Gestational Diabetes Treatment Consult (or, Needle-phobic Me Being Taught to Use Needles By Someone Who's Never Done it Before)
Hi Everyone!
So I had my treatment consult for gestational diabetes this morning. It went pretty well. Here are the highlights:
They're hoping to manage this with just diet.
They said I'm already eating pretty well...what I need to change is to not eat certain foods before noon (fruit, yogurt, milk, cereal, juice), and to keep careful track of/carefully control carbohydrate intake. This seems a lot more manageable than trying to keep track of everything I eat, so happy about that. Also I need to eat smaller amounts a lot more frequently (6 small meals/day).
And then came the dreaded glusoce monitoring. I'm going to have to do it 4 times/day. Ugh. This part was kind of funny since usually a diabetes nurse teaches people how to do this, but the nurse was out today so the dietician said she'd try to help me learn, even though she'd never done it before. Are you serious? I am NOT the person for this to happen to, as I am TERRIFIED of needles.
So she (the dietitian) opens up a new meter and we spread out the instructions, wash our hands, and we decided she was going to do a fingerstick on me before I tried on myself. But she kept trying and trying (me virtually in tears...I am such a baby) and couldn't get any blood until she dialed up the needle to the deepest setting and then there STILL wasn't enough blood, and it HURT.
So then we decided I'd try on a different finger and try to do it myself...the needle is hidden, all you have to do is press a button and it sticks your finger...but I could not make myself do it.
So then we talked about alternatives, like is there any way I could numb my fingers so I wasn't so afraid of the pain? And then we started looking at the instructions again and it said you could also test on your forearm or palm, which I felt like I could do...there's something about my fingertips that psychologically I just wasn't doing well with.
So we ran my arm under hot water (the instructions said heat could help) and I pressed the button for the needle...yay! But there was barely any blood. So we dialed it up to the highest setting, and again, barely any blood. So then to my palm on the highest setting (deepest needle penetration) and this time yay! Enough blood to test!
But geeze, this should not have been this difficult. The good news is the dietitian was really nice and patient with me...I mean really, the drama...I'm sure 6-year-olds are more cool, calm and collected about this than I was.
So I feel pretty good about being able to test on my palm or forearm. Fingertip...no way. But any of you out there reading this knowing that you are going to have to do this...if I can do it, anyone can.
So that's the scoop. All in all, not too bad. I'm glad I didn't get myself too worked up about this.
I have an appointment next week with the actual diabetes nurse, to make sure I'm doing everything right...
Hope you all are having a great Thursday!
XOXO
10 PM and grrrrr...this blood glucose monitoring thing is NOT working very well. I tried testing after lunch and had to stick myself 5 times to get enough blood and have the meter up and running at the same time. My husband finally came in and coordinated and squoze my palm hard enough to get the drop of blood I needed.
And tonight after dinner, no way was there blood coming out of my palm (3 sticks, all with blood but not enough) so my husband did a fingerstick on me and that hurts, I don't care what anyone says. The fingerstick worked, though. But I'm not going to have my husband with me all the time to do this...I've got to figure out how to do it on my own.
Plus, the instruction booklet I was given does not seem to match the blood glucose meter I have. So frustrating. I'm sure I'll figure it out, but this is not getting off to a good start...
Mississippi Update
Hi Everyone!
Those of you who have been following along for a while know my husband is about to graduate college in the spring (he went back on the GI Bill), and one of our big priorities for 2012 is getting him a good job. With that may come a move. (Yeah, not long after we have twins. Crazy, I know. But...deep breath...it's all going to work out.)
Some of you may remember us going to Mississippi about six weeks ago to check out an opportunity down there. I'd never thought of Mississippi as a place to live, but where we were potentially going to go was right on the gulf coast and it was lovely.
Long story short, though, Mississippi's not going to happen.
The bummer is that it would have been nice to have my husband's job taken care of. And I did like it there. And the warm weather...that would have been so nice.
On the other hand, I am a total outdoorsy girl and had a bit of a hard time picturing myself being ME in Mississippi. I mean, we would have made it work, absolutely, but I like climbing mountains, and snowboarding, and surfing might be nice again if we wind up somewhere where that's feasible... Also, I've always lived in the West (unless you count the years when I spent half my time in San Francisco and half my time in Boston), and that just feels like home to me.
So we're back to our original plan, which is to focus on Colorado, where we live now, and Seattle, where my husband and I have both lived before. California might figure in there somewhere, although it's not at the top of the list, mostly due to cost of living issues. And then if the right job appears in some random place (which is what potentially could have happened in Mississippi), we're open to it.
Stay tuned...
XOXO
Gestational Diabetes--And Details About the 1-Hour and 3-Hour Glucose Tolerance Tests
Gestational diabetes--yep, I have it.
