Getting Closer

This last week I hit the 34 week mark...that means I have less than 6 weeks until we get to officially meet our baby boy. Surprisingly, I feel like since around week 28 time has been passing more quickly for me. I still have my slow days, but I can't believe I'm already 34 weeks along!

Wednesday March 18

We now have doctor's appointments every 2 weeks. So far all of our appointments have been about the same: I give a urine sample, have a weigh in and get my blood pressure checked then we go into a room and wait for the doctor. With the doctor we talk about any changes I'm experiencing, what to expect in the next few weeks and any questions we have, then the doctor listens to the baby's heartbeat and measures my belly (I am measuring between 34 and 35 weeks, so right about where I should be). Occasionally I get a vaccine or have a routine lab test.

These appointments are about to get a lot more exciting (and invasive). My 36 week appointment in two weeks will include a Strep-B test (vaginal swab), an ultrasound (yay!) to check to baby's position and the amount of amniotic fluid and the doctor will check to see if I am progressing at all. I know dilation and effacement are not really good predictors of when baby is coming, but it will still be exciting to be able to get progress reports at my weekly doctor's appointments as my body preps!

At my appointment this last Wednesday I told the doctor that I have been having some pretty bad cramping off and on and feeling a lot more pressure than usual. I even had my first Braxton Hicks this last week. My doctor said that all of that is a good sign that my cervix is thinning and baby is moving down and if the the cramping and pressure continues she doubts if I will go past 40 weeks and will probably even go into labor a little early! Sounds very exciting and scary all at the same time! And something else to add to Ryan's building anxiety that he is starting to feel.

She also said that 34 weeks is the point where if I went into labor now they would not try to stop it. At this point in pregnancy if my body goes into labor it is probably for a good reason (like there is some kind of infection or problem) that means the baby needs to come out. She said this early he would probably spend a couple days in the NICU, but that we would be taking a baby home after a short stay. By 37 weeks it would be very likely he would be fine and we would all go home right on time. Of course if I have to be induced early for any reason things would probably play out differently, but he would still probably not be in the NICU for too long, if at all.

Another interesting thing: I have only gained 1.5 lbs in the last month even though the baby has likely gained about 2 pounds all on his own (he should be about 5 pounds and as tall as 20 inches already). I'm at the point in my pregnancy where baby is packing on the pounds, gaining about 1/2 a pound a week. The doctor isn't worried about my lack of weight gain; I am probably losing weight close to the same rate the baby is gaining. Why the sudden weight loss in the third trimester when many women gain the most? It's thanks to my low carb, low sugar gestational diabetes diet.

I have been testing my blood sugar 3-4 times a day for the last month or so now. In the last two weeks I have had more and more of my tests come back high. I've never had more than one test a day come back high, but if I start getting two a day I will have to go on insulin. Needless to say I am now following my diet more strictly.

I have been cooking dinner more often, which usually consists of meat and a vegetable (I do miss mashed potatoes and pasta). For my first lunch I usually eat leftovers from dinner the night before and for my second lunch an Atkins meal bar, a few grapes and a string cheese (yes, I eat two lunches). I can still have my cereal for breakfast (lately it's been Life or Honey Nut Cheerios) as long as I have it with almond milk. I have only been allowing myself one glass of regular milk a day, usually with dinner, and get my calcium from the almond milk in the morning and string cheese or light yogurt for snacks. Oscar Meyer P3 protein packs (ham, cheese and almonds) have been a lifesaver; I often have one of those with some strawberries or raspberries as a snack.

For my sugar cravings I have sugar free candy, sugar free Popsicles and Diet 7-Up (I'm not usually a soda drinker, but since I can't have juice, ice cream, chocolate or cookies I need to get my sweets fix somewhere). I have also discovered Atkins Endulge candy bars: practically zero carbs and high in protein and fiber. They are surprisingly delicious and come in varieties that taste like Snickers (caramel nut), Mounds (coconut), M&Ms (chocolate candies) and Milky Way Caramel (chocolate caramel mousse). The two salty snacks I cannot live without right now: almonds and string cheese. I even take almonds with me in my purse when we go to movies.

