30 Day Challenge - Day 1

In an effort to get back on track with both my blogging - and my life - I'm trying a 30-day challenge.  This is in response to seeing many other posts on the subject on a few other blog sites I have been following.  But what kind of challenge should it be?  There are so many different categories.

My plan is 30 days of Frugality - money saving practices.  I have been making an effort and doing much reading on the subject.  June just seems the perfect month to put much into effect because Beau will be done with school, so I will have a little more help around the house with the boys.

Oh yes, the boys.  On March 11, Beau and Scrappy welcomed a new little brother who we have nicknamed Chubbermonkey - or Chubbers for short.  This is because he is much more pudgy than Scrappy, even though he also suffers from Cystic Fibrosis like Scrappy.  I gained a whopping total of 4 pounds during my pregnancy - and Chubbers weighed in at 9 lb 1  oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  Did I mention that he was also 3 weeks early???  I can just imagine how big he would have been at full term!!

Baby Chubbermonkey

All 3 kids

Our family

Chubbers 11 weeks old :)

In addition to the challenges of a new baby, we also have many activities going on.  Scrappy is taking taekwondo and playing t-ball, and Beau is playing baseball in addition to having Girl Scouts.  We have our own troop now, and they have decided they want to meet over the summer.

Scraps just earned his 3rd orange belt stripe!!

Well, back to the challenge.


As it says in the title, today is day one.  For day 1 of the challenge, I am Meal Planning.  Sunday has always been my day of choice for meal planning.  The weekdays end up being too chaotic to make it.  Once I have my meals for the week planned, I will be posting that here as well.  (I do not include breakfasts or lunches in my meal planning.  For breakfast we usually have cereal or eggs.  Lunches generally consist of leftovers, sandwiches, or cereal since it's only me and Scrappy during the week.)

With my meal planning, I am also challenging myself to very minimal grocery shopping.  I do have to get milk tomorrow, so I will be doing some shopping with my WIC.  This is how I buy many of our veggies.  WIC also provides vouchers for Farmer's Market, which is also great until my garden starts producing.  (I will talk more about my garden in a future challenge post.) 

I should also mention that in the spring, my husband and I purchased half a hog.  At around $2/lb, it's a hard price to beat.  Plus we love pork chops, bacon, sausage, etc.  I don't order sausage from the meat market, just the ground pork.  I prefer to make my own sausage - it just tastes so much better!

Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: chicken & gravy on rice
Tuesday: BBQ ribs, calico beans, applesauce
Wednesday: tortilla pizza
Thursday: sandwiches & soup or chips
Friday: leftovers

Better get busy!

I know it's been a while - again - and I know I keep saying it, but I'm really trying to make an effort to schedule my blogging in.  There are SO MANY things I would love to share other than just on facebook, so many things I think could be helpful to others if only I could get them put in writing.

Many of my friends warn me that maybe I need to slow down a little bit and take a step back from some of the things I'm doing.  I know it would be crazy to bite off any more right now!  

My appointments for Baby are currently bi-weekly.  Can't believe Tuesday will put me at 20 weeks!!  19 more to go!!  It's no fun having gestational diabetes, pricking my finger 4 times a day (when I remember to do it!), taking pills 2 times per day, and closely monitoring my food (most of the time!! lol!!)  I'm having my A1C tested again on Monday.  My 2 hours post-meal blood sugars are coming back fine, but my fasting is still too high.  Doc said I may end up on insulin injections before the end of my pregnancy.  Because of the diabetes, I was also told that I will not be going to my due date, which is April 1.  If I don't go on my own before, I'm going to be induced during my 39th week.  That means March 25th or later.  Beau is really hoping for earlier.  She wants to share her birthday with her little "sister" on March 24.  (Or so she says - we're not finding out what we're having :) )  The concern of going to my due date is having too big of a baby.  Hopefully he/she isn't too big!!  And hopefully my VBAC goes without a hitch!  Monday afternoon my hubby and I are going in for my next ultrasound.  Can't wait to see the little stinker who's been kicking me :)

Homeschooling has been a little bit trying lately.  Scrappy has very interest in his spelling words, yet he loves trying to read to me.  Last weekend he read book 9 of Cat and Rat to me - such a proud Mommy moment!!  I try explaining that the more spelling words he learns, the more he's going to be able to read.  I don't spend much time focusing on sight words - I'd rather he knows how to spell them out.  We've also been working on basic addition and starting on subtraction.  He does really well with his shapes, colors, and number.  Sometimes, though, it's just hard to get him to focus because he is too busy wanting to do other things.  I try to get at least 20 minutes, if not an hour, of reading in most days.  I signed him up for the Book It! program through Pizza Hut.  We set a goal of 480 minutes per month, or 8 hours.  I've been working on a lot of hands-on learning stuff with him.  Last week we made butter from heavy cream.  It was a learning experience for both of us.

Got our heavy cream, jar, and lid.

Filling the jar about half full.

Making sure we have the right amount.

Put the lid on and shake, shake, shake!!

Our first attempt was with cold cream which, of course, resulted in - WHIPPED CREAM.  After shaking for 20 minutes, we realized we weren't getting any butter, so Google to the rescue! Missed one important step - the cream had to be brought to room temperature :)  Our next batch turned out better, although it still wasn't quite right, but was really good on bread with our goulash at supper time! 