Feeling pretty sad about it because everything's been going so well with this pregnancy. But I guess in the whole scheme of things this is a pretty easy complication to manage. However, I've already been eating pretty well (although I could do a little better) and exercising (although I could do a little more). Also, so ridiculously scared of fingersticks, but maybe I won't have to do them. I'm the girl who did 4 IVFs and an FET WITHOUT ONCE giving herself an injection...that's how scared of needles I am. No way that's going to hold up if I'm checking my blood sugar multiple times a day.
I have a consult with the diabetes specialist Thursday AM...will report back.
In the meantime, here's a rundown of the glucose tolerance tests for anyone who's interested:
1-Hour Glucose Tolerance Test
No big deal at all. Didn't eat breakfast and went in, drank a lemon/lime soda flavored drink with 50 grams glucose that wasn't that terrible, sat in the waiting room and got some work done on my laptop, then had a blood draw an hour later.
3-Hour Glucose Tolerance Test
A different story. Had to fast 12 hours, get a baseline blood draw, and then drink this fruit punch concoction with 100 grams glucose. The first couple sips weren't bad but after that it was NASTY. Really, really hard to finish.
Hour 1: In the waiting room, trying to work and then surfing the internet but as time wore on began to feel shaky and sweaty and like I was about to puke. And by the end of the first hour zero ability to concentrate on anything. Made it to the 1-hour blood draw and asked if there was somewhere I could lay down, I was feeling that bad.
Hour 2: They installed me in one of the lounge chairs in the blood donation center, covered me with a blanket, gave me a bag to puke into if I needed and were generally so kind to me (blood donation was slow that morning, there were half a dozen nurses who asked over and over if I needed anything.) I started crying I don't know why, was just feeling so terrible and wishing there was someone there with me. Closed my eyes and rested and tried to relax, started feeling better towards the end of the second hour.
Hour 3: Felt better but still not great. Stayed in the recliner chair and just rested...that helped.
After: At the end, had a snack and went home, ate lunch and felt fine for a few hours, then felt kind of sluggish/exhausted for the rest of the day.
My advice to anyone doing the 3-hour test is not to expect too much of yourself the day of...I thought I could work during the test but couldn't, and didn't really get much done the rest of the day, either.
As far as the diabetes, I keep telling myself all this is only temporary...this will go away once I can eat and work out the way I want and normally do (and don't have a zillion pregnancy hormones and 2 babies inside my body).
It could be worse. It could be worse. It could be worse. Still, I could use some words of encouragement...
XOXO
Pregnancy: Week 25
A little different picture than normal today...my husband took this shot on our walk along the river south of town. Probably the last such outing until the babies are born...see below...
Hi Everyone! Happy New Year!
I'm 26 weeks pregnant today, and all is well. Here's how the last week has been:
- This has been a surprisingly good week. I'm at the very end of my second trimester and am just now feeling like I'm getting that easy trimester everyone's been talking about. The horrible insomnia has gone away. The nausea is pretty much gone. The backache is pretty much gone. I am feeling really good physically for the first time in months and months and months. Hope it lasts at least a little while! :)
- Still walking (slowly on flat surfaces) several days a week but get out of breath and just want to lay on the couch after
- Had an OB appointment with 2 strong heartbeats. Also both babies are head down...yay!
- Had both the 1-hour glucose test (which I failed pretty spectacularly) and the 3-hour one. I'll save the details for a separate post but in short the 1-hour was no big deal at all and the 3-hour was awful. Saw some of my preliminary numbers from the 3-hour test and I'm right at the border for gestational diabetes...we'll see what my doctor says this week. I'll of course do what I have to do, but have I mentioned I'm absolutely terrified of needles? Even the tiny ones for blood glucose checks. Praying that is not in my future...
- Lost 4 lbs. this week...the first time I've lost weight during the pregnancy. I think it's due to 1) the constipation I had with the Zofran clearing up now that I'm off it, and/or 2) eating really carefully (a lot less carbs, no sweets AT ALL) since I failed my 1-hour test. Also just haven't been that hungry for some reason. I've done fine with the weight gain, though, so not too worried about the 4 lbs., as long as that trend doesn't continue
- Babies are moving all over the place...every day I can watch my belly move, which I love to do
- A couple weird things happened today...first, I was laying on my side on the couch this morning and my dog Newton jumped on my belly. And then, I really wanted to get out in nature and so my husband and dogs and I went a few miles south of town to this dirt path along the river...it's totally flat so I thought it would be safe but the ground was uneven in places and at one point I kind of twisted my ankle, went down on my knee, then side, then back...avoided my belly altogether but of course with these two things happening I'm a little freaked out. I feel fine, am feeling the babies move, there's no blood or anything like that so I'm fine, right? I did promise my husband nothing but pavement between now and the end of the pregnancy...