What I've been snacking on

What I really want to snack on

This does not mean I am not buying any junk food. Easter is my favorite candy holiday, so of course I am stocking up! I love jelly beans. My favorites are the SweeTart, Starburst (especially the sour ones) and Jolley Rancher jelly beans. I also love Cadbury mini eggs (this year they have a new white chocolate variety that I admit I have tried and love) and Reese's Pieces Eggs. I am and will be buying lots of my favorite candies and saving them for after this baby comes when I can go back to eating sugar! I did open some...I can safely eat 5-6 jelly beans (which is never quite satisfying) so I have been giving myself teeny tiny daily treats! I can't wait until I can eat a White Kit Kat or some Butterfinger Cups (if you haven't tried them you should) and unlimited popcorn during a movie again!

I guess really I should be grateful that my limitations are keeping my weight down during pregnancy. Even though it will be less to lose later I still reason that it isn't fair to be limited and not be able to give into pregnancy cravings (unless I want to give birth to a 10+ pound baby). How I miss ice cream! And being able to have a cheeseburger AND an Oreo shake! I also can't wait to bake cookies again (because half the fun of baking treats is eating them). I'm just glad cheese is safe!

Well, all of this talk of food is making me very hungry...time to go find a boring, healthy snack...

Maternity Photos

A while back I decided that I wanted to have maternity photos taken for two reasons:

1. I always think pregnant women look so pretty in maternity photos
2. This is the last time Ryan and I will have family photos as a twosome

I ended up emailing two different photographers that were referred to me by friends and neither of them got back to me. So I sent out a request for photographer recommendations on a private mommy group I am part of on Facebook and got about 40 different recommendations! It took me a while to sort through them all. I visited their Facebook pages and websites to look at portfolios and check out prices. I narrowed it down to my top three that were in the price range I wanted, had professional websites and had pictures in their portfolios that matched my style.

Then I started shopping for a dress...which took me longer than expected. It's not a very pretty time of year outside and I prefer spring colors. I looked for something in a navy blue or green to go with the dead trees of winter, but ultimately decided to go with a spring color anyway, choosing a pretty coral colored dress. Surprisingly my spring dress and Ryan's coordinating shirt look great against our wintery backdrop we ended up with.

Next I decided I had better email the photographers (probably should've done that sooner). I was to the point where I wanted to have these pictures taken in the next week, so it really would come down to who could get us in when I wanted. Time was running out because I was 32 weeks along and wanted the pictures done while my bump was still cute and before my face started to swell (which I hear happens as you get further into the third trimester).

I emailed Makira Rackham first. She emailed me back within 24 hours. She was so easy to work with! She was always quick to respond to any questions I had, recommended several outdoor places for me to look up and even offered a discount for doing both my maternity photos and newborn photos after the baby is born. Ultimately we decided all we needed for a maternity shoot was a 30 minute mini session, which included 40 edited photos on a CD. With a 90-minute newborn session, which will include about 60 edited photos, our total cost is $225.

We ended up going to Tibble Fork, just a few miles up American Fork Canyon. With her directions we found the spot easily and met up with her right away. She was very friendly and easy to work with. She posed us, and had a very good attention to detail, telling us when to lift a chin, bend a knee or fix my sweater. She took pictures of us in several different places and poses, from different angles. The timing was just when I wanted too...I was just 2 days short of 33 weeks!

In less than a week she had our pictures edited and sent them to me on Dropbox so we could see them right away rather than waiting until the CD arrives in the mail (usually she does one or the other, but I asked her if she could give us the pictures both on Dropbox and a CD). I am so happy with our final edited images! She did a great job and I am happy to say that I now have a photographer I can recommend! Here are a few of our pictures:

I am having a hard time picking my favorite one (or two or three) to frame...if you have a favorite let me know!

Our Empty Room Filled

From the first house Ryan and I rented together we have saved an extra bedroom to make into a nursery when the time came. The longer it took to get pregnant the more empty that room felt, despite the fact that it always ended up filled with random stuff. One thing that never changed was that it was always a room we rarely (if ever) used unless we needed the space for an extra house guest--in which case I had a long day of cleaning and organizing in that empty room full of stuff. The rooms were never really put together or decorated; as a result I didn't take many pictures of those rooms.

Left: bottom-room in our first house in Draper before we filled it with random storage, top-baby room in our apartment in Cottonwood right before we moved out, Right: room of our last house in Riverton (and my niece playing dress-up with my clothes from the closet...this is literally the only picture I could find of this room).

