Baby White Week 28

I got to this post on a Friday, yay!

Update on weight gain- I forgot to mention that at my last visit with the ARNP- I had gained a total of 10 pounds. So I gained quite a bit in 5 weeks! I guess even if I gained a pound a week from now on that would still be only 22 altogether, which I guess isn't too bad. The baby is around 3 pounds now.

Thursday I had my three hour glucose test. I felt fine during the test, despite fasting for like 12 plus hours. Thankfully I also have a great vein for lab draws. I let them do all four sticks in the same vein. I figured one bruise is better than four.

But let me tell you something- I felt all of the 100 grams of sugar finally leave my body about an hour after the test was done. We were sitting in a restaurant waiting on lunch. I've never dealt with true hypoglycemia before, and it was NO bueno. I broke out in a sweat and felt really bad. We had to ask the waiter to bring some crackers. Since we were eating Greek- he brought pita slices. That and three sugar packets had me feeling better in about 15 minutes. But I never want to feel like that again.

I sure hope I passed the test. But even if I didn't- it will be a good experience for me in self discipline. John has said he'll be diabetic with me if that's the diet I end up following. So sweet.

On a side note- that Greek lunch was faaantastic. There's only one place we go here for Greek, and they do not disappoint. They are very much a pain in the rear when it comes to coupons and deals, but their food is great. I had a gyro platter, pita, hummus, taziki and spanikopita. It was enough for two meals so I had it again today for breakfast. John and I have both decided that their traditional gyro meat (lamb and beef mixed) is our favorite meat. So flavorful and tender.

Today I went to a swap meet of sorts- there's a local group that you can buy and sell on the website and then twice a week they meet in town to exchange purchases and money. There were like 50 women there. I can see how it would be really beneficial if you have kids.
But anyway, I got a maternity swim suit for $4. It will come in very handy when we go tubing next weekend.

Liz Lange Maternity

I forgot to include a photo from last week- I got these out thrift storing. I'm a sucker for "daddy" stuff:

75 cents for both

Yesterday and today's big project was painting and decorating the letters for above the crib. I had to end up doing like 7 coats of paint because even though the can says "dries in 10 minutes or less" that apparently doesn't apply in the South. So even though they felt dry to the touch, when I turned them over to paint the back, the fronts stuck to the newspaper. It was soooo irritated. It took lots of coats to cover that, and they still don't have the nice smooth finish I was looking for.

Then it was a big ordeal to hang them too. So about 4-5 hours of work and $20 later, this is what resulted:

Even though it was tedious, I am happy with the results.

Once we get the nursery really complete (after showers) I'll do a detailed post of the whole room.

And of course, a belly shot for the week:

Being silly

I can still see my toes, if I look hard. Love you Sophia.

Shorts scored for $5, thrift store

Next week my post might be a little late due to the holiday and plans, but I'll be back!

Baby White Week 27

As you can see, I lacked the enthusiasm to get this post done on time.

In fact, the only reason I'm even doing it now is for consistency's sake. Would hate to look back and see I missed one week!

Not much has changed in the "symptoms" world this week. I'm starting to get some kicks that give me pause- not so comfortable. You can also see movement on the outside if you're watching.

We've decided for now that as far as a provider- we'll have my records sent to another midwife for her review, and still keep my appointment with the doctor in three weeks. We'll take in our list of interview questions and grill her. Then make a decision about whether to interview the other midwife. I don't want to tell my current practice I'm leaving only to have the midwife refuse to take me on. I'm not sure if she would take me if I'm gestational diabetes, and I won't know for another week or two if I am.
My vitamin D was also low, so I'm now on a supplement for that.

I'm still really bummed about having to switch providers. I really hope Robin finds another practice in the area and we can just pick up where we left off. I already knew a lot about the way she does things, and I'm worried about making a connection with someone else. But I can deal.

Oh, and happy third trimester to Sophia and I! That's right, week 27 starts the home stretch.

I'm having a hard time being on my feet for more than an hour or two. I also have no motivation to move quickly anymore. This weekend a friend and I made and decorated sugar cookies, and my dawgs were sure barkin' afterwards. I had to cave and ask for a foot rub.

