32 Weeks

I had a normal appointment scheduled today with Dr. Mannino. Then I had to add an ultrasound before that so I was expecting to spend all afternoon at the OB office. I got to the office five minutes early (yay me!) and was called back with three minutes to check out Baby Girl's growth.

For everyone who keeps telling me how huge I am, or that I look like I could birth a baby any minute, I'm telling you what the tech told me today: Baby Girl is 4lbs. 6oz. and healthy.(This is 60% for 32 weeks.) And she is "taking up every bit of space that she has available." I think she's going to look like her brothers (all their ultrasounds seem to look the same to me) and she has hair (time to make some baby bows!).

Then I was sent back to the lobby only to be called out for my normal appointment like 30 seconds later. Weight was the same as last week and BP was good with the top number starting to creep up a little. I really thought I was going to be out of the place within 30 minutes, but I spent 20 waiting on the doctor to come in. (No worries since I still left 20 minutes before my scheduled time.) She looked at my glucose log and said my numbers this week looked great and to keep doing the same thing. She measured me and we listened to the heart and I was sent on my merry way for 2 weeks.

So thankful that everything seems to be going well!

31 Weeks

I saw Dr. Richardson on Wednesday to check up on Baby Girl. I just went last week, but since I was started on medications to control Gestational Diabetes, the doctor wanted to keep an eye on my glucose levels.

Here are the highlights:
*I lost 1lb.! I've really gained too much weight this go around so I can most definitely handle a loss at this point. So I've been on the GD diet for 2 weeks and have maintained weight.

*Medication started at the previous checkup will stay the same for another week. 2.5mg of Glyburide at night to keep my fasting numbers down. But if they continue to creep up I'll be started on a morning and evening dose next week. I'm happy as long as I don't have to give myself insulin shots!

*Due to me taking meds for GD, I will be getting another ultrasound to make sure Baby Girl isn't a little too much on the chunky side. And to make sure that her growth isn't slowing due to the medications. It's been scheduled for next Thursday before my normal appointment.

*I don't have to start NSTs (non-stress tests) yet. Depending on which doctor I see, I'm told a different week to start them. I imagine it will be soon though.

*Nothing has been mentioned about induction yet. I really want to go into labor on my own, but I'm afraid that an induction will be necessary around 39 weeks like it has been in the past. I've had more intense Braxton Hicks contractions this time than I had with any of the boys so maybe my body has figured out how to go into labor on its own. We'll just have to wait and see on this one.

Getting Through It

I hate that I vented in my last post, but I was just keeping things real. Everything isn't always wonderful and I want to remember that when I look back through my posts. (Since I've had this blog awhile, I love going back and reading old posts.) Sometimes life gets tough, and I almost titled this post, "Getting Over It," but that's not what we do. We don't "get over things." We take each experience and use it to shape who we are afterwards. We don't have things happen and then forget they ever happened. We work through things. We learn. We struggle. We pray. We work. We make it through. And that's what I'm doing. Sure, it's tough being a mother, a wife, a daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, a friend. But I don't want to get over any of those roles. I want to continue those roles and enjoy the path that I'm on.

The last post helped me to remind myself to look at what I've been blessed with and I've enjoyed listening to a dear young lady (actually a former student) sing a song entitled, "I Have Been Blessed." If you have a chance, you should give it a listen.

And special thanks to my friend, Renee, for reminding me of the following scripture:
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Overwhelmed

Warning: This isn't a fun, life is going hunky dory post. Just in case the title didn't give it away.

I'm vaguely aware of the fact that Mother's Day is Sunday. I probably wouldn't think too much of it, but my sister called wanting to know what I'm getting our mom. Ummmm....I have no idea. Nor do I know what I'm getting any of the other mothers in our lives. What's Mother's Day got to do with this post? Glad you ask. Mother's Day is a day to honor the women who helped make us who we are, the women who made all the sacrifices look easy, the women who would gladly go back and do it all again, even knowing what they know now. But I haven't been feeling worthy of the honor. I haven't been doing so well with all the "motherly" things. I'm overwhelmed and feel like I'm going under.

The kids aren't listening. I have to repeat myself 439 times to get my point across, but by the 15th time I'm yelling and red-faced. Ezra almost refuses to wear a diaper....or go to the potty. I'm tired of cleaning crap up, literally. Ethan is in some sort of weird funk...he's bossy and mean and I can't get him to open up to me about it. Elijah thinks he's a big kid and yet, still wants to be a baby and therefore, I clean up more crap, again literally.

My house is a disaster. I haven't felt like cleaning and apparently no one else who lives here full-time does either. (I don't include Ronnie because he's rarely here and most of the mess isn't his. His biggest mess is a suitcase of dirty clothes to wash every weekend, but I didn't even have to touch that last week.)

The laundry is still piled up from the great washing machine fail and I just can't seem to catch up. Then I can't find the laundry detergent I like anywhere around here. Errrr.

The dishes are piled up, but I can't stand at the sink to wash them because I feel like there's a baby about to fall out from the pressure. Plus there's the whole awkward stance thing since this belly keeps me from actually getting close to the sink.

Then there's the fact that the responsibility of cleaning my grandmother's apartment out has fallen to me and my mom. Cleaning 10 years of a pack rat's junk is definitely not fun. (One would think that seeing all of her junk would motivate me to clean, but it just makes me tired.

Then the nurse from my OB office called today to tell me that I failed my glucola test. Miserably. And that I need to do the three hour test. Unless I think I'll fail it too. Guess what? I'll fail it. So monitoring begins immediately. Except when I got to the pharmacy to get my supplies, the doctor hadn't called them in yet.

And those are the big things. There are so many little things irritating me here lately....like every single little thing. I've been in situations that were far more stressful and felt fine. Why am I going crazy now? I pray its just hormones and goes away soon.

Why did I post this? To show that life isn't always perfect. My kids aren't perfect. I'm not perfect. Also, I needed to get it all off of my chest and didn't want to get to the point that I was emailing Ronnie to please come home because every time I talked to him on the phone all I could do was cry.

And because once I got it all typed out I started realizing my blessings. And that's where I needed to get. My kids are healthy. They are all boy and keep me on my toes. I'm experiencing a (mostly) healthy pregnancy and I have great doctors who are watching out for me and Baby Girl. I'm fortunate to have a home and all kinds of junk to go in it. We have clothes to wear, food to eat and love to share. I'm lucky to still have a mom and grandmas, even though they all can drive me crazy to a point. My mama sleeps late, but she always has food to share. Gram Jackie is always asking me favors, but I'm so blessed that she'll call me anytime she needs anything. I probably know her better than any of the other grandchildren and my boys love their "old" grandma beyond words. I'm blessed that my Grandma Summerlin knew my name yesterday. She called me by it at least twice and it made me want to cry. (Never mind the fact that she asked about me being fat (pregnant) five times in as many minutes. I'm blessed with a hard-working husband who does all that he can for me on the days that he is home. And I have a God in Heaven who is watching over me and reminding me not to worry so much because He is still in control.