Our "empty" room was like a physical manifestation of the empty space we felt in our life together that we knew would someday be filled with the love for a child. We filled our empty room with random items the way we filled our lives with activities to keep us busy. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun together and had the opportunity to take some amazing vacations together while we waited for our family to grow.

With the purchase of our new house came a new kind of empty room. When we moved in in October I was about 14 weeks pregnant. For the first time we knew that our empty room would not be empty for long. From the day we moved in, the room contained a few boxes of hand-me-down baby clothes, a used crib (that we decided not to use), children's books and baby toys.

After my baby shower last week, I ordered the remaining items on my Amazon registry that qualified for the 15% completion discount--including the crib and dresser that I received an "anonymous" (father-in-law) cash donation for. I spent the week waiting for packages to arrive, opening boxes and assembling baby accessories and furniture! I even washed several loads of tiny baby clothes and blankets (the first of many to come!)

The contents of the first 2 deliveries that arrived this week (and the mess of empty boxes)

Top: Folding tiny clothes, the 2nd (of 3) deliveries on our porch. Bottom: My 6-hour project (and final delivery) Thursday...the crib wasn't so bad to assemble, but the dresser started out as 53 wood pieces, 10 knobs, 88 screws, 50 dows, 24 bolts, 24 barrel nuts and 4 curved washers. Needless to say I am very proud of the finished product!

It's been nearly six months since we moved in and now we have a complete nursery with furniture, wall hangings, lots of baby boy clothes, blankets, diapers and all kinds of baby items. I love what this room has become--I just want to hang out in there! I walk into the baby's room at least once a day and imagine future days and nights spent in there with our baby boy. Now that my glider is up there I have a place to sit so I don't have to stand in the middle of the room feeling lost!

Our completed Nursery!

The picture above the dresser was made by a good friend and is the perfect finishing touch!

Our "baby's room" has even expanded into other areas of the house, like the kitchen and bathroom. I cleared out part of a kitchen drawer for a few feeding items (which I am sure will multiply greatly as he grows), a space on the counter for a bottle drying tray and found a place for the high chair. The hall bathroom upstairs, that we hardly ever use, has baby soap and a little baby bath in the tub as well as a turtle spout cover, and a big drawer full of baby items like washcloths, towels, lotion, q-tips and a cute baby bathrobe I bought close to 10 years ago.

Slowly this kid is taking over our house!

Until the birth of our son started getting so close (only 6 1/2 more weeks until my due date) I never realized just how many empty spaces in our home would be filled. I am sure the space he will fill in our hearts will be even greater.

My Baby Shower!

I looked forward to this day for weeks! I felt like a kid counting down the days until my birthday party. It started to become especially exciting when friends started to RSVP. Finally Saturday arrived and friends started showing up...and before I knew it, it was over. Then I was left trying to think of anything else I have to look forward to in the next seven weeks...otherwise it is going to be a very long stretch waiting for this baby to come! Fortunately I came up with some things:

• A family sleepover with Ryan's sister and her kids
• A possible weekend getaway with some friends
• Lecturing in a class at the University of Utah 
• My best friend's baby shower

Hopefully these little fun events help me fill in the waiting time!

My shower was a total success! Deidre, a friend from high school, planned the whole thing. The decorations were cute, the food was good, the games were fun (not too cheesy and optional, so I think everyone enjoyed them) and the turn out was AMAZING!

When I made my invite list, it ended up being longer than I expected, and in the days that followed I found myself thinking of others I wish I had invited (I am sorry to the friends I missed), but I was afraid to add more because I already had 30 people to invite. I figured like most events only about a third of those would make it, but I was wrong. Including myself there were 20 people crammed into my living room (which is a pretty big room) plus four kids and three babies! I don't think I have ever had a better turn out for any party!

Thank you to everyone who came! (Sara, you somehow dodged all pictures!)

Shower Fun!

We played three games. For the first one, everyone had a little blue clothespin clipped to their shirt and any time anyone said the word "baby" anyone who heard it could call them on it and steal their clothespin. In the end my teenage niece, Abby won with five or six pins lined up on her shirt.

For the second game, Deidre walked around with string and had everyone cut the length they thought would fit around my big pregnant belly. My sister-in-law, Tricia came very close, but my next door neighbor Jaymee took home the prize--she somehow guessed it exactly right!

