week 36

it's been awhile since my last update. that's because there hasn't been too much going on over here. at least not things that make for interesting reading.

we've been going to child birth classes. i've heard many people say that that's a good idea, and others seem to think that child birth is the most natural thing in the world and no one should need a class for it. i like to be as knowledgable as possible when my world is about to change. so i say why not? i have learned some things and it has helped me to feel more prepared.

we have now had 2 baby showers, and have had many packages arrived in the mail that were total surprises. we are so incredibly lucky to have the friends that we do. and we both thank you all for your love and support. i feel a lot like a child a christmas when a package arrives.

last weekend we buckled down and bought most of the things that were on our list of essentials that hadn't been purchased yet (car seat being the most critical) but also dresser, diapers, etc. those things will officially arrive this week. this has drastically reduced my anxiety. i still don't really know how to be a mom, but at least i will have tools that will help me.

each weekend, i've been trying to make a few freezer meals that we can wipe out in the first few weeks after. this has been making the weekends be a bit fuller than normal (purchasing things, throwing 3 extra meals together, etc) but i think it will help pay off in the end. currently we have lasagna roll-ups, italian moose stew, cilantro lime chicken, chili, and black bean & lentil stew.

i'm still not as uncomfortable as i expected to be. i don't sleep as well as i usually do, and the evenings/nights i sometimes get some hip pain. but the very worst i would call it would be mild discomfort. pregnancy comfort level is probably a luck of the draw type deal, for which i have been incredibly lucky. i do the that maintaining a usual exercise routine helps as well. i haven't been running or doing anything really hardcore, but walking during all lunch breaks and doing prenatal exercise videos 4-5 days a week.

i have been fairly surprised at how talkative and nice complete strangers are to you when you are pregnant. people who would never talk to me make random conversations regarding wee baby seamus. asking how far along, gender, etc. and making really sweet comments towards me. (you don't look that far along! be careful out there dear, it's icy! congratulations, honey! - were all said to me be three different people this weekend at REI). fortunately, i haven't had any strangers want to touch my belly, because i wouldn't take too kindly to that.

nice post will hopefully be more crafty .... are you ready? i'm making burp cloths! crazy, right?

week 33

i'm struggling a bit with the posts. i would like to write something other than baby/pregancy posts, lest you think this blog is going to become all about baby and not about us. not that there is anything wrong with that, but it has always bothered me when people have a baby and they no longer write about there lives, you never even see them in their own christmas cards. don't get me wrong, i love getting baby updates, but i also want to get updates about them as well.

the thing is, is that right now, pretty much most of the time is spent getting ready for the little babe to make an appearance. for instance, today, we have a total of 3 appointments (midwife, pediatrician, and birthing class - and yes, these are on top of work schedules).

yes, the cutsie dress is gone

my friend, lauren, threw us a baby shower last thursday at the glacier brewhouse. it was perfect. no games, or decorations. just people and food (and gifts). it was a nice, low key way to celebrate. just our style.

in non-baby related news, we threw a superball party last night. lots of friends came over. no one seemed to care much who one - everyone pretty much disliked both teams, myself included. but a fun way to spend the afternoon.

baby registration

i wasn't going to create a baby registry. it seems a bit weird to ask for things because you are having a baby. especially for us, we married in our backyard, no showers, no presents. that's how we roll.

but i was asked several times about it. and i get it, people genuinely want to help and buy something nice for baby. so i did it... i finally created a registry.

you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/baby-reg/ref=cm_wl_search_1?ie=UTF8&lid=3ONPLVGBRRU8P

please do not feel obligated to get us a gift, but if you were going to and wanted some guidance as to what would be the most useful, there you go. i'll be adding a bit more to it as i go on.

i do want to thank the friends that have already been so generous. we have had many things gifted to us already (a beautiful sleep sack, moby, baby bjorn, cute outfits, the list goes on). thank you, it really means a lot - and it's so fun envisioning using them.

hawaii

at south point, hawaii

a really lucky thing about aaron's job is that is sometimes takes him to cool places, like hawaii. the last two years he has works a week or so at the hawaii volcano observatory. after work is done, i scamper down to enjoy some sunshine with him. it works well.

we spent a few nights in this yurt. and spent some time swimming and snorkeling at a local beach. we also did the crater rim drive at volcano national park.

on our way to our second rental. we went to the southern most tip of the united states.

in all my splendor

obligatory cutsie pic

after a stop there, we went to Punaluu Black Sand Beach, where you can see sea turtles.

