36 Weeks and 37 Weeks

How far along: 36 Weeks. We are officially in the month of June aka baby month!

Baby is the size of a: Head of Romaine Lettuce

Gender: Girl!

Weight gain: I am up a total of 12lbs. Thank you Texas heat for adding the unnecessary water weight!

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes are actually getting uncomfortable. Everything is actually getting uncomfortable. 

Sleep: I somehow managed not to get up in pee in the middle of the night twice in the past week.

Aches and Pains: My back, my feet, my legs are swollen, I have to pee every time I change positions, I'm exhausted all the time but I know the end is near!

Best moment this week: A surprise baby shower at work! My co-workers are so sweet and organized a baby shower for myself and another pending parent. 

Worst moment this week:Moving, unpacking, organizing.

Miss anything: After moving more stuff on Saturday all I really wanted was a beer!

Movement: I really feel like she is running out of room. Her punches just aren't as powerful as they used to be but she still wiggles and squirms. 

Cravings: Salads with ranch dressing.

Looking forward to: Baby time! I can't wait to hold our baby girl!

How far along: 37 Weeks.

Baby is the size of a: Swiss Chard

Gender: Girl!

Weight gain: I haven't weighed myself in a while. With the amount of puff I see surrounding my cankles, its probably best. 

Maternity clothes: With the heat and the fact that nothing fits I am tempted to spend the remainder of this pregnancy in a nudest colony. 

Sleep: Is that still a thing? Insomnia hit the other night and I was up for hours. I almost did the dishes at 2am. 

Aches and Pains: It might be easier to list what doesn't ache at this point. 

Best moment this week:Getting to spend a lot of time with just Jon before the baby comes and our house is finally starting to come together. Still very messy but slowly getting there. 

Worst moment this week:River has been at his grandparents since June 1st and we won't get him back until Friday. We are missing that little guy like crazy!

Miss anything: I can't wait to have my normal body back!

Movement:She still moves all the time. She loves to push on my hips!

Cravings: No cravings at all. 

Looking forward to: Getting my little man back. Watching How to Train Your Dragon 2 this weekend and having a baby!

K’Lynn

35 Weeks

How far along: 35 Weeks.

Baby is the size of a: Honeydew melon.

Gender: Girl!

Weight gain: I haven't moved my scale this week but I know there is weight gain because my legs are back to being puffy!

Maternity clothes: This bump is getting so large that I feel like some of my maternity clothes are getting too small! While moving this week I started thinking about getting rid of some of my normal clothes that I just don't wear anymore, then I realized that is probably a horrible idea because I haven't worn anything in the past 5 months! Hopefully I don't nest my way out of a wardrobe!

Sleep: I've been so tired the past week that sleep is great! 

Aches and Pains: My back is killing me! 

Best moment this week: Our first night in our new house, Rivers graduation, Jon's birthday. So many good things the past week!

Worst moment this week: Moving, moving, moving.. and we still have so much to move!

Miss anything: Cocktails and pie.

Movement: This girl loves to move. She has found a way to kick my hip bones now, yay.

Cravings: All food. 

Looking forward to: My Dad is coming this weekend. I can't wait to spend some time with him! 

We have had such a busy week. We started moving everything to the new house which has been challenging to say the least. I have learned that I can not bend because when I do fires from the depths of hell come burning through my entire chest in the form of heartburn. Do you know how difficult it is it pack and move without bending at all? I have been just parking my butt on the floor and scooting around to pick up stuff. I look like a dog with worms, but at least I am getting the job done.

K’Lynn

GD and Baby Girl

Sweet baby girl's profile.

I went back to my maternal-fetal medicine specialist on Monday. Everything is looking good. I had an ultrasound and baby girl is looking great. She is measuring in the 50th percentile. That means if you compared her to 100 other 30 weeks  gestation babies she is right in the middle. Not too big and not too small. She is weighing approximately 3.10 lbs +/- 10 ounces. Her limbs and head are measuring slightly ahead. She must take after her Dad and brother! While the tech was doing the scan we could see her sticking her tongue out and smacking her lips. The tech also pointed out that she was also practicing breathing. Its so amazing we can see all of this long before babies are even born. 