The last game was a diaper toss. We had to throw wadded up diapers (don't worry...they were clean) down the hall and see how many we could get in a bin in one minute. I actually did pretty good at that game (despite looking like a toddler learning how to throw), but I still did not win. My 8-year-old niece Brinlee won, beating out my mom and sister by one diaper.

The string game and the diaper toss...and my niece looking beautiful watching!

The treats! Veggies and avocado hummus, Brie cheese and crackers, cookies and brownies, and candy!

Next came the presents. I cannot believe how many fun things I got! Between all the gifts and the clothes I have purchased, this kid might not wear the same outfit twice for his first 6 months of life! And he is going to be one stylish little man!

I am so excited to get the nursery set up and put all our gifts away--thanks to Ryan's dad, we ordered the crib and dresser Saturday night, so by next weekend I should be able to get started. I received gifts in the mail all last week from friends and family who were coming and even from some who couldn't make it. I also decided to order a bunch of the stuff left on our registry Saturday night and Sunday morning, so now I get to look forward to packages arriving all this week too. There are still some things left that I need to get, but I promised Ryan I won't spend any more money for a while (like maybe a week).

Opening presents with my helper, Brinlee (who doesn't look too happy...too many people watching I think)

Belly Bumps! Me (32 weeks) with Shayla (28 weeks...and so tiny still) and Melissa (ZERO weeks and holding!)

I was sad for the shower to come to an end, but had such a good time. It was so great to see and visit with so many friends and family--some of whom I had not seen in a very long time! Thank you to all who came and to all of you who were not able to make it, but still sent a gift or a kind message! I felt very loved and supported!

Sisters!

Ryan watched a movie with his dad and Shayla's son in the basement...too many women upstairs

Showers through the years...2005 (Melissa's for Kenzie), 2012 (Kim's for Bailey) and 2015 (mine for Dean)

In case you didn't catch that, we are naming our son Dean after his Great-Grandpa

Bright Spots on Gloomy Days

A few things happened this last week that I do not want to forget, so since this is the closest thing I have to a journal I figured I should write about my experiences here! We are so lucky to have so many special children in our lives. Not having children of our own right away has helped me to have an even stronger relationship with my two sisters' kids and and for that I am grateful.

Even though I was sick this week I still had to pick up my younger sister's kids (ages 10 and 8) from school on Tuesday and babysit my youngest sister's two children (ages 2 1/2 and 9 months) while she was in school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This cold I have had all week was at its worst on Tuesday. I spent the day in bed or on the couch, except for the time I spent taking a relaxing bath.

Since I would not have to get out of the car, I picked up my nieces in pink plaid pajama pants and a gray sweatshirt (that was just a little too short to pass as a maternity top). I did not put on any makeup or do anything more than blow dry my hair. If you know me you know I always do my hair and makeup even when I don't plan on leaving the house. I feel better when I am all put together and ready. Except for when I'm sick...like on Tuesday...when I barely had the energy to move. I picked up the kids from school and drove them home. When I was walking them up to their apartment 8-year-old Brinlee told me that I looked pretty. It was so sweet and made me feel so good on a day when I was feeling pretty crappy.

I warned my youngest sister on Sunday night that I was sick, but she could not miss class and did not have anyone else to cover. She is 2 months away from graduating from Utah Valley University. Usually her mother-in-law watches her kids, but she was out of town this week and I had promised to fill in when my sister asked me at the beginning of the semester. I had made a commitment to her so I still babysat even though I was not feeling up to it.

It ended up working out...I survived and had fun playing with the kids like I always do. Dylan, the baby, was actually coming down with a little cold himself so he napped better than usual (as long as I was holding him, which was fine with me because I was tired myself). He's usually a squirmy kid, but this week-especially Friday-he was extra cuddly. I enjoyed every second of it--even if it was just because he wasn't feeling too good. On Friday he actually fell asleep eating in between bites during lunch! Even if he wasn't feeling well, he was still pretty happy and not as fussy as he can be sometimes. It is so fun watching him army crawl around and try to keep up with his sister!

