So after a weekend that included nothing good for my sugar levels - including making homemade apple muffins for breakfast on Sunday - I finally heard from my lab tech. No gestational diabetes (or diabetus as our friend Bret Michaels says)! I have never been so relieved, other than when I got off the plane after a bumpy ride from Killeen to DFW. She did say that at one point during the 3 hours my blood sugar was rather close to failing me, so I need to watch it. I take that to mean that my body is a machine and I will process that Ben & Jerry's with panache. Just kidding.
I truly feel like all the prayers coming my way worked because I was pretty much sure that I had GD. I was diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome several years ago which made me think that I was a shoo-in for diabetes while pregnant and huge. Thankfully, I was wrong!
30 weeks on Thursday...
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
I'm Super Sweet
Week 29 has arrived! Hudson is the size of a squash and his kicks (or punches or flips or whatever the heck he's doing in there) have become more and more pronounced. I've been counting his kicks on the Sprout app for my iPhone and he usually has 10 kicks in 10 minutes (or less) every time. He's pretty much a star.
Since I failed my 1 hour glucose test last week, I went in Wednesday for the 3 hour test. Basically, they took a vial of blood and then I had to drink another glucola drink with double the amount of sugar in it than last week and then every hour for the next 3 hours have another vial of blood drawn. The time went by pretty quickly, thanks to the entertainment that is my iPad, but the end result was one exhausted and irritable mama-to-be. I had to head home after the appointment, I was so worn out. Basically, my body went on a major sugar high and then crashed - which is the point, of course, but it still makes you feel really out of it. I won't know the results until next week, but hopefully I passed this one. Hopefully.
Other than my crazy sugar levels, everything is right on schedule. I got to see Hudson on the big screen yesterday (the ultrasound tech had pity on me) and he's growing just like he should and is measuring on time. And I must say, he looked dang cute on the ultrasound screen!
So what's on the agenda for the weekend? Well...we're planning on heading to Sky Top Orchard to pick some apples and then the big Clemson/Florida State game comes on at 2:30. It's sure to be a good one, so we'll be cheering on the Tigers! My dad mentioned having a bonfire tomorrow night and Chad was all about that and also added the possibility of camping with the girls (my dad & step-mom live on 50 acres). We'll see what happens with those plans. I'm certainly not taking my big self out to camp!
Have a great weekend!
Since I failed my 1 hour glucose test last week, I went in Wednesday for the 3 hour test. Basically, they took a vial of blood and then I had to drink another glucola drink with double the amount of sugar in it than last week and then every hour for the next 3 hours have another vial of blood drawn. The time went by pretty quickly, thanks to the entertainment that is my iPad, but the end result was one exhausted and irritable mama-to-be. I had to head home after the appointment, I was so worn out. Basically, my body went on a major sugar high and then crashed - which is the point, of course, but it still makes you feel really out of it. I won't know the results until next week, but hopefully I passed this one. Hopefully.
Other than my crazy sugar levels, everything is right on schedule. I got to see Hudson on the big screen yesterday (the ultrasound tech had pity on me) and he's growing just like he should and is measuring on time. And I must say, he looked dang cute on the ultrasound screen!
So what's on the agenda for the weekend? Well...we're planning on heading to Sky Top Orchard to pick some apples and then the big Clemson/Florida State game comes on at 2:30. It's sure to be a good one, so we'll be cheering on the Tigers! My dad mentioned having a bonfire tomorrow night and Chad was all about that and also added the possibility of camping with the girls (my dad & step-mom live on 50 acres). We'll see what happens with those plans. I'm certainly not taking my big self out to camp!
Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
28 Weeks
Week twenty-eight...you brought bad news! :(
I took my glucose tolerance test on Wednesday and after a great appointment (blood pressure was great, weight gain was 2 lbs, heart beat was good, measurements were good) I received a call from my lab tech letting me know that I would have to come back for the 3 hour glucose test.
Epic.Fail. I am an overachiever. My husband is an overachiever. I'm pretty sure Hudson will be an overachiever. Failure is not an option. But evidently, my body is failing to process sugar like it should. I'm hoping I don't have the dreaded gestational diabetes, but I very well could. I'm guessing that my love of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and snorting lines of table sugar haven't helped things (JOKE). Wednesday is the day of reckoning and I reckon ya'll should say a prayer for me and my glucose.
