Less Than 2 Weeks!

These weeks are going by entirely too fast and I am starting to freak out. I am so excited to get to see this little baby that I have been growing in my belly and bonding with the past 9 months but I also feel like I am not ready. I guess with some things, you are never really ready and I will just have to figure it out as I go along. I do wish I had her room ready and I am trying to get it that way but currently, there is only painted walls and furniture. I still need quite a few things but have to wait to see if we can afford to get it all. It would be very nice to have her room completely done before she gets here like a normal parent, but I am just not sure if that is going to happen. Somehow, though, I do not think she will notice.

I went to the Doctor yesterday and she said I am ready to have the baby whenever she is ready to come out! She said that if I do not go into labor beforehand, the induction date for Monday, November 16th is definite. I was also able to find out what Doctor is on call that day and it is actually the main Doctor of the practice so that was nice to see. I meet with her next Thursday and I am assuming that is when we will go over the details of the induction. The only thing I did not like about this Doctor when I googled her was that her specialty is c-sections, great! Hopefully everything will just go as planned and I won't have to worry about that. Of course, nothing is actually "definite" if the baby has other plans so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

My blood sugar has surprisingly gotten much easier to control which is not normal. They say it gets harder to control the further along you get because your body releases more hormones and that is what resists the insulin. I have been off my nightly medication for 2 weeks now and have not had one high reading in the morning. Before, I could not eat anything about 4 hours before I went to bed, I had to go to bed starving and wake up starving in order to get a reading close to where it was supposed to be. Now I can even have a snack consisting of a small bowl of corn flakes and milk and be fine the next morning! Of course, being able eat more doesn't help out with the weight issue but I am still well within my calorie and carb limits for the day. I have been gaining and losing half a pound here and there each week so I am up 12 pounds total. My goal was to not exceed a total of 15 pounds and it looks like I just may be able to do that. The nurse told me yesterday that most people gain a ton at the very end and then the girl in the lab who was pregnant with her second child confirmed that she gained a ton at the end. Well, I am at the end and have less than 2 weeks to go so how much can I actually gain in 2 weeks?!? Especially since I don't just eat whatever I want and lay around the couch all day, that's why those women gain a ton, they are just trying to scare me. Plus I read that at the end, you hit a point of nesting where you get lots of energy, want to clean everything, and actually lose a little bit of weight. Ya, this has not happened to me yet and it really needs to, my house really needs a thorough cleaning!

Well, I won't have too many posts left before I start posting photos of our little girl and talking about all the joys of having a newborn :) I am especially excited about the photo part, poor little girl is going to be forced to be a model her whole life. She'll love it!

Baby Shower

Our shower turned out amazing, I could not believe how great it was! It was really nice to see family from out of town come share that with us. My mom hosted the shower and so many people pitched in to help, it was great! Here are the photos:


Us on the red carpet that my dad got us, I was super excited about that since it was a Hollywood theme.


The room all set up.


I loved these on the ceiling


"A Star is Born"


Table decor


Best cake ever made by Bekah!


Super cute bassinet watermelon that Bonnie made :)


The food was so good!


Super awesome star sandwiches that Jackie made, I loved them!


Candy bar/dessert table


Diaper pins for the "Who has the poopy diaper" game


Guess the Celebrity Baby game, Sarah won :)



Prizes that my mom made, they are movie nights in a can with a Blockbuster gift card, popcorn, and candy


Decorated onesies for the baby


Fun water bottles


Bratiest manned the popcorn booth


Us with mom by the cake



The cake Bekah made was rainbow and sooooo cool and that's the invitation too.


Family photo minus Josh and Stacie who had to leave early for work


Walter's family


Mom's family minus a few who already left

Sonogram

We had another sonogram today. That is definitely a perk of having gestational diabetes, extra chances to see our little girl. We went to St. Joseph's again for the sonogram which is much better than having one on the silly little sonogram machine they have at the Dr.'s office.

We had the same sono tech we had when we came for our 18 week sonogram and she was great. We confirmed again that she is still a girl (thank God!) and after about half an hour of measuring and looking and checking fluids, the Dr. says everything looks perfect! We even got to see her little hair! That was nice because with Walter and I's very thin hair, I was afraid she may be bald but you could clearly see her hair, we thought that was awesome. The tech even tried to get a 4D photo of her face but she insisted on grabbing her toes the entire time and sticking her arm in front of her face making it impossible. We saw her lungs and she was practicing breathing, we could see her heart beating, and even her brain. It was amazing. The photos weren't that great because she is so much bigger it is harder to see but we had fun watching her wriggle around in my belly.