We have a whole bunch of other fun projects we're planning on.  We're using the book Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World for our current lessons. (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the public library??)  I got about a dozen books about Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, and Colonial times, along with some other 'fun reading' books.  We try to get to the library about once a week, and this week we got the closest we ever have to the book limit.  We have 45 of a possible 50 books checked out!  To try to keep track of them, I try to return any we've read any time my husband or I will be going by the library.  I'm glad they have a drop box because they aren't open Friday or Saturday and only open a couple hours on Sunday.  I'm going to try to post more of these as we go!!

Of course, every week I still have my TOPS meetings.  And I LOVE my TOPS group :)  A few of my friends there are a little bit concerned about my lack of weight gain with this pregnancy.  Lack of weight gain?  I should say, with my weight LOSS.  At almost 20 weeks, I am down about 13 pounds right now.  My doctors aren't concerned since we have frequent ultrasounds.  I wouldn't be too sad if it keeps up either!  I'm less than 10 pounds from my lowest TOPS weight so far.  I'm going to try really hard to keep it off this time!  We have group walks scheduled 2x per week.  I try to get to them.  I hope to make it to more of them and hoping we get the stroller fixed.  One of the tires won't hold air, but I can't find the leak.  Hopefully hubby can fix it soon!

Every other week I'm busy with Girl Scouts still.  I'm a little disappointed with a few of the girls I have because it doesn't seem like they all want to be there and they don't want to put in the effort.  At the level I teach, the girls are responsible for completing their own badges.  They can do as many of as few badges as they want.

Then there's my business.  When I'm not doing one of the above (or even when I am), I'm usually working on something or another for work.  I'm really loving working for myself - REALLY for myself and not doing direct sales and only getting paid a fraction.  Plus at craft shows/vendor fairs, people want the instant gratification of getting their items immediately and I'm able to take custom orders so people get exactly what they want.  So far so good - I'm just hoping over the next couple shows I do that business takes off a little bit more.  I'm still working on building up my inventory a bit and feeling people out for what they are looking for and what is going to sell well.

Scrappy just finished these projects a few minutes ago.

I think it's time we do a bit of reading now.  Mama's gotta get some meal planning done too....

Reminiscing

It seems that we've been doing a lot of this lately.  Reminiscing.  Thinking about and remembering the past.  One thing in particular.

Baden.

His name has been coming up a lot lately.  His birthday is a little over a month away.  So is the anniversary of his passing.  My Little Warrior would have been 2 this year.

Scrappy has been missing him a lot.  When we talk about the baby that we're expecting in the spring, he asks about Baden.  When is Baden coming home?  When do I get to play with Baden?  Is this baby going to be like Baden.  We spend time gently reminding him that no, Baden is not coming home.  This baby is not Baden.  This is a new little baby.  

When will I get to see Baden?   You will get to see him when you are much, much older.  When it is your time to go to heaven, you will get to see him and spend time with him and play with him.

At the gas station today, a lady I know asked how many kids I have now.  This is always a tricky question.  But I answer 3 with 1 on the way.  She told me how she couldn't imagine what we'd gone through, and about how many people have judged my husband and myself because of Baden's passing.  Because of our decision to end his suffering and take him off life support.  Until you're in that position, you never know what you'd do.  I didn't think we'd ever be able to.

But if you knew your child was suffering?  If you knew the next seizure could be the one that kills him?  That the doctors told you it was just a matter of time, because there was nothing more you could do for him?  You'd done everything, prayed every prayer for him, and he was only worsening, what would you do?

We did what we thought was the right thing.  We took him off life support.  If God wanted to take him to be an angel to watch over us, we would accept it and let him go with as little pain as possible.  If God had chosen to grant us a miracle, we would take that too.

Sometimes, I guess, we just have to trust that God knows what He is doing and has a plan for us.  We have to believe that there is a reason He decides to call our little ones back home before we are ready to let them go.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't ask myself if we made the right decision.  I still feel awful that I made my husband decide when it was time, but I knew deep down I couldn't do it.  But I still have a million questions.

If we would have waited, would things have turned around?

If I hadn't signed to have the central line moved, would we still have lost him?

Should we have taken the doctors at their word, or should we have researched things further before saying yes (even though many of decisions were made split-second)?

Should we have said yes to the autopsy?

Is there anything we could have done differently? 

Could we have prevented this?

Is this Karma, or from not being as strong in my faith as I once was?

So many questions.  I wish someone had the answers.  I wish I knew things would not have come out differently - that this is how it was all supposed to come out in the end.  I know there is nothing I can do now to change the past, but I can honor my son by remembering him always and remember what a blessing he was in my life.

And I must forgive myself and let the guilt go.



The Angel with the Book of Life
Wrote down my baby's birth.
As he close the book, he said,
"Too beautiful for Earth."

Mi Vida Loca!!!

My crazy life - it's the name of the game.  I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't crazy - and crazy busy!!

I am homeschooling Scrappy this year, and probably the next few years, because of his Cystic Fibrosis.  We are on Week 3, although we don't have a super strict schedule right now since it is canning season.  And canning we have been!! 

Scrappy doing his vest treatments

Salsa!!