On a happier note...my baby shower at work was so fun! My work friends are great - snarky and sarcastic, much like me. And they spoiled me with a beautiful cake and some great gifts, including the high chair I registered for. I also received gift cards and Chad and I went baby shopping this past weekend and bought Hudson's crib mattress.
Okay mamas, did you feel 100% guilty for not doling out $200 + for a crib mattress? I really felt like I was failing my child by only buying a $100 mattress. I know the crib mattress is vitally important but MY GOODNESS. I really feel like the authors of baby books and retailers know every trick in the book to make a mama-to-be feel even more paranoid and guilty for not giving their baby "the best" - in their opinion. It's annoying and it works. Obviously because I'm stil talking about it five sentences later.
Moving on to another rant: the employees at Buy Buy Baby are stalkers, much like their kin at Bed Bath & Beyond. If I had one more person ask me if I needed help I was going to drop to the floor, spread my legs, and say "yup, can you birth my son for me?" I mean, y'all, it's a BABY STORE. How much help do you need, unless you've wandered in unsuspecting and the name of the store and the smell of baby powder didn't tip you off. I mean, other than reaching high items, I don't need to be followed around or harassed 80 billion times. I'm most likely going to purchase something because I feel like I need to make up for not buying Hudson the best mattress ever. You don't have to keep asking.
Whew. I'm obviously hormonal today. Week 28 - the week of hormones. Week 29...you're just a couple of days away.
I took my glucose tolerance test on Wednesday and after a great appointment (blood pressure was great, weight gain was 2 lbs, heart beat was good, measurements were good) I received a call from my lab tech letting me know that I would have to come back for the 3 hour glucose test.
Epic.Fail. I am an overachiever. My husband is an overachiever. I'm pretty sure Hudson will be an overachiever. Failure is not an option. But evidently, my body is failing to process sugar like it should. I'm hoping I don't have the dreaded gestational diabetes, but I very well could. I'm guessing that my love of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and snorting lines of table sugar haven't helped things (JOKE). Wednesday is the day of reckoning and I reckon ya'll should say a prayer for me and my glucose.
On a happier note...my baby shower at work was so fun! My work friends are great - snarky and sarcastic, much like me. And they spoiled me with a beautiful cake and some great gifts, including the high chair I registered for. I also received gift cards and Chad and I went baby shopping this past weekend and bought Hudson's crib mattress.
Okay mamas, did you feel 100% guilty for not doling out $200 + for a crib mattress? I really felt like I was failing my child by only buying a $100 mattress. I know the crib mattress is vitally important but MY GOODNESS. I really feel like the authors of baby books and retailers know every trick in the book to make a mama-to-be feel even more paranoid and guilty for not giving their baby "the best" - in their opinion. It's annoying and it works. Obviously because I'm stil talking about it five sentences later.
Moving on to another rant: the employees at Buy Buy Baby are stalkers, much like their kin at Bed Bath & Beyond. If I had one more person ask me if I needed help I was going to drop to the floor, spread my legs, and say "yup, can you birth my son for me?" I mean, y'all, it's a BABY STORE. How much help do you need, unless you've wandered in unsuspecting and the name of the store and the smell of baby powder didn't tip you off. I mean, other than reaching high items, I don't need to be followed around or harassed 80 billion times. I'm most likely going to purchase something because I feel like I need to make up for not buying Hudson the best mattress ever. You don't have to keep asking.
Whew. I'm obviously hormonal today. Week 28 - the week of hormones. Week 29...you're just a couple of days away.
Friday, September 9, 2011
It was September 2001. I was 18 years old and had just started my first semester at the College of Charleston. I was on my own in a new city, three hours from home. I had graduated high school just a few months before and had met the people I now lived with just a few weeks before. Classes had begun and I was getting into the swing of things. All of us were listening to Pink, Christina Augilera, Linkin Park, & Staind. We had all been shocked when one of the most famous pop & R &B stars of our era, Aaliyah, had been killed in a plane crash that August. That rocked our world. Unfortunately, we hadn't seen anything yet.
I remember where I was that morning - at the deli at the bottom of my dorm buying breakfast. I saw chaos showing live on CNN playing on the TV there and ran back up to my suite to ask anyone if they knew what was going on. We all sat in silence as we watched the second plane hit on TV.
All of us knew something signifcant was going on, but none of us had any idea how it would shape everything we knew about the world - politics, religion, our own mortality. We saw one of the girls on our floor, a New Yorker, hysterical because she knew many of her friends' parents worked in the World Trade Center Towers. I didn't know that girl well, but I will never forget her.