As far as the more technical things, I have been worried that she would be too large because of the diabetes. That is why they plan to induce me at 39 weeks because diabetes babies tend to be fatter and born with low blood sugar which is not good. There is no reason for this with me because I have strictly been controlling my diabetes and my blood sugar numbers are great, but it still could happen. At the last growth scan at around 26 weeks, she measured about a week and a half ahead and in the 50-60th percentile for her weight. That is very normal. This time, however, she is measuring about a week behind (still normal) and only in the 25th percentile which means she is definitely on the smaller side. I was relieved to hear this, it means that I am not making her fat because of my health problems and that definitely makes me feel much better. She is approximately 5.5 lbs but keep in mind that this can be off about 2 pounds which is a big difference in a little baby, but both Walter and I were under 7 lbs as babies so she really shouldn't be that big.

I think (keep in mind I am not a Dr but this is what makes sense to me) that she had a really big growth spurt when I hit the third trimester and that's why she was a little larger and I was HUGE! I have not gained any weight this trimester and even lost some and I am really about the same size as I was at 6 months. At six months I got so many comments about how huge I was and if I was having twins or about to give birth any minute. That sucked! Now I get "you look good" comments which is much better. I just think she got big fast and now is taking her time growing, at least that's how I am explaining it.

I have a Doctor's appointment tomorrow and I plan to talk to them about not inducing me because she is on the smaller side and I will definitely continue to work at keeping the diabetes under control. I think that they will induce me either way but it's worth trying. I don't mind having her at 39 weeks, that would actually be ideal, I just don't want to force my baby and body to do something it is not naturally ready to do. We'll see what the Dr. says but I doubt they will want to budge. The good news is, that I seriously doubt I will be earlier than 39 weeks, again, I have no idea but with her measuring small and all, I am thinking she will stay in there the full 40 weeks if they let her. That's just my opinion but, if I am right, then I won't miss my other baby shower that Christi and Lauren are throwing me and she'll wait for her Aunt Katie to get here from Germany. I think it will all end up perfect like it's supposed to.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes I felt like such a failure that my health problems were going to cause problems with my baby but things have really been great. It has forced me to eat healthier, exercise more and I feel great, no sickness, no problems, and I still have plenty of energy. Plus my blood pressure has actually been going down which was another thing I was worried about. The diabetes has not been bad at all, but you better bet I want a large sweet tea from McDonald's after I give birth. Oh, and the dietitian said that one day won't hurt anything if I want to have cake at my shower. After the sonogram today, I am going to take her up on that since my cake is being made special just for me all the way from Atlanta by my wonderful cousin, Bekah :)

Thanks for listening to all my baby stories and I can't wait to see you all at the shower this weekend :)

Photos

We had a maternity photo session scheduled weeks ago with a friend of my mom's who lives in Orlando. I bought a couple of new outfits, had a pedicure at her request, my eyebrows waxed, etc. When I e-mailed her Sunday morning to confirm our scheduled time Sunday afternoon, she e-mailed me back about half an hour before I was supposed to leave and cancelled on me. Great! So with Walter's new job and all, it is just impossible for us to try and reschedule. Since we were ready to take photos, Walter suggested we go to my favorite park and photo spot in Lakeland and try taking them ourselves. This is not easy to do and I had tons of lighting and shadow issues and we only got a few but at least it's something.

If you have not seen me in a while, or at all since I have been pregnant, please do faint in shock at the site of how huge I am. I mean I didn't even realize how big I was until I saw these. I have the biggest, round belly I have ever seen and I have 5 weeks to keep growing! You would think I have gained 50 pounds but I swear I haven't. I was so hesitant about taking these photos because of how awful I look but this has been a fun experience for me and I know I will want photos to remember it later on. We may take more or even try and have someone take them soon before I get all swollen but for now, here are a few maternity photos taken by a tripod and Walter.

Induction

Since I am high risk with Diabetes, I now have to go to the Doctor's office twice a week where I am put on a machine for 10-15 minutes that monitor's the baby's heartbeat and movement. I need to remember to bring a book or magazine next visit because it gets a little boring. The Dr. says everything looks good and she is very proud of my blood sugar numbers, she says I am doing a great job. That's nice to hear because I do feel bad about having to take medication at night.

At my last appointment, I was informed that if I did not go into labor naturally, I would be induced at 39 weeks. This puts my new date at November 15th, I am not sure if they will induce me on exactly that day or maybe the following day which is a Monday but that is what I was told. I do not like the idea of being induced and would rather do things naturally but I also don't want her to get too big or have complications because of my diabetes.

I have a growth scan at St. Joseph's hospital on October 22nd and we will see how big she is then. Maybe if she is on the small side, they will let me try for 40 weeks but I doubt it. On a good note, this gives us a chance to see our baby girl again which was tons of fun the last time.