Hope you all have a lovely week. And that 2012 is the year all your dreams come true. :)
XOXO
2011: A Look Back
Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!
Hope you all have great New Year's Eve plans! We're laying low, which is fine. Unless we're traveling, I'm not a huge one for New Year's Eve, pregnant or not.
Like most everyone else, the end of the year is always kind of a reflective time for me. Thought I'd share some of what I've been thinking about:
January
We took a belated three-week honeymoon to Europe the end of 2010/beginning of 2011...spent New Year's in Prague (amazing...would do it again in a heartbeat) and the first few days of the year in Venice:
As soon as we got home, we got word that my husband's dad was very sick...we went straight to Las Vegas to be with him, and he died a week later. So hard, but I'm so glad we got that time together.
And then, straight to Denver for IVF #4.
February
The transfer for IVF #4 happened in February...AND we got a BPF! A good solid one, too...all my previous ones had been iffy and ended up being chemical pregnancies. We were so excited!
Didn't feel too bad for the first few weeks, and did some nice easy walks in the Colorado National Monument, which is super close to our house:
March
I was sick, sick, sick with the pregnancy.
We went to Vegas again to see and help my husband's mom.
Spring started to arrive:
April
We lost our baby, a girl, at 11 weeks 5 days...so close to being out of the first trimester and "safe." It was devastating, but my husband and I were so sweet and loving and supportive of each other. We lay on the couch in the evenings and drank wine and talked and cried. And then when we couldn't cry anymore we watched episodes of "Wipeout" which is the most ridiculous TV show ever...have never watched before or since but somehow the stupidness and silliness was what we needed.
Family and friends were wonderful, too.
And got back to being active, with one quick weekend snowboarding trip with my brother (we took his snowmobiles out into the backcountry...he'd run me up a hill and I'd snowboard down). So fun even though the snow sucked as it was so late in the season.
I also started hiking, including an incredible day trip to Moab with my mom and dad.
One of the places I went a lot in those first few weeks after the miscarriage was Holy Cross trail. When I first moved to the area, I'd stumbled on this cross. Didn't learn until years later that I knew the woman who'd brought it into being, and it was for her lost child:
May
Tried to get my body ready for an FET...the D&C wasn't complete...another trip to Denver and our clinic was needed.
Worked hard to recover physically and emotionally from the miscarriage.
Life went on as normal for the cows across the street from my parents:
June
An absolutely lovely hiking trip with my Dad in Utah. We take a trip together every year...it is just the best:
And more "finishing the miscarriage" shenanigans and another trip to our Denver clinic.
And the start of our summer vacation, driving to the West coast to camp and hang out with tons of friends...so fun and exactly what we needed.
July
Summer vacation continued...from the start: Highway 50 through Nevada on the way out, California, Oregon, Washington, Vancouver, Salt Lake City on the way home. It was lovely. Here's my husband and I at a BBQ with my BFF, Lake Washington, Seattle:
We also went to Santa Barbara for a long weekend to attend a gorgeous wedding, and again got to spend time with lots of freinds...so wonderful.
And...back to Denver for the FET...stayed with my brother which is always great...had my birthday 2 days before the transfer, and on the last day of the month...another BFP! Yay!
August
Did a short camping trip with my brother, but for the most part sick, sick, sick.
Learned we had twins!
My mother's organic garden was going crazy...
September
Camped again, this time with my whole family:
Still sick, but all was going well.
October
A fun trip to Denver to celebrate our anniversary.
Other than that, laying low with the pregnancy.
The first snow up in the mountains was so pretty (this is at my brother's house, where he and I and my brother who died grew up):
November
Went with my husband to Mobile, AL and gulf coast Mississippi to check out a potential job. We celebrated his birthday while we were there...so fun, although traveling wasn't all that easy...
And later in the month, Thanksgiving at our house with lots of people. My husband and his mom did all the cooking! :)
December
Holidays at my brother's up in the Colorado mountains. Here's our boxer Newton playing in the snow:
My pregnancy at 25 weeks is still going strong! :)
So, all in all, a heartbreaking year with the loss of my father-in-law and our unborn baby. A year consumed with doctor visits. Lots and lots of travel (which probably won't happen again for some time). Lots of time with freinds and family. And the most joyous year ever, in that we are so close to bringing home two real, live babies--something I wasn't sure would ever happen for me.
A roller coaster year.
Praying that everything--two healthy babies, graduation for my husband and hopefully a good job offer, a possible move to we're not sure where--will go our way in 2012, which should be a year filled with happiness, but will also probably contain a number of huge transitions.