Peeling apples in between swimming

Just this last week, we did 27 pints and 14 quarts of applesauce, 21 quarts of whole tomatoes, 4 quarts of tomato juice, and 55 pints of salsa.  I still want to do another batch of applesauce, which I was hoping to do this weekend, but now I'm not so sure about.  I have all next week too..

School starts on Tuesday for Beau.  We decided it was better for Scrappy to start a little earlier than everyone else because he's going to get a couple weeks of for spring break, which Beau only gets a few days.  But once our new little bundle of joy arrives, I'm going to need a little break from home school.

Yup, that's right! We're expecting!!  We originally figured my due date to be March 27, but Dr White said I'm measuring a little bit small, putting my due date closer to April 10.  I have an ultrasound coming up on Sept 24 and she thinks we'll have a better idea then on my due date.  Unfortunately we've already found that my blood sugars are running high again, which means a bunch of finger pricking and changing eating habits.  I guess it's not so bad, since I lost weight once I got on track last time, but it's a huge change away from the pasta-based meals that are so easy to go to and depend on.  So my next series of recipe posts will be diabetic friendly ones.

My business has also launched.  Mama's Gift Corner is all about homemade, hand made gifts.  Since I've been canning, I haven't been doing as much work as I had before, but it's only for a few weeks.  I want to get my inventory built up before the fall craft shows start so I can hopefully get into a few and start selling!!

Well, I need to get some breakfast.  Have a great day!

First Admission

I had a checkup for baby yesterday since I'm on 2x per week checkups now.  There were 3 parts to the checkup:  First the non-stress test (NST), then the ultrasound, then meet with the doc.  We saw Dr W again this time.

The NST went much like the last one we did, in spite of my attempt to get Baby to wake up by slamming part of a bottle of Coke for my morning carbs.  I started out on my back, then the nurse had me roll to my right side and propped me up with a pillow.  We noticed my blood pressure spike quite drastically when I was on my back - I was giving off readings of 148/94, which is MUCH higher than what they want to see.  Baby seemed to be sleeping throughout the test again.  After 20 minutes, the nurse took a buzzer and put it on my stomach to wake baby up.  Then she explained a little better what exactly they're looking for since she was training a new tech.  They need Baby's heart rate to increase by 15 beats per minute and stay elevated for at least 10 seconds.  Baby has to do this at least 2 times in 10 minutes for the test to be considered 'reactive,' which is what the goal is.  The buzzer really seemed to do the trick - I got the living daylights kicked out of me for the next half hour! lol!!

We had another ultrasound to measure the fluid levels around Baby.  We were told the level is in the 'normal' range, although it's on the lower side of the normal.  This is another thing they're really keeping an eye on.  We got a pretty cute face shot of Baby though :)

Next we went to see Dr W.  She asked about my sugar levels, which have been really good since I've been on the Glyburide.  In spite of me overdoing some of my carbs a little bit now and then, my numbers are staying in range.  I've noticed quite often I underdo my carbs too, though.  Anyway, Dr W was very concerned with how high my blood pressure was.  She sent me over to Labor and Delivery for additional monitoring.  She didn't know if they were going to keep me overnight or if I'd just be there for a few hours.  It was dependent on how my blood and urine tests came back and how the monitoring came out.

We went over to the L&D Triage center and I got admitted.  After giving them a urine sample, I spent the next couple hours laying in the bed with the NST monitors and a blood pressure cuff on.  They checked my bp every 5 minutes for the first hour, then every 10 minutes for the next hour.  Hubby and I watched a movie to help pass the time.  With the docs and nurse coming in and with the monitor going off, plus having to contact people to keep them posted (my sister since she had my kids, and my mom and grandma), I missed quite a bit of the movie. What I did see what pretty good though.

In addition to the other tests, the OB on call in L&D did a pelvic exam since I haven't had one since about 20 weeks or so.  We found out I'm dilated to 2, 50% effaced, and even though Baby feels like he/she is sitting lower, is still at -3 station. (I've included these couple links for those who are unfamiliar with the terms.)

Obviously after this additional time added to my appointment, hubby didn't make it to work as planned :(  He had been planning on going in around 11 or 1130, but since we didn't get back to town until about 2, he said there was no point in going in.  Unfortunately that means he gets to spend all day Saturday working and putting in a few extra hours during the week...  He's been putting in up to 2 hours extra a night during the week.  I don't think he has any idea how much it means to me that he's been so supportive and so involved in this pregnancy.  This all would have been a lot more difficult if he wasn't so supportive.  I'm so lucky I found such a wonderful man!!

My bp mellowed out and my labs came back alright, so they decided to send me home.  I have to go back on Tuesday for another NST, ultrasound, and checkup.  They also sent a jug home with me with orders to collect urine for the next 24 hours (YUCK) so that they can check the protein levels in it.  Which means we actually have to go back this afternoon to drop it off.

Hubby really doesn't want me to go by myself just in case something happens, even though it's just straight over there and back.  I asked my best friend to ride with me, but she has to help her dad move today.  I can't go until after 3:30, which is about how late hubby was planning on working anyway, so we decided that I would just wait and we'd go when he gets home.  I had to move the seat back in my car, too, cuz my steering wheel was rubbing against the baby belly.  It's a little more difficult to reach the pedals now, so I try not to drive out of town if I can help it.  Since a friend had asked, here's a belly shot.  Not so flattering.  But I am still down a total of 8.25 pounds.  Yup - I gained 3 pounds this past week.

