35 weeks

The beginning of the end!

We've made it to 35 weeks and its starting to feel like the beginning of the end! That's a blessing because after a weekend of giving myself shots... I dont know how much longer I can do this!

On Saturday morning I went to the Target pharmacy and stocked up on all my supplies including needles, insulin, etc. I started the shots as soon as I got home so that I would have a complete day on the insulin and it went okay. The first shot wasn't so bad. For some reason the 2nd, 3rd and 4th hurt a lot more. So far the insulin hasn't made a noticable impact on my blood sugar. I don't know if its because Im on a low dosage... or its that my body has to get used to it, or what. I still have to eat low sugar/low carb to keep my blood sugar where it needs to be. So still no french fries for me! Its getting harder and harder to eat!

Enough of that depressing news... here's an update on what else we've been doing.

Jim and I (and the baby - of course) went to a show this weekend at the Variety Playhouse and the baby sure does like concerts. She kicked and kicked the entire 3 hours. At one point I had to get up and walk around because I was too uncomfortable sitting in one place with all the kicking! She was the same way at Jimmy Buffett in April. I hope she enjoys concerts as much out of the womb as she does in. That would make daddy really happy.

Jim installed the car seat and base this weekend (we have a feeling she might come a little earlier than expected). My car looks pretty different with a car seat in there! Jim said we should get used to it and he's right! We've got many years ahead of us of car seats. I also feel different driving around with a car seat base in my backseat! Its starting to feel real!

We have two of our childbirthing classes down and two more to go. I think they've been really informative and worth the money. It was worth the money just to get the massage that Jim gave me last week!

And last - I washed all of the newborn and 0-3 month clothes this weekend and put them away in her dresser. I can't wait to dress her! She'll be like a little doll.

We have another NST tomorrow. Hope all goes well... Im sure it will.

More good news, bad news.

We had a few doctors appointments today. Let's start with the bad news. As I suspected - I have to go on insulin. Despite my efforts to eat well and exercise regularly - my body still needs help producing insulin. I have to give myself shots in the leg morning and night, and also when my blood sugars are too high after meals. I have to continue to take my blood sugar levels 4 times a day (phew thats a lot of needles) and fax my results to the endocrinologist at least once a week. This will continue (and might get even worse) until I give birth.

The GOOD news is that we got to see our baby girl today on an ultrasound. She looks great! She was measuring right at 34 weeks. Her weight according to the u/s was 5 lbs 8 oz. - but those are notoriously off. I think we can safely say she's probably around 5 lbs. She is already head down so we didnt get any good face shots, but we did get to see her arms and legs and feet! We didnt get any ultrasound pictures to take home so I can't post any up here. Sorry!

I go back for an NST on Tuesday and because the ultrasound tech won't be in the office on Friday (I guess they only have 1?), I'll have another NST on Friday instead of an ultrasound. I feel like I'll be living at the doctors office these last 5 weeks but at least I get to keep a close eye on my baby!

34 weeks

We've hit 34 weeks! I had my appointment today and got some good news and bad news.

The bad news is that my doctor didnt like my blood glucose levels and is sending me to see an endocrynologist immediately. I have an appt with the endo. on Friday and am hoping he doesnt put me on insulin. I have a feeling he will. Yuck. I tried so hard to keep my diet under control!

The good news is that I get to get monitored every week now. That means on Tuesdays Ill go in for NST monitoring (where they'll watch the baby's heartbeat and my contractions) and on Fridays I'll get a biophysical ultrasound where the u/s tech will look at the baby's size and make sure she's got enough amniotic fluid in there and all that stuff. I can't wait to see her again! The last ultrasound we had was at 20 weeks which seems like forever ago! We go in for an ultrasound on Friday after our endo. appointment. I'll post pics if we get them!

In other news - Ive been having Braxton Hicks contractions almost constantly. Its getting a bit crazy! For the most part I don't even know Im having them unless I happen to feel my stomach or I move a certain way and notice my belly is tight - but every once in awhile I get some cramping with it. Im hoping this means my body is preparing for the big show.