Happy New Year to you all! Blogging has brought me such joy this year--and your presence has been central to that. Thank you for being here, and looking forward to sharing all that will be 2012.
XOXO
Kristen
Miscarriage & Due Date
So I just realized, the miscarriage of our daughter last spring and my due date with the twins are THE EXACT SAME DATE (April 11th).
I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but how weird is that?!? I've been trying to figure out what it means, but am coming up short.
Thoughts?
XOXO
Sweet Things My Husband Says...
So over Christmas my husband and I were talking with my mom about maybe using a doula for the birth of the twins. (My mom had a career as a neonatal nurse, though, working in the NICU, so she may be all I need.)
"And you know," I said to my husband, explaining why it might be good to have a doula there, "Labor could take days. You're probably going to want a break at some point."
His response: "I'm not leaving your side."
***
And then the next day, with me hugely uncomfortable with a backache and exhausted from not sleeping:
"I wish we were penguins," he said. "The male sits on the egg, you know. That way I could take care of incubating the babies for a while."
Love this guy...
XOXO
Image Credit: chrispearson72.
Pregnancy: Week 24
Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!
Ugh...so hard to get back to work after a few days off. But I had a lovely time up in the Colorado mountains over the holiday weekend...snow everywhere...very festive. Good to be home, though.
This week is 25 weeks for me. Here's how the last week has been:
- Nausea: I AM OFF ZOFRAN!!!! (After 12 weeks on.) Finally! The bad news is the nausea is still there...but it's not constant like it was earlier in my pregnancy, so I am trying to deal. Finding I need to be VERY careful not to get too hungry...
- Back: Hurts, mostly at night
- Sleep: Terrible (up all night a couple nights, sleeping a few hours here and there the others)
- Heartburn: Occasional (uncomfortable when it happens)
- Lung capacity: I get out of breath so easily! And at my brother's, which is about 9,000 feet elevation, I was totally winded just from getting dressed
- Movement: The babies are moving alll over the place. I saw my stomach move on its own for the first time this week. And my husband can feel the babies move now, no problem. He also put his ear to my belly and said he can hear them moving around, which is so cool
- Baby loot: We made out like bandits over Christmas. So many amazing gifts for the babies (we had asked people to buy gifts for them, not us)
- Classes: We've signed up for our hospital tour/orientation (apparently the new hospital in our town has pretty plush accommodations for the birthing of babies...psyched to check it out) and a 1-day birthing class run by the hospital, which my husband was really resistant about going to, which surprised me...he's usually so supportive and wanting to be hugely involved in everything baby-related. He did agree to go, though. Both these are happening in January
- Glucose test: Supposed to have results to my OB for our appointment Thursday, but keep putting this off. Kind of scared of the results. And fasting isn't a pleasant thought with the nausea I have going on. Need to just suck it up and go do it. Plus, it'll be nice to see the lab techs who drew my blood like twice a week or more through all of my IVFs...they are the nicest people...miss them...
- Overall: Feeling happy and blessed, although it's still hard to believe this is really happeneing. But physically suffering, and I know it's only going to get worse and I'm a little freaked out about that. Trying not to look too far into the future...I just think to myself: This week is going to be about the same as last week. I can handle that...
Hope everyone has a lovely week. :)
XO
Things I'm Not Doing This Holiday (and Not Feeling Bad About)
- Strings and strings of white lights on our fence outside...so festive
- A Christmas tree...we alternate each year between a real one (love, love, love the smell) and a tinsely fake white one that's so tacky it's cool. Neither got put up this year
- Baking. In my dream life I am a fabulous baker like Bodega Bliss...in reality everything I make seems to come out kind of misshapen and ugly...tastes good, though, and I have fun making it. My husband calls it "baking with love" ("...with love" being our code phrase for something homemade that doesn't come out perfectly)
- Wrapping presents in some fancy creative way, like over here at Cretaure Comforts (loving the black-and-white cloth ribbon...)...instead this year it's easy (but still cute) store-bought paper and generic bows
- Would have loved to do more in the way of cards/little gifts/etc. for friends, but that's just not happening this year
- And would have liked to have used the Christmas plates and mugs I've had forever (like the ones here), but we never unpacked them
- And listened to Christmas music (this is my favorite album)
- And watched some Christmas movies (like Elf. And Love, Actually)
- A nice gift or two for everyone in my family
- Something homemade for both of my parents
- We're going over to my brother's up in the mountains so we can all spend the holiday together (and in snow...it's snowing right now...so excited!) So lots of time and love and attention given to the people I care about the most
- And I am staying calm, rested and relaxed for these babies, instead of running around frantically trying to make things perfect and ending up exhausted
Babies & Grief
I don't necessarily think I've had it worse than anyone else...we all have our crosses to bear...but a lot a lot a lot of crappy stuff has happened over the past 10 years--from the relatively minor like a divorce, and the worst breakup of my life, my dog dying, not being able to get pregnant; to the stuff I wasn't sure I'd be able to survive, like my brother (who was my absolute best friend in the world) being killed, leaving California and a life I loved (directly related), the whole IVF roller coaster, chemical pregnancies, a late miscarriage...I have been through a lot.