I knew we were probably safe in Charleston, despite the large Naval base close by and the close proximity of Parris Island. But I was watching my country dissipate into a hysterical mass and my parents weren't there. My mom wasn't even in the country at that time. It was scary for someone so far from the tragedy and I will always remember that day and the helpless feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I can't believe it's been 10 years. So much has happened, but the memory of that day will always be present and I truly believe that it was a day that blatant disrespect and hatred for humanity was overcome by incredible sacrifices and goodness. It seemed like that day the USA turned their faces towards God and begged for mercy. And in so many ways, mercy was granted - in the survivors brought out of the rubble, in the heroic stories of passengers who sacrificed their own lives to make sure the plane didn't hit the target it was headed for. In so many amazing tales of survival and friendship. I think a lot of us have forgotten how we felt toward each other that day - that we were all in this together.
We're still all in this together. Never forget.
I remember where I was that morning - at the deli at the bottom of my dorm buying breakfast. I saw chaos showing live on CNN playing on the TV there and ran back up to my suite to ask anyone if they knew what was going on. We all sat in silence as we watched the second plane hit on TV.
All of us knew something signifcant was going on, but none of us had any idea how it would shape everything we knew about the world - politics, religion, our own mortality. We saw one of the girls on our floor, a New Yorker, hysterical because she knew many of her friends' parents worked in the World Trade Center Towers. I didn't know that girl well, but I will never forget her.
I knew we were probably safe in Charleston, despite the large Naval base close by and the close proximity of Parris Island. But I was watching my country dissipate into a hysterical mass and my parents weren't there. My mom wasn't even in the country at that time. It was scary for someone so far from the tragedy and I will always remember that day and the helpless feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I can't believe it's been 10 years. So much has happened, but the memory of that day will always be present and I truly believe that it was a day that blatant disrespect and hatred for humanity was overcome by incredible sacrifices and goodness. It seemed like that day the USA turned their faces towards God and begged for mercy. And in so many ways, mercy was granted - in the survivors brought out of the rubble, in the heroic stories of passengers who sacrificed their own lives to make sure the plane didn't hit the target it was headed for. In so many amazing tales of survival and friendship. I think a lot of us have forgotten how we felt toward each other that day - that we were all in this together.
We're still all in this together. Never forget.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Whoa. I'm in the 3rd trimester.
It seems like yesterday I was freaking out, peeing on a stick and finding out that I was pregnant and today I find myself in the third trimester. Only 13 more weeks - and that's if Hudson goes full term. Holy sh*t. Sorry, it's just a little overwhelming.
The big stuff is done in the nursery (see pics below) and now it's all about the accessories! I will add some more pictures after we're all finished.
My first baby shower is next week - thanks to my sweet work friends who are throwing it. I'm so excited!
Chad and I had a very low key anniversary this year. My present was roses, chocolate, and him painting the nursery and creating the wall feature over the crib. His present was a card and me growing his son. We also had take out Italian. Honestly, both of us are so exhausted between work and keeping up with the house that all we wanted was a little sleep! We are planning on going out of town (without baby) next year when the funds are not wrapped up with a blue bow. :) Both of us feel that putting our marriage first and kids second is the key to a successful family (with God at the forefront, of course).
At 27 weeks, Hudson is:
- showing signs of brain activity (we've already gotten his Clemson application ready - ha!)
- is breathing amniotic fluid (which I still don't understand - how is that possible? Am I birthing a fish?)
- is opening and closing his eyes (I think)
- is kicking the crap out of me
- is making my stomach go through some crazy contortions and that has become my nightly entertainment
At 27 weeks, I:
- am bigger than a house
- have a weird pain in my upper inner thigh that makes me feel like I have a trick leg
- have awful heartburn/acid reflux
- have not had a good night's sleep for several nights now. It may be time to break out the Tylenol PM.
- is sure that my bladder is going to be permanently damaged from Hudson kicking it
- knows where all the bathroom are within a 5 mile radius
- have peed on myself a little if I try to hold it. There is no more "holding it."
- am so thankful for my little family!
The big stuff is done in the nursery (see pics below) and now it's all about the accessories! I will add some more pictures after we're all finished.
My first baby shower is next week - thanks to my sweet work friends who are throwing it. I'm so excited!