Next week I have to be back 2x again.  The plan was to go on Wed since Scraps has an ENT appointment then, but that doesn't work into their 2x per week schedule.  They said one appt has to be Mon or Tues and one has to be Thurs or Fri.  So next week I will be at Mayo Tues, Wed, and Thurs.  We were having a hard time figuring out how to do this since it would be super hard for hubs to take that much time off, so Grammy is going over with me on Wed for Scrappy's appt.  We don't have to be there until 945 for that one, and my appts are at 8am so it would be harder for her to go with to those.  I would prefer that hubby is with for mine anyway in case I get kept or anything happens.

And the more that things are going wrong, the more the docs are talking about induction.  Hopefully we find out a definite answer very soon.  As much as I love my babies and I loved being pregnant, this one has taken quite a toll on me.  I'm ready to meet this little one and have some strand of normalcy back in my life.

Mixed Emotions

Yesterday's appointments didn't go quite as well as we had hoped for.  I'm riding an emotional roller-coaster right now because of everything going on and all the stress and emotions involved with pregnancy.

My first appointment was for the non-stress test.  They let Scrappy come in with us for this one since he was being pretty mellow.  For those who have never had one, a non-stress test is one where I sit back in a recliner with my feet up.  The nurse puts 2 straps around my   stomach with monitors on them.  One was put at the top of my stomach to monitor for contractions and the other is placed over Baby to monitor movement.  During this I also had a blood pressure cuff on that would periodically monitor my blood pressure.  The test can last anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how the baby responds.

We seem to have a pretty stubborn baby.  I was hooked up for the entire 40 minutes. Baby's heart rate was in the lower 150's.  During the test, the nurse monitors how many times the baby moves and what the baby's heart rate does.  The goal is that when baby moves, his/her heart rate is supposed to go over 160 and stay there for a short period.  Baby did NOT want to cooperate.  We listened to hiccups for a while, which was the extent of the movement we were getting.  The nurse pushed on my stomach and had me change positions, rolling over to my left and rolling over to my right side.  I pushed on my stomach.  Scrappy yelled at and talked to Baby and pushed on my stomach.  Daddy pushed and shook and rubbed his hands on my stomach.  In spite of my carb restrictions, I even ate part of a granola bar to see if the sugar was going to get Baby moving.  We got a few kicks here and there, but not a lot.  Baby is most active around supper time and bed time, or really early in the morning and is pretty mellow throughout the day.  I was concerned, though, when I saw what my blood pressure readings were.  Throughout my pregnancy, my bp has been about 110/65-70.  My last appointment, Dr R said it was running a little high.  At this appointment, it varied with the top ranging from 128-138 and the bottom running from 83-92.

My second appointment there were no kids allowed, so Daddy and Scrappy had to wait in the waiting room during that one.  The ultrasound tech didn't do any measurements on how big baby was, just concerned about checking how much fluid there is and a few other measurements the doc needed.  She said Baby was 'face down' so she couldn't get a good profile shot.  But here you can see Baby's face, shoulder, and hand.

Then it was on to my third and last appointment - seeing the doc.  We didn't see my normal doc, but we got to meet another (Dr W), which is good just in case mine isn't there when we go in.  She was very brief and to-the-point.  I don't think we were in the room for more than 10-15 minutes with her.  She looked over my glucose readings since the medication started and looked over the non-stress test and bp results.  She was not happy with my bp being up since it's been so low until recently.  Of course she said she was concerned about pre-eclampsia and now wants me coming in twice per week.  Normally, she said, she wouldn't be so concerned about my bp since it's not horribly high, but because of the gestational diabetes AND the bp, she'd rather I come in more often.  She said if it stays high, she would like to induce me at 36 week.  I told her that Dr R had talked about induction at 34 weeks if it was high.  She didn't agree with that.  But I guess in the end it's up to what the two of them decide.  We're going back to see Dr W on Friday for a follow-up.  I'm not sure how she wants me to handle 2x per week after that since my next 2 appointments after that are on Wednesdays to coincide with Scrappy's.  We'll just have to see what happens.  On the 9th, we're scheduled to see Dr R again.

And after some discussion, my husband and I decided to stop down and change my registration.  We upgraded to a private room.  I'd rather not have someone else's newborn keeping me up all night or have to deal with their family visiting if I wanna nap during the day. 

I guess I'm as ready as I'm every going to be for this baby to come.  I'm kind of nervous because so many things have gone wrong already and I'm afraid of what else can go wrong.  I'm excited to see the little angel that's been kicking and hiccuping and growing in me for the last 32 1/2 weeks.  I'm terrified of the possibility of Baby needing surgery.  But we're seeing some of the best doctors in the country at Mayo.  We just need to put our trust in them....  We really can't do any more to prepare...

I'm getting restless and sore and craving everything I can't eat because of the diabetic diet.  I swear if I could, I'd chug a gallon of high-pulp orange juice right now!!!