I have to go to the Doctor again this week on Tuesday and Friday and I will update if there is anything else to update you on. For now, I am still at a 12 pound total weight gain and still hoping for a maximum of 15 pounds total :)

So I am 32 Weeks and I Guess it's Time for an Update

I have not been updating this Blog like I would like to. I guess after keeping a pregnancy journal and scrapbook, Blogging just gets put on the back burner. Either way, in case you were wondering, I am currently 32 1/2 weeks along which puts me in the 8th month and only a month and a half to go. Here's what's been going on so far:

The pregnancy has been going great! The only real complaint I have is how huge my belly is! I have looked like I am about to pop for the past few months and get comments constantly about how huge I am, thanks for those comments, I hadn't noticed! The thing is, I have only gained 12 pounds total since the beginning. I have no idea what's going on because I look like I have gained at least 25 but it is really only 12. It was 16 which I was not very happy about but since I have started my diet, I lost four pounds and counting (hopefully). Since I was overweight to begin with, my goal was just to gain a total of 15 pounds, maybe I will make that goal, I guess we'll see :)

Medically, I have run into some problems that aren't so great. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes a few months ago and am now on a strict diet, have to check my blood sugar four times a day, and have weekly doctor appointments. Because of my family history, I knew this was coming but it was still a little upsetting when I was officially diagnosed. This is the most common problem in pregnancy so I know there are tons of other women who have gone through this and I also know there was really nothing I could have done to prevent it but I still feel bad about it. I have been doing a decent job controlling it with diet but my blood sugar numbers have been high in the mornings which I cannot control so a very low dosage of Glyburide was prescribed for me to take at bedtime. So basically, this is a typical day for me:

Breakfast - Whole wheat toast, egg, and milk

Snack - Apple with peanut butter

Lunch - Sandwich with raw vegetables or a salad

Snack - Fruit and cheese

Dinner - big salad with some sort of meat and bread

Snack - Sugar free pudding

Ya, fun, huh! Although it's not all that bad. I can have something "bad" every once in a while if I just take a 20 minute walk afterwards. You wouldn't believe how big of a difference a little exercise does, so this is something I do about 30 minutes every night. Of course, still no sugar but a slice of pizza every once in while is nice.

The diabetes isn't so bad and I hope to not be put on insulin but having diabetes also means I am at a greater risk for other problems. The most common is having a large baby (19lb baby in Indonesia). While 19 pounds is extreme, uncontrolled diabetes can cause my baby's pancreas to overwork which essentially causes her to be overfed and fat. I'm trying hard not to let this happen. Another problem is that I am more at risk for preeclampsia which is high blood pressure that puts the baby under stress. This is something I do not want to have! With that, I may have to put on bedrest or have an emergency c-section. A lot of times you start seeing signs of this in the 3rd trimester, such as major swelling, headaches, blurred vision, and the most serious is blood pressure that starts creeping up. I have not had too much swelling other than when I stand on my feet all day or choose to walk a mile in heels, which is more than common for someone who is pregnant. I never have headaches and my blood pressure actually seems to be lower, possibly due to all the walking and healthy eating. Let's hope these are good signs, but I guess we'll find out for sure in time. Either way, my doctor says I will be induced between 39-40 weeks if I don't go into labor before. I definitely do not want to be induced so maybe she'll start to make an appearance at about 39 weeks, that would be great!

Ok, enough about the boring medical stuff, let me update you on something more exciting. So the name we are highly considering is Audriella. I like the name and it's what we've been calling her but I just don't want people to nickname her Audrey. I am pretty sure that name is sticking. We have finally started on the nursery this past weekend. Walter cleared out all the boxes and started laying the floors. Without furniture, I have not been in a super big hurry to do anything but we should have the floor done this weekend and then to the painting. I plan to paint the nursery pink (surprise). The theme will be Wizard of Oz. I am having a quilt made with various squares of movie scenes with lots of Glinda the Good Witch to tie in the pink. Then, of course, they'll be red sparkly stuff like the ruby red slippers. Obviously, there was no actual baby gear in Wizard of Oz so I am going to have to be creative. I'll post photos as soon as I start.

On another good note, we have a maternity photo session scheduled next weekend. I am not super excited about this but my mom's friend who is a photographer offered to do the shoot for free just because she loves maternity photos so much. I am just praying my face doesn't blow up before then, please please please don't blow up! Then we will be having our baby shower on October 24th, again, so hoping my face doesn't blow up by then!!!

The baby is now about 16 inches long and about 4 pounds or so. She moves around constantly but I am told this may start hurting soon. I don't know how she is going to grow any more, there doesn't seem to be any more room whatsoever and if my belly pops any more I'm not going to fit into a booth in a restaurant! We are very much ready to meet her and although this month and a half will probably go by fast, I'm not sure if it will go by fast enough. But at the same time, I have a lot left to do so maybe it won't be so bad if it drags on just a little bit.

I promise to post photos soon of the nursery, our maternity session, etc. Maybe I will try and write more too so I don't have to have these super long posts every few months.

20 Week HUGE Belly

Ok I finally took photos of myself (and Walter too), this is to show off the halfway point, 20 weeks woohoo! They aren't so great but the best I could do for now with a faulty tripod and blazing heat plus it's better than a photo I take in the bathroom mirror with flash glare :)

This is my favorite

Of course we had to do one like this

Walter being silly