To celebrate, this week I put the decorations that I have for the nursery up. It's still not finished so no photos yet. But it does look a lot more like a finished room now instead of just a crib and some paint. I also have decided to hang letters from the ceiling spelling out her name over the crib. I have the letters, but still have to paint and decorate them. So exciting!

John and I also went and finished our registry this week. Since our first shower is in two weeks we figured we better get that in order. And it was fun :)

And because I couldn't seem to get a photo in while dressed up this weekend, here's what you get.

And John said "don't feel obligated to mention in your blog that I cooked and cleaned tonight". So since I'm under no obligation, I'll tell you just because- John made dinner tonight AND cleaned the kitchen. And then unloaded the dishwasher in the morning. (Ha ha, jokes on you baby!)

Lost and Found

So Eby is home, she was gone a little over 24 hours.

I was hanging a sign in a nearby neighborhood and someone said they'd seen her playing with kids. So I went back to hang signs on the mailbox bank of the apartments she was last seen in, and two boys were outside playing basketball. I asked if they had seen her, and they had. They took me to the apartment of the person they thought had her.

No one answered.

We went back with a photo and a note to leave on their door, and I knocked again. The owner came to the door and said her daughter had been playing with the dog, but left it outside last night. She thought another neighbor had seen her last. She took us over there and that neighbor wasn't home. But the lady promised to show our picture to her when she did get home.

The lady called John. Our note included the word "Reward". The conversation went something like this: "Yeah, I have your dog here, what's the reward?" John told her a $25 WalMart card. She said "Ok, you want to meet at the Circle K in a few minutes?" Well, John told her he would have to go and get the gift card. "Cash will be fine" she said.

Let's just say the neighborhood she was roaming is economically challenged. I cringed at the thought of her living there.

Anyway, a few minutes later and $25 less, Eby was home!!! The only thing different about her is some GI upset. No telling what she's eaten.

Her collar is now on :) We are very very happy she's back with us.

I also had my OB appointment today. I failed my one hour glucose challenge. So now I have to go for the three hour. What fun.

The nurse practitioner was very nice. She let us know because they are owned by the local hospital, as  financial decision the hospital corporation let the midwife go. She said everyone at the practice was really upset about it and all her clients were too.

It's good to know there were no "problems" that were the reason for her leaving. The NP said she gave Robin some leads for possible positions elsewhere. She said Robin does want to stay in the area. I sincerely hope another practice will hire her. The hospital recruited her from South Florida and she had only been at the practice 6 months. I think that's pretty crummy of them.

The NP encouraged me to at least meet with one of the doctors in the practice- because she is young and "kinda crunchy" herself. She seems to think I'd really like here.

I'm not sure what to do. I am going to ask around for opinions.

Just wanted to keep everyone updated.

Loss

Today turned out a lot different than I planned.

It was a busy day at work. But I'm in the Intensive Care Unit this week and enjoying it, so that was ok (the busy-ness).

That is, until lunch. When I saw I had a missed call from my husband.
I called to check in to find out that he sold our truck- yay!
And to find out that our dog Eby had gone missing. Boo. Big boo.
I knew I had to keep it together because there was still much to be done at work. She's gone missing a few times before. We'd always been blessed to recover her. Only John had already been looking awhile when he told me. And she doesn't have on her collar.

Ernie got out too but came back home before John even knew he was gone. Eby always puts her nose to the ground and takes off, being a member of the hound group.

The details really aren't important. What matters is that she is gone. She hasn't turned up.

We put out signs at the intersection and the entrances to the subdivisions near us. Tomorrow we plan to put out smaller signs in the neighborhoods and put slips in a lot of mailboxes. She is a sweet and friendly dog so I am hoping someone took her into their house. And I sincerely hope that someone sees a sign and calls us. The not knowing is unbearable.

We live near a big busy road. That worries me. There are probably 400-500 houses within a quarter mile of us. That worries me too. She's been gone for hours and hours. Hopefully not getting farther and farther away. That worries me too.

She was a stray when we got her. So obviously she's run off before. Not good for us.

I wonder if she never comes back, if we'll get another dog. If Ernie will be lonely. How I could learn to love another dog? How we could get such a good match again?

