31 Weeks

So, I realized it's been over 2 weeks since I posted a blog. I figured I should at least update what's going on with my pregnancy. I am getting delinquent again with taking pictures of B. It's such a hassle when you aren't feeling great to make a point to do that....I'll definitely get some in within the next week or so (although a blog post probably won't follow for a little bit) as we are going on vacation. He is doing great, however. Always something fun and new with him everyday.

Anyway, so in the last post I let you all know that I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Okay, it was kind of a bummer, but like I said, not a total surprise. The day after I posted it, I went to see a nutritionist and she was very helpful. She broke the diet I need to follow down. It's kind of strict... I have to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day with an exact number of carbs at each and at certain increments. It's not really hard to follow at all...just can be exhausting when you are trying to figure out what you can and cannot have. (And really, there is nothing you CAN'T have, you just have to carefully measure it). What kind of sucks is the fact that I have to prick my finger 4 times a day to measure my glucose levels. It's been 2 weeks and I'm still not used to the pain so I'm guessing that part probably won't go away. But, overall it has been doable... and on most days I actually have been feeling BETTER. In hindsight, I kind of wish they had figured out what was going on with me 3-4 months ago when I really started feeling horrible and depressed and wanting to sleep all day (okay, my glucose levels were probably way high!). I still have those days, but they are fewer and more far between. Let's just say that I've been keeping up with household chores and errands much better than I have in months and I feel like I am functioning at about 80% as opposed to 50% (which is a HUGE improvement).

Anyway, I had been on my new diet for about a week when I went to see my OB last week for my 30 week appointment. I was starting to feel better and more positive about this (and I actually LOST a pound, bringing my total weight gain thus far to 7 1/2 lbs...which has to be all baby, placenta, amneotic fluid, etc. instead of just plain fat like I gained last time...again, which makes me even MORE ready to be done with this pregnancy so I can amp up my workouts and start to seriously LOSE all of this extra weight I never took off from 2 years ago). All was good until I went to see her... I think she wasn't in the greatest mood anyway, plus, I am sooo sensitive and easily upset right now. She immediately started talking about the severity of gestational diabetes and all of the possible complications to the baby.... including stillbirth. I was horrified when she mentioned that and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Now I am so paranoid about screwing up my baby and not even being able to have a live birth that it's been consuming a lot of my thoughts. I live for feeling baby girl move around now and start to get panicky when I don't. My mind went kind of blank after she mentioned this, so I am just hoping that the stillbirth complication can happen if your sugar levels never get fixed...I've been (so far) able to control mine with diet and exercise. I'm praying I don't have to start with the insulin shots.

Otherwise, everything is about the same. Blood pressure is a constant concern still, and I have been taking it every morning (luckily I have been keeping it in check too). Carpel tunnel is still a nuisance, but I found my old carpel tunnel wrist thingies from my last pregnancy and have been wearing them at night, which helps my sleeping.

9 more weeks to go.... however, I have a feeling that the way my old lady body has been breaking down, baby girl will be here sooner than that.

Ugh

Well, after failing my 1 hour glucose test, I got to take the lovely 3 hour glucose test yesterday. This consisted of fasting, drinking the glucola drink and hanging out at the doctor for 3 1/2 hours and getting pricked so blood could be taken 4 different times. Lovely. Fun. Luckily my mom was watching Brett so I could actually go to this appointment by myself without keeping Brett entertained in the waiting room for that long.

I really wasn't sure what the results would be. I haven't been overly optimistic about passing...diabetes runs in my father's side of the family, so I know I am always susceptible to having it. Plus, I am heavier than I'd like to be, which increases my chances of having it. Well, I got the call today (while I was at the zoo with friends, which ended up being a good thing...gotta love distraction) and found out that I am indeed one of the 3 - 7% of women who have gestational diabetes. Ding ding!!! I am a WINNER!!! Woo hoo!!!! Ugh. I think I should play the lottery if I also end up with pre-eclampsia again because only 5-10% of women get this condition and I had it the first time around. This would put me in some EXTREMELY super lucky group.

Oh well. I go to see a diabetic specialist tomorrow (I scheduled the appointment ASAP because I have not the first clue about how to handle this) so I will find out more. I have never counted a carb in my life...every time I watch my diet I religiously count calories, which is a completely different ballgame. I think I'll feel better once I know what kind of guidelines I need to follow and if I need to take those super fun insulin shots.

