A Few Answers

This morning I went in for my blood draws so that they could run my tests for my blood sugar. Thankfully, both of those are fine so there is not a problem with my body producing insulin to get the sugars into my bloodstream and cells. However, the midwife was still concerned that my kidneys are spilling sugar into my urine, so now I have to go back tomorrow to get my blood drawn again to check and make sure my kidneys are doing what they are supposed to be doing. In the mean time, I need to stay away from any sort of refined sugar and carbs, so only whole grain items, no juice or soda, and make sure I am exercising at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Now that I am back from vacation, I can focus all my efforts on eating right and exercising and hopefully that will help baby and me be a healthy pair. Now I just have to hope my kidneys are fine. I'm going to be super proactive today about what I eat so that when my blood is drawn tomorrow, my system will be in great shape.

Sugar problems...

I am now 31 weeks, so only 9 more to go before baby comes, LORD willing. I had an appointment at the midwives this morning to have a routine checkup on me and baby. However, the appointment was not so routine in that my urine sample came back with an extremely high level of sugar in it AGAIN. The frustrating thing is that I didn't have any sugary things at all before the appointment. I had gained almost four pounds when I am supposed to keep it at two pounds between appointments, but I was expecting more weight gain since I had just been on vacation for 12 days. However, my uterus measured at 33 cm when it should only have been about 31, so the midwife is concerned that baby is growing too much in a bad way because of the sugar. Tomorrow morning I have a fasting blood test followed immediately by another glucose test to check again for gestational diabetes. If I have GD, oh well. I just want to find out what is causing so much sugar in my system so that we can fix it. So hopefully the tests tomorrow provide clear answers for what we need to do next to keep baby and me healthy. We will pray for wisdom for the medical professionals so they know exactly what to do for baby and for peace and patience as we figure this out.

California!

Garry and I spent our summer vacation in the Central Valley of California visiting Garry's family and friends. Garry was also the best man in good friend Brian's wedding, so he was able to spend some time visiting with him as well. We had a nice time swimming, taking a day trip to the coast to visit Justin and Kerrin, and then partying at the wedding. The weather was nice and sunny, but with that sun came temps of 103 degrees. I made sure I drank my weight in water every day and anywhere I went I had my pink waterbottle with me, so that helped. Baby did very well on the trip, and so did I with not too much swelling in my feet. I only had one day where I had some uncomfortable contractions, but nothing too unbearable and nothing to trigger a California baby. I tried to be good about taking pictures this time to document the last time with our family before we have a baby with us! Kerrin and I at the coast with our matching baby bumps! I am 30 weeks and she is 26. Ah, swimming at the Riezebos pool!

Future Aunt Melissa and me at the wedding reception rehearsal Garry and future Uncle Brandon, age 6! Melissa and future Aunt Rachelle so pretty at the wedding! A little blurry, but Garry and me at the reception.

Good news...and disappointing news

I had another checkup today. The midwife looked over my chart and made some comments about how it was GREAT that we didn't have to worry about gestational diabetes, and that my homoglobin levels in the blood were really good. My uterus is measuring right on track where it should be for 29 weeks at 29 cm. My weight gain is okay...I gained about a pound and a half each week and I should only be doing a pound, so I need to make sure I keep exercising. I was very encouraged and then on my way out the door, the nurse came and said that I was spilling sugar in my urine sample. I had only had a tiny cookie that morning about 2 hours before the appointment, but apparently there was a lot of sugar in my system. The midwife said to cut back on sweets...pretty much avoid them so that baby doesn't get too fat. So no more cookies or ice cream or sweetness for me for the next 11 weeks. Boo. Oh well. I can have some to celebrate when my healthy baby comes! So if I am visiting you anytime soon: HIDE THE SWEETS so I am not tempted to indulge.

Another good happening was some success at finding gender neutral but still cute onsies! And a couple bibs. And a new friend!




This picture is sort of deceptive, but the seal is bigger than baby will be when baby is born. But it is so cute!

27 weeks down, 13 to go!

Pregnancy has been treating me very well; honestly, I cannot complain about much. However, the one complaint I have is that I am unable to do certain "nesting" projects because of health hazards for the baby. Baby's health comes first, so of course I won't do any, but I really wanted to help strip and refinish the crib, and I wanted to have our bathroom painted before baby arrived. So what to do? Find a new SAFE project! I was inspired by Kristin's baby announcements for Evan to make my own! Armed with a Hobby Lobby giftcard (thanks Mom Riezebos) and my good friend Kelsey's artistic advice, I managed to find a great ensemble for being creative. Kelsey helped me with the layout, and I can get pretty much everything finished except for baby's picture and information, which won't take too long to attach later. Here are some preview pictures of the announcements!



I couldn't resist the little feet. I think they are absolutely adorable!

And here are some updated side shots so that you can see how big baby is getting! I am feeling tons of movement and it feels stronger every day. My stomach will sometimes look like it is bubbling under the skin, which is super weird, but amazing. The midwife said that I need to make sure I can feel baby every day, multiple times. It's a little early for a kick count, but now I will go in every week for a urine sample and to hear the heartbeat. Next week is third trimester! Only a few short months until we get to meet the active little one. You get a candid shot and a posed shot this time!

Saling with some success...

I attempted some garage saling (not a real verb, I know) to find some things for baby. I was particularly on the lookout for items like a high chair, bouncy seat, or a swing or something. However, there was not much in the way of furniture in the sales I saw, so I did not find any big items. The first garage sale I went to had some great stuffed animals for sale, and they were in awesome condition. So I grabbed some because it is my hope to decorate baby's room with animals like these!

Here is a closeup of one of the baby blankets. I thought it was cute. there are little duckies all over the other side of the blanket too!

Finishing May, Starting June

Now that I am officially done teaching, summer has officially begun. I have slowly been attacking our house, trying to get it back in order, and put the things that were never in order, in order. I am making progress! However, it is hard to be motivated when I have the freedom now in my schedule to say, "I'll do it tomorrow..." Hopefully I don't use it too often.
We were able to get away for Memorial Day to visit Amy and Marcus, which was fun. We had a good time playing games and eating brats. Can't get much better than that.
I feel like I'm getting bigger every day, which I guess is good because we want baby to keep developing and growing strong. 24 weeks is an amazing time. Even though we are praying that baby stays put for another 16 weeks, it is somewhat comforting to know that baby has developed enough that there is a chance of survival if born in the near future.
I am enjoying 2nd trimester much more now because I have a TON more energy. I am busy doing household chores and running errands all day, but am not nearly as exhausted as I used to be. I am enjoying this feeling of energy while I can, since in a few more weeks I will be a lot more uncomfortable at night to get a good night's sleep, and I know that when baby comes, sleep will be a distant memory. I will enjoy it while I can!