My blood glucose numbers still look good. I am still allowed to only track 2 days a week provided I stick to the diet. I have done really good but did try to sneak in some jelly beans on Easter. It made my numbers a lot higher than normal so it looks like I won't be testing out any more candies! One big thing about this diet is it is constant trial and error. I feel like I am always testing my body just to see what it can handle. I've really only found a few foods that it can't. Jelly beans and mini cupcakes are at the top of the list! That is ok, I really don't need them anyway! 

K’Lynn

30 Weeks!

How far along: 30 weeks! Officially 3/4 of the way done. 

Baby is the size of a: Cabbage.

Gender: Girl. I still can't believe I get to say that! 

Weight gain: This morning my scale said 8 lbs. It fluctuates so much! I never know if I am going to be up or down from the previous week. I'm not too worried about it because regardless of what the scale says I feel like a whale. Especially when I am trying to roll over at night. I might as well be an upside down turtle!

Maternity clothes: I found a dress in my closet that I can officially wear as a shirt. My bump is taking on a life of its own and making all my shirts borderline too short!

Sleep: Some nights its good some nights its horrible.

Aches and Pains: This week my stomach muscles have started hurting. I guess they are getting a good stretch in, but they'd better get used to it because we still have 10 weeks to go. 

Best moment this week: This was such a good week! Between Easter, visiting with my in-laws, and seeing Aziz Ansari, we had a great week!

Worst moment this week: Faxing so many pages for our home loan. I never have good luck when using a fax machine. I finally managed to make it work but I was imagining me pregnancy hulk out and smash it to pieces with my giant green hands the entire time. 

Miss anything: I want to say that I miss wine, but I imagine it would only make me sleepy!

Movement: This girl loves to wiggle and squirm. I love it until she decides she wants to stretch out as far as possible, then that hurts!

Cravings: Walnuts. I eat so many walnuts everyday. 

Looking forward to: Relaxing next weekend with my boys! It may be one of our last free weekends for a while!

K’Lynn

29 Weeks!

How far along: 29 Weeks!

Baby is the size of a: Butternut Squash.

Gender: Girl!

Weight gain: 7lbs.

Maternity clothes: Oh yes!

Sleep: I spoke too soon last week. Getting to sleep this past week has not been great. I hate laying on my sides to fall asleep. Restless leg syndrome is killing me. My hips hurt. My back hurts. I have to get up to pee. I wake up and can't go back to sleep. Charlie horses. I could go on and on.

Aches and Pains:I think I described everything above well enough. RLS is the biggest annoyance. I also had a hormonal meltdown moment where I became crazy angry for no reason. It was directed toward no one and I kept getting more and more mad because I couldn't even explain why I was mad to begin with. 

Best moment this week: Taking River to an Easter Egg hunt. He was so sweet and nervous. He was clutching my hand and asked me to go with him. I love when he is still my sweet little boy. I know these moments won't last much longer so I enjoy every second of them when I can!

Worst moment this week: I can't really pin point any bad moments. 

Miss anything: Chocolate.

Movement: This little girl moves all the time. She can be painful!

Cravings: Sweets. I want sugar. 

Looking forward to: Easter! Jon's parents are also coming in this weekend so we are really excited about that!

K’Lynn

Gestational Diabetes Week Two

I have officially survived two weeks of blood glucose monitoring. It really hasn't been that bad. I have managed to get into a routine. Mornings are still difficult as River and I are always rushing to get out of the door to get him to school and me to work at a decent time. I am so blessed that neither one of us have to be at work or school at an absolute set time. Otherwise we would be getting a lot of tardy slips! 

I am still eating 3 regular meals and 3 snacks per day. However, since my numbers have been good and my doctor said I no longer have to test my glucose after meals every day, just a few days a week. I will still be testing my fasting (pre-breakfast) number everyday. We need to monitor this one as most people have the most problems with it. I have been lucky so far and haven't had any trouble. My bed time snack of crunch peanut butter on one slice of glycemic index bread and a small glass of milk seem to be keeping my fasting number controlled.