I've been praying a lot to be at peace. To not be angry and worried. But it's so hard. I really do love my dogs.

Please come home Eby!!!!!!!!!

 And then the day brought more loss.

I got am automated reminder call from my midwife's office for my appointment tomorrow, but it said it was with the nurse practitioner. I called to see if my midwife was out, or sick, or whatever.

She's gone.

"She's no longer with the practice". What the heck? No courtesy call or letter? They were just gonna let me show up and find out. I asked if she was still in the area or had moved to another practice "Not that we're aware of at this time. But you can come in and discuss your options with the nurse practitioner." I know my options. She is the only midwife in the practice. The nurse practitioners don't do deliveries, and the other two partners are MD's.

I have a call in to our Bradley instructor to see if she can find out anything. In the meantime I'll see the NP for tomorrow. I need my lab results. I had a list of questions for the midwife about her policy/beliefs on some things. Guess I can leave that at home.

I'd really come to adore my midwife. She's so positive and enthusiastic. I'm super disappointed.

There is another midwife in town. I'm fairly certain that's who I'll switch to if I can't find Robin at another practice somewhere in town. But this midwife is at a different practice. And all her backup physicians are male. And I'm almost 7 months pregnant. And all the trust I'd built with Robin is gone.

I was talking to the Lord about all this as I drove home from work. I know He is fully able to control all these things and I can have a happy healthy baby and an uncomplicated birth even if I only meet the "baby catcher" in the delivery room. But He also knows how I feel.

It's a good thing He can help with feelings, because a lot of mine are not in line right now.

Just being honest.

Debbie Downer signing off now.

Baby White Week 26

This week I had my glucose tolerance test. It was the one hour that you don't have to fast for, so that was nice. Unfortunately I don't get the results until my next appointment, this Thursday. I was really nervous about drinking the Glucola. I'd heard it was sickeningly sweet. However, I found it tasted a lot like Gatorade or some kind of kids' fruity drink/punch. I had the options of orange and fruit punch, and I chose the former. It was nice and cold too. No problem.

What WAS a problem was the wait at the lab. My insurance only covers two labs in our town. They're also only open 7:30-4:30 M-F. Not a convenient schedule for working folks. So on the last day I'd have off til my appointment, I drove on over. I got there at 7:50. I waited an hour to be called back. THEN- all they did was give me the drink and told me to come back in an hour. What the heck?! If all you needed to do was hand me a drink I could have used my hour of waiting to digest it. Instead I had to wait an additional hour. Not really how I wanted to spend my morning.

This week my belly has started to be a little sore. Those muscles are gettin all stretched out! I'm wondering if maybe a belly binder would be a good investment?

We also made the last big change to prepare for Sophia this week- a "new" car. John had a small pickup that only had small fold down backseats. I think I'll miss the convenience of a truck, but we are going to get a trailer to pull behind the new car. It's necessary for John's business.

So we said goodbye to the Nissan:

 And hello to "dad's" new little sportster- the Pontiac Vibe

The low profile sport tires and rims make it look a little less "family car" lol

Too bad it's a manual- I can't drive them. But John loves a "stick". The owners also put in a really nice CD/DVD/MP3 player. I've yet to figure out how to work it all!

Look mom, a back seat! It even has the "latch" system for the carseat!

With my old sunshades, it looks like a mom car from the front :)

There's actually a lot of room in it. The back seats and even the front passenger seat folds down and they all have a hard vinyl backing- so it can still be used for hauling.

The only thing we need to work on is some cosmetics. John and I think the previous owner must've had some pretty rambunctious kids. Because several little random pieces are missing- like a panel on the lower front console, a piece off the top of one seatbelt, the footrest on the driver's floorboard, etc. It's like they removed every small extra piece available! Too funny.

My wonderfully talented friend Sarah is working on the crib skirt this week. I can't wait until it's done and I can put the nursery together. Right now everything is still piled into the crib and the closet.

This week you get to see my gym clothes- and I had to take my own picture! Thank goodness for tripods and self timers!

I was told this past week I looked small for 26 weeks. After seeing this photo, I think they were mistaken! :)

When I'm in a mood

I ramble. I vent. I want to post things I shouldn't.

