Alden's Birth Story...

Before I start on the actual birth story, let me back up about a week and a half.

A few days after my 36 week appointment and exam, I started to lose my mucous plug, and a few days after that I started having very mild contractions. The contractions and mucous continued for over a week. Contractions were never regular or strong, but they were there. Then a few days ago, they just kind of stopped. I assumed this meant I had some time before our baby would be making his arrival, and started to worry that he would come late.

Wednesday night, {the 16th}, I did some report cards for school. They're not due for a couple of weeks, but I figured I should get a head start for my sub and I posted this status on facebook:

"Okay, Baby No-Name, my conferences are done. My reading evaluations are done. My character ed report cards are done. MEAP (for my kids) is over. My substitute is finished with her other long-term sub position, and was able to visit my room twice this week. And I even have a head start on academic report cards so she won't have so much to do. What I'm saying is...all of Mama's crazy work for October is done, so you can come anytime now. We're ready. Even though you don't have a name. I promise we'll come up with an amazing one; I think we just need to see your face before deciding."

I was feeling relieved to have so much work done for school. My to-do list was pretty much complete, which felt good and I went to bed at 10:30, with no thoughts of my baby coming anytime soon.

Cut to 12:30am when I woke up from a contraction. It wasn't awful, but it was certainly stronger than the other ones I had been having. I fell back to sleep and woke up with another one 10 minutes later. Again, I went back to sleep, and when I woke up again 10 minutes later, I knew baby time was coming.

I got up and told Dave {who was watching TV...yes, at 1:00am} that I was having contractions, but I probably had a few hours before we needed to go to the hospital, since they were 10 minutes apart. I told him I was going to get in the tub to relax for a bit. He then asked if I minded if he took a quick shower first so that he would be ready when it was time. He hopped in the shower, and when he was done about 10 minutes later, my contractions were strong and three minutes apart. No time for me to get in the tub. I called the on-call doctor from my OB office and she said to get to the hospital and have them check me.

We had to wait a few minutes for Dave's mom to get to our house. Thank goodness she lives next door, because by the time she got to our house, my contractions were even stronger, and I had only a little break inbetween them.

We left for the hospital and on the way I told Dave that I wanted an epidural immediately. I was hoping to do this natural this time, but my contractions were killer.

We got to the hospital and they checked me. I was in serious pain and was only 5cm dilated. I asked for an epidural and they moved me from triage to my room. Well, actually, I walked to my room and nearly died from the pain.

Once in my room, I asked again for an epidural and they said they needed to hook me up to monitors first and then they gave me my IV of fluids, saying that I needed to get all the fluids before they could give me my epidural. They said it would take about 30 minutes. I was pretty mad. Why couldn't they start the fluids when I got to triage? Why make me wait? Jerks.

Less than 30 minutes later, my contractions continued to get stronger and stronger, and suddenly I was crying. Literally sobbing like a baby through them because I was in so much pain. The nurse decided to check me and said I was dilated to 9.5. So I went from 5cm to 9.5cm in less than 30 minutes. And the nurse let me know that it was too late for my epidural. It was time to have this baby and I still hadn't gotten all my fluids.

I was livid. But still crying and whining like a baby.

So I laid back on my bed and felt my water break. Giant gush...way different from my water breaking with Leland, which was a trickle on and off for 30 hours.

I felt the need to push, but the jerk nurse told me I couldn't yet because the doctor wasn't there. If you've ever been in this position, you know how awful it is. Your body naturally pushes and you can't hold it back. But I had to. Finally, Dr. O'Hagan arrived {not my OB, but from my OB office}, and I started pushing before she was even ready. I couldn't hold back anymore.

{Side note: The nurse was actually awesome. Like, super amazing. I just didn't like her for the three contractions when she wouldn't let me push.}

I pushed three times. THREE. Three pushes {big pushes, but still only three...holy crap} and my boy was born. They laid him on my chest and Dave cut the cord. It was 3:43 am.