I have also given up on switching between my middle and ring finger for the testing. I somehow managed a very painful stick in my right finger and I haven't gotten the courage to try again. My poor middle finger gets all the pokes now, but surprisingly it doesn't look bad. I still have to work up the courage every stick. I'm not sure that will go away!

K’Lynn

28 Weeks

How far along: 28 Weeks. That means I'm officially in my third trimester! How crazy and exciting is that!?! 

Baby is the size of a: Large eggplant. 

Gender: Sweet baby girl!

Weight gain: This morning my scale said I was up 6lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm not sure how that happened. I knew I had lost around 3 lbs from my last doctors appointment but I was shocked when they told me 6! I have been following my GD diet, walking more, and drinking a ton of water! My doctor isn't worried and said that everything looks great so I'm not worried either!

Maternity clothes: Yes but I still find myself trying to squeeze into normal clothes. When this pregnancy is over all of my clothes are going to be stretched out!

Sleep: I really have no problem falling asleep or staying asleep. I manage to sleep in the same position all night and as soon as I move my bladder realizes its full and wakes me up, thankfully this only happens once a night!

Aches and Pains:Lots of restless leg syndrome this week and I was very queasy a few mornings. I hope morning sickness doesn't come back!

Best moment this week: Jon and I put an offer in on a house and it was accepted! We are so excited! 

Worst moment this week: Not getting to sleep in on Saturday morning. We had a garage sale so I had to be up super early. Then it was so cold all Saturday morning!

Miss anything: I walked through the wine aisle at HEB last night. I should not have done that. All I could think about was how much I can't wait to have a glass of red wine. 

Movement: This girl is such a mover. I feel her all the time! The nurse almost couldn't get a heartbeat at my appointment this week because she was moving around so much. 

Cravings: I still don't have any real cravings! I never really did with River either.

Looking forward to: Easter! This will be one of the first years I don't get to go to my home church for Easter and I am so sad. We are going to take River to our neighborhood Easter egg hunt this weekend and then on Easter morning I plan on hiding some eggs in our back yard for him to find. 

I didn't have a picture to share (again) so I thought River playing with a lady bug would suffice. He is all about bugs this Spring! He's been finding tiny black bugs and putting them in a bucket with grass and a small lid with water. Then he starts feeling guilty and releases them! Its so sweet! He played with the lady bug in the picture above for at least 30 minutes. He would pick it up and it would crawl on him for a few seconds then fly away and then he would chase it down. He always reminds me to appreciate the small things, even the lady bugs!

K’Lynn

27 Weeks!

How far along: 27 Weeks. 

Baby is the size of an: Cauliflower. Speaking of cauliflower, Jon and I made mashed cauliflower in attempt to be healthier. The thought of it is still making me gag. Maybe it was just us, but I would not recommend.

Gender: Girl. I had an ultrasound last Monday and its still a girl! Whoo hoo!

Weight gain: Still 10. 

Maternity clothes: Yes. The bump isn't leaving anytime soon and regular clothes do not cover it! 

Sleep: Oh sleep. This week has been plagued with weirder than normal dreams and a small (2 hour) bout with insomnia on Saturday night. But if anyone ever wants to know anything about opening up an under water restaurant please give me a call!

Aches and Pains:Does dandruff count? I had it with River too and I thought I was going to bypass it this time but it seems that it didn't.

Best moment this week: I finally managed to get rid of 3 boxes Jon has been carrying around for years! I also convinced him to  get rid of a box of VHS's! This is a major win! 

Worst moment this week: Jon making me wander through Home Depot at 9pm Saturday night when I was completely exhausted. 

Miss anything: Starbucks mocha frappaccino. I want a super sugary sweet coffee!

Movement: Future kick boxer, soccer star, or tap dancer, either way she's got moves!

Cravings: I'm eating so much there is no time to crave anything!

Looking forward to: Third trimester. I can't believe I am uttering those words. Could this pregnancy have gone any faster? I can't believe there are only 13 weeks left until baby girl is here!

K’Lynn

Only 379 Pokes Left!

