My homage to the 50's housewife

Updated belly pic, which I like to call "Barefoot and Pregnant in the Kitchen."
Also- I got so excited when I saw this on the scale tonight that I had to whip my camera out....woohoo! That means I've now gained 15 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight, but almost 25 since 1st trimester! My original goal was to hit 140, and I might not make that but I'm really happy with my progress in the last couple of weeks. I can be seen outside of various Triangle Chick-fil-a's shooting up insulin before heading in for a delicious, chock full of awesome calories chocolate shake.
The moxibustion hasn't worked yet- but luckily for me no neighbors have called the police reporting their pregnant neighbor outside smoking pot. My acupuncturist gave me his number for them to call in case that happened- guess it's a common occurrence! Luckily I have my handy dandy mini fan to keep all the gross smoke away from my lungs.

That's it for now. For the first time since I've been pregnant, I allowed myself a half glass of wine with dinner(no worries, it's doctor approved) and it's got me ready for bed! And can I just say that wine seems to be much more effective than Tylenol for relieving that back pain. I'm already looking forward to my first post-delivery martini! Or maybe they'll serve one up in the hospital before my version on Tuesday morning? One can only dream....

Tuesday update!

I went for my weekly appointment this morning. I had another growth ultrasound, and everything looks really good. Maddie weighs about 5 lbs 2 oz now, and is in the 18th percentile for growth. Assuming the measurements are correct (they can be off by about a pound in either direction), she should be about a 7 -7.5 lb baby, which is a perfect size! She again refused to show her face or privates, so for all we know she's a boy with 2 noses, but at least her measurements look good. And they love to tell me about all the hair she has- at this point I'll be disappointed if she has anything less than an afro!

She is still breech though- booo! I will be starting moxibustion today or tomorrow, after I meet with an acupuncturist to learn how it works. It seems a little far fetched to me, but my doctor recommended it and I'll try anything at this point! I mean really- right now I am laying upside down a few times a day with a bag of frozen veggies on my fundus and a heating pad plus music set up at my cervix- can't get much crazier than that. If that doesn't work, they have me scheduled for an external version next Tuesday morning, which I'm a tad nervous about. But I'm sure UNC does them every day, and both Maddie and I will be closely monitored the whole time.

Pictures!

Here are some pictures of the nursery! I am so close to being done. Just waiting on three things-

1.crib skirt and bumpers to be finished (you can see a preview of the bumpers though!)
2. my wall words to arrive and be put up
3. my cute flashcards to come to decorate the wall shelves-

and I will be able to say that I'm finished. I made a little dog bed for the dogs- the rule in the nursery is that if they want to be in there, they have to be laying down on the bed. No playing, only calm napping allowed :). So far they are doing really well with that, they are good girls!







Here are some pictures of the nursery! I am so close to being done. Just waiting on three things-
1.crib skirt and bumpers to be finished (you can see a preview of the bumpers though!)
2. my wall words to arrive and be put up
3. my cute flashcards to come to decorate the wall shelves-
and I will be able to say that I'm finished. I made a little dog bed for the dogs- the rule in the nursery is that if they want to be in there, they have to be laying down on the bed. No playing, only calm napping allowed :). So far they are doing really well with that.

101 uses for an ironing board

Sorry I haven't had any updates lately! Not too much has been going on since we got back from the mountains. I have started insulin shots, and while they are a bit of a pain in the butt (literally, ha!), it's not so bad. I finally got the hang of how much to use with what meals, and so my glucose levels have been very stable lately. I'm still crossing my fingers that it goes away after I give birth though- I certainly wouldn't miss it! My endocrinologist said that my numbers will probably stay low for as long as I breastfeed, so we'll re-evaluate after that.

Because of the GD, I started going to weekly appointments this week. I get a non-stress test, which is where they hook me up to 2 monitors- one records the baby's heartbeat and response to movement, and the other records contractions (but I'm not having any of those yet). I'm also getting my amniotic fluid levels checked and seeing the doctor to check on weight and all that good stuff. Maddie has passed all of the NST's with flying colors, she is a very active baby who likes to try and kick the monitor off my stomach. My fluid was a little lower this week, but still within normal range so they're just going to keep an eye on that. And my weight hasn't increased at all since I was diagnosed with GD, but at least it's not going down! My favorite weight gain food (CFA chocolate shake) has over 100 carbs, so it makes me a bit nervous to drink too many. Lots and lots of trips to Chapel Hill, which isn't too much fun b/c of the distance (and the gas prices!!!), but it is nice to check on everything so often.

She is still breech, so I am trying all sorts of crazy solutions to get her to turn. The most common suggestion is to prop an ironing board against the couch and lay on it upside down a couple of times a day. In case you were wondering, it is neither comfortable nor easy to breathe when laying upside down on an ironing board. If she still hasn't flipped by next week, my doctor is going to send me to an acupuncturist (maybe they'll poke her and convince her to turn). If that doesn't work, we will try an external version where the doctor tries to manually turn her. It's supposed to be pretty painful, so she said if it hurts too much, she just stops and we'll schedule a c-section. I am really hoping to avoid that b/c I know my recovery will be a lot harder, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

The nursery is almost done! Mom made some really cute valances and she is finishing up the bumpers (which are SO cute). All our furniture is put together and it looks so great. I am finishing up wall decor and little finishing touches, so I will post finished pictures soon! All of Maddie's clothes/sheets/blankets/everything else have been washed and are ready to go, so as soon as she's ready hopefully she'll come on out! I've been thinking this whole pregnancy that I would go early, but now that I'm getting closer I'm getting nervous that it might not happen. I am quite uncomfortable and not sleeping too well, so I still have my fingers crossed for early to mid August!