So. Like I said, super fast delivery! Labor with Leland took 33 hours. This one was 3 hours. Holy crap.

I spent a lot of time just cuddling my precious boy. This was amazing, because with Leland I only got to hold him for a minute before they whisked him off to the NICU. I held my nameless baby for a long time. And at some point, Dave got to hold him too.

Then they weighed and measured him and checked his vitals. His temperature was low, which they were concerned about, but they had him lay in his bassinet with warm blankets for a while. When his temperature was still low, they let me nurse him and hold him skin to skin, and that worked like a charm.

Because of my gestational diabetes, they had to check the baby's blood sugar four times during the day. Once after his first feeding, and then before the next three. His levels had to be above 40. If they were below for any of them, he would have to start over. His levels were 42, 60, 44, and 56. HURRAY!

Our baby boy had no name for approximately 12 hours. Dave still really wanted Henry, but I just didn't think he looked like a Henry. I feel bad for shooting down his favorite name, but it just doesn't work for me. We debated between Alden and Casen for a while, and finally decided he looked more like an Alden. But then we debated on the middle name forever, and eventually decided Walker sounded best with it. The birth certificate lady was happy that we finally made a decision. She had called me about four times throughout the day.

Our family of four

Alden nursed like a champ, passed his hearing test and jaundice check, and we were discharged from the hospital the next day at 9:00am.

In the car seat, ready to go home.

I still can't believe how fast labor was. I still can't believe I only pushed three times. And I still can't believe I did it without an epidural. I was so mad at the time that I couldn't get the epidural, but now I'm glad I was able to do it naturally. It was awful, I'm not gonna lie. But once you can push, you have a place to focus all that energy and it doesn't hurt so much. It's the sitting around waiting and feeling all the pain that's hard.

But all the pain is so worth it. Look at the prize I came home with in the end.

My sweet Alden Walker

38 weeks...

How far along: 38 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 24 pounds - this still surprises me so much. This is less than I gained with Leland, and I only made it to 34 weeks with him.

Size of Baby: pumpkin {fitting, since it’s pumpkin season}

Maternity Clothes?: Yep. And I actually am now sporting yoga pants at work. I don’t like wearing yoga pants to work, because it feels so unprofessional, but my maternity pants just weren’t working anymore. They were a bit big on me to start, but it seems that the bigger I get, the more they fall down. Weird.

Sleep: Pretty much awful until last night. My husband snores, and I have to pee about 40 times a night. But somehow, miraculously, last night I slept SO good. It was amazing.

Food Cravings: Applesauce, pudding, ice cream.

Food Aversions: Nothing really. Just tired of the things I’ve been eating.

Gender: Boy…still without a name.

Symptoms: Early labor symptoms have begun. I have lost my mucus plug {Which is super gross, by the way…never experienced it with Leland.} And I’ve been having contractions on and off for about a week. They’re nothing major, but they give me hope that something is happening soon-ish.

Milestones: Beyond full-term. Only two weeks til my due date. I can’t believe I made it this far. As much as I enjoy pregnancy, I am ready to have this baby.

Movement: He wasn’t moving much last week, which got me worried, but he’s been moving more the last few days.

Best moment this week: Lots of things to love about this week. I ordered our double stroller after a difficult time finding the one I want in our price range. And we visited the pumpkin patch, which is always a good time.

Looking forward to: Going into labor, hopefully soon. Was hoping I would before today because…well…today is MEAP testing {state standardized test} and our schedule is all crazy and I just don’t feel like dealing with it. Ha ha. Also, at my appointment last week, the doctor didn’t do an exam, so next Monday when I go in, I’m hoping they do one, so I can see if I’ve made any progress.

Extra Notes: It’s so weird to be at this stage of pregnancy. Basically, since I was 32 weeks, I wake up every day thinking Is today the day? For most of that time, I was hoping it wasn’t the day, and now I keep hoping it is. It’s just weird to be in this “normal” stage of pregnancy and sit waiting. But it’s so fun too. I love surprises, and going into labor is certainly one big surprise.