Sweet Dylan being all cuddly

Bailey, his big sister, is a really good kid. She's very outgoing, animated and smart. She constantly impresses me with the things she knows. For example, when I got there on Wednesday she was playing with some flash cards. I started holding them up for her and she knew all the animals and most of the other items including rainbow, unicorn, robot and volcano. Of the ones I flipped through, the only one she missed was astronaut! She even knew all the shapes including the difference between rectangle and square, and circle and oval. She even knew octagon (and just hearing her say that word is adorable!)

Bailey writing me a story about smiley faces

I am getting sidetracked though...something Bailey does that I love is that she always tells you she missed you as part of her greeting. Every single morning when I walked in the door she said, "Hi Aunt Char! I missed you!" and ran to greet me. I always kneel down so she can give me a big hug. Friday morning she made me feel extra special for two more reasons: First, after she pulled away from our hug she told me that my eyes were pretty and that she liked my eyelids. It was sweet because I was wearing a new color of eye shadow and this little toddler was the only one who noticed. Being the cute kid she is she then closed her eyes and asked me if I liked her eye lids too.

The second thing that made my day happened minutes later when Bailey told me I was her best friend. I told her she was mine too--afterall we do have lots of fun playing. She told me I was her best friend several more times throughout the day, including once during nap time/quiet time while we all cuddled on the couch watching Miles From Tomorrowland on Disney Junior. I was holding a sleeping Dylan on my left arm and Bailey was laying on my right with her pillow on my lap: I thought she was sleeping too until she rolled over to face me, hugged my arm and said "Aunt Char, you're my best friend." MELTED MY HEART!

The last fun thing that happened this week: I received my first gift off of my Amazon Baby Registry! On Friday when I got home from babysitting there was a big box waiting for me on the front porch. We brought it in the house, opened it up and inside was a glider and ottoman from my dad. I got it all put together (fortunately it came mostly assembled) and will be enjoying it in my living room until our baby gets a little closer and we get the rest of the nursery furniture. THANK YOU DAD!! It is so exciting to get baby stuff in the mail! Waiting for my shower makes me feel like a child waiting for a birthday party (one more week!)!

Our new Glider!

All of these things (including the kindness of my neighbors I wrote about in my last post) helped cheer me up during a week when I felt pretty down. I have been feeling a little lonely lately. Being sick always does that to me though. For some reason when I am home sick I just want comfort--I get that "I want my mommy" feeling you have when you stay home sick as a child. As an adult, I think I would feel content if Ryan could stay home and cuddle me until I am well. Instead we have to be grown-ups and so I lay around the house alone all day, not feeling social at all, but still feeling isolated. To make it worse Ryan was sick 2 weeks ago and missed work so he was been busy with work stuff and not home a lot this last week.

Besides the pregnancy hormones that make me cry when it rains on my clean car (or any time I don't get my way...I know...childish), I know part of the problem is that I function best when I am in a routine. Being sick, on top of pregnant (and babysitting which wore me out more than usual) I have had zero energy this week and have therefore accomplished nothing. I have not even made our bed this week--not once. My house is a cluttered mess. I have had errands to run, but have not felt up to it. We have been eating whatever we can find because I have not felt like cooking.  

I am sure I will feel better mentally once I feel well physically and can get back to a clean house, cooked meals and my regular routine. I actually felt better yesterday and did run some errands and do a little shopping. In the meantime these little comments from children and one big baby gift helped to brighten my week. 

I am also pretty excited for February to be over...one more month down, only 2 more (maybe slightly less) to go!

Pregnancy Surprises

I expected the stereotypical symptoms: cravings, mood swings, morning sickness, and to get fat, feel tired and eventually be so uncomfortable that I couldn't wait for the baby to come. But I feel like pregnant women talk more about their labor and delivery experiences than their pregnancy experiences! Just like I did while going through infertility, I have learned some things while going through pregnancy. So many things have surprised me...

Insomnia 

I expected to have trouble sleeping towards the end of pregnancy when I got big and uncomfortable, but never expected to not be able to sleep for no reason through my entire pregnancy! I wake up to pee about three times a night and each time have more trouble going back to sleep-sometimes it takes me a couple hours, sometimes I wake up at 4:30 and don't fall back to sleep. It's not because I'm uncomfortable in any way (although some nights my hips hurt), I just plain can't sleep.