That's all for now folks! I'll post new belly pictures (here's a preview- it's huge!) and nursery pictures later this week.

Summer Vacation

I just got back from a week long trip to the mountains and it was awesome. The weather was just so perfect the whole time we were there and it was very relaxing. The house we stayed in was so cool! Beach houses have got to step it up a notch if they want to compare with mountain houses. This house had a pool table, foosball table, hot tub, satellite tv in every room and even wireless internet (we are not a family that likes to rough it on vacay). Plus it had an awesome deck that was gated so our adventure dogs could hang out while we were gone without wandering off.

We stayed about 10 minutes from downtown Boone, which was nice for Sarah, who is staying in her apartment there for the summer. We did lots of shopping in Boone and Blowing Rock (I racked up at the Baby Gap and Osh Gosh outlets!), a tiny bit of hiking and ate at some yummy restaurants in Boone. Note to other carnivores- might want to stay away from Melanie's on King St- especially if the word "soysage" scares you as much as it scares me. However, if you are a normal person who enjoys healthful eating, I hear it is quite delish. Mike, Dad, Sarah and Kat had a lot of fun white water rafting on Monday, and although no one stayed dry, they all made it down the river with sunburn being the only problem (and really only for Mike, who still hasn't mastered the art of proper sunscreen application).

All in all, it was a great time- good for me and Mike since it will likely be the last vacation we take for a long time! Here are a few of our pics from the trip. I miss you mountain weather!!!

Dad, Kat and Mom at Howard's Knob

Me and Mike at Howard's Knob- such a pretty view!

On King St (at least he has a Carolina shirt on!)

Me and Kat at the Mast Store- we're thinking
of bringing back the bonnet.

Mom up to no good in the woods

Dad, me and Mom at Howard's Knob

I didn't take any pics of Sarah in the mtns (she
was working when I was taking the other pics!) so
here's one just for her :P.

New Pictures!

Well, we tried for a 2nd time at Prenatal Peek today, and once again Maddie was quite insistent on not having her picture taken. The ultrasound tech jiggled and prodded and pushed, but apparently she was comfortable and didn't want to move! We decided that this means that she is going to be a very laid back, hard to phase child (instead of difficult and stubborn, which is the other possibility!).

But we did get 3 pretty good pictures. We also got to see her yawning on the video, which was really cool! She looks like a real baby in the now! She is still switching positions a lot, but only likes to lay sideways, not up and down. And she also likes to cover her face with both hands and feet. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks she'll decided that up and down is more comfy so we don't have to worry about her being breech. The ultrasound tech did say that she has a ton of hair already!

Step away from the Dr. Pepper!

Well, the results are in and I do have gestational diabetes. My numbers weren't super high, but definitely high enough for them to want to monitor my sugars. I met with the CF dietitian today and got my glucose monitor, so I'll be checking my glucose levels about 5 times a day. I am also meeting with an endocrinologist that specializes in CF related diabetes next week, b/c they automatically put people with CF on insulin so that we don't have to alter our high-cal diets. I'm very relieved that I don't have to give up my milk, ice cream or ketchup. I was advised to stay away from soft drinks though, so we'll see how that goes!

It really isn't as bad as I thought it might be. I think that with a few small changes it can be easily controlled, especially since my numbers from the 3-hour test weren't crazy high. Lots of sticks, but the finger pricks don't hurt at all, and I don't mind shots so hopefully the insulin won't be a big deal either. The only downside is that my doctor mentioned that when most people with CF get gestational diabetes, it doesn't go away after the baby is born. So it might be more of a permanent adjustment.

We went to Prenatal Peek today for our exciting 4-d ultrasound, but unfortunately Miss Maddie decided that she wasn't in the mood for pictures. The ultrasound tech tried all kinds of things to get her to move (she was facing backwards and had her arms and feet covering her face), but every time she did move she managed to get in an even worse position. So we will try again tomorrow. Hopefully this is not foreshadowing her post natal disposition!

In the meantime, I have some pictures of the fun stuff that we got at the shower and have put together! We're trying to get the dogs used to all the things that vibrate, play music/sounds or just plain move.

Pack'n'play with cute little bassinet and changing table!

Swing, Boppy bouncer, Diaper Champ and cradle (Mike's
grandfather made it for him! It'll be going in our bedroom
as soon as we can figure out where to put it)

Infant stroller and carseat!

Maclaren stroller- isn't it sexy?!? We also discovered
the safety reflectors when using the flash, haha. Maddie will
be safe on our midnight strolls!

And we didn't have to put these together, but
they are just too cute not to show!!!