our second vrbo rental was slightly more posh and located in puna. we spent our mornings there going to the kapho tide pools, which was possibly my favorite part of the trip. i usually don't like snorkeling because i'm a wuss, and scared of things in the ocean, or of big waves swallowing me, or drinking sea water. none of those things happened here. bliss.

we also saw our good friends, wes and jenni, and their two beautiful children. it was really fun to catch up and be entertained by coen and marin. 

there were also a few late afternoons spent watching for whales by the coast (we saw a few!). all in all, it was a beautiful trip. and probably the last one with only the 2 of us for awhile.

byron glacier

we also took the kids (paul and sara) to see byron glacier. we hadn't been there before, so it was new to us as well. one of the really awesome things about living in alaska is that a short drive, and a small hike can bring you to really beautiful places.

the view from the drive over to the glacier

the hike was really short 1.5-2 miles, perhaps. all flat. and then you got to the glacier...

yurting with paul and sara

aaron's brother, paul and his girlfriend, sara came to visit us for a week over christmas. i had met sara twice, but only for brief moments, and i hadn't properly hung out with paul in a long time. so it was really nice to get some quality time with them.

on christmas eve, we hiked 2 miles to a yurt in the woods. rapid camp yurt. the hike in was easy, and beautiful. see?

once we got there, we promptly started a fire in the cute wood stove. it took an hour or so, but the yurt slowly started warming up. once it was warm, it was never cold again. in fact, the yurt felt downright tropical. we occasionally stepped outside to cool off. 

our christmas eve dinner consisted of pork and pumpkin chili, which was delicious, and cheese and crackers, of course. 

we welcomed christmas morning with breakfast burritos and then packed out of the yurt and headed back to the eagle river nature center. 

week 28

technically, week 28 was last week. we were busy with christmas, having company, going to a yurt. all the normal christmasy things.

but, i didn't want to skip this week, because it had our first minor bump (pardon the pun) in the road. 

at 28 weeks i was given the glucose screening, which measures your blood sugar. it involved drinking a super sweet beverage and having my blood drawn once. the cut off was 140, and mine came back 149. 

this isn't a big deal, and it turns out lots of people fail the screening. those people are given a test. a much more sugary drink, and 4 blood draws (1 fasting, and then 1 per hour, for 3 hours). i was given this test as well. my numbers came back and i failed 2 out of 4. this means i have gestational diabetes.

i found out the day after christmas. we were all planning to go to powerline pass to look around and take pictures (aaron, his brother, paul, and paul's girlfriend, sara). paul and sara were in the car, and aaron and i were heading out when i got the call from the nurse. i think i took the news pretty well while we were on the phone, but immediately started crying when i got off. i couldn't help feeling like i had let our little guy down in some way. this, of course, isn't rational - but pregnant ladies are not always inclined to be rational. i quickly dried my tears and went to powerline pass as though nothing was wrong. in fact, i don't think paul or sara ever realized i even got this diagnosis.

i went to a dietician, who assured me that i did absolutely nothing wrong. gestational diabetes just happens. if left unchecked, gd can lead to much larger babies, and therefor c-sections, premature labor, and other complications. however, we caught it so all we have to do to avoid complications is to keep my blood sugar in check.

this surprisingly doesn't effect my diet too much. i don't drink sodas, juice, or eat fast food anyway. and i already exercise.  basically i have to eat three meals and three snacks spaced out throughout the day. i also have to measure how many carbs i eat in one sitting (1-2 for breakfast and snacks, and 2-3 for lunch and dinner) and be sure to balance the carbs with protein. this requires a little thinking at times, and is sometimes inconvenient, but a small price to pay.

the other part of this is the actual measuring of the blood sugar. i was given a diabetes testing kit. i have to prick my finger 4 times a day until the end of my pregnancy (1 fasting in the morning, and 1 time after each meal) and using the test strips measure my blood sugar. i had heard horror stories on the internet about how bad the finger pricks were, but in my experience it was nothing. not bad at all. 

i have been measuring my blood sugar for 4 or 5 days now, and can say that it has been completely normal. not one high reading, in fact, they are all relatively low. which means we have this in check. if we are unable to control my blood sugar with diet alone, then i would have to give myself insulin injections. it doesn't look like i will have to do that, thankfully.

basically, i wanted to put this out there, in case some other preggo lady runs across this, while frantically googling "gestational diabetes". you and your baby will be ok. it's slightly inconvenient, but not that bad. you did nothing wrong, promise.