37 weeks...

How far along: 37 weeks

Total Weight Gain: +23 pounds {According to my scale at home. My doctor's office scale says more like 20, but they didn't weigh me until I was 8 weeks along.}

Size of Baby: winter melon

Maternity Clothes?: Uh huh, and even those are getting a little small. Pants are fine, but shirts are a little short.

Sleep: Not great. I toss and turn to try and get comfortable, and wake up a bazillion times a night to pee.

Food Cravings: Fruit. Can only have a little bit, but it sure is good when I do!

Food Aversions: Eggs. So tired of them. But they have a lot of protein, so I keep eating them.

Gender: Boy J

Symptoms: I went from feeling pretty great most of the time to feeling absolutely awful in a matter of two days. My whole pelvic region just hurts, along with my lower back and abdomen. I am not really comfortable in any sitting or standing position. I never got to the uncomfortable part with Leland, so even though it doesn’t feel great, I am enjoying it. It’s all part of the process, and it means things are happening. Baby will be here soon!

Milestones: FULL TERM!!! I really didn’t think I would make it this far!

Movement: He loves to stretch and push his little bum out. So fun to see a little bump sticking out of my giant bump.

Best moment this week: Hearing Dr. Bump say that I am already dilating and effacing! It took forever to dilate with Leland. Even though my water broke, I was less than 1cm for like 24 hours. So, to hear that I am dilated to one and 50% effaced was pretty exciting. I know that it could still be a couple weeks before wee man shows up, but this gave me a little hope that perhaps I won’t be overdue. Dr. Bump also said that the baby is WAY down. He had a hard time telling how much I was dilated because Baby Boy is RIGHT THERE.

Looking forward to: We didn’t make it to the pumpkin patch this past weekend because it was rainy, so I’m looking forward to it this weekend instead. Also, I now go to the OB every week, so I’m anxious to see what I’m dilated to when I go this Friday. Will I still be 1cm? We shall see.

Extra Notes: Part of me wants this boy to come NOW, because I am just so anxious to meet him. And part of me is soaking up the last few days/weeks with Leland. I keep thinking about how much his world is about to be rocked, and I want us all to enjoy this time together before that happens. And also, I’m hoping to get my conferences done this week – so it’s one more thing off my mind.

36 weeks...

How far along: 36 weeks

Total Weight Gain: Forgot to weigh myself. Probably around 24 lbs.

Size of Baby: honeydew melon

Maternity Clothes?: Yep!

Sleep: Honestly, sort of awful the last few days. I cannot get or stay comfortable and I have to pee constantly.

Food Cravings: Sweets. I found a granola/protein bar that has some dark chocolate, so it’s a bit of a sweet treat for me. It only has 14g of carbs, but has 10g of protein, so it’s a pretty good snack option for me. J

Food Aversions: Meat and eggs.

Gender: Boy!

Symptoms: More heartburn. A little waddling.

Milestones: Only one more week until full-term!

Movement: He is definitely taking up a lot of space in there these days. Every movement totally stretches my abdomen.

Best moment this week: Having cake at my nephew’s birthday party. Oh, it was amazing. But actually, a million times better than that was seeing our sweet boy’s face on our ultrasound. He looks so much like Leland from what I can tell.

Looking forward to: Going to the pumpkin patch this weekend. And my doctor’s appt. this Friday. After this week, I go every week. Crazy.

Extra Notes: We are officially prepared for this boy to join us, I think. Everything is washed and in its place. We have diapers and nursing/pumping supplies. Leland has moved to his new room. The car seat is installed in my car. My suitcase is packed. And we think we have a couple of name options. We may not end up naming him until he arrives, but we definitely have some we agree on.

Dave actually said these words to me the other day as we were talking about when we think he may make his appearance:

Dave: “I hope we get to do things the normal way and you have to be induced.”

Me: “Why?”

Dave: “It just seems less stressful than when we had Leland. It would be nice to just make an appointment and know that that is the day we’ll have a baby.”

