A Broken Rib?

You heard right. It appears that Antoinette may have broken a rib...and it appears she may have done it by coughing too hard. Sound crazy? It did to me, too, but some of Antoinette's medical co-workers have suggested the pain that she has directly over one of her ribs could actually be a hairline crack. Apparently, cracking a rib from coughing is quite common, especially in late term pregnancy, as the baby is stealing much of your precious calcium your body uses to constantly manufacture new bone cells. The result is a weaker skeletal structure, which has been known to crack under the force of a powerful cough. The condition is also common in people with osteoporosis and people who have cancer and have been through certain chemo treatments. So, get over a nasty bit of the flu and follow it up with what appears to be a cracked rib. Antoinette visits the doctor tomorrow, so we should know more then and I'll update on the weekend.

That being said, the countdown continues. We are now at 5 days to full term and 26 days to the due date. The days are ticking by much quicker now, and somehow the constant influx of new, last minute baby needs, is resulting in a house that can't seem to stay clean. We don't even have the kid yet and I've got baby swings over here, vibrating bouncy seats over there, baby clothes on my couch, and half assembled crib mobiles on my floor that need batteries. The latest arrivals are a new box of baby items from my sister including books, toys, baby clothes, and maternity clothes for Antoinette. Rumor has it, she sent another box behind that one that should be here in about a week. We also added the crib mobile (as mentioned earlier) and the baby monitors this week. My brother and his lovely wife put the bassinet in the mail yesterday, so that should be here in a week or so. Apparently, it isn't easy to find a box for that, even when its broken down, so Tina made one on her own to store it in, which I'm sure wasn't easy. Thanks, Tina.

We are also prepping the house for our March visitors, who will be arriving on Sunday. Antoinette's Dad and Step Mom will be in town from Kentucky, and will be staying until Tuesday as they swing through after a short stint in nearby Gainesville where Patrice is writing an article for a local paper. We'll probably spend the weekend getting the house in order and getting the fishing poles ready (Antoinette's Dad is a big fisherman and the pond out back is probably too much to pass up). With Baby stuff accumulating at a crazy "we're in the homestretch" rate, there's plenty to do. And with my teammate on the sideline with a broken rib, it should be lots of fun for me.

As stated before, the Baby is nearly full term. At approximately 6.5 lbs., approaching 7 lbs. next week, he's still in insulating mode. Antoinette's body will soon begin preparing for the final Act to this play in a number of ways. Some of them are worth mentioning and others are not. As the time gets nearer, some of them you will get updates on, while others? Not so much. As for Billy, there will always be updates. Speaking of Billy, while he is just about done from the point of necessary physical development, each day he is allowed to cook a little longer, the better for him. His physical growth will begin to slow this week and his bones will remain soft until after birth. He is very active in there, spending large portions of the day practicing breathing, nursing, sleeping, gazing, touching, and peeing. All of the essential tools, aside from screaming at the top of his miniature lungs, that he'll need on the outside.