The silver lining I am trying to see about this is that if it keeps me from gaining too much weight (plus, I've only gained a fraction of what I had with Brett at this time) I could more easily get back into my pre-Brett figure. If fruit is okay to eat, I think I'll honestly be fine...because although I have a notorious sweet tooth, especially this time of year, I really enjoy watermelon, strawberries, grapes, etc. It's only 21/2 more months, and now I am REALLY counting down the days.... come on August 31st!

Pregnancy Updates

Woo hoo! I just looked at the pregnancy ticker on top of my blog and it looks like I have 79 days left... once I get to 75, I've only got 2 1/2 months. I know, baby steps, but, it helps me stay sane :).

So, I am officially in my third trimester now. I went to the doctor for my 28 week checkup on Thursday. And, I can say that I have only gained 8 1/2 pounds so far this pregnancy. It's crazy, because by this time with Brett, I had easily packed on 40 pounds or so. It's true that each pregnancy is different... but I guess I have been trying to eat better. Subway at least 3 times a week for lunch really helps, as does the fact that I can eat whatever now and not feel nauseous, so we've been making meals at home again and that helps as well. I still indulge in dessert, but, hey, I am also eating salads this time around. Last time, I couldn't look at salads without feeling sick...I was mainly on pasta and carbs with Brett. But it was recently brought to my attention that a comment was made about my nutrition during pregnancy. This really hurt my feelings, as I have been happier about the way I've been taking care of myself this time. I mean, sure, the week we were in Chicago, we indulged in a bunch of rich and fattening food, but that's not EVERY DAY of my normal life. Plus, we would walk a good distance to the restaurants, which had to count for something. Anyway, just a side note for anyone who wants to criticize a pregnant woman for how she eats (barring it's not imbibing in drugs or alcohol or anything dangerous), it can be very hurtful and make her feel like an incubator and not a human being (who is extra sensitive and emotional right now anyway, and hey, if my feet are swollen and my back hurts, and a bowl of ice cream sounds good...). Okay, enough of my venting....

So, where was I? Oh, yes, I went in for my 28 week appointment on Thursday. They did a lot of tests, including a test for anemia (which would make so much sense if I have it, because I have been so run down this past week or so), and the gestational diabetes test. I never want to rule that one out as a possibility, because diabetes does run in my family. I didn't hear from the doc on Friday, so either a. they haven't gotten the results back and are going to call early next week, or b. everything is okay and they didn't bother to call. I guess I'll find out one way or another within the next 2 weeks when I go back. That's right, now that I am past 28 weeks, I go back every 2 weeks now! This is kind of exciting because it makes me feel like I am nearing the end of the journey. I know I've still got 11 1/2 weeks to go, but maybe these appointments will make it go by faster.

Anyway, baby girl seems to be doing just fine. Her heartbeat registered very strong at the doctor, and she is constantly moving around... especially after I eat. Her kicks are a little different from Brett's, but they are now becoming strong enough that sometimes I can watch my belly move. It's a cool experience... one that seems to make the aches and pains more tolerable :).

And, on the aches and pains note... it's funny how even though certain parts of each pregnancy can be different, certain things rear their ugly head each time. Like I had horrible carpel tunnel with Brett. Well, within the past 3 weeks or so, it's back. The funny thing is that it only bothered me during the day with Brett. THIS time, it bothers me especially bad at night. If I position my hands wrong, they end up feeling numb and even HURTING me so bad I wake up. So, not only am I now lying on my side, I have to also position my hands in the perfectly awkward position so that blood flows to them properly. So, sleeping becomes even more of a challenge. And, finally, a new ache that I didn't have with Brett are my knees. For some reason, I have horrible knee pain, and it's compounded by all of the up and down movements I am doing with Brett.

But, I know the aches and pains are only a temporary annoyance to what awaits me. I can't wait to meet baby girl...we are getting super excited and I've been trying to pick up clothing and accessories here and there. Only just over 2 1/2 more months....can't wait!!!!

NKOTB Show - Take 4!

To wrap up our week in Chi-town, I went to visit my BFF Tina. We have barely seen each other (or at least it feels that way) since we both found out we were pregnant a mere 3 weeks apart! I'm due August 31st and she's due September 22nd (I think). We spent New Year's Eve together as we normally do, and we got together in March, but that's been it. Besides a constant stream of emails between each other to discuss how we were feeling, I've missed seeing her...especially now since we have so much to really talk about!