Lack of Reach

Simple tasks are getting harder! Maybe it's because I'm so short, but with my belly in the way I can't reach high shelves-really just the second shelf in my kitchen cupboards feels high these days-even on my tip toes. I also have to stand on my toes to reach the wand to open and close the kitchen blinds because my belly makes me have to stand further back from the counter. Doing dishes is a challenge too because I have to lean forward a little to reach which makes my back hurt. Don't even get me started on shaving my legs or putting on my shoes...

Fat Feet

Speaking of Shoes...my shoes are all too small. Okay, not all...I have TWO pairs of shoes that still fit without hurting my feet, the rest feel too tight. My hands are swollen too, so my wedding ring has not fit in months and I wake up with stiff sore fingers every morning.

Weigh Ins

It's hard to watch the numbers on the scale rise. Watching my belly grow as the baby grows inside me is kinda fun...seeing my weight go up FIVE pounds of more for every ONE pound of baby, not so much. I keep telling myself that fifteen pounds will be baby, placenta and amniotic fluid, but it still makes seeing my weight getting closer to 200 than 100 really hard. I look back at picture from the first few months of my pregnancy when I was bloated and my pants were getting tight--I thought I was chubby back then! Now I look at those pictures and think "Wow! Look how skinny I was!"

12 Weeks (when I thought I was getting fat) and 31 Weeks (can you tell I'm sick?)

The Longest 9 Months

The time passes S O   S L O W L Y! I've heard that the last month feels SO LONG...so far it has all felt so long so I imagine the last month is going to be torture! You'd think after waiting over a decade to become a mom nine (10 really) months would seem like nothing, but it seems like forever! I've had other people tell me my pregnancy is flying by...maybe for them. But really, is it April yet?

Painful Kicks 

I expected rib kicks towards the end of my pregnancy to hurt (which they really don't yet, but he does jam his little feet up under my ribs making it hard to bend or move). It's the low down kicks that really get me! This little guy likes to pound on my bladder and cervix! If you see me jump or cry out (in pain)...that's why! It surprises me every time! I'm not sure what it feels like to get kicked in the balls, but I imagine a swift kick to the cervix feels similar. It's especially rough when I'm driving and can't change positions to take the pressure off when he stretches out and puts pressure down there. Maybe it's his way of getting even with me for always waking him up by poking him and pushing on his little protruding limbs to make him move around for my enjoyment!

Aches and Tired Muscles

Even sitting gets uncomfortable. I figured being on my feet a lot would be hard, but I never thought just sitting on the couch would make my back tired. By about eight or nine every night I'm ready to go to bed. After being vertical all day my lower abdomen and my back feel so tired from carrying the extra weight in front that no matter how I sit (or stand) I can't get comfortable. Eventually I just feel like I need to be horizontal (with all my extra pillows) to take the pressure off tired muscles. I didn't realize how achy I would get. Again I expected this in the last few weeks, but not for part of the 2nd and the entirety 3rd trimester.

Leaking

I have talked about this one before, but seriously, I had no idea that my boobs would start leaking so soon! By week 20 I was wearing breast pads daily. Sometimes I leak so much I soak through them. I thought leaky boobs was one of those symptoms that showed up right at the end, but for me that's not the case. Even Ryan has gotten used to seeing wet spots appear on my pajama top at night (I tried sleeping in a sports bra with pads, but it's just too hot).

Antisocial Behavior

I love hosting parties, cooking big family dinners and going out with friends...or I loved doing those things until I got pregnant. Now I don't have the energy to prepare food for gatherings, after a couple hours of having people over I'm ready for everyone to leave and when I do feel like going out I'd rather just sit in one place and talk to one or two people. I've turned into an antisocial person. Hopefully once the baby comes I will feel like my old social self again (although probably even more sleep deprived). I've never in my life been so content to just sit home on my couch on a Sunday afternoon or watch tv in bed after dinner...just me and Ryan. I never get sick of being with him!

Lack of Appetite

I thought I'd be craving all this crazy food and want to eat all the time! I do get hungry, but sometimes I have to remind myself to eat because it's been a few hours. Figuring out what I feel like eating is a daily challenge--more so now that I have to watch my carbs and sugar. I literally have days where nothing sounds good, but I have to eat, so I always manage to figure out something.