Obviously, my husband doesn’t understand, like, anything. First of all, why is induction the “normal” thing? Not that it’s abnormal, but what makes it “normal” to him? I would much prefer to try to do things naturally. While I went into labor on my own with Leland, it wasn’t progressing, so I had to have Pitocin, and it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. Also, if we went the route of being induced, I would have to be past my due date by a week or two. Obviously, I don’t really want to be pregnant that long. So my husband is just a freak. Apparently, fatherhood has taught him nothing about the ability {or inability, really} to plan things.

35 weeks...

How far along: 35 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 23 lbs. {same as last week}

Size of Baby: coconut

Maternity Clothes?: Uh huh.

Sleep: Between 9pm and 1am, I wake up several times to pee and/or get comfortable. After 1:00, I sleep so hard.

Food Cravings: cereal, ice cream, lemonade. Cereal I can have a little bit of for a snack, but the others I can’t. Boo.

Food Aversions: Still just tired of meat. And eggs. I eat them because I need the protein, but I really, sincerely dislike them.

Gender: Boy, oh boy!

Symptoms: Some heartburn. Starting to feel pretty tired during the day; today I had to sit to teach part of a lesson because I just couldn’t stand anymore. My kids didn’t care. Oh yeah, and my boobs are leaking. Never had that with Leland. It took a week after he was born for my milk to really come in, so this is new.

Milestones: 35 weeks down, 35 days until my due date.

Movement: The movement is so different now than just a few weeks ago. Rather than jabs and kicks all over, I feel his little tushy pushing up and out. It’s pretty much the coolest feeling ever. I only had this for a short time with Leland, so I’m looking forward to more.

Best moment this week: OB appointment. I didn’t get to meet with my doctor like I was supposed to {she was delivering another doctor from the office’s preemie baby}, but it was a great appointment. Baby is head down, but not super low. I am measuring at 34 weeks and the midwife I met with said my sugar levels are great. Yay!

Looking forward to: Ultrasound on Friday! This GD thing does have some benefits.

Extra Notes: Hospital bag is packed. Leland’s new room is so close to being ready for him. Car seat is installed. Baby gear is out and ready. By the looks of things, we’re ready for our sweet boy to join us. But he can wait a few more weeks.

Maternity Photos...

One of the things I L.O.V.E. about my friend/photographer, Alisha, is the quick turn around for getting pics back. We just had our maternity shoot on Saturday, and my photo CD appeared in my mailbox TODAY!

I was so excited about our photo session. I have always wanted to get pictures by railroad tracks. The lines are just...well...cool. And with Leland's love of trains, I thought this might be the perfect time. So for our session, I suggested we find some tracks nearby. Alisha suggested behind our public library. I knew there were train tracks there {because the depot is right next door}, but I had never been back there before. To my surprise, there was a pretty flower garden, and a wooden train to play on! So fun!

I knew Leland wouldn't exactly cooperate. He doesn't sit still, like, ever. And especially when we're outside, he is on the go nonstop. I warned Alisha that it might be tough to get some pics of all of us, but she wasn't worried in the least. Leland had her running all over the place, and really made her work. I felt so bad for her having to run around so much. Did I mention she is 6 months pregnant herself? Yeah. But she was able to get some great shots!

I won't share all of them, because there are A LOT. But I will share some of my favorites {which is still a lot of photos}.

By the wooden train...

Giving me kisses

I love that he's looking up at Dave here.

I think we need to come back again to just play!

On the train tracks...

I was so hoping for a shot of Leland driving his train on my belly, but he wouldn't stop moving. 

Oh well.

In the garden...

Does this photo remind you of anything? 

{We had a photo of our feet with little booties when I was pregnant with Leland and one of our feet for Leland's one year-ish fall photos}

Did I mention that Alisha bribed Leland with Smarties? Pretty sure one is in his mouth in this pic. Ha ha.

Oh, that face. He cracks me up.

