Glucose Check-up

I went for my glucose check Wednesday with Dr. Venus. He was happy with the numbers that I had on my meter and felt that at this time we do not need to add any medication. I expressed a concern that I was always hungry because nothing that I like to eat is "legal." He laughed and said that most women with gestational diabetes finally find foods that they like and get used to the change in diet about the time it is to have the baby. My fundal measurement was the same as last week, which is a good thing. I go back on April 23 for a regular check-up. They will do another ultrasound to check for size and amount of amniotic fluid, listen for the heartbeat, and begin doing NST monitoring to measure the baby's heartrate. We have at the most 7 weeks from today before this little girl decides to make her appearance.

30+ Week Visit

I went back to the doctor last Thursday. I haven't had a chance to get to a computer since then for the most recent update. Steve was gone to the Master's Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia so I decided to take Sarryn and David with me. They really got a kick out of watching their little sister move around on the ultrasound screen. Once again, Dana took some great pictures which I will post as soon as I get to a scanner. Here is our latest size update... I have actually lost 3 pounds over the last 2 weeks. I guess this is do the fact that I am having to eat so HEALTHY now (Yuck!!) Steve promised that I could have a Krispy Kreme doughnut and a Dr. Pepper the day she is born. At this appointment, I was 31 weeks and 5 days pregnant, but measuring 34 weeks and 6 days. Even though this sounds huge, it means she is only measuring about 3 weeks bigger than she should be. At the last appointment, she was measuring 4 weeks bigger than she should had. My fundal measurement (the measurement over my belly)was 36 cm, which is a little bigger than than the 31-33 cm it should be measuring. All of these big measurements could explain why this little girl already weighs 5 pounds. According to the weekly email I get, she should only weigh about 3.3 pounds at this stage of the game. The scary thing is that now is the time that she is supposed to hit her growth spurt. Dr. Venus said he is going to try to keep her to a 9-10 pound baby instead of a 11-12 pound baby. WOW!!!!

I go back to the doctor on the 16th for him to check my glucose levels. He did mention that he might have to put me on some medicine to help lower the levels between now and the time the baby arrives. We are still crossing our fingers that she waits until June to make her grand arrival.

1st Baby Class

We went to our first baby class last night at the hospital. I was the only pregnant one in the room that was not on her first baby. I felt sooooo old. I am pretty sure that I could have taught all the pregnant women there. The teacher talked a little about breathing and massage. It wasn't really a big deal. We get to skip the next two weeks as those weeks deal with a regular birth. We will return on the last night to learn all about c-sections. We did get to go up after class to the 3rd floor and visit "The Birthplace" at Hugh Chatham. Steve was able to see a room similar to the one we will stay in and get an idea of how the delivery day will work. We will actually deliver on the 2nd floor where they have a c-section room that has an observation room attached to it. Steve is talking about serving popcorn and drinks. He had the nurse giggling during the tour. It will be interesting to go back in a few weeks. I go this Thursday for my next appointment. I am hoping that they measure her and see if she has slowed down a little with this new diet and constant blood sugar checking.

28+ week update

We just left the doctor's office from our 28 week visit. Since it is so late in the week, we are actually at 28 weeks and 6 days. It was a very informative visit to say the least. I had gone for my normal glucose test on March 16. I got a call on the 18th that I had failed the test. No problem, I would just go take the 3 hour glucose test on the 20th. While the test liquid was extremely nasty and it was boring to sit in the doctor's office from 8:30 until 12:00, it really wasn't a big deal. On Monday, the office called and said that I had pased all four of the tests that had been done on the previous Friday. YEAH!!!

Today was the day we got to see the measurements of how big the baby is getting. The weekly emails that I get say that a baby at 28 weeks SHOULD weigh about 2 1/2 pounds. Dana, our ultrasound lady, and I were betting on how big she would be. I said 3 pounds and Dana said, after looking at my big belly, said 3 1/2 pounds. She started taking the measurements and putting the data into the computer. When the weight and size popped up, she said "No way" and redid all of her measurements to make sure they were correct. Keep in mind that we are 28 weeks and 6 days along. The baby now weighs 4 pounds and is measuring at 32 weeks and 6 days. She is measuring 4 weeks ahead of schedule. Dana called in the PA and showed her the measurements. Together they pointed out that I have all the symptoms of gestational diabetes. I quickly reminded them that I had PASSED my 3 hour test. They conferred with the doctor and have decided to treat me as if I had failed the glucose test and have gestational diabetes. Everything is just precautionary to insure that she is as healthy as can be. I am basically just checking my blood sugar 4 times a day and watching what I eat. We are still on target for a June 5 delivery. It just may be a little bit bigger baby. We go back in 2 weeks. Can't wait to see how big she is then....