I met with the specialist on Tuesday of this week. We spent 30-45 minutes just talking over the Gestational Diabetes diet. Then she gave me my glucose meter and showed me how to use it. I'm keeping a log of my daily food intake and my blood sugar and will email it to her each week.  I might be being overly optimistic, but so far its really not that bad. I was really worried about how I was going to manage the finger pricks, but so far its been okay. I have an irrational fear of pulling whatever has stuck me out. I know that sounds crazy, but if I step on a sticker or something manages to poke me I usually make someone else pull it out. If there isn't anyone else around then it takes forever for me to work up the courage to remove whatever foreign item I have managed to impale myself with, it's usually at least ten minutes of repeating "You can do this K'Lynn". Thankfully the finger stick pulls its self out and I never even have to see the poke. It's also a tiny little hole, I actually have to squeeze my finger to get any blood out. But it still hurts, every single time. I doubt I get used to that. 

I am eating 6 smaller meals a day, each with a its own carbohydrate allowance. My nurse practitioner said not to worry about counting calories but do try to eat protein with the carbs. I am still trying to get into a good schedule. First thing every morning, after I sprint to the bathroom to pee because its not like I peed an hour earlier, I take my blood sugar. This is called my fasting number. This little number is what I failed during my glucose tolerance test. Its the number most people have the most difficulty with and the number my nurse practitioner thinks I will have the most trouble with. It hasn't been high yet, and with the right bedtime snack and evening walk I plan to keep it that way. Next I get a small cup of coffee, get dressed and tell River to get up. He whines and rolls over. I start making breakfast. I have always waited until around 9am to eat breakfast. Partly because I'm usually not hungry earlier in the morning and partly because I really don't have much time to sit down and eat breakfast. Its one of those busy working Mom things. I have had to adjust to not only sitting down to eat breakfast but also cooking it too. I am allowed 25-30 grams of carbs for breakfast. I am currently eating a toasted English muffin with honey cream cheese with a fried egg on top while I do my hair and makeup at the kitchen table. I know, doing my hair at the kitchen table is gross but its better than eating my breakfast in the bathroom. Timing my breakfast has been the trickiest part so far. Rivers morning speed (varies between tortoise, snail, and sloth), traffic, how many times I will have to hug and kiss him goodbye at school, and the 15 minutes it takes me to get to the office from his school determines when I should start my breakfast in order to be able to test my blood sugar 2 hours later. I can't eat breakfast at 6:15 because I am either still commuting or dropping River off at 8:15. I have been trying to time it so that I begin breakfast at 6:40 and by the time I get to the office I will have had time to settle in and can test in peace. So far I have tested once in River's school parking lot, once in my office parking lot, and once at my desk. Its a work in progress. About an hour after my morning blood sugar test I have my morning snack. I'm allowed 15-20 grams of carbs for each snack. I have eaten Greek yogurt with walnuts and an apple with peanut butter. A few hours later is lunch. I'm allowed 45-50 grams of carbs for lunch. I have been just eating a turkey sandwich on whole wheat sandwich thins and a small fruit or chips or crackers. Two hours after I finish eating I test my blood sugar again. About an hour after that I eat my afternoon snack. Are you noticing a routine here? All I do is eat and poke my finger! The afternoon snacks are mostly the same as the morning or crackers and hummus. I'm sure I can and will get a lot more creative with my snacks. For dinner I am allowed 45-50 grams of carbs again. I'm finding it difficult to get that many carbs in with dinner. I may have to start adding in a small dessert to meet my allowance. Then 2 hours later I take my blood sugar. I've learned the last one of the day is the hardest to pump myself up to take. I'm also really fond of only two of my fingers and I switch back and forth between the two throughout the day so by the fourth they are both tired of being poked. My evening blood sugar test is hard to time too as sometimes we are out and about. For example, yesterday I tested it in a Wal Mart bathroom. Don't worry, I washed my hands before and after, and by washed I mean thoroughly scrubbed. Then right before I got to bed, about 9:30, I eat once slice of bread with peanut butter on it and a small glass of milk. Its actually over my snack carb allowance but so far it has kept my fasting numbers down. I also try to fit a walk in sometime during the day. Even if its just going the long way to check the mail or a 15 minute break to stretch my legs a work. 

