Bit By Bit

Well, the baby's room is filling up, bit by bit. We finally got the replacement part for the crib (a piece was broken when we opened it) and put the crib together. So now we have a crib, two bouncy seats, and a stroller, plus clothes. Ellen is throwing me a church shower this evening, though, so I imagine I will have lots more by tomorrow! So, as soon as we have a chance to build stuff and organize, I'll put more pictures... but, for now, here's what we have so far...

I'll be honest, it's a little scary to see a crib in the room every time we walk by. I can only imagine how scary it will be when there's a mattress, sheets, curtains, and it's all decorated! :) The adventure is truly just beginning!

Nutritionist

Well, Friday on our way out of town I had my appointment with the dietician. I was thinking 30 minutes, we would talk, she would answer my questions, we would work out a meal plan of some kind, and we'd be on the road... yeah, NOT SO MUCH! It took an hour and a half!!! It was me and another pregnant woman, and they didn't personalize anything at all. It was like an appointment in a can. They sat us down and made us watch this video made in about 1994 (turquoise leggings with an oversized sweater was a common outfit in the movie) and which was really, really ridiculous. It showed these 4 different women who had gestational diabetes and the different questions they had. The first lady sat down at the desk with her dietician and the first question she asked in this nearly hysterical (read: horrible acting) voice was "I know I got it from eating too much sugar. Is my husband going to catch it from me?!" So, you can imagine how valuable the information in the hour long video was. And the dietician kept saying "This part doesn't really apply anymore" or "We don't do it that way anymore, so you can ignore this part." Yet we still had to sit there and watch it. And then she talked to us like we were idiots for awhile, telling us what carbs were and fruits and vegetables... Anyway, it was annoying, and I learned about 3 things while I was in there- 1) I'm supposed to test 2 hours after I start eating, not after I finish eating, 2) I have to stick to the diet for 6 weeks after the baby is born, and 3) Josh cannot catch diabetes from me (I was pretty worried about that one).

I was rather annoyed by the time we left. I mean, I understand that not everyone comes in with the same background knowledge, and that they have to cover certain things to make sure women eat right. But I'd think they could make it a little more personalized. Instead of some appointment in a can, how about ask the patients questions, see what they know, and go from there. That way I don't feel like I'm being talked to like I'm 4, and we don't waste an hour and half! And I get to go back EVERY WEEK, I'm so excited... so that ups me to 3 doctor's appointments a week. Can't say I'll be looking forward to the dietician appointments the most, that's for sure...

New Pictures!!!

Well, these pretty much speak for themselves... knew everyone would want to see them!

A profile shot: that's her arm across the top, she had her hand on her forehead. Then you can see the nose and mouth and little chin. So cute! :)

Chubby cheeks, anyone?
Look, Yaya... she's already trying to do fish lips! :)

Apparently, Miss Elena already has lots of hair. All that stringy stuff that looks like hair, well, it's hair! That's the back of her head it's coming off there (not that you can really tell, but in case you were wondering). The technician said it's common for babies to have lots of hair when their mom has gestational diabetes, though she didn't know why.

Anyway... I had my doctor's appointment yesterday, obviously. It went pretty well. They will do an ultrasound on me every week now ($$$) because of the "sugars." So I'll be seeing (and hopefully getting) lots of pictures between now and September! This ultrasound was initially scheduled because my placenta was so close to my cervix, but they turned it into a "bio/physical profile," whatever that means. I think it just means an ultrasound with a non-stress test. In the ultrasound they look for 3 good movements, check the amount of fluid, and want to see her practice breathing for 30 seconds straight. The good news is, all of those things looked good yesterday, which is awesome because the breathing is especially hard to find, even more so before 32 weeks. Then I had to do a non-stress test, which was basically me sitting in a big recliner with my feet up while they monitored my stomach for contractions and baby's heartbeat. Everything looked great with that, too. It was so funny, though, because she apparently has her mother's affinity for napping! They had to buzz her during the ultrasound and the non-stress test because she wasn't moving enough! During the ultrasound she was laying with her head down again and the lady couldn't see my cervix. So she took this weird looking instrument that vibrates and makes a noise and stuck it on my stomach. Man, Elena went nutso, it was so funny watching on the screen. She went from laying there still to all apendages flailing in nothing flat. They did it again during the non-stress test, and I couldn't see her move, but I sure could feel it! The doctor said my non-stress test looked "perfect," no contractions for me and Elena's heartbeat was good. Apparently she weighs about 4 pounds now, which puts her in the 80th percentile.

As for the original reason for the visit, the not so good news is that my placenta has not moved, so it's still really close to my cervix. They're just going to keep watching it, though. I guess as long as it doesn't actually cover my cervix it's ok, but if it does then it could cause bleeding, and I'd have to have a c-section. Which I REALLY don't want to do. I kind of just want to experience the whole giving birth thing, plus, I don't relish the idea of being cut nearly in half! But, if that's how it is, that's how it is. They won't check on the placenta for another month, which is nice because, since Miss Elena likes to hang upside down, they have to do a vaginal ultrasound to check that, and those are no fun. So for now I'm going to enjoy all the new pictures, and get very familiar with Dr. Grant's office!