I always see these things as like rocks, and each time something new happens another rock, big or small, gets put on top of me and I have this very real feeling that someday there are going to be too many rocks and I am going to drown. This is something I worry about, more than I should. My parents, especially...they're realtively young and healthy and there's no reason to think they are going to die anytime soon, but they will probably die before me and that thought totally freaks me out. I don't see it as the natural order of life...I see it as something that may be the last straw...the last rock that makes it so I can no longer survive. To some extent I'm being melodramatic...I mean, what do you do when bad things happen, except pick up the pieces and keep going? Still, the fear is there.
And then there are these babies, which, God willing, we'll be bringing home in a few months time. Babies, in my mind, are the opposite of the rocks that have been piled on me over and over. Babies take some of the rocks away. This is kind of complicated to talk about...I wanted children desperately before all this bad stuff happpened, and I want kids for many reasons, but part of the reason I've wanted children so badly is that I feel so strongly that I need something happy and positive and life-affirming in my life to balance out the bad. I don't expect life to be wonderful all the time, but year after year and bad thing after bad thing happening...it's time for something good to happen to balance things out, right? I want my friends coming to a baby shower, not a funeral. I want to be the person other people call with their problems for a while, not the one in constant need of being talked off a ledge. And of course if I was unable to have children I would find some way to bring that happiness into my life...I have been trying for all these years to do just that...children are not the only answer...
But. I guess my point is, good and bad are supposed to happen in everyone's life. I have had so much bad all concentrated together, have been so bogged down by grief. And I know more is coming...it's unrealistic to think nothing else bad is ever going to happen for the rest of my life.
But for now, knock on wood, I get a respite. I get some happiness to hopefully take some of this pain I've been carrying around away. I get a chance to catch my breath before the Next Bad Thing.
And for that I am incredibly grateful.
The Nursery, Episode #3: Wall Art
Hi Everyone!
Today I wanted to share with you the wall art we selected for our nursery. This was fun, but also hard for my husband and me to come to agreement on something. It's been the same the whole time we've decorated our house...there's a lot I like that he doesn't and vice versa, but in the end we always manage to find things we both love. (Takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears, though.) (See the end of this post for links.)
Zoo Animals
The zoo animals (actually, animals in general) were my idea, but my husband picked these particular prints. The ones I initially fell in love with were much more subdued, and had poems to go along with them. But I really like these as well. And they are a lot brighter and happier than what I originally wanted.
Periodic Table
My husband is a total science nerd. This is all him. But I think it's kind of cool.
Alien
Having an alien in the nursery was also my husband's idea, but this particular one was my pick. It's all cute and patchwork-y...love!
Bunny
And this is all me. I am such an animal lover and would never put a real animal head on my wall, but I've been obsessed for some time with having a fake animal head to hang. Love the flower wreath and the gold ears. :)
So, I know this is a totally eclectic mix and there's no real theme here, but everything works together because of the colors and I'm really happy with where we ended up and I know my husband is too. And that's what counts, right?
What do you all think?
XOXO
The Nursery, Episode #2: Receiving Blankets
The Nursery, Episode #1: Furniture
Image credits/shopping:
Zoo Animals: Wallfry via Etsy.
Periodic Table: Land of Nod.
Alien: BigTedLittleTed via Etsy.
Bunny: Anthropologie.
Pregnancy: Week 23
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
Before we get started, a dear blog friend of mine, chickenpig, just found out today she's losing her baby to miscarriage. Please stop by her blog and give her some love if you have a minute to spare...
Well, I'm 24 weeks pregnant today. Hard to believe...in some ways it seems like I've been pregnant FOREVER, in others like it's going so fast. Trying my best to enjoy every minute of it (although with the physical challenges involved, that's easier said than done).
Here's how Week 23 has been:
- At my OB appt. last week the babies were calculated to weigh 1.4 and 1.5 pounds, and looked great. We got to see them on the ultrasound too...they're getting so big!
