Shots

Today was Kayla's two-month checkup. Which meant shots. Lots of them. She got poked four times and also received an oral immunization as well. She didn't like any of them. But before they gave her the shots they did the exam, and Kayla just laid on the table and cooed and smiled. It made me feel even worse because I knew she was going to be unhappy so soon following. She made it, though...and fell asleep before we made it back outside to the car!

Baby Belly 6

It probably hasn't changed much, but because there's not much time left, I thought I'd grab one more shot of my first baby belly. I might get one more at the hospital, but we'll see. Speaking of the hospital, we had our final prenatal visit today. The doctor said he doesn't want me to go more than 41 weeks with Little Miss, since there is quite a bit of calcification on the placenta and she's only getting bigger. Unfortunately, 41 weeks is this Sunday, and it's also the first day of my doctor's vacation. Since we really want him to deliver the baby and not whoever's on duty, the scheduling works out that we'll be having Little Miss on Wednesday...unless she decides to start things on her own between now and 6 a.m. Wednesday. Here's to hoping!

For reference:

Baby Belly 1 - May 12
Baby Belly 2 - June 7
Baby Belly 3 - June 23
Baby Belly 4 - July 13
Baby Belly 5 - July 21

Recognizable

Today I had another ultrasound. Because they're monitoring me to make sure I don't get gestational diabetes (which is looking very good, by the way), they also have to monitor the baby to make sure she doesn't get too big. Apparently when the mother has gestational diabetes (or close, like me), the baby absorbs a lot of fat and sugar and carbs and gets quite large. This is dangerous for the mother because it means a harder labour (or a C-section), though it isn't life-threatening at all for the baby.

On the screen in this picture you can see Little Miss's face, with her hands tucked up under her chin. Yes, really. I promise. It was awesome this time because last time we had an ultrasound (early March), the technician would say, "Oh, there's her nose..." and we'd nod and say, "Okay, if you say so, cuz you know what you're doing!" But this time I saw the face and KNEW it was the face before she said anything. Little Miss looks like a human now! Well...mostly.

And where was Jason during all of this? Watching in fascination, just like me...with brow raised in apparent surprise. I just love this picture. (Thanks, Ruth!)

A Surprising Discovery

Today I made a delicious discovery: No Sugar Added Fudgsicles. Back in the day, sugar-free foods and sugar substitutes didn't taste very good. They weren't appetizing at all. Today...that's totally changed. Since I have to really pay attention to my carbohydrate intake now, that means label-reading. I really like chocolate. And I really like ice cream. Fudgsicles are both put together...sort of. And these amazingly delicious chocolatey frozen treats have only 10 carbs per bar. So for dinner I could have a very decent serving of casserole, all the peas and corn I could eat (and I had thirds), and then enjoy a Fudgsicle for dessert. They taste just as yummy as the regular "sugar added" kind, and I was super impressed. I highly recommend these - even if you aren't required by your doctor to count carbs. Give them a try!

A New Experience

Well the results of my 4 hours in the clinic on Monday morning are in. I do NOT have gestational diabetes, but it was close enough that they've decided to monitor me to make sure I don't develop it. So...for the next two months I get to poke myself in the finger four times a day to check my blood sugar levels. Above is my new best friend: The black pouch where everything resides, including new needles and strips, the logbook where I record my blood sugar each time I check it, the monitor that actually tells me the blood sugar level (in the picture the black tab on the left end of it is where my blood goes - there's actually blood there in the photo if you look at the end), and the needle trigger. This isn't necessarily the most fun thing I've ever had to do, but I brought it upon myself by not being a healthy person in the first place. Just so you know, 95 is a good blood sugar number. So far, so good!

Out of the Office

This is where I spent my morning. I went there thinking it would be a quick blood draw and then I could go to work and come back later for the final step. WRONG! For four hours I sat in the clinic waiting room, being called back once an hour for another blood draw and urine sample. And this was AFTER I was forced to drink about 10 ounces of "lime" flavoured sugar water in under 5 minutes. On an empty stomach. Talk about gross. I was doing a glucose tolerance test to test for gestational diabetes. And I had no forewarning, so I didn't even bring a book. I could've finished one in that time. At any rate, I don't recommend it.

Fortunately, they had a beautiful garden just outside the doors that I was able to enjoy for part of my morning. The breeze was the perfect temperature, and I even got to see a couple of hummingbirds. Plus, the wasps left me alone. It was amazing!

And, as a final part to today, my war wound (i.e. where I was vampired four times today):

I'm Tired Now

It's been a LONG day.

After getting off work at 12:15, we stopped at the bank, the women's clinic, and Sweet Basil Pizzeria for lunch before heading back to the library so Jason could close. We'd just started from a red light when it happened. Sudden stops, quick reactions...and a few bumps. Above you can see some of the damage. We can't open the trunk. Here's a different angle:

The back right door doesn't close all the way, so the Highlander dings every time you accelerate from a stop. It thinks there's a door open. And really...there is. Note the taillight in the above photo, too.

Everyone was fine, though after relaxing a bit (we were there for about 45 minutes talking to the police and the other people involved), Jason and I felt a bit stiff and sore. No bruises though...at least none that we've found...and no cuts or injuries of any kind.

Just to be on the safe side, though, I called my doctor to see if there was anything I should do as far as a checkup. He asked a few questions, and then recommended I do a non-stress test on the baby at the hospital. So I headed back into town (I drove the Camry this time), picked up Ruth so she could come hear the heartbeat and whatever else they were going to do, and then went to the hospital.

The nurse found the heartbeat, and then strapped the detector to my stomach. Then she checked my reflexes, took my blood pressure, and asked a few questions. Finally, she told me it could be 30 minutes or it could be 2 hours...and then she left.

She came back a couple of times...once she brought me some cranberry juice, which was quite tasty. Finally, about an hour and a half later, she returned once more, with my doctor. He looked at the printouts, asked me a couple of questions, and said everything looked good. Apparently the goal was to get an average of two heartbeat accelerations in a 20-minute period. In the 90 minutes I was there, Little Miss had an accelerated heartbeat 8 times. "That's one good kid!"he said with a smile. Here's what the printout looked like:

So it looks like everything is fine, though I feel my back getting more and more sore as the evening wears on. Nothing to worry about, it's just from tensing up when we were rear-ended. But I do have to say...it's 7:30, and it's good to be home. Now, for dinner.