Framed for Baby's room, no?

I love this one. Dave and me, with Leland running away. Ha ha. Story of his toddlerhood.

We aren't lovey in front of other people. Dave kept making me laugh.

Gotta love the elephant theme!

I'm so happy with how these turned out! I was honestly surprised that she got any of the three {or four, I suppose} of us together. You really can't tell by the pictures how uncooperative my kid was. And I adore the train tracks photos. Exactly what I was hoping for.

34 weeks...

How far along: 34 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 23 lbs.

Size of Baby: butternut squash

Maternity Clothes?: Nothing else will do.

Sleep: Not quite as great as last week. I wake up a lot to pee, and I roll around a lot.

Food Cravings: Besides baked goods, I’m really enjoying yogurt and peanut butter.

Food Aversions: Nothing really. Just tired of meat.

Gender: Sweet boy

Symptoms: Lower back pain. And starting to feel like he’s dropping a bit. I just feel his weight lower. Other people have told me a lot over the last few weeks that he has dropped, but I’m just noticing it now.

Milestones: I am officially the most pregnant I have ever been {without being in labor}. My water broke with Leland at 33 weeks and 6 days, so today is definitely a milestone!

Also, no more progesterone shots! Yay!!!

Movement: He’s moving a little less often, but when he moves, he REALLY moves.

Best moment this week: Maternity pictures. Alisha did an amazing job, and has already edited all of our photos! She is awesome.

Looking forward to: OB appointment this week. I finally get to see my doctor again. And I just always look forward to appointments.

Extra Notes: Baby’s clothes are washed and put away. “Going home” outfit has been chosen. Starting to get hospital bag packed {and making a list of last-minute items I will need to grab}. We’re possibly getting closer to a name. It’s all becoming real. So excited to meet this little man!

33 weeks...

How far along: 33 weeks

Since 33 weeks was the last weekly photo I took when I was pregnant with Leland {my water broke at 33 weeks, 6 days}, I thought it would be fun to do a side by side comparison.

Wow! I look so much bigger with Leland! Not only my belly, but all over. My legs, my face. Obviously, it's a different outfit and different pose, so it's hard to really tell, but I look I'm carrying lower now than I did with Leland. But, I did start out this pregnancy about 10 pounds less than I started my pregnancy with Leland, so I think this whole pregnancy I have looked a little thinner.

Total Weight Gain: 22 lbs. So, apparently, I'm back up two pounds out of the three I lost.

Size of Baby: durian fruit {whatever the heck that is}

Maternity Clothes?: Yep. And even some maternity shirts seem short. What the heck?!

Sleep: SO GOOD! Leland seems to be past his bad dream phase and is back to loving his sleep, so my sleep is much better. Getting up at 5:30 is no fun, but I usually feel rested enough when I wake up.

Food Cravings: Sugar. Boo.

Food Aversions: Nothing really.

Gender: Little Mister

Symptoms: Lower back pain.

Milestones: Another week down. J

Movement: Lots and lots of movement. I love it.

Best moment this week: Probably hearing Dr. Bump tell me to go ahead and enjoy a sweet treat if I want. Not a lot, but once in a while won’t hurt. And hearing baby’s heartbeat…that’s always the best.

Looking forward to: Making it through this week and beyond. And my ultrasound! Pretty excited that I get an extra one. Oh yeah, and we’re doing maternity photos this weekend! All kinds of fun stuff going on!

Extra Notes: I was at Kohl’s the other day, looking for fall clothes for Leland, and I could not help looking at all the itty bitty baby clothes. I didn’t buy anything, but I plan on going back to get a couple of things. We still have lots of Leland’s clothes, so we won’t need much, but I think I will need some sort of pumpkin/Halloween onesie.

Also on the subject of Halloween, Old Navy has a cute elephant costume that I would love to use for our new baby {elephants is the theme}, but I’m sure he’ll be too small. I’m trying to figure out what to do for a Halloween costume for Leland. He doesn’t have any characters or animals that he really loves yet, so I’m trying to think of something that is “him.” Last year, he went as Donkey from Shrek {because some friends of ours call Dave and me Shrek and Fiona}. I thought since he loves trains and tractors, he could maybe go as a train conductor or a farmer, but I’m not sure.