- For the first time I'm feeling the babies move from the outside, so my husband has been able to place a hand on my stomach and feel them. :) The low central movement I most often feel isn't noticeable from the outside, but when one of the babies moves high up that can be felt by others
- Still doing a lot to get the nursery ready...the crib is in and curtains are almost done, just need to hem them (I'll share pictues later this week). Also my husband had us get some diapers, baby wipes, etc...he's a big one for planning ahead and wants to be prepared. It feels really early to me, but he's usually right about these things and I'm sure I'll appreciate it later when it's not so easy to get around and a lot of the preparation is already done
- Tried going off Zofran last week and that didn't go so well. Trying again today...my husband thinks 24 weeks is going to be the magical time when all my nausea is going to go away...hoping he is right
- Still gainig weight and growing like crazy. About 2 lbs. a week right now...I'm up 32 lbs. from the day of transfer, which according to my doctor and my twins pregnancy book is right where I should be. One thing I'm REALLY looking forward to is being at my normal weight again...I know it won't happen overnight, but I have a plan and it's absolutely going to happen. I know, I know, I'm pregnant, not fat, but I am not feeling my most attractive
- My hair and skin and nails are all looking fabulous, however :)
- Backache comes and goes. This week it was at its worst the night after I saw the chiropractor, but then was better the rest of the week. Not sure what to make of that, other than I was sore from the adjustment and then the adjustment helped me feel better the rest of the time
- Insomnia has been just terrible for me. My sleep pattern is all over the map...several nights of not sleeping AT ALL, one night this week I actually slept through the night (yay!), generally I sleep for 2-3 hours and then am up at 2 or 3 AM, can't sleep again until 7 AM, then sleep until 10 or 11 AM...am adapting and trying to get things done (eg, work) in the middle of the night, otherwise, by the time I get out of bed half the day is gone and there's just not enough time to do the things I want to do. Feeling pretty worn down by the lack of sleep...wish there was some way to make it better, but it seems to be the way it is for the time being, so trying my best to adapt...
Hope everyone has a lovely week! So excited for the upcoming holidays, although I have A LOT to do before I'm ready. Christmas always seems to kind of sneak up on me...
XOXO
The Nursery, Episode #2: Receiving Blankets
Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!
Blankets for our girl...
So over the past week or so, my mom and I made a bunch of flannel receiving blankets. This is my kind of sewing...they are essentially three-foot-by-three-foot squares with the edges hemmed...super easy. We'll use these to swaddle the babies when they are first born, and then as regular blankets (for example, to lay on the floor for them to play on, to keep them warm in the stroller) after. My mom made blankets like these for her three kids...so cool to get to do it together for mine. :)
...and for our boy.
Love the fun flannel prints! And that I'm getting to make some things for our babies...
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Thanks so much for spending some time here this week.
XO
Grace in Small Things, December 15, 2011
1. Good OB appointment today. Doctor said everything looks great. Going from once a month visits to twice a month, which is fine with me...the more often I get a peek into what's going on in there, the better
2. Our new crib got delivered today and my husband dropped EVERYTHING to put it together right away. He's so psyched about all this...love it
3. Work is really, really, really slow right now, which scares me a little (although it shouldn't...December is always slow, and I just signed a solid contract with my biggest client for next year). Even though it sucks to be billing so little, I do appreciate all the free time I have to do baby and holiday stuff (and sleep during the day since I'm not sleeping much at night...)
4. My husband finished his semester at school today! Yay! Only one left...I am sooooo happy about that. Him going back to school hasn't been too hard on us (especially since he has the GI Bill), but it's going to be really great to have it done, too
5. Reading Harry Potter and REALLY enjoying it. Am I the only one on the planet who's had a hard time getting into Harry Potter books? I've started and not finished the first one several times. But right now for some reason it's clicking and I'm getting so into it. It's the perfect easy thing for me to be reading right now, and I love that a big stack of sequels awaits...
XOXO
I'm Officially Obsessed With Children's Books...And Wondering What Your Favorites Are
Hi Everyone!
Short post today...I'm trying to go off Zofran again and it SUCKS...seriously, what is up with bad nausea in Week 23 of my pregnancy?!?
Anyway, wanted to link you all to a list of children's books I found last night on the amazing blog Where the Lovely Things Are. (Getting up out of bed and reading blogs is good at 3 AM. Way better than laying in bed being mad about the fact I can't sleep.)
Click here for the list, entitled "Children's Books I'd Like to Receive for Christmas."
My dream present is for someone to box all these books up and put them under the tree. I sent my husband an email to that effect...we have a cash limit for gifts in effect, though, so I won't get them all, but maybe some...
And I've been meaning to ask...what are your favorite children's books? Would love to know...
Image Credit: Amazon.
First Snow of the Season...And How I'm Feeling About Snowboarding
So my husband's in the middle of finals, and came to bed after studying super late last night (4 AM), but I was wide awake (gotta love that insomnia).
"There's snow outside," he said.
"Really!?!?" I said and jumped up, ran to the window, and sure enough, white all over everything. Made me so happy.