It is quite a routine. I couldn't imagine having to do this forever and I really hope that once I have the baby I go back to normal. The diet part I really don't mind, what pregnant woman doesn't like to literally eat all day? But I'm already over the blood sugar testing. I just keep telling myself that its not for me, its for the baby. I want her to be healthy and I want my labor and delivery to be normal. I don't want to be induced and I don't want to have a c-section because she is too big. I will be having monthly growth scans to make sure that she is measuring where she should be. I'm considering that a plus because who doesn't love extra ultrasounds? All in all I know this is something that just has to be done. I look at it two ways. I can mourn the fact that I am going to miss out on pies and cakes or I can be just get over it and deal. I've chosen to get over it and deal. So far we have a perfect, healthy baby. I can't really see why I should throw a fit or complain because I can't have a  cookie. 

K’Lynn

26 Weeks!

How far along: 26 Weeks, only 14 left!

Baby is the size of an: Scallion. I don't know who comes up with these comparisons, but a scallion? Last week we were a roundish vegetable, this week we are a long, thin onion. 

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: I'm hanging out at 10lbs now. 

Maternity clothes: Yes, although I need more. I can't understand why they are so hard to find for a decent price. I'm not going to spend $30 on a shirt I am only going to be wearing for the next 14 weeks (because we all know I'll walk out of the hospital in skinny jeans HA!). I don't understand how companies think that its ok to charge at minimum $10 more because they can label it maternity. 

Sleep: I invested in a body pillow this week and it seems to be helping. 

Aches and Pains:Restless leg syndrome had killed me this week. It drives me crazy!  

Best moment this week: No doctors or dentist appointments! We have been constantly going to the doctor or dentist for the past month. I am so thankful we have health and dental insurance!

Worst moment this week: early! I had my first "I am so uncomfortable in my body" moment this week. It may have been because I was experiencing restless syndrome, my office was getting too warm, and I was just uncomfortable in the shirt I was wearing. 

Miss anything: Wine. I just want to put my feet up, watch some stupid tv, and have a glass of wine. 

Movement: This girl moves all the time. I constantly feel her!

Cravings: All those sweets I can't have. 

Looking forward to: Sleeping in this weekend! I think I may have overbooked us and we might just have something going on almost every weekend through the month of May!

I didn't have a belly pic to share this week, although its still very much growing! I thought this picture was too cute not to share. He got a special treat on Sunday when we sat him down and told him that he was going to be heading to the dentist on Monday to have some work done. They had to remove a tooth and do a few fillings and crowns. He did wonderfully and was trying to run around all over the place later in the afternoon. 

K’Lynn

25 Weeks

My current view!

How far along: 25 Weeks.

Baby is the size of an: Rutabaga. I have no idea what that is or what it looks like, but baby girl is aprox. 1 1/2 lbs and 13 inches long.

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: According to my scale 10 lbs. That is down two from last week, most likely related to the sweet hiatus I have embarked on. 

Maternity clothes: I managed to squeeze into a green v-neck for St. Pattys Day today! I probably won't attempt it again.

Sleep: It really just depends on the day. I have been so tired lately that I've actually felt like I have been sleeping really well. 

Aches and Pains:Minor heartburn, a lovely Charley horse on Friday night, and hot flashes. 

Best moment this week: River and Jon watching baby girl kick from across the room. I'm shocked you can see her kicks from the outside so early!

Worst moment this week: Finding out I have Gestational Diabetes. 

Miss anything: Laying on my stomach and my back. Playing Candy Crush on my side just isn't as comfortable as it is on my back.

Movement: Baby girl is a mover! I love feeling her wiggle and kick. 

Cravings: Almond butter. I really can't get enough!

Looking forward to: Meeting with my specialist to get my diet and blood sugar monitoring on track. I never thought I would look forward to poking my fingers 4 times a day but I am. I just want to make sure that baby girl and I are both healthy!