We've also now had our second childbirthing class and I have to say that Im liking them. I like that Jim is learning about all this stuff too and he'll know whats going on when it happens. It's a lot to take in and a lot to remember and I'm happy he's doing this with me. We watched a birthing video today which I think we both could have done without. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either. Lukcily everyone else in our class seemed as mortified as we were so I didn't feel so bad.

Here I am with my 34 week belly! You might be seeing me in this dress a lot more in the next 6 weeks as my pants are getting more and more uncomfortable!

Our weekend in the North Carolina Mountains

We made our way up to Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina this weekend for the Apex Golf Associations Summer Golf Tournament for Jim and some rest and relaxation for me. The NC mountains are so pretty and we always have such a nice time up there. We figured it would be our last "getaway" for awhile and it would be Jims last chance to play with the Apex guys until next Spring (because no - he is not going to the Pinehurst tournament in September).

We drove up Thursday morning and hit the Linville Caverns and the Linville Falls before making our way around Grandfather Mountin on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then eventually to meet the rest of the crew in Boone. Yes, I actually crawled around in the caverns and "hiked" to the falls being 8 months pregnant. I use the term "hiked" pretty loosely because it was only about 1 mile each way to the falls and back. It was enough for me though!

The caverns were really cool. Literally. The temp was 56 degrees down there (year round!) so that felt great. We had a cute grandpa with his two grandsons in our group with us and they kept us entertained. Here I am SQUEEEEZING into this tiny crevasse.

Next stop was the falls. They certainly weren't big falls, but it wasn't a big hike either so you get what you pay for. Apparently there were bigger falls another mile UP the trail, but I had had enough hiking by that time and was pretty sure that Jim would have to carry me back to the car if we had gone much further.

The rest of the weekend Jim spent playing golf with the guys and I spent relaxing by the pool and reading Harry Potter. No... Im not on the new book yet, I decided to reread books 5 and 6 first. I finished book 5 in Boone and started book 6. I just bought book 7 today - so Im determined to get thru 6 so I can move onto the new one!

Back to the weekend - I really love both Boone and Blowing Rock. They are very cultural, cute mountain towns complete with quaint downtown strips and good restaurants. I didn't take many pictures of the downtown areas but I will share what I did take.

This one is by far my favorite. Its called Tuckers on Main and its a coffee/bookshop where the shops namesake is an old golden named Tucker! Of COURSE, I had to go and get a coffee. Here he is. I get the feeling this is what he does all day. Not a hard worker - but I think he attracts a lot of customers.

I also took quite a few pictures of the flowers around town because they were absolutely beautiful (these pics are in the album to the right)! They were everywhere. I think every shopkeeper and innkeeper had flowers somewhere on their property and even the windy roads coming in and going out of the towns were covered in wildflowers. I wish I could have captured them better - but I feel like the beauty of flowers is really hard to capture with a camera. You really have to see them in person.

And last but not least... the whole reason went to the mountains... Jim playing golf. He really didnt play well on this hole so he won't be happy this picture is up here, but it was a beautiful course with 360 degree views of the mountains. Lucky guy!

Happy Birthday Sara May!

The birthday wishes are a few days late... but Sara May joined the world on Tuesday, July 17th. The proud parents are our friends Mike and Melissa! She is so sweet and perfect! We are so happy for them!

Can't wait to meet her!

Things not to say to a pregnant woman

I've been trying to be polite and keep my mouth shut these past almost 9 months, but if I can't complain about something on my blog... than where can I?

If you are at all sensitive to the feelings of a pregnant woman you know - please take the following to heart. There are certain things I have heard over and over again during my pregnancy from women who have had kids, woman who haven't had kids and of course- men, that drive me absolutely insane. See this as a kind of public service announcement of sorts...

Things not to say to a pregnant woman...

1. Wow, you're life is about to change. No more (eating out, going to the movies, having a life, insert whatever you want to here) for you.

No way, really? We thought we'd be able to just give her a rawhide bone to chew on and we could go on with life as we please. Of COURSE we knew our lives were about to change. We're both intelligent 32 years olds who see our friends having families all around us! Why do you think we waited so long to have kids! We waited because we wanted to be ready and we are. We had a lot of fun in our 20's being irresponsible and traveling and all that fun stuff - and now we're ready to have a child.