So, last Friday I went to visit her. We have gotten tickets to see our guilty pleasure band - NKOTB, and decided to make a day of it. First we went to see the 2nd Sex and The City Movie (I liked it better than the first one), and were going to get pedicures but ran out of time (but we ended up getting them the next morning anyway). So, we went to dinner and then were on our way to Hammond to see the New Kids at the casino.

This is our 4th NKOTB show together. We went to their first tour when they reunited in Chicago in October 2008. Then they played outdoor arenas last summer, so we made a NKOTB weekend out of it, as they were in Chicago and Indy the same weekend. We had so much fun at the last 3 shows that we decided to get better tickets this time... we went for 11th row. This made for an amazing show. Even though we were uber pregnant, the seats were close, there was no opening act (so a shorter show) and parking was a breeze. It couldn't have worked out better. And, we got to pretend like we were 12 again for the night....the coolest part of the show was the fact that the guys dispersed into the crowd during one song and I got about 2 rows away from my first "crush", Jordan. If I was in 5th grade I think I would have died! I tried to get a pic, but it didn't happen. Oh well, it was pretty cool. I know a lot of my girlfriends think we are silly for going to these shows, but I think if they went to one they'd "get it". I know that Tina and I have a permanent date to see NKOTB for as long as they continue to tour...

Anyway, here are a few pics from our awesome seats at the show.

Hanging With Chi-Town Animals

Our trip downtown Chicago lasted for about 3 days... on our last day downtown we decided to check out Shedd Aquarium (and a side note... it's like $30.00 per adult, luckily Brett was free, but I'd recommend looking for deals before you purchase tickets). We got about all we could out of the experience, without actually buying the 4D movie and dolphin show, in about 3 hours. I got a couple of shots before the employees told me to turn the flash off the camera and I decided to say screw it....



After Shedd Aquarium, we went to stay with Steve's parents for a couple of days. He's from the Chicago 'burbs, so it was close. On Thursday we went together with them to the Brookfield Zoo. It was a gorgeous day and Brett had a lot of fun. Being that it was 5 times as big as the Indy Zoo, and that I was 27 weeks pregnant, I did not have quite the joie de vivre about all of the walking and after a couple of hours required several breaks. But it worked out...I sat out some exhibits while everyone else made their way through. I think everyone enjoyed the day. Again, here are a few pics of Brett hanging with the various animals...

Sweet Home Chicago

Steve had a conference downtown Chicago that lasted Memorial Day weekend through mid-week, so Brett and I decided to come and stay in the free hotel and crash. The location of the hotel was perfect, right off of Michigan Ave., specifically the part that is the magnificent mile. While the thought of doing lots of walking and shopping while 27 weeks pregnant didn't sound as appealing as it normally would, we couldn't pass it up.

During the days Brett and I made our way around the shops and picked up a few books, some makeup for mommy and clothes for baby girl, as well as a trip to the Disney store which included the purchase of a tractor for Brett. We also stopped in the Apple store for what I think was the most amusing experience. I wanted to play with the iPads, and to keep Brett occupied, I pulled up YouTube. After thinking about it for a brief moment, I realized I could pull up videos that I had uploaded of Brett and show them to him. I think the fact that we were so far from home in this random store watching Brett on the iPad absolutely blew his mind. He was like "Whoa". Cracked me up.

But the best part of staying downtown was all of the places to eat. While mommy and daddy tried to get a few places in that we wanted to eat at, we also wanted to give Brett some experiences he'd enjoy. First we took him to the Rainforest Cafe. He was overwhelmed by the animatronic animals there. For all of my trips to Chi-town, I'd always been interested in checking out the Rainforest Cafe but had never gone in. Waiting to go until we had kids was the best way to do it. I loved watching how excited he was to see all of the animals around him moving about as he ate his dinner. I think that was the best behaved he'd been at a meal in a long time!





And, then, we couldn't leave without a visit to Gino's East. We have Unos around here, but not Gino's, and man, that is good pizza! Considering that Brett is half "Chicagoan", he had to get to back to his "roots". He didn't seem to mind one bit. In fact, he dug right in!


Hopefully another blog or two to follow, depending on my energy level :)