Weekly Appts

We're at that point now - we are going to Rochester weekly to monitor baby.  The last couple weeks have been typical, and crazy.  After failing the glucose test and being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, Dr R had me meet with a diabetic specialist nurse and a dietitian.  I had to monitor my blood sugar for the next week until I went in to see him again too.  For some unknown reason, even though I've been very adamant about adhering to the strict carb count they put me on, my morning blood sugars were still high.  Throughout the day there were a few times here and there that they would spike again.  Dr R wasn't very happy with this last week when I went back for my checkup. (He said that most people cheat and don't fill in their real numbers on the chart - he was happy to see that I was!)


I'm still monitoring my sugars 4 times a day and now I'm also taking a pill every evening to help control my blood sugar.  Since I've been on it, my morning sugars have been right on target!  My fasting level is supposed to be under 95 (right when I get up in the morning) and then under 120 when I check it 2 hours after each meal.  They are very strict on exactly how many grams of carbs I'm to have for each meal and for snacks 3 times per day.  It's been hard to stick with, especially since I LOVE pasta and mashed potatoes.  The big surprise to me was that there are carbs in milk and yogurt but not in cheese.  There is also a list of veggies that have carbs and count against me.  So glad green beans aren't on that list since they're my favorite :)  Cooking has been a bit of a challenge for me, but I've been doing some experimenting, which has been coming out pretty good for the most part!


At my last appt, doc also gave me a prescription heart burn medication.  I've been having such awful heartburn that wakes me up in the middle of the night, I feel like I'm going to be sick!  Thankfully this medication has been working really well :)  Almost no heartburn since I started it. 


Next step is to get my blood pressure down.  Normally it's about 120/80 or a little lower, but when I'm pregnant it usually runs about 110/70 or somewhere in that area.  My last appt it was 130/85.  This worried our doc.  He said if the top # gets above 140 or the bottom goes over 90, they're going to look at inducing me at 34 weeks (I'm 32 right now.)  With the complications we've had, high blood pressure is coming out to be the final straw.  If we do go early, though, we suspect very few complications other than the echogenic bowel issue.  In the last ultrasound, the baby was practicing 'breathing,' so the lungs are looking good.  Based on the ultrasound, the baby weighed in at about 4 pounds 7 ounces.  That's a huge jump in 2 weeks from the 3 pounds 4 ounces they estimated then!!


Tomorrow we go in again.  Our weekly appts are non-stress test, ultrasound, and meet with the OB.  We'll be meeting with a couple others besides the one we've been seeing.  My sister has to work, so we are going to have to take Scrappy with us.  Beau has school, but we'll be able to drop her off and pick her up since we don't have to be in Roch until 930 and we'll be done before noon.  Hubs is planning to try to get to work in the afternoon if we get back in time.  Maybe then he won't have to work as long on Saturday.  I know he needs to make up the time, it just seems like I hardly see him when Sunday is the only day he's home because we always have so much to do.  It would be great to have a day to just relax and spend time together.


Since this is the number one question I'm asked: As of Thursday, my total weight change with this pregnancy:  Down 11.25 pounds still.  I've been asked often if I'm having twins.  I suppose since the baby is gaining weight and I've overall been losing weight, my baby belly seems to be protruding a bit more than with the other two.  My darling hubby told me that from the back he can't really even tell I'm pregnant cuz I seem to be carrying it all in my belly up front.  He's so sweet :)

Just Livin' Life...

I do well with my blogging for a while, then I notice I have some big gaps in my entries.  Life gets in the way at times.  I just don't seem to realize how much and how often life happens :)  The last month has been a little chaotic, but when isn't it when you have two crazy kids running your house?? LOL!

We spent a week with sickness going through the house.  Beau had strep and an ear infection.  Scrappy caught a bad cold and had a sore throat.  Hubs ended up with an awful head cold, bad enough that it kept him home from work for a day.  In the middle of all that, we still went to a benefit for our friend who has terminal cancer.  We didn't stay long, but we did make it there.  After everyone else had gotten over being sick, I got hit with a head cold.  My balance is horrid as it is just from the pregnancy.  Add the vertigo that comes with severely clogged sinuses does not help.  And the additional dizziness, which we thought was from low blood sugar from what the doctors said.

My weekends have been super busy with the kids and with hubs working Saturdays and church and Sunday school on Sundays.  It's been so busy that I even gave away the 10 gallons of tomatoes that I had picked a week ago with the intention of making spaghetti sauce.  I still have 3 bags and a box of apples sitting on the table out back that I haven't had time to do yet.  From my dizzy spells, I've decided it's something I can't do if hubs isn't here.  Maybe this weekend I'll have a chance to do at least some of them.  On Sunday that is, since he's going in to work on Saturday.  My car has decided it doesn't wanna work right - almost sounds like the spark plugs are misfiring or maybe something with the fuel injectors, but it shakes and jerks so awful when it's idling.  He's going to see if he can figure out what's wrong with it.

An update on baby:  My last appointment, on Tuesday, baby weighed in at about 3 pounds 4 ounces.  My previous appointment baby was about 2 pounds, so he/she is growing really well!!  We still see echogenic bowel, but we weren't too surprised by that.  The blood pocket is still there too.  When I went to TOPS yesterday, I finally gained 2 pounds.  Doc said I SHOULD be gaining about 1/2-1 pound per week and baby should be gaining 1/4-1/2 pound per week.