2. We never had that when I was raising kids and my kids turned out just fine.

True... but they also didnt have carseats and you didn't use seatbelts and we all probably ate lead paint and played with objects that could become a choking hazard... but does that mean that I should do that too? I know we don't NEED a lot of the things we have for the baby including playmats and diaper genies and such... but if people are willing to buy them for us as gifts or we have the money to buy them ourselves, is it really harming anything

I just keep reminding myself that they're just jealous that they didnt get all these cool toys when they had kids.

3. Wow, you're huge! Are you due this month?

I actually got this comment quite a bit when I was around 6 months along. Now, this one is not so bad because I truly don't think people mean anything by the comment (except that I look big) but when you hear it two, three even four times in a week it starts to wear on you. Im not that big - Im right on schedule and am the size I'm supposed to be. When I told people I still had 3 months they looked shocked. Im sure they won't ask again.

That's all I'll humor you with for now. There are lots more but I don't to have all the fun in just one sitting. If you have some of your own - please contribute! I know you other pregnant ladies out there do!

Atlanta Baby Shower

We had another amazing shower this weekend! My great friend Katie hosted a shower for me at her house and it was perfect! Her house looked so great, the food was yummy (including awesome desserts made by Stef) and my friends were so generous with their gifts! We got a lot of "gear" we needed like the Baby Bjorn (which Jim has already modeled) and the BundleMe. Jims parents, sister and aunt also pitched in to buy us our much needed travel system. Now that we have the carseat- I think that we are actually ready (well, I dont know if we'll ever really be ready) !!

Thanks everyone for coming and for the gifts! We are so happy you were able to be a part of this special time! Here are some pics.

Our first baby scare

Let me start by saying we just got back from the doctor and Baby Herndon is just fine. Her heartbeat is strong and consistent and she is already head down and getting ready to make her exit.

We had a scare because I stopped feeling her move sometime last night. I noticed it because she is usually really active between 9pm and 11pm each night. Last night I felt nothing at all. I started to get a little nervous but didn't want to alarm Jim. I woke up on and off throughout the night and still didn't feel anything. This morning I got up and had a big glass of ice water and still didn't feel anything. I had already had an appointment scheduled so decided I'd just keep it instead of going in early. I went in and told the nurse and they immediately hooked me up to monitors. They found the heartbeat right away and like i said, it was strong and consistent. The dr scolded me a little bit and said I should have called them last night and that if I don't feel at least 10 kicks/movements within an hour that I am to call them right away. The baby's movement is their best indication of the baby's health and wellbeing. I'm so glad everything is okay! I was really, really nervous the last 12 hours or so!

32 weeks down, 8-ish to go!

I can't believe we're already at 32 weeks! This is a horrible picture of me, but I am too tired to pose for another one - does that tell you how tired I am? It should.

Here's some info on the baby...

By now, your baby is just shy of 4 pounds and is nearly 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

I had an appt last Monday and everything looked good. I was measuring a little small actually, so the diabetes is not having an effect of the baby as far as we can tell. I had only gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks which was good (1lb a week the last trimester is "average"). I would like to stop gaining weight all together because Im definitely on the high end of the weight gain average, but I know the baby needs all that space and cushion in there to grow. The doctor told me I was doing well on the diabetes diet and to keep it up. She pointed out a few high levels but said that all in all I looked good. I've started my 2 week appointments, so I go back again this Friday.

Jim and I did a tour of our hospital a few Sundays ago. It was good, but I found it a little scary. Its nice that the rooms are all singles - but you walk into the L&D room and there's just this bed in the middle of the very large, open room with what looks like straps (but they're really the monitor straps for the NST) and a big spotlight illuminating the bed. Yes, I want my dr to be able to see everything going on down there - but does it have to look like Im about to sing a number on Broadway? Geez. It was comforting to see where we'll be spending a few days and the rooms are all very nice.