K’Lynn

Gestational Diabetes

I had a doctors appointment early Monday morning. I had to stop at the lab first to have my finger stuck to test for Gestational Diabetes. I had already guzzled the orange death. No big deal, I've done this before with River and everything was fine. Except this time I failed. My doctor reassured me it wasn't a huge deal, lots of people fail the one hour. She said we would take it one step at a time and to go ahead and schedule the three hour test anytime between now and my next appointment. I scheduled it for the following Thursday because I hate suspense and not knowing. The three hour test wasn't that bad. You have to fast for 12 hours, which is horrible for a pregnant woman but still doable. When you arrive they draw a vial of blood to get your fasting number. Then you get to drink that same super sugary orange drink that burns your throat its so sweet, but its really not that bad. Honestly, Chicken Express's sweet tea is probably worse. Then you wait an hour and they draw your blood. The first hour was fairly miserable. I was hungry and the sweet liquids were not sitting well on my stomach. I was nauseous but managed to pass the time playing Candy Crush and refreshing my Instagram and Facebook news feeds. The second hour I pulled out my computer to check emails and register for delivery at the hospital. The third hour I spent on hold with the toll tag people who kindly waved a fee when I finally got through. Each draw was slightly more annoying than the previous. They asked me which arm I preferred each time, I prefer not to be stuck more times than I need to be so I let them choose. The veins in my left arm seem to be better for stabbing. That poor vein got stuck 4 times but its barely bruised and hardly sore 3 days later. Then I was done. I promptly scarfed down a P. Terry's cheeseburger, fries and some lemonade. That probably wasn't the best but I treated it as my last meal just in case.  
I assumed I would have the weekend to relax and I would get my results on Monday, which of course would say I passed. I was wrong. My doctors office called first thing Friday morning to tell me two of my draws had failed and the other two had passed. That means I have gestational diabetes. I am setting up an appointment with a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine to go over everything. From whatI have read its going to be an adjustment. I am praying I will be able to control it by diet and exercise alone, but if I have to go on medications I will. I want what is best for me and the baby. I'm not as upset as I thought I would be. I know can't change it. Its just something I will have to deal with and once the baby is here I will be back to normal. I am so ready to go to the doctors appointment to begin to get everything figured out. I've already started eating  the recommended amount of carbohydrates at every meal and have added small snacks in between those meals. I know this pregnancy isn't going to be as easy breezy as I had hoped but I know many women have it much worse and the end reward will be so very worth it! 

K’Lynn

24 Weeks

How far along: 24 Weeks.

Baby is the size of an: Ear of corn.

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 12lbs total. I gained 6 in the past month alone. I am so very happy Spring seems to be here for good and there will be no more cold days that just make you want to eat everything!

Maternity clothes: Of course! 

Sleep: Horrible. Constant tossing and turning all night and then I wake up at 5am every day. 

Aches and Pains:None so far. I am still feeling really good.

Best moment this week: Spending the weekend with some of my favorite ladies and seeing Wicked!

Worst moment this week: Jon's emergency appendectomy! So scary! 

Miss anything: Not really, maybe the occasional glass of wine or mimosa! 

Movement: Baby girl is a mover! 

Cravings: Peaches!

Looking forward to: Warm weather, going on walks, and baby snuggles!

I hope this will be the most eventful week of my pregnancy! In case you haven't heard, Jon's appendix decided it didn't want to be the do nothing organ it normally is and decided it would become angry and inflamed. That led to Jon going to the doctor at 10 am and being wheeled into surgery at 1 pm. Everything happened so fast I barely had time to process any of it in my mind. Thankfully everything went smooth and we were home that evening by 6 pm. I honestly think the worst part was waiting on Walgreens to fill his prescription. He has slowly been recovering and taking it as easy as he possibly can. I say that because Jon is not a sit still type person so I've had to force him to stay in bed at times. He went for his follow up appointment today and everything looks good!

He looked adorable in his purple hospital gown!

Then this weekend some of my favorite ladies came into town to see Wicked. We had a blast and Wicked is amazing! Those actors and actresses are so incredibly talented. I would recommend it to anyone. It was also so much fun dressing up! I love when my friends get to come to town, even if I had to skip the mimosas!

K’Lynn