OB appt...

I had my 32 week OB appointment yesterday. I'm in the "meet the other doctors in the practice" phase of pregnancy, so I met with Dr. Bump, who was actually the one who delivered Leland. I wasn't thrilled with him after my experience before, but he redeemed himself yesterday by easing a few of my fears. And, in his defense, probably no one would have thrilled me when I was in labor, hormonal, and terrified to be having my baby six weeks early.

So anyway, my big concern was weight loss. Over the last two weeks, I have lost three pounds, according to my scale at home, and I worried that my gestational diabetes might be causing it {because I'm eating less}. Dr. Bump said that my weight gain/loss is fine, and he's not concerned. He said that a three pound fluctuation over two weeks isn't a big deal, and my overall weight gain looks good. Now, my scale at home says I've gained about 20 lbs, but the office scale only says 18 lbs. Either way, he said I'm fine. Just make sure I feel satisfied after eating; if I've eaten my meal and I'm still hungry, eat some protein.

He looked at my glucose chart {I have to bring my chart to each visit so they can check how I'm doing with my sugar}. He said my glucose levels are awesome, and the few that are over he's not worried about. He said to just keep doing what I'm doing because it's working, and that if I am at a special event where there is dessert, to go ahead and have some. My next sugar level will be high, but as long as I don't eat a TON of dessert and I have plenty of protein, I should be fine. I'm pretty excited about this. So...what constitutes a "special" occasion? In my mind, Friday is a special occasion all on its own. Ha ha. I haven't indulged in any sweets except for one half of a Hershey bar. But I may have to once or twice since he said it's okay.

Then we heard Baby's heartbeat, which was around 120-130, and he measured me. I am measuring at 31 weeks.

With gestational diabetes, there is often a concern of the baby growing too much and causing a difficult delivery, so common practice is to schedule a growth check ultrasound. Dr. Bump said he and my doctor are not concerned about my baby's size, but scheduled an ultrasound anyway, because...why not? If I have to have GD, I might as well enjoy the perk of an extra peek at my baby. I can only go on Friday afternoons, because of school, so it is scheduled for September 27th.

I go back in two weeks for my next appointment and finally get to see my regular doctor again.

So it was a great OB visit, and I am happy to say that Dr. Bump is back on my good side.

Now, where to get a good brownie. ;)

My Life with GD...

...Isn't completely terrible.

I'm not gonna lie. When I first found out I had Gestational Diabetes, I threw myself a big ol' pity party. I am a sweets girl through and through. When I'm not pregnant, I eat a lot of sweets. With this pregnancy, it is all I have craved {I was sort of sure this one was a girl, because with Leland I craved salad and baked potato}. To say goodbye to brownies, doughnuts, ice cream, cookies, etc., was cause for some serious pouting from me.

Besides the sweets, I was also worried about what in the world I was going to eat. Because GD is about limting carbs, not necessarily sweet stuff. So...bread, pasta, and all that other stuff I love was going to be gone {I thought}. I wasn't sure what I would eat.

Thankfully, after meeting with the dietitian, I had a better understanding of what GD is and what I can eat.

With GD, it's not that I can't have carbs, it's that I have to limit them. I have to count them, and am only allowed a certain amount for each meal/snack. I also have to make sure I have protein at the same time, because protein balances your carbs.

I am allowed 30-45g of carbs for breakfast, 15-30 for snacks {mid-morning, afternoon, and evening}, and 45-60 for lunch and dinner. Depending on what I eat, those carbs can go a long way. Like, a sandwich wrap with turkey, cheese, lettuce and tomato totally fills me up, but doesn't even meet my minimum carb amount for lunch, while a peanut butter and jelly sandwich maxes out my carbs for the meal and doesn't leave me feeling very full.