We did get some cute pictures this week.... we actually got to watch her yawn....

Dana and I decided that she was pouting in this picture because her daddy was teasing her about how much she weighed.....He said it looked like she had jowls...

This one was amazing because you can actually see the details of her hands.

26 week update

We went for our check-up yesterday. I have gained 20 pounds so far. This is a little more than I would like, but has me on track to gain much less than the 50 I gained with Sarryn and David. The ultrasounds still look good. In about two weeks, Dana is going to do measurements to see how big she is and try for some really good 3-D shots. I can't wait to see how much she is growing. With as much as she is moving, I think she has a future in soccer. My fundal measurement is 29 cm now, which is bigger than expected but the doctor didn't seem worried. Steve is a little bummed that he might not get to have an itty, bitty little baby (around 6 pounds). I just laughed and said she probably wouldn't be quite that small. We have signed up for the classes at the hospital and are going to sign Sarryn and David up for the sibling class. I think they will really enjoy it.

When it rains, it pours.....

I have come to hate that saying over the last week and a half. We have defintely had share of pouring rain. On Thursday, February 19, we got a call from Steve's mom that his dad had had a heart attack and we needed to get to Midlothian as quickly as possible. We made quick arrangements for the kids and the dogs and got there by 8 pm. He had stabilized and was doing much better than he had been at the time of the phone call. He was on a ventilator and a heart pump machine. By Sunday afternoon, he was off the heart pump machine and had seemed to turn a corner. We came back home with the plan to return the following Friday. We got a call on Monday afternoon around 2:00 that he had had another heart attack and that we needed to return. We both got subs for the rest of the week and made more kid/dog arrangements. My ob/gyn was able to squeeze my Tuesday appointment in on Monday afternoon. We got our first great 3-D shots. We were able to sit around the hospital and look at the "newest pictures of Pam and Steve's granddaughter." We have decided that she definitely has Steve's nose (thank goodness!).

On Tuesday morning, I got a call from Sarryn and David's dad that his dad's long-time girlfriend had passed away (the beginning of the down pour). We spent most of our time at the hospital following Steve's progress. Pam made me return home each night to sleep in a bed. Steven, Michael and Michele spent most of their time at the hospital with their mom. On Thursday morning around 10, the kids' dad called me again to tell me that his grandfather had just passed away (the down pour continues). Later in the week, the doctors were working with different combinations of medications trying to get Steve's heart, lungs and blood pressure to work together. On Friday around lunch, his heart just could not do any more. He passed away at 12:31. (Will this down pour ever end????) We are all still in shock and very heartbroken. Steve's wishes were that his body be donated to help someone in the event that something like this were to ever happen. Pam was able to arrange that and we have some comfort in knowing that he is still doing his beloved teaching. On Sunday morning, Steve got a text from his friend Billy that his grandmother had just passed away (A continued downpour...)

Steven and I returned home Sunday afternoon to tell the kids. Pam told me before we left on Sunday that sometimes is sucks to be a parent. On this day I would definitely agree. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to tell my children. They absolutely loved their Grandpop. We will be returning to Midlothian as often as possible to spend time with Steve's mom, brother and sister. I will never forget Pam's comment. "This week has just been CRAP!!"

The family has set up a memorial site with the American Heart Assoication in lieu of flowers. It can be reached directly at

http://honor.americanheart.org/site/TR/Events/General?pxfid=20070&fr_id=1030&pg=fund

Circus trip

We spent Saturday at the "Greatest Show on Earth." The kids had been a little under the weather, but we thought the trip might help them to feel a little better. It did. We had fun looking at all the animals and going down on the circus floor before the show. Both of them got plastic clown noses. We followed up the circus with a trip to Barnes and Nobles, a favorite stop for all of us. Lots of people have asked to see how big I was getting so we thought a picture might say it best....