Christmas!

This is the gorgeous cradle my dad made for Haddie....I LOVE it! We are currently in the process of staining and sealing it. Pics of the finished product are soon to come.

Christmas morning at my parents' house...he gets so excited for presents ;)

Drew playing Santa on Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house. Cousin Anna looks concerned...

Sitting with my "stash", getting ready to start opening.

Oooooh....this is a nice look. Thanks, mom. Have officially updated my status from "cow" to "beached whale". But, I will say that was a freaking awesome recliner.

Friiiickk!

Official diagnosis: Gestational Diabetes.

Still feel very irritated about this. No family history of diabetes...AT ALL. I have not gained an absurd amount of weight, I work out, I try to eat fairly healthy, in general, I'm a healthy person! This is soooo not fair!

So, now I get to poke my finger SIX times a day, and there's a special diet to follow if needed. However, so far I have been eating like I normally do and my sugars stay within a normal range....maybe I'm just a bad test taker?

I even got my very own glucometer...and it has a pretty pink cover (per my request :). Of course, to add insult to injury, it's right during Christmas....and all the yummy goodness that comes with the holidays....and, to top it off, my fingers hurt!

Grrr....so frustrated, but I'll do whatever I have to for a healthy baby (she'd better appreciate this later ;)

Oh Crap

Yeah......so much for hoping I don't have to go back for the 3 hour glucose test. Got a call from the Dr. today, she said I failed the 1 hour test miserably. The three hour test is scheduled for next Tuesday, and as an added perk, I get to be poked before I start and then every hour on the hour for the remaining 3 hours....AWESOME. Just looking forward to it because it went so well the first time.

Update

How far along? 27 1/2 weeks

Total weight gain: 14 pounds (blaming that on the TWO Thanksgivings we had).

Maternity Clothes? Uh, yeah.

Stretch marks: No. ::knocks on every piece of wood in the house::

Sleep: total crap. I wake up every morning between 3 and 4 a.m.

Best moment this week: Visiting the family in Oregon!

Movement: baby's Rocky impressions continue.

Food cravings: minimal...but cinnamon rolls rock my socks.

Gender: still a girl, I hope. With the amount of clothes we have, if it's a boy, he's gonna have to get tough real quick, because he's going to be wearing a buttload of pink.

Labor signs: none.

Belly button in or out? In. I do believe it'll remain that way.

What I miss: A good night of sleep.

What I'm looking forward to: Wrapping presents and CHRISTMAS!!!

Weekly Wisdom: If a phlebotomy STUDENT asks if it's ok if SHE'S the one that draws your blood today....say HELL NO. Lesson learned.

Milestones: Finally in the third trimester!

We had our OB appointment today and the Dr. said I was measuring at just over 28 weeks...a little ahead of schedule, so she's pretty sure my amniotic fluid level is just fine, though in the ultrasound at 22 weeks it looked low. We don't even have to recheck it, so good news. In the not-so-good-news department, I had my 1 hour glucose test today. Fasted all morning (can't be too good for my weight gain momentum). Ah well, at least I jumped right back on that wagon afterwards (hello Taco Time, my old lover). I was called back so they could take some blood to check my sugars first. They had a new student who asked if it was ok that she drew my blood. Yeah, sure. I'm a nurse. I get it. Everyone has to learn. Needles don't bother me. No sweat. Fast forward to 5 min. later, where she is STILL fishing for my vein. Finally a regular took over and got it....whew. Now that I'm a blubbering mess on the floor in the fetal position, they decide to give me a GINORMOUS cup of "fruit punch". Ladies...if you think you're getting a treat...it's a LIE!! It is a tremendously sweet, thick, syrupy-type substance with red food coloring that must be downed within 5 min. Then, I got to sit in the waiting room for an hour while I feel my kid getting a sugar rush. After the hour is up, I go back so they can wreak more havoc on my veins. The right arm doesn't look great, so the girl drawing my blood thinks it'll be an AWESOME idea to go in the same arm that the student has already disabled. Same spot. Still more fishing. No luck. So, she tries the right arm that "doesn't look good". Poke, more fishing. "Oops, that's a tendon, not a vein," she giggles. B!?*# is lucky she still has her eyes. Poke number three in the right arm...in a vein this time. Interesting thing happened when she hit the vein....she got BLOOD (funny how that works). I had better have passed that little test, because I do NOT want to go back for another one.

Dining Room

We have finally (for the most part) finished the dining room! Here are some updated shots of it.

This is the dining room BEFORE:

....and from another angle

And the AFTER....I *heart* wainscoting :)

New windows, trim, and a dining room table.

And this is the "after" built-in china cabinet. You can catch a peek of what it used to look like in the above "before" pics.

Just for You, Mom

How far along? 23 weeks!

Total weight gain: 9 freaking pounds ::dies a little inside::
Maternity clothes? yep.Stretch marks? Not yet...Sleep: Depends...I tire so easily that if I've had a busy day, I sleep like the dead.

Best moment this week: Absolute 100% confirmation of a girl.

Movement: Every day!Food cravings: Still loving the milk and milk products, including...that's right. CHEESE!Gender: GIRL!Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? InWhat I miss: Mmmm...beer. Or wine. Or vodka. Lemon drops anyone?

What I am looking forward to: Our trip to Boise. We're leaving tomorrow and I get to watch the Boise State game and my husband look like a cute fool supporting his first true love.
Weekly Wisdom: When the husband tells you he thinks it's "cute" that you're waddling now, he means it to be endearing. Don't throat punch him.

Milestones: Into 100% maternity wear now. Not even attempting the humiliation of fitting into pre-preg clothes anymore. I've learned my lesson.