Chad and I had a very low key anniversary this year. My present was roses, chocolate, and him painting the nursery and creating the wall feature over the crib. His present was a card and me growing his son. We also had take out Italian. Honestly, both of us are so exhausted between work and keeping up with the house that all we wanted was a little sleep! We are planning on going out of town (without baby) next year when the funds are not wrapped up with a blue bow. :) Both of us feel that putting our marriage first and kids second is the key to a successful family (with God at the forefront, of course).
At 27 weeks, Hudson is:
- showing signs of brain activity (we've already gotten his Clemson application ready - ha!)
- is breathing amniotic fluid (which I still don't understand - how is that possible? Am I birthing a fish?)
- is opening and closing his eyes (I think)
- is kicking the crap out of me
- is making my stomach go through some crazy contortions and that has become my nightly entertainment
At 27 weeks, I:
- am bigger than a house
- have a weird pain in my upper inner thigh that makes me feel like I have a trick leg
- have awful heartburn/acid reflux
- have not had a good night's sleep for several nights now. It may be time to break out the Tylenol PM.
- is sure that my bladder is going to be permanently damaged from Hudson kicking it
- knows where all the bathroom are within a 5 mile radius
- have peed on myself a little if I try to hold it. There is no more "holding it."
- am so thankful for my little family!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Week 26
Hudson is still growing and is fine and healthy, but this week I wanted to share something different, in honor of our 3rd wedding anniversary that is coming up on Tuesday.
A common question that Chad and I are always asked is "how did you two meet" - which is a typical question to ask a married couple. The truth is, we met in a pretty typical way - at work - but I have always felt like our love story was a little different. I have no idea why, I just know that if we had been thrown together at any other time or in any other way, we would have never gotten married. I chalk our relationship up to God's perfect timing. And if you're interested in hearing about it, here goes:
I joined an on-premise recruiting team in June 2006. It was the most random job search ever, complete with throwing my resume on Monster, getting an unexpected phone call, and starting a new job within 3 weeks. I am not an impulsive person, but taking this job was semi-impulsive for me. I didn't know anyone else on the team and when I walked in that first morning, I saw Chad and thought, "oh okay, he's cute" but didn't think anything else about it. You see, at that point, my heart and mind was in a different place. I was completely hung up on my college boyfriend and the painful relationship we had continued to let fester for years. Needless to say, I was not in the best place in my life. Weekends consisted of bars and boys and booze and really really bad decisions. Even though I looked put together on the outside, on the inside I was a wreck. I wanted love and passion. I needed a friend.
I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow Chad and I started going to lunch together. Our first lunch was at Zaxby's and I learned all about his daughter, his daughter's mother, and that he was probably the strongest person I had ever met. Even though we grew up differently and had polar opposite life experiences, we were able to talk for HOURS. And joke around and pretty much have the best time ever. Our lunches continued, as did after work phone calls. He was dating other people and I was still the "carefree" party girl. He opened up to me about his current relationships; I would talk to him about my latest flings and my feelings toward my college boyfriend. It was a solid friendship with a man - something that I had never had before. Nothing romantic, just someone to talk to and laugh with. In a matter of months, he pretty much knew everything about me and me about him. The good, the bad, the ugly. It didn't matter.
At work, people thought we acted like brother and sister. He never made a move towards me other than being my friend. But my feelings toward him were changing. One day I picked out my work outfit hoping to impress him. From that day on, I made sure I looked my best in an effort to catch his eye in a different light. My stomach fluttered whenever he was around. I felt like he was oblivious to it all, but evidently, his feelings were changing, too.
Things did change about six months after we met. We decided to give a relationship a try and that lasted all of two weeks. He ended it the night before my friend's wedding. I cried myself to sleep, but knew that no matter what happened, he would always be my friend.
Christmas '06 came and we spent the holiday together, going to each other's family functions. We weren't dating. It was strange and I wanted more. After Christmas and feeling that he would never come around to loving me like I loved him, I made a call to that college boyfriend to make New Year's plans. I figured that if I couldn't have what I knew I wanted, I could call up the past to make me feel better for a while. The college boyfriend agreed to meet up for New Year's Eve and at the finalization of plans, something stopped me. I will never forget that conversation because I knew it was the end of something that had eaten me up inside for years and the beginning of something else. I knew that if I met up with College Boy Friend, I would never have my chance with Chad. So I cancelled the plans I had made. I remember what I said too..."I'm in love with Chad and I can't meet up with you." I didn't know if the love would ever be reciprocated. I had no clue. I just knew that if I didn't take a leap of faith and close the door on the past, I would never be able to walk forward into my future.