Lately I've been much less motivated than normal to be productive. That's really unfortunate since I have more personal time on my hands than before. There are just so many little things to be done. There always will be, I know. But I hate having my mind cluttered with my to-do's.

There's still a few hours worth of touch up painting. And several hours worth of installing quarter round and cleaning/sealing grout. And fixing our closet shelf. And getting a large rod and curtain panels to make a new set of "closet doors". And all the door handles need replacing. And none of our cabinets have knobs. And our microwave needs replacing. And one toilet paper holder needs to be moved and the holes patched, sanded and painted. And on it goes.

If you're not in the mood for whining, stop reading now. Cause I probably have more.

I also want to get a tan, but I don't want to sweat in the hot sun. It's a real problem. Especially since my husband hates the beach, so he's certainly no help in motivating me to get to the beach. But then I think about the cool water and it sounds relaxing. And I want to go. But instead my prego butt sits on the couch. Pasty.

Today my only productive thing has been to clean the kitchen and do laundry. But our bed is getting a complete stripping and washing, so that's good. Even the mattress cover and comforter are getting clean. And I'll take the time to peel off my pregnancy pillow cover and then wrestle it back on. Of course it will all be dirty again in a matter of days. I'm glad I got an inexpensive comforter, because it never stays clean long as long as the dogs are around.

Something I have enjoyed this week is watching some of the Olympics. Gymnastics is still my favorite, but swimming and diving have been enjoyable to watch too. The only problem is, they always break up the gymnastics into two parts, usually doing the finale at like 10 or later. And I never see it all because by that point I'm dozing off. Don't they know the little girls watching need to be in bed by then? And it would sure help out this prego too.

This week I worked all 5 days to cover vacay for a co-worker. I'm glad it's done, because a few of the days were quite mentally taxing. Physically though, I did ok. I even still made it to Zumba Wednesday night.

This week in Bradley class we started practicing relaxation techniques to use during a contraction. Your partner is supposed to run their hands over you to feel if there is any tension anywhere in your body during the contraction and remind you to let go and breathe deep. Let's just say it was hard for John to be serious about that. Our other classmates said they hope we tape our labor because it's going to be hilarious.

We are dog sitting for a few days, so we have 4 in the house. It's busy around here. I don't think I'd want 4 all the time. It's also hard because they are all used to a lot of attention. But for ours, it should be good practice for when they have to share with Sophia. They have been giving some pretty pitiful looks to me.

And I guess that's about enough brain dumping for now. If you made it through this post you must be really bored, or looking for commiseration. :)

Baby White Week 25

Oh baby! Miss Sophia has been making some big moves this week! Sometimes it feels like she's practicing the speed bag in there!

I've had a bit of return of heart burn. Took Prevacid a few times this week. I'm still able to sleep til my alarm goes off most mornings. But some days I need to use the bathroom so often, I'm sure it will start to affect my sleep sometime in the near future.

I also wake up with my feet a little sore most days. Even if I don't remember them hurting before I went to bed.

This past week I got quite a few things for the nursery. I'll be excited to put it all together!

I picked up this nest/co-sleeper last week for $2! I figure even if we don't use it as a co-sleeper, for $2 if we use it once it'll be worth it.

And it folds up so small! I also got a sweater, bib and 6 more headband bows. $2.50 for the clothes.

This frame was actually given to me a couple months ago, but I just put a photo in it. Under the photo you write in the name, and then birth stats on the clothes. So cute!

I LOVE this lamp Nana bought Sophie

Nana also got this cute hook rack. I'm not doing an owl theme, but a touch is nice. And perfect color scheme.

And Nana got this. Can't decide if it will go over the crib or somewhere else, but it ties in very nicely.

These placemats will be monogrammed in bright pink and then sewn together to become a pillow. To sit in the glider.

And I finally found a fabric for the crib skirt that ties in the wall color and the bedding. Now to get help sewing it!

So for now things are accumulating in the crib, bassinet and closet. But we are set to have 3 baby showers in September and after that maybe I'll have a dresser and can put the room together. :)

Oh, and of course the bump this week. Ya'll bout to see the fo-real Sarah. In my house clothes. In all my glory. Lol.

See ya next week!