This is our diaper bag that finally came in. It's neutral, so Drew won't be embarrassed carrying the pink monstrosity I had threatened him with (yeah, I'm nicer than that). It even has orange and blue. This way, Drew can REPRESENT Boise State, while being an awesome dad, and looking cool changing diapers. A multi-tasking man...priceless.

Just Another Day at Work

So, you think you work in hazardous conditions? You don't. Let me tell you a story.

This last week, I worked in the ER. Well, I'm psyched because I get to do all kinds of exciting things in the ER...like save lives! Well, one of our "emergent" patients came in with a very dangerous condition....a butt boil. We're not talking just any butt boil, but a spread-the-cheeks-dig-deep-to-lance-that-sucker butt boil. So, the Dr. is doing his thing with the scalpel, and I stand dutifully at his side to hand him instruments. He lances the boil and decided that there's still more goo in there, so he applies firm pressure. The butt boil freaking SQUIRTS out three feet, straight towards my round ass! If I hadn't had the quick reflexes of a jungle cat (albeit a pregnant jungle cat), I would have been covered in butt boil juice!

Needless to say, butt boil guy felt much better. That's right, people. Just a lone ER nurse, saving lives.....one butt boil at a time.

It's Definitely a Girl!

So, we had our "official" 22 week ultrasound yesterday. It took almost an hour for the US tech to get all of her measurements because the baby was folded almost completely in half, trying to chew on her feet; and she wouldn't stop moving. Guess that teaches me to eat before an appointment....oops :) But, everything looks really good, complete with 10 fingers, 10 toes and a four chamber heart that's beating perfectly. The baby weighs a whole pound now and is about a foot long! The tech also commented that the baby was sitting right on my bladder (which definitely explains some things). We are so excited and relieved to know that everything looks healthy....and our tech confirmed that there are "girly" parts!

This is my 22 week belly pic....it's amazing what a few weeks will do!

A pic of the profile...I think the poor kid is going to have my nose :)

This is the "toilet shot". The arrow points to the non-penis.

This is a frontal pic of her face peaking through....still a little creepy, but a bit less alien-like.

Her fingers and toes, but I still can't figure out what position she's in.

New Nursery French Doors

This week we had french doors installed between the nursery and the master bedroom. The gentlemen who did the work did a FABULOUS job, they look great! Now we need to get to work on the rest of the nursery...wood floors, wainscoting, paint, new ceiling....and the list goes on.

This is the nursery before...

and then looking towards the nursery from the master bedroom.

And the new french doors to divide the two!!

I love them, it lets in sooo much more light!

And here is the view again from the master.

Really?

So, a woman at work (who will remain nameless for her own safety ;) compared my 20 week belly to that of a full termer. She said, "I thought you'd enjoy getting fatter and having you face get fuller already." EFF. OFF. I'm fully aware my ass is expanding...don't need the reminder.

Yeah, so...I'm PSYCHED for the coming months and the "fatness" (I'm going with voluptuousness) that will only get worse!

On a happier note...starting to really feel the baby move and kick in there. However, she does it every morning at 4 am. I'm told she should be awake at about the same times when she comes out. So, in case you missed it, let me reiterate: Four. AM. Everyday. Awesome.

The other day, Drew bought these booties from, where else...Cabela's :) They're precious, and I think it's so cute that he did it. I think he's really embracing the "girl" stuff ;)

Camp Sherman and the Pink & Blue Party

18 weeks and had our OB appointment today. Baby's heart rate was good at 147, but I'm measuring at 20 weeks instead of 18! Holy crap, I'm scared :) We had Jake (the best ultrasound guy ever) check and see if he could tell if it was a boy or a girl. He said he's 80% sure it's a.......

..surprise until we cut the cake! This is our pink and blue party at Camp Sherman with the family. Hmmm...looks like a lot of blue shirts there, I'm still stickin' with the pink.

Holy crap, it's pink!

Yeah, we're excited :)

That's his "I'm scared, but I'm trying to look excited" face.

Moment of truth....

The cake, beautifully made by the Lovin' Oven...and grandma Millie.

Windows, Mantels, and Doors, Oh My!

Oh yeah, it's fall...and I'm gettin' out the decorations! This is the beginning of the new mantel that Drew's building. I'll post an after picture when it's finished.

Drew built this as well... my great handyman! Eventually it will have glass doors on the front.

This is my favorite! It's the door to the pantry. We painted it with chalkboard paint, and it works great for a grocery list!

While my parents were here in August, we put in new windows...this is one of them. The original windows were about half this size. We still need to put trim around them, but the view is great.

We're putting wainscoting up in the dining room, it's a process!

Update!

This is the 15 week pic....starting to see a little something! I'm feeling sooo much better. I had ALL day long queasiness in the first trimester. I'm so glad to be feeling normal again.

The ultrasound taken at 15 weeks, the kid is waving already...we're just thrilled that it actually has fingers!

Really scary alien baby...not thrilled with this pic.

Yep, it even has an eyeball. Doing good so far!

Finally!

We found out in June, after about two years of trying, that we're finally pregnant! This is the before, at about 4 weeks pregnant...don't think I'll look like this for long!

This was taken at our first OB appointment, baby was 9 weeks and 4 days. Baby was wiggling all around in there. The doctor said, "now he's just showing off!"

Bathroom Before and After

This is the upstairs bathroom renovation...we're almost done,

just a few more final details.

The tile is finally done, just needs some grout!

I'm starting the tiling process...hmmm, maybe my new profession?

Down to studs!

The gorgeous before, complete with pink tub and toilet...awesome.

Yuck!