A few days later, after a day trip to Chimney Rock, Chad and I were back together. A few weeks later, I told him I loved him. A few weeks after that, he professed his love to me. We've been together ever since.
Maybe we're not Romeo & Juliet. Maybe it's not the most romantic love story of all time. But I have seen so many relationships fail because the key element was not there. No, not attraction or passion - something more basic than that. Friendship. Chad is now my husband and I am madly in love with him. But he is also my very best friend.
A common question that Chad and I are always asked is "how did you two meet" - which is a typical question to ask a married couple. The truth is, we met in a pretty typical way - at work - but I have always felt like our love story was a little different. I have no idea why, I just know that if we had been thrown together at any other time or in any other way, we would have never gotten married. I chalk our relationship up to God's perfect timing. And if you're interested in hearing about it, here goes:
I joined an on-premise recruiting team in June 2006. It was the most random job search ever, complete with throwing my resume on Monster, getting an unexpected phone call, and starting a new job within 3 weeks. I am not an impulsive person, but taking this job was semi-impulsive for me. I didn't know anyone else on the team and when I walked in that first morning, I saw Chad and thought, "oh okay, he's cute" but didn't think anything else about it. You see, at that point, my heart and mind was in a different place. I was completely hung up on my college boyfriend and the painful relationship we had continued to let fester for years. Needless to say, I was not in the best place in my life. Weekends consisted of bars and boys and booze and really really bad decisions. Even though I looked put together on the outside, on the inside I was a wreck. I wanted love and passion. I needed a friend.
I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow Chad and I started going to lunch together. Our first lunch was at Zaxby's and I learned all about his daughter, his daughter's mother, and that he was probably the strongest person I had ever met. Even though we grew up differently and had polar opposite life experiences, we were able to talk for HOURS. And joke around and pretty much have the best time ever. Our lunches continued, as did after work phone calls. He was dating other people and I was still the "carefree" party girl. He opened up to me about his current relationships; I would talk to him about my latest flings and my feelings toward my college boyfriend. It was a solid friendship with a man - something that I had never had before. Nothing romantic, just someone to talk to and laugh with. In a matter of months, he pretty much knew everything about me and me about him. The good, the bad, the ugly. It didn't matter.
At work, people thought we acted like brother and sister. He never made a move towards me other than being my friend. But my feelings toward him were changing. One day I picked out my work outfit hoping to impress him. From that day on, I made sure I looked my best in an effort to catch his eye in a different light. My stomach fluttered whenever he was around. I felt like he was oblivious to it all, but evidently, his feelings were changing, too.
Things did change about six months after we met. We decided to give a relationship a try and that lasted all of two weeks. He ended it the night before my friend's wedding. I cried myself to sleep, but knew that no matter what happened, he would always be my friend.
Christmas '06 came and we spent the holiday together, going to each other's family functions. We weren't dating. It was strange and I wanted more. After Christmas and feeling that he would never come around to loving me like I loved him, I made a call to that college boyfriend to make New Year's plans. I figured that if I couldn't have what I knew I wanted, I could call up the past to make me feel better for a while. The college boyfriend agreed to meet up for New Year's Eve and at the finalization of plans, something stopped me. I will never forget that conversation because I knew it was the end of something that had eaten me up inside for years and the beginning of something else. I knew that if I met up with College Boy Friend, I would never have my chance with Chad. So I cancelled the plans I had made. I remember what I said too..."I'm in love with Chad and I can't meet up with you." I didn't know if the love would ever be reciprocated. I had no clue. I just knew that if I didn't take a leap of faith and close the door on the past, I would never be able to walk forward into my future.
A few days later, after a day trip to Chimney Rock, Chad and I were back together. A few weeks later, I told him I loved him. A few weeks after that, he professed his love to me. We've been together ever since.
Maybe we're not Romeo & Juliet. Maybe it's not the most romantic love story of all time. But I have seen so many relationships fail because the key element was not there. No, not attraction or passion - something more basic than that. Friendship. Chad is now my husband and I am madly in love with him. But he is also my very best friend.
"True love is friendship - caught on fire."
Happy 3 years Mr. Butler! I love you!
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