This is our first snow in town (although it's been snowing up in the mountains). And, the local resort where I do a lot of my snowboarding is set to open Thursday.
I've kind of been dreading this, to be honest. I love, love, love, love snowboarding...since we moved back to Colorado, I've been getting a season pass and going 2-3 times a week, sometimes just for half days, but still. It's truly the one place on earth where I've felt real peace since my brother died...those good powder days on the slopes...and where I go is a little local resort so it's totally uncrowded...during the week it's not unusual to have a whole run to yourself. I just love it.
And I couldn't go last year, because I was pregnant, and it was really hard for me.
But this year...I am feeling so OK about it. I think because I'm much further along in my pregnancy, and am starting to really and truly believe actual real live babies are going to happen. And that is making me so happy. Maybe also because I've already had a year without the snow, so I'm used to it, too?
Whatever the case, I'm so glad I'm not feeling TOO sad about having to miss another season. It would be great to be up on the mountain, but there will be other years. And I'd much rather be sitting out the season vs the alternative...
XOXO
Image credit: Copper Umbrella via Etsy.
Pregnancy: Week 22
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
I'm 23 weeks pregnant today! I always thought 24 weeks was viability (when if the baby is born it has the possibility of living), but what I was reading yesterday indicated that 23 weeks is the cutoff. I also read that the babies (and my question is: therefore me?!?) are going to DOUBLE in size in the next month...eek! And also I've been looking at old posts from Girl's Gone Child, who recently had twins, and she's saying that at 23 weeks with twins she was the same size as full-term with one baby. All very interesting...
Anyway, here's how the last week has been:
- Lots of movement from the babies, which is cool. My husband still hasn't felt anything for sure...isn't it about time for that to happen?
- Lots of progress made in terms of getting ready for the babies. My husband is on a MISSION to get the big parts of the nursery put together...I think it's because he's afraid that the day may come sooner rather than later when I'm not very mobile anymore. So in this past week we have emptied the nursery of my husband's things (we're converting what was once his office), picked up/ordered all furniture and the rug, picked out and started on curtains, finished receiving blankets (I'll post pics sometime this week!), pretty much finished a registry, picked out wall art (that was a negotiation for sure, but I think we're both really happy with where we ended up), decided to start with disposable diapers and maybe (probably?) switch to cloth when we move, finalized the babies names (although I want to sit with them a little while before sharing). Whew! We have been busy! So fun, though, and so fun to do all this together...my husband is very involved
- Nausea's still an issue, but pretty well controlled with Zofran. I'm going to finish my current Zofran prescription (5 pills left) and then try again without it. My husband says 1 baby = nausea for 12 weeks (first trimester), so 2 babies = nausea for 24 weeks...he thinks I'll be done after this week...I sure hope he's right
- Heartburn is starting to become a little bit of a problem. It's not terrible, but not fun either. I was hoping to avoid that particular pregnancy symptom...
- Backache (mid-back) was a real problem at the beginning of the week, not so much anymore. It's there, but pretty minor (vs so bad I want to cry, which is where it was when the week started)
- And insomnia, oh, Lord, is it bad. There's been a couple nights this past week I've been up literally all night long. I'm pretty comfortable/OK during the day, but at night everything I'm feeling seems to be magnified (nausea, backache, heartburn, etc), plus I'm feeling a lot of stretching in my belly, which doesn't hurt, but isn't particularly comfortable either. Plus we've been doing so much baby stuff...my mind has been racing. Trying to just be OK with the sleeplessness instead of fighting it/getting mad about it. Because I work from home, unless I have calls I need to be on, I can sleep during the day when I need to so I'm just kind of letting my sleep/wake schedule go where it wants to go. I've had trouble with insomnia for years anyway...was talking with my BFF last night and she said being up at night to nurse the babies isn't going to faze me...I'm up all hours of the night as it is...hope that she is right :)
- Overall feeling very happy and peaceful. I have a little fear now that we are making actual physical changes (eg nursery furniture) that I am tempting fate and something will go wrong. But everything's gone so well so far (knock on wood)...just trying hard to be hopeful that things will continue to go along without a hitch, you know?
Hope everyone has a lovely week.
XOXO
Tell Me About Yourself Blog Award (TMAYBA)
Hi Everyone!
I've received anotehr blog award...yay! :)
Here are the rules:
- Thank the person who gave you the award
- List 7 things people may not know about you
- Pass it on to 15(!) other bloggers and don't forget to notify them
And so...