We start our childbirthing class next week. I'm sure I'll have a lot to blog about then. For those of you that know me, you know Im really not that squeemish, and I've been in my fair share of hospitals for random breaks, injuries and illnesses... and although I KNOW bazillions of women give birth every day and its "natural" ... I am a little scared of it. So much so that I don't want to know. I don't really want to know all the explicit, gruesome details. I just want to do it. I don't like to sit around thinking about how horrible it will be... I just like to get in there and focus and get the job done. Yes, I think its important to be "prepared" so tell me what I need to know. So - Im hoping the childbirthing class will be more about logistics and less watching actual births on DVD. We'll see. I'll let ya know.

“ A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for. " Anon.

Swollen feet... now swollen fingers.

I spent Wednesday afternoon trying to get my engagement ring and wedding band off. I had been trying to get the rings off casually for a few days and started to get nervous that although my hands are not considerably swollen - my rings were completely stuck and the skin underneath the rings was starting to get red and tender. I tried everything... lotion, oil, ice, soaking my hand in ice water for as long as I could stand, holding my hand over my head for awhile, wrapping my finger in dental floss to squeeze it (Jim found this one online) ... you name it. Nothing even came close to moving the ring past my fat knuckle. So, I started really freaking out. I love my rings and I couldn't imagine having them cut off. I would just die. The fact that Jim picked out my engagement ring all by himself and its perfect... I just couldn't imagine doing something like cutting it in two!! I know they can solder rings back together and they're good as new... but my pregnancy hormones just couldn't handle the thought of that. Anywhoo... I decided to try and put some Mederma on my skin under the ring because it was really get red and was hurting and I felt the engagement ring move a little in the process. Jim was in the shower, so I just gathered all my courage, smeared more Mederma over the rings and twisted and twisted until it came off!!!!!! OUCH!! I couldnt believe it. It hurt like heck- but I did it. Now - my wedding band is still on tight. I had to take a break. My poor finger was all red and chapped and swollen. I have full confidence that I'll be able to get if off at some point soon. Maybe this weekend. Swollen fingers crossed!

Happy Belated 4th of July!!!

Happy July 4th to everyone!

Jim and I had a really relaxing day considering neither of us took any time off of work this week. Having a holiday on a Wednesday is very odd. Most of my colleagues took either some or part of the week off - so it was a little difficult to get anything done and the days were veerrrryyy lloooonnggg.

We started the day off at the pool with our friends Steffani and Lanny. We spent about two hours there and it was wonderful. The weather was perfect and we were able to get some laps in (which allowed me to have a burritto AND the chips for lunch... woo hoo!) as well as lounge around on the deck reading magazines and gabbing with our friends.

I spent the afternoon praying to the gods of skinny fingers (see post above).

In the evening we met up with Steffani and Lanny again to watch the Decatur parade, chow down at our church BBQ and watch the Decatur fireworks. The Decatur parade is so cute- its called the "Pied Piper Parade" because anyone can join in. As a result, there are tons of little kids with their wagons and trikes decorated like crazy. Lots of dads wearing silly hats and kids in whatever they could find that was red, white and blue. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Jim, Steffani and Lanny (not sure what Lanny is doing with his mouth) at the parade

Crazy band that plays around DecaturCrazy Decatur Dad

Lil Miss Firecracker was NOT too happy

Sad Goodbye to the Schaefers

This weekend we had to say good-bye to some of our favorite people in Atlanta. Tim and Katie Schaefer were some of the very first people we met on our street and we became instant friends. Since we've lived here - they had two great kids, Jack and Caroline.

Jim and Katie

Jim, Jack, Jason and Blair

The Schaefers moved to Minnesota to be closer to Katie's parents. The move has been long anticipated and we had a good 6 months to get used to the idea, but it was still really hard. We spent many nights at their house eating pizza or grilling out in our backyards. They were always there to get medical or pregnancy advice from and to borrow a tool from and we must have let Katie into her house after locking herself out at least 20 times. Thank god for spare keys and neighbors!

I know Jim got really close to little Jack and will really miss him. We just hope his mommy and daddy will show him pictures of us to remember us by. Saying goodbye to good friends is a sad part of life butI hope we don't have to experience this too often.

Katie and JackJim, Blair and Jason drinking sweet tea (really, they are!)

We miss you guys already! We hope you come back and visit all your friends in Atlanta soon!