Shortly after we got home, the doctor's office called.  It's never a good thing when the call after you leave....  I had my blood tests and glucose screening done, so they were calling with the results.  My hemoglobin is about 12.4, which is great since I'm normally borderline anemic.  My thyroid levels were good too, so that means the higher dose of levothyroxin is working just as it should be doing. 

Then the bad news - I failed my glucose test.  Dr Rose has said that 140 and under is considered to be 'normal', 141-189 is 'inconclusive' and warrants a retest which is a 3 hour fasting test, and 190+ is considered having gestational diabetes.  Well, I tested in at 191.  Yay, another complication.  For the next week, I'm supposed to log all the food I eat.  They sent a few prescriptions over for me to get filled.  One was for lancets, one for a glucose monitor, and one for test strips.  I go back to Rochester next Thursday to meet with the dietitian and diabetic counselor.  They are going to show me how to check my blood sugars and when I'm supposed to do it.  From the sounds of it, they don't think I'll need medication and I should be able to control it just by what I eat.  We'll see what happens.  Hubs is taking the afternoon off to go with me.

The nurse I spoke with on the phone gave me a 'heads up' on a few other concerns.  When a mom has gestational diabetes, the baby usually has a higher birth weight.  Babies born at term are closer to 10 pounds, which she said can cause complications in itself.  There is a chance of shoulder dysplasia and an increased risk of C-section.  Baby also runs risks from his/her blood sugar dropping after birth and will have to be more closely monitored after birth.  It sounds like I will be going in for weekly appointments after my appointment on Thursday so they can monitor the baby with non-stress tests and to watch the baby's weight and the amount of fluid.  I guess this really isn't such a bad thing since we're getting closer to when the doc figures the baby will come.  As of right now I'm almost 29 weeks.

My wonderfully amazing husband talked to his boss after I called to tell him about my upcoming appointment.  He asked if I wanted him to go with me, and after some discussion, he told me it was best if I don't travel that far alone (it's over an hour drive to see our doctors, but they ARE specialists and some of the best in the country!)  He told his boss that my appointments are going to be weekly.  One of the great things about him working for a small shop is that his boss is much more flexible than most.  His boss has a child with medical issues also, so he's pretty understanding about all this.  He said it's fine, but that hubs is going to have to make up some, if not all, of the time somehow.  So that means he'll probably be working Saturdays, or possibly just staying a couple hours late most nights.  I'm ok with that, especially since he's really doing it for me.  Isn't that just the sweetest thing??  I know I sing his praises quite often, but from my past relationship experiences, most of those 'men' wouldn't have been so supportive.

Speaking of my wonderful husband, I got some 'alone time' out with him on Saturday (after he cleaned up the branch we lost during Thursday's wind storm!)

We had a sitter come for a few hours while we went out for a few hours.  It was his birthday, and there was a big 'We Love You' party for our friend with cancer.  I was the designated driver, obviously.  We went for him to have a few adult beverages and to visit with friends, then out for supper.  We had just asked for a 'to-go' container when the sitter called - Scraps was vomiting :(  She sat with Beau while we took him into Urgent Care since he was already on antibiotics but was still running a fever. 

These past almost 2 weeks, I have be very tired besides dealing with the dizzy spells.  Hopefully after Thursday we can get all of this under control.  But my house is falling apart.  My kitchen is a disaster.  I don't have the energy to get caught up with it.  I've fallen way behind on laundry.  I can barely stay awake enough to do my homework.  I've been doing all my errands right away in the morning after dropping Beau off at school, and by the time I get home I'm completely wiped.

One of my current classes, stress management and wellness, has given me some tools to use to help combat stress.  I've actually been practicing some of the meditation methods and found them useful.  Some are more difficult to do with small children around, but I make due.  I'll be sure to post the ones that are working best :)  I'm actually thinking of using some of the meditation methods for labor when baby comes!  Yes, I'm planning to do this delivery all natural again, so we'll see what happens!

Barriers.....

Yes, I'm way overdue on this entry.  My life has almost fallen apart in the past month and a half, and I have been having trouble putting it into words.  I have had enough trouble just understanding it all myself.  It's been more than a little overwhelming.

June 24 saw me back in the doctor's office - on basically an emergency-type visit.  The bleeding.  Again.  I called hubs at work and then Grammy to watch the kids.  Doctor L had an appt open at 2 and since I called at 12:15, he thought I could wait (obviously heavy bleeding wasn't much of a concern to him even though it scared the hell out of me!!!)  We went in, he listened and heard baby's heart beat, and told me to take it easy.  We were in, seen, and out in less than 10 minutes and I was in no way reassured.  When asked why I was bleeding, his answer was "I don't know."  Well, soon enough we would find out how reliable - and what a LIAR, this doctor was.

