32 weeks

The day we found out we were expecting a boy, Rod and I drove to Carter's and picked out this outfit together. I don't think I posted picture of it before.


This is me at 32 weeks 2 days.

Thanks for looking!

I'm so proud of me!

I had another doctor's visit today. Actually, I met with the nurse practitioner. She's the only one I hadn't met yet and she is fabulous! She spent plenty of time talking with me, asking me lots of questions, and answering my questions in detail. The best thing she said was that I'm doing a great job controlling the gestational diabetes and that she can just tell that I am going to be a wonderful mommy. She knows how to win me over, doesn't she? I also appreciated that she said gestational diabetes is complicated and not as easy to control as most people think. I've found that to be very true!

It sounds like I will have an ultrasound around 36 weeks to check the baby's size. She said it is likely that I may be able to go full-term without being induced if the baby still seems healthy and a decent weight at that point. Apparently, it isn't standard practice to induce women with gestational diabetes at 38 weeks, contrary to what I had read. That was also reassuring to hear.

31 weeks already

I can't believe we're already to 31 weeks. It seems like time is flying by now. I'm starting to get really anxious to have the nursery painted. My goal is to have it done by the first week of February so we can put all the baby shower gifts in there!

To the left is a picture of what a baby looks like at 31 weeks. It's pretty amazing that he's that big. I can definitely agree that he is cramped up like that though, because I feel him trying to stretch his legs out through my abdomen. He's been awfully wiggly lately.

I got to feel him battling hiccups last night. It was so cute, I almost woke Rod up.

I'm a huge fan of the Jon & Kate Plus 8 show on TLC. The other day I realized that Baby Kerbs is now further along in his gestation than their sextuplets were at birth. It is so cool to think that there is a little human inside me!

I tried to find a picture of Jon and Kate's sextuplets at birth, but could not find one that would allow me to copy it. So, I've included a more recent picture of the Gosselin family for your viewing enjoyment. It is also a reminder that any time I am worried about how we will handle life with a baby, I just think about their hectic lives. If they can do it with 8, we can do it with 1!

Eat More Food!

That's what the gestational diabetes nurse educator told me at my appointment yesterday. I lost almost 5 lbs in the last week which she told me had to stop immediately!

Because my blood glucose levels have been high at some of my readings, I tried to stick with the low end of recommended carbohydrates per meal. However, she said that my readings are probably high because my blood sugar is dipping in between meals due to not having enough carbs at each meal.

I've been averaging about 125 carbs/day and she wants me to push that up to 175/day. The first suggestion she had was to eat a scoop of ice cream before bed every night. I definitely think I can handle that!

So, I continue trying to find the delicate balance in my new diet, but at least I won't be feeling hungry anymore. :)

UPDATE:

Well, THIS isn't going to help me. I ate a pack of the Austin peanut butter crackers this morning only to watch the news 30 minutes later where they announced the recall of those crackers due to salmonella poisoning. I bought the pack at CVS, so I'm hoping they've been on the shelf for a few weeks and I am not in danger of getting salmonella.

What's happening at 30 weeks?

Well, I was going to post a belly shot for you but the batteries in my camera are dead. Instead I will give you some random information.

1) Whenever I sit down I feel the baby pressing on the under side of my ribs. It feels weird, but cool!

2) Don't ever make this broccoli cheddar soup: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Broccoli-Cheese-Soup-VI/Detail.aspx. I spent about 45 minutes making it this evening only to send the whole pot down the garbage disposal.

3) I've been using this site called Swagbucks for doing internet searches (instead of my old standby Google). I would strongly encourage you to check it out! I've been getting gift cards to Starbucks and Amazon. The points add up quickly! http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=204740.

4) Tomorrow morning I have to go get my blood drawn to make sure the glucose meter is giving me accurate readings. I can't believe there isn't a better way of testing it than taking more of my blood.

5) TiVo is awesome. I love having my favorite shows ready for me to watch them whenever I want. I am looking forward to new episodes of The Office and American Idol this week.

So, what's new with you?

My good deed for the day

So, you're probably tired of hearing me whine about the gestational diabetes, huh? Today I'll give you a story instead.

I was too rushed to pack a good lunch today (it takes forever to add up all the carbs and sort out portion sizes) so I decided to get a salad at the grocery store. While I was waiting in line the old lady in front of me blacked out. I saw her start to sway and then her knees buckled. I grabbed her right under the arms before she hit the floor. It was a good thing I was there or she would have likely hit her head on the shelving or the floor. I knelt there on the floor holding her head for about 5-6 minutes before she was able to get up into a wheelchair the manager brought over.

She ended up saying she was fine but had some slurred speech. I strongly encouraged her to go to the hospital, but I don't know if she will. The manager took care of her then came and asked me if I was ok. I twinged my back a little, but that's to be expected. I'll be fine but he kept asking me if I wanted an ambulance. It was quite exciting!

Notes from class

I went to my gestational diabetes class today. Whew! That was a lot of information in a short period of time. Thankfully, I had already done some research and had a good idea of what I was in for.

My to-do list for the next week includes:

Test blood sugar 4X daily

Test ketones 1X daily

Follow gestational diabetes diet - eat 3 meals and 3 snacks each day. Each meal or snack has a different carb limitation that I have to memorize.

Call the doctor if I have any one of a long list of potential problems.

Go to the pharamacy to pick up more lancets, test strips, and control solution. Also need to get tissues to keep with the tester (to wipe up the excess blood).

Get MORE lab work done.

Return to the gestational diabetes educator next Wednesday for a follow-up.

These are all things I have to do in addition to my usual routine. I hope I don't miss anything!

Busy Baby Week

This week is going to be hectic with all the appointments!

At 8:10 this morning I saw my OB. Everything went pretty well except that I found out my favorite doctor is leaving the practice in February. :( I asked her about my swollen foot. Remember that picture I posted a few months ago? My foot looks like that most of the time now. She said I should keep doing what I'm doing and that it is totally normal unless the swelling goes past my knee. The only suggestion she had was to limit my sodium intake which she admitted is hard to do with the gestational diabetes diet. Anyway, I'm always pleased to leave that office without any bad news!

Tonight we have our first childbirth education class from 6-9. Right now the weather is kind of iffy, so we will have to see if that gets cancelled or not.

Tomorrow from 9-11 I have the gestational diabetes class.

Thursday night we have the second installment of our childbirth education class from 6-9.

I guess this is our reminder that this baby is coming in about 10 weeks whether we're ready or not! At the OB's office they scheduled all my appointments from now until the day before the baby is due. Yikes!

Maternity photo shoot

Caitlin took some maternity pictures for us while she was here on break. She gave me the raw photos, so that's what I'm posting because I am not skilled in photo editing.


Anyway, here is a taste of some of the pictures she took. I love them!!!