shower at the VFW. It was absolutely breath-taking. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of people who showed up and overwhelmed by their generosity. (And I even got my thank yous done in under a week!) Thanks everyone!