After my June 12th appt (and my last ultrasound here), I was supposed to be referred to Maternal-Fetal Medicine so they could get my medical background - supposedly.  After my July 15th appt, I was FINALLY scheduled with Maternal-Fetal Medicine and was to go to Rochester to see them to 1) meet with the nurse, 2) have an ultrasound, 3) meet with the OB, and 4) meet with the Genetics Counselor.  Um, no, I canceled the last appt right away - there was no reason to meet with the Genetics Counselor after we already did that less than 3 years ago after Scrappy was born.  We knew all we needed to about the chances of CF with the baby, the complications associated with CF, and all that other stuff that Dr L didn't seem to know about.  So here I still had 3 appts - but when I asked the appt desk AND Dr L's office WHY I was being referred - NO ONE knew!!  Was it for the CF or was it for the bleeding??  Turns out we wouldn't actually find out until we got to Mayo.

July 25 - Hubby took a half day off to go with me to my appts at Mayo.  Best decision ever.  We met with Dr R, who is a specialist in high risk pregnancies.  Turns out we'd been referred because there is a blood 'pool' or 'pocket' above the placenta.  Dr L knew about it but didn't bother to tell use.  Turns out THIS is why I've been bleeding - it's the blood from this pocket leaking.  WTH???  He couldn't say "I'm sending you to Roch because idk why this is here?"  (Nope, NOT going back to Dr L! Ever!)  Dr R told us to expect that Baby will most likely be here before 34 weeks because of the size of the pocket.  It's a rare complication and they're not sure why it happens, it just does.  (At least it's an explanation and an HONEST one at that!!)  Dr R said Baby most likely will end up in Rochester anyway, and it's up to us if we want to continue to see the docs at home or not.  Until we make our decision, we're supposed to continue with our appts as scheduled.

Aug 26 - Second appt in Rochester.  We had 2 appts with Dr Y, who was ok to being with, seemed nice and friendly, but I really DON'T like liars.  Especially when it comes to mine or my children's health.  Dr Y told us he's been in contact with Dr R and we're supposed to be having checkups and ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks.  According to Dr Y, we would ONLY do the steroid injection to help Baby's lungs develop if I was still ACTIVELY bleeding.  My husband and I also decided that I'm not going to get my tubes tied right away, as we had planned, because of the likelihood of Baby coming early.  We want to keep our options open.  Dr Y, however, said we're still going through with everything as planned, delivering here even though we told him we want to have the baby at Mayo, and that I'm still getting my tubes tied, even though we told him we changed our minds.  It was completely obvious he wasn't listening to me.  When I asked about when we should follow up with Dr R, Dr Y changed the subject.  I finally took it upon myself to call Mayo and found out the only contact he had with Dr Rose was ONE EMAIL.  Like I said, I'm NOT a fan of liars.  I made an appt to see Dr R, and we've decided that is where all of our appointments are going to be done from here on out.

Went to see Dr R.  He was happy to see us.  I think switching over there is the best decision we've made.  He said it looks like Baby will still be coming early just because of how much bleeding I had earlier on, but it's a good sign that it's stopped.  Hopefully it means Baby won't be coming AS early.  We weren't scheduled for an ultrasound, but he said let's do one anyway :)  We saw that the pocket was still there.  We also saw that Baby still has echogenic bowel.  (Echogenic bowel in this pregnancy means either 1) Baby has been swallowing blood and it's moving through his/her system  (which doesn't do any harm) or 2) it's a precursor to meconium ileus, which is intestinal blockage caused by mucus caused by CF - obviously we're hoping for #1!!!)  If Baby DOES have m.i. at least we'll already be in Rochester, which is where he/she would be sent anyway to have it treated.  We are supposed to go back to see Dr R in 3 weeks.  As we were on our way out the door, Scot mentioned getting a tour or knowing where to go if anything happens - so Dr R set up a tour right then and there for us!! Talk about a great doctor!!

I'm going to wrap this up now, but will keep posted as the pregnancy progresses.  And to keep things up-to-date, yes, I'm still attending TOPS religiously.  I'm not following my eating plan as religiously, but how often can we when we're pregnant.  But to-date, I'm at a 13 pound loss total!  I had gotten down a total of 15 pounds, but babies always have an effect on that :) 

I've been doing some thinking, and become addicted to a new blog I found.  I'm working on making my household more workable... and looking at re-evaluating my blog a bit.  Yes it was originally started as a method for me to track my health and fitness efforts, but I may expand that.  The title - TODAY is Day One - is all about new beginnings - being able to start over TODAY.  This can be health, fitness, financial, or just how to live your life.

Since I've not worked much since June, I KNOW there need to be some budgetary changes made in our house.  I'm also tired of the mounds of 'to-do' items on my list and would like to get it all under control before baby comes, especially since school has started for me now and will be starting for Beau soon.  My first effort has come in following many of the tips found in the blog I've been reading and incorporating many things from a book I have, "The Family Manager Takes Charge."  I'm going to start blogging about how these changes are progressing in our household.  I'm also up for suggestions and input.  No one ever tells you the reality of being a SAHM and how challenging it actually is.  I didn't know what I was getting myself into, and now, more than a year later, I'm working on getting my life in order.  Some things just take time.....

(yes at the beginning I said 'the past month and a half.'  I started this entry, then life just got in the way.  I'm going to make an honest effort to blog once a day or at least every other day.  Today's actual date - the completion of this entry - lands on Aug 30, more than a month after it was started.)