Weakened Immune System

I knew it was important for pregnant women to stay well but thought it was just because they couldn't take medicine. I'd also heard they were to avoid certain foods because of potential illness, but thought if it didn't make me sick before I was pregnant why would it be so unsafe pregnant? Now that I'm pregnant, I get it. The nurse at my first appointment scared me straight with all her talk of my weakened immune system and a little something called lysteria (bacteria pregnant women are especially vulnerable to that causes food poisoning). 

I'm more susceptible to illness and bacteria because my body is busy growing a human which means it is harder for my body to fight off illness. I'm currently sick for the 3rd time in six months. I never get sick that often! I had the stomach flu in January and had a minor cold last fall. I currently have a horrible cold! I am so careful too: I wash my hands all the time, I don't share food or drinks (and haven't at all since I got pregnant) and I didn't even kiss Ryan on the lips for 2 whole weeks (so hard!) because he had a cold, but I still managed to get sick. Ryan had a sore throat for a week then severe sinus congestion kicked in...I had a scratchy throat for two days then woke up feeling like I might die. My body decided to throw in severe chest congestion and a cough as well. I can't wait to have my old immune system back!

A Little Update...

Despite being sick it has been a pretty good week. I've said it before and I will say it again: I have fantastic neighbors! On Tuesday, within hours of finding out I was sick, my next-door-neighbor brought me some yummy homemade soup with lots of veggies (and hardly any carbs). Then yesterday, right after I got home from babysitting my niece and nephew (did I forget to mention I'm my sister's back-up babysitter and on duty 3 days this week?) my across the street neighbor brought me almond milk and some low carb snacks along with a list of recommendations for low carb sweet snacks and healthy meal ideas from her sister-in-law who had gestational diabetes during FOUR pregnancies! I feel very spoiled. I just wish I felt better so I could have enjoyed my days with my sister's cute kids a little more (since I am sick, Dylan's hour and a half nap yesterday was pretty great). I really hope they don't get my cold!

I seriously cannot get enough of these cuties!

Another fun thing that happened in the middle of my sick and busy week...the car seat and stroller I ordered arrived today! I had an old infant seat my sister gave me years ago. It took us so long to get pregnant that the carseat expired a few years ago. I found out that Babies 'R Us does a trade-in event once (maybe twice?) a year where you can trade in any expired or damaged car seat for a 25% off coupon good towards certain large items (carseats, furniture, etc.). I traded in the old infant seat and ordered the Chicco Cortina Travel System with the coupon, which ended up saving me $80! So it's like I paid for the carseat and got the stroller as an added bonus for just an extra $60. 

I used the little energy I had today putting the stroller together and figuring out how it folds and opens, reclines, brakes, etc. and how the carseat snaps in and out of it. I can't wait to try it all out with our baby!

Our new car seat and stroller!

Did I mention we hit the single digits this week? Only NINE more weeks until our little guy is due to arrive! It's so close, yet still so far...

30 Weeks and More Needles

I thought my gestational diabetes scare was over...I was wrong. Last week my doctor called about my results. Because my glucose level after the first hour was high normal and the second hour was above normal she said she didn't want to rule out gestational diabetes yet. Instead she sent me to a gestational diabetes management class and instructed me to test my blood and track the results for a week.

I took the 2-hour class last night. Turns out there are some crappy diet restrictions. It's so much harder than just cutting out the sweets! They instructed me to track my carbohydrate intake and pay attention to protein. I should try to eat 1 gram of protein to 2 grams of carbs and I'm only allowed 30 carbs for each breakfast, lunch and snacks (up to 3 snacks a day) and 30-45 grams of carbs for dinner (my meal allowances are based on my height, current weight and pre-pregnancy weight).

Once I got home and started looking at labels, I realized how hard it was going to be. A single serving of milk (1 cup) has 13 grams of carbs--that's half of what I'm allowed right there! I drink milk with every meal...the baby LOVES milk!

Some other common things I eat would also have to change:

• Cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios have 20 net grams of carbs (carbs minus fiber) per 3/4 of a cup (which is less than I usually eat in a serving). With 1 cup of milk that puts me at 33 grams, which is more than I'm allowed for breakfast. 
• Cereal/Snack: Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal has 39 grams of carbs per cup (without milk) so I can no longer snack on those! 
• Breakfast: 1 piece of cinnamon swirl toast (24 g), one low fat yogurt (16 g), a scrambled egg, 2 slices of bacon and a glass of milk (13 g); that's 53 grams--almost twice my carb allotment! 
• Lunch: A Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of milk is 70 grams of carbs (twice my maximum dinner allowance).
• Snack: Grapes (15 g per 3 ounces) and a Light Yogurt (16 g) puts me over by 1 gram. 