Thank you to Chantelle over at Creating a Rainbow! You are the best! :)
Seven Things You May Not Know About Me:
- I've been to Burning Man twice, way back in the day before it was so big and organized. That place was pure anarchy. I have so many great stories...it was an experience unlike any other
- I was a surf instructor for a year. I taught everyone---men, women, kids, beginners, intermediate classes--but my favorite was little girls
- Years ago, I saved enough money to take a year off and travel around the world, but I never actually did it. I'm having a hard time remembering why not, but I think it was because I was living with my brother at the time and we were having so much fun together I didn't really want to leave. Also, I have this uber-responsible/puritanical streak in me, and quitting work for a year goes so thoroughly against that...
- Right after college, I lived in Seattle with two of the coolest women ever. (God, what fun we had. Ah, to be 22 again...) All three of us ended up needing IVF to get pregnant, which is probably just a chance thing, but still weird
- One of the most amazing things I ever did was backpack with my dad down into the Grand Canyon, up the other side and then back again (over 50 miles). This was right before I started with all the rounds of IVF. It's something I really want to do again someday, but it's probably going to be a while...
- After my brother was killed, I was diagnosed with pretty serious PTSD (better now, though...)
- I really, really, really, really want to name our daughter Imogene, but my husband unfortunately is not in love with the name. It's possible it'll end up our girl's middle name, though...
And the Blogs I Nominate for This Award Are:
- Ambition: Motherhood
- Built in Birth Control
- Diary of Taking Small Steps Toward Baby Steps
- Eggs in a Basketcase
- Girls WIth Nice Legs Lead Boring Lives
- Go Team Baby
- Infertility Musings
- Misconceptions About Conception
- Mommy Oddesy
- The Princess and the Pee Stick
- Stuck in a Baby Drought
- Too Many Fish to Fry
- TTC Baby E
- Yolk: A Blog About Eggs and Sperm
- Zygotta
Pass it on, ladies! :)
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Thanks for spending some time here this week.
XOXO
Grace in Small Things, December 8, 2011
1. So much sleep in the past 24 hours...11 PM to 4 AM, 6 AM to 9 AM, 2 PM to 3:30 PM. I've been at a huge deficit because of the insomnia I'm dealing with. Hope I'm able to sleep tonight! :)
2. Got a few new maternity things a few days ago, and am wearing some of them today. All I have that really fits at this point is jeans and tank tops, which is not enough for winter. And very few of my shoes fit...just a pair of brown boots and my hiking shoes. My husband thinks it's silly to spend money on clothes I'll just wear for a few months, but it makes me feel soooooo much better not to be wearing things that are too tight (a lot of my clothes and shoes) or things I swim in (my husbands things--he's 6'6"). Anyway, cool gray suede boots I got at Target, black leggings, a pink tunic with white birds on it that I've had but haven't had anything to wear it with...happy, happy, happy
3. Just made guacamole for a potluck get-together tonight with my writer friends...going to be a fun evening
4. The moon is full or almost full outside...so beautiful tonight
5. Tomorrow my husband and I are going to take everything out of his office to get it ready to be transformed into a nursery...so excited!
XOXO
Grace in Small Things, December 7, 2011
Today's the first day it's really feeling like Christmas is coming. Love this time of year...
1. Really slow work week for me...took advantage of that fact and spent the day at my mom's sewing receiving blankets for the babies (we have a few more to do...will post pictures when we're done). They're turing out so cute and things go so fast with my mom and I working together. Plus whenever I use the blankets, I can think back to the day we made them together and how lovely it was...
2. About to head home to meet my husband for dinner, but as I sit here typing the sky is tinged light pink from the sunset, my parent's Christmas tree is in front of me sparkling with multi-colored lights, my mom is playing the most lovely melody on the piano...it's so beautiful...all's right with the world...
3. When I have lunch at my parents' (once a week or so) we almost always play a game called Upwords (like Scrabble, but 3D). My parents play against each other every day and are really, really good. But today I won for the first time! Yay! :)
4. We're having a co-ed baby shower over in Denver in the New Year. My dad originally scoffed at the idea of attending a baby shower ("Never been to one, see no reason to start now."), but today he said he'd come, which makes me sooooooo happy.
5. Our younger dog, Newton, broke his toenail a week or so ago. Last weekend, my husband and I took him to the dog park where the little pond they have full in the summer was dried up...except they had pushed all the silt that had accumulated to one side, and wouldn't you know it, both our dogs ran into the chest deep mud and muck. It was worth the pain of having to clean them just for how funny it was to watch them try to extract themselves...it was like they were stuck in quicksand...I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. But Newton's foot got infected, which prompted a trip today to the nicest vet ever (Dr. Bob's his name, big, burly ex-football player and mostly a horse doctor but he sees dogs now and again). Anyway, I'm just grateful it's nothing a few antibiotics won't cure, you know?
XOXO
Image Credit: HikingArtist.com.