Much Needed Family Time

It's been over a week since my last entry....  We were on a family vacation last week :)  It was much needed!!  We left Wednesday night when hubs got home and headed out to Hill City, South Dakota.  I planned ahead and packed a lot of healthy snacks, along with a homemade trail mix that the kids seemed to enjoy.  We did a lot of walking there too, which was great as a family.  It was difficult when Scrappy decided he wanted to be carried.  Daddy carried him most of the time, though.  2 of the days we were there, the weather was crappy - rain and snow.  The other 2 days it was pretty nice - mid 50's and sunshine.

Of course, being gone, I missed a weigh in and a meeting, but it was excused.  Today I was back at the meeting, and a little nervous about how I did.  I mean, I ate pretty good most of the time we were gone, but that order of chili-cheese fries could have bitten me in the butt.  But I only ate about half of the order.  Plus we had an extra walk at the cabin, just exploring the grounds and checking out the stream.

I also rediscovered a game that I had forgotten was a very good workout - that winded me a bit and wore me down!  The game?  Tetherball!  Beau had never played before, so I got to teach her how while Scraps played on the playground equipment.  It was a lot of fun!!  Beau got mad when she accidentally got hit in the face, but she got over it.  Then she started having fun with it too :)

Well, back to the meeting.  I was nervous because I've been feeling HUGE, even though I'm only 8 1/2 weeks pregnant.  But with it not being the first baby, everything gets bigger faster.

The result?? I'm down a whole 3 pounds!! 

I have lost all the weight I gained in that one awful week of retaining water.  I'm back to a total 6 pound weight loss since I started TOPS.

Total weight gained this pregnancy?? 0 pounds.

Oh, I know I'll gain some eventually, but I'm trying to keep it from being an overwhelming amount.  Granted I had normal gains with both my other kids - 31 pounds with my daughter and 36 with my son.  My goal is to not go over 25 with this one.  I still have a few weeks until I see the doctor, so that's something I'll have to discuss with him.  With the nutritionist giving me a 15-25 pound guideline, I think that should be ok....  We'll just have to wait and see what happens!!

Here are a few pictures from our journey :)

Sabatoge?

Of course I'm a little behind with this along with everything else I'm doing.  BUT there is a good reason. 

A VERY good reason. 

And until today, I had fallen off my plan and my workouts.  Yeah the eating has been good, but not so much on the exercise.

On the April 28th weigh in I had a gain.  A horrible gain.  Ruined my losing streak.  I was drinking tons of water and unfortunately retaining all of it.

I gained 4 1/2 pounds on the April 28th weigh in, bringing my total weight loss to only 1 1/2 pounds.

The reason behind the gain????

I'm pregnant!!  Baby #3 is due on Christmas Day!!  We are so happy and excited!!

Huge amounts of nausea has kept me out of the gym - I could hardly function without feeling like I was going to lose everything I'd eaten.  Fortunately it only lasted about 2 weeks and I'm over it by now.

May 5th weigh in?  A loss of 1 1/2 pounds!! Yay!! 

I was no longer snacking and munching to combat the nausea.  I still hadn't been as active as before, but I was able to eat a lot healthier and not all the time.  I've actually gotten to the point that I can't eat much at each meal without feeling uncomfortable.  Small meals and a few snacks.

And today I got a HUGE amount of activity in.  We did the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides walk which is a 10k walk.  The backs of my knees ache pretty good, and we had to take a few breaks on the walk, but man do I feel GOOD!!  Plus the weather was beautiful - pushing 70 degrees!!

We are getting ready to go on vacation this week - leaving for 4 days.  We went to Trader Joe's in Rochester for the first time today and picked up some freeze-dried fruit and other things for snacks.  The fruit was more reasonably priced than online.  The granola bars and cereal bars were cheaper too!!  I'm planning to make some healthy trail mix to take on the trip.  We bought some fruit and other foods to take too, so we can pack most of our meals. 

I'm trying to plan on eating breakfast at our cabin and one packed meal, and we can eat one meal out.  That will save us a lot on both money and calories. $100 for 8 meals, a whole lotta snacks, and food left over.  Considering just getting Taco Bell costs us about $25 (let alone anything at any tourist spot) I think that's doing pretty good for us...  This includes a case of water too :)  I'm determined to not let the vacation deter my efforts.  We'll be doing a lot of walking on our trip too, so that's a plus!!

Of course, how does pregnancy affect TOPS?  What are the rules?  Well, I need to get a note from my doctor to see how much weight is ok for me to gain and get it put in writing.  They've noted my pregnancy already, so gains are not counted against me.  I'm allowed to gain throughout the pregnancy and still be 'in good standing' as long as I stay within the guidelines that the doctors set for me.  I'm not sure who my doctor is going to be - I'm seeing Lombardi for now since Thorn is on leave, but may see the new doctor that starts in July.  I know Thorn's guideline is "unlimited, as long as mama and baby are healthy."  We'll see what Lombardi says.  I see him in about 5 weeks (when I'm at 12 weeks) and get my first ultrasound then.  I go back to the nurse in 3 weeks.  (Hopefully I can get the insurance figured out by then!!)

I met with the nutritionist on Monday.  Her recommendation is to gain no more than 25 pounds.  With my daughter I gained 31, with my son, 36.  But then again, with both of them I was pregnant in winter when it's so much easier to sit around and do nothing.  I'm determined to stay active this summer!!