Everything is going pretty well with the diabetes, it's not a huge adjustment. I just am watching what I eat, and my blood sugar so far has been fine. It's just about making better decisions about what I eat- instead of doritos with my sandwich, I had carrots today (not as good), and instead of a Dr. Pepper, I had milk. All in all, the changes are probably better for me and Elena in the long run anyway! Though I am getting tired of pricking my fingers. You can just see lots of little dots where I've been doing it for the last couple of days. My actual appointment with the nutritionist isn't until Friday, so we'll see then if I'm actually doing a good job with the diet and such. Here's hoping she doesn't take away everything I like to eat! :)

Fun Stuff

Fun stuff for today: I signed Josh and I up for our childbirth class. We go next Saturday (August 4th) ALL DAY LONG... seriously, like 8-5! But the other choice was once a week for six weeks, and those sessions were all on Mondays or Wednesdays... not good for us! So we're doing it the one free Saturday we have between now and the baby. Seriously, I was looking at my calendar... a wedding on the 11th, Windermere on the 18th, Baby Shower on the 1st, Roots, Blues, and BBQ on the 8th (bank's festival), Fish Fry on the 15th, and then we have the 22nd off... of course, given that we'll probably have a SMALL INFANT then, I doubt "off" is really the right term! ;) But, hey, it'll make the next two months pass quickly, and I'm so excited to have this baby, that that's a good thing!

For now, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the baby on the ultrasound again... but apparently I'll be having lots of ultrasounds, because I think I have to have one every week because of the diabetes.

And I thought of this this morning while I was checking my blood sugar... so this goes out to my sister, to remind her of the joys of working in an inner-city Jacksonville ER! :)

"I got the sugars, but luckily, not the pressures."

Look for pictures tomorrow from the ultrasound! :)

Not So Cool, Again

Well, the not-cool news continues... I do have gestational diabetes. I don't think it's a huge deal, though; from what I have read and heard it's just a matter of watching what you eat (who wants to do that when you're pregnant?! Pregnancy is for late night pickle and ice cream snacks!) and testing your blood sugar. So I don't think that will be a huge deal, except of course for the whole I crave fudge bars all of the time (pretty sure those WON'T be on my diet plan). And I'm borrowing a meter from a friend at church who also had gestational diabetes, so I don't even have to buy it, which is super. And it's really probably a good thing because now I have to watch what I eat and I (hopefully) won't gain as much weight. Maybe I won't be as tired if I have my blood sugar under control, too... but that may be totally unrelated. Anyway, just thought I'd update you, since I know everyone was waiting on the test results. I go in sometime shortly to talk with someone about how to take care of it... so, one (maybe two) more doctors appointment(s) (oh, joy, because the 2 I have in the next week isn't enough!) and a healthier diet. I can handle that.

Test

Wow, was that not my favorite thing to do ever. I did the glucose test again this morning, the 3 hour one. So after fasting since about 6:00 Sunday night, I went in to the doctor's this morning and they drew my blood to get my fasting level. Then I had to pound the nasty drink, on an empty stomach, which nearly made me yak right there in the middle of the Boyce & Bynum lab! Then I had to sit for an hour, have blood drawn, sit for an hour, etc., etc., for 3 hours, still without eating! Needless to say, my stomach was not very happy with me! But I made it through, I have no idea what the results will be; I have a doctor's appointment on Friday, I'm assuming they will talk to me about it then. Even if I have gestational diabetes, I don't think managing it will be as bad as taking the test for it! At the very least, I will be forced to eat healthy, and (hopefully) gain less weight, since I have to lose it all by April! :) I'll post with the results as soon as I know!

Caved

Well, I caved and used the expectant mother's parking at Hyvee yesterday... I wouldn't have done it, because I still don't feel like I need it, I view that as parking for the ladies that are 9 1/2 months pregnant, plus have a 4 year old and a 2 year old to drag inside. But I was driving around the parking lot, and someone was pulling out of this great spot, so I stopped to pull into it, and then once their car moved I saw the sign, but I'd already waited and there wasn't another spot within miles... so I took it. I did find myself sticking my stomach out as I walked to and from the building (as if it's not abundantly clear that I'm pregnant at this point). I didn't feel so bad when I was carrying groceries out to the car, but then I had to run back in for just one more thing. So when I went back out carrying a single item to my primo parking spot, I felt like a heel... but oh well, if I have to put up with cankles and leg cramps, I may as well enjoy the perks of pregnancy as well! :)

Not So Cool

Well, I got a call from my doctor's office today, which is never really a good thing because they always say "if you don't hear from us, it's good news." So apparently my gestational diabetes test came back high, so they want to do the "3-hour" test on Monday. I didn't even know what that was, but she told me that I will have to fast from Sunday night and head to the doctor's office at 8:00. Then I'll get to be there all morning so they can draw my blood every hour for 3 hours. NEAT! Anybody got a good book suggestion? :)

Checkup

Well, I had my check up on Tuesday, and it went pretty well. I had to do the gestational diabetes test beforehand, so I had to drink the glucola. Pretty darn gross. I mean, not so bad if you just have to take a drink or two. But having to slam 10 ounces of it was pretty gross. Anyway, I managed to get it down, and even managed to be at the path lab on time, despite having to leave school early and race across town.

As for my regular doctor's appointment, her exact words were "Well, your weight has taken quite a jump from your last visit." So apparently gaining 6 pounds in 3 weeks is a bit much. Whoops! :) I'm still only up like 16 pounds from my starting weight, but I've actually gained 21, since I lost 5 pounds to start with. Guess I'll just have to watch it until my next appointment. I think I'm supposed to be gaining 1 pound a week, so doubling it probably isn't the best plan! Plus, I'd like to gain as little as possible now because I have to lose it all (and then some, preferably) before Jessica's wedding in April so that I can fit into a bridesmaid's dress! At least I have some good motivation now!

I have 3 weeks until my next ultrasound, and I'm excited to see how much she's grown. She moves a lot, and sometimes you can even see my stomach move. Sometimes it's not big movements, it's just little things I can feel. Then every once in awhile she just hauls off and gives it a good kick (or elbow, or headbut, don't know which), and it surprises me. It's definitely been fun! :)