Now for some very sad news: what I consider a serving of ice cream contains more carbs than I'm allowed in any one sitting: one "serving" of Kirkland brand vanilla ice cream (not including the crushed Oreos I like to sprinkle on top) contains 23 grams of carbs. One serving is only 1/2 cup (that's only 8 tablespoons people!)--who really eats that little ice cream at a time?? The big question here is: who determines these tiny serving sizes?! 

Cheese, nuts and pickles are safe, but unfortunately not very filling. You can see how hard this would be! I don't drink soda, but just so you soda lovers can understand, a can of regular Coke has 39 grams of carbohydrates (thanks to the excessive sugar) which means if I were to drink a soda, it would basically replace the carbs for a dinner (which means no bread, potatoes, rice or even veggies containing carbs)! It's not fair for any woman to have to diet pregnant--pregnancy should be a time to be free to eat whatever you crave (I am resisting a chocolate craving right this second)! 

Besides the diet, I have to test my blood 4 times a day-once in the morning and again 2 hours after each meal-and track the results for the next week. At that point my doctor will evaluate the results and decide if I should continue testing for the remainder of my pregnancy. If my numbers look good she said I will not have continue to test my blood daily, just randomly. 

My nifty little diabetic test kit

I felt like a pro in the class last night when the instructor had us all test our blood in the class...after all the shots during IVF these little finger prick needles are nothing! As the instructor gave us directions I followed along like everyone else, put the little needle trigger to my finger, pushed the button and like that it was done. The other two girls in the class who were also learning how to test that night looked at me surprised and asked how I could just do it like that.

It was easy...First, I don't have to actually push the needle in (I just push a trigger button and it goes in and out super quick) and second I don't even see the needle go in because it's hidden inside a plastic cap with a hole in the tip. I barely feel it--It feels like the slightest prick. These are definitely the easiest needles yet! All I need is the tiniest drop of blood to dip the edge of the test strip in.

I will say that I have a new respect for diabetics. On my first full day of testing I already had to take my test kit with me to an appointment so I could test on time. It's not just the trouble of daily testing at certain times (which reminds me of taking IVF meds on a schedule), but I love food (especially dessert) and cannot imagine how hard it would be to limit myself forever.

I know several women who have had gestational diabetes (some more than once) and they've all told me it's not that bad...I'm sure once the baby is born it doesn't seem so bad looking back. I do know it's important to take care of me in order to protect him. If I don't follow instructions he could be born early, have underdeveloped lungs or be jaundice (which I didn't know is actually common in babies born to mothers with GD).

At my 30-week check-up today I asked my doctor about the diet and she said that I do not need to follow it quite so strictly, but to try my best to stay close to the recommendations (such a relief). She said I just need to make sure I eat smart and limit carbs where I can for the remainder of my pregnancy no matter how my glucose levels test over this next week. So far I have tested 4 times and been in the normal range each time (on the high end of it twice). It will be interesting to see if I stay in the normal range when I add a few more carbs back in tomorrow (like milk with lunch, which I skipped today because my food had 30 carbs).

My appointment went well and I am feeling a little better than last time. I've gained another 5 pounds (166 total now...) and am measuring at 31 weeks (only 5 days ahead of where I actually am instead of 2 weeks ahead like last time, which scared me a little). The baby's heartbeat is still right where it should be and he's moving so much this week that I haven't even been doing kick counts--he hasn't been sitting still long enough for me to worry (he's kicking me in the ribs right now)! 

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 30 weeks

The only sad thing about this appointment is that it was the first appointment Ryan missed. His little cold from last week that hit him hard over the weekend has kept him home from work all week. He didn't feel like he should be blowing his nose every three minutes in a doctor's office full of pregnant women who are trying desperately to stay healthy! Besides that, no kids are allowed at appointments through March, until flu/RSV season has passed, because they MIGHT be sick...so it's probably better for an adult who knows he is sick to stay home. There are plenty of appointments left for him to come to: I start going in every two weeks now and once I hit the 36 week mark we will be seeing the doctor once a week to check baby's (and mommy's) progress!