I have been able to manage my blood sugar pretty easily over the last two weeks. I have had maybe four or five high glucose levels. And with each of them, I was either experimenting with what I can eat {mashed potatoes get me no matter how little I serve myself} or I didn't eat enough protein with that meal {one morning, I ate plain oatmeal and a nectarine, but I forgot to have protein, so my sugar was high}.

The hardest thing for me is to remember to have carbs and protein. If I have just carbs, my sugar is high. If I have just protein, my sugar is low and I don't feel full. So I have to have both. Sometimes they don't exactly go together, like a graham cracker and cottage cheese, but it works, so whatever.

I have only allowed myself one sweet treat so far. I had half of a Hershey bar with some peanut butter. It didn't mess up my sugar at all, so I was excited. I have also discovered that honey roasted peanuts, while they taste sweet, aren't too carby, so that helps my sweet tooth a little. And a 1/2 cup of applesauce with cinnamon is pretty satisfying for a night-time snack as well {I eat a few cheese slices too so that I get my protein}. Apparently, one half cup of ice cream is within my carb allowance for snack and it has some protein, but I haven't taken that chance yet. Plus, I sort of feel like a half cup isn't really worth it. When it comes to dessert, my motto is "go big or go home." If I had a half cup, I know I would just want more.

Really, GD is all about balancing your carbs with your protein and watching portions. I can still have pasta, just not a huge plate of it. I can still have a sandwich from my favorite deli, but I just eat the bottom bun, not the top. I can still have fruit - I just have to measure it. I can even have my favorite cereal, and a full serving of it - I just have less milk in it. {Funny story though...Dave thought he was doing me a favor by eating the rest of my cereal because he thought I couldn't eat it. He doesn't even really like it, but he ate it so I wouldn't have to be tempted. Apparently, he hadn't noticed that I've been eating that for my night-time snack.}

Living without the sweets kind of sucks, but it's a lot easier when they're not around. If we don't have ice cream in the house, I'm not as tempted by it. It will be hard at school when students have birthday treats, but I only have 8 weeks left to avoid those.

After that, I will seriously have a sugar free-for-all for a little while. I'll be nursing so the calories won't matter so much. I already have my post-birth meal planned out. A sandwich from Chef's In with a chocolate milkshake for lunch. Maybe some fries too. And for sure a doughnut for breakfast. Anyone who comes to visit in the hospital is required to bring chocolate. Not really, but it would be nice.

32 weeks...

How far along: 32 weeks

A pants-less Leland decided to join me for a photo.

Total Weight Gain: According to my scale at home, I am only up 20 pounds. Last week, at the dietitian, I was up 24. I know that scales can vary, but mine a few weeks ago showed about a 23 lb. weight gain. I’m hoping this is just a mistake with my scale and that I’m not losing weight – that wouldn’t be good. I have an OB appt. on Friday, so I’ll have to ask my doctor about it then.

Size of Baby: squash

Maternity Clothes?: Yes. Definite necessity.

Sleep: It’s been okay lately. Leland still has some rough sleeping nights with bad dreams, so those nights it’s not great. And I am up probably every two hours to pee.

Food Cravings: Pretty sure I would kill for a brownie, milkshake, and/or doughnut.

Food Aversions: Not loving meat again, but I have to eat it so I get some protein.

Gender: BOY!

Symptoms: Back ache still.

Milestones: 8 months down, 8 weeks to go!

Movement: I feel like this kid is running out of room with the way he’s stretching in there. Also, yesterday, it felt like he was burrowing himself WAY down and it hurt.

Best moment this week: I had a great open house at school. I have such a great class this year!

Looking forward to: Honestly, getting through today. For some reason, I have a major fear that I am going to go into labor today.

Extra Notes: We still don’t have a name picked out. For some reason, I’m not as anxious about this as I was a month ago. I guess I feel like I have a few names on my list that I love, and I think Dave will choose one of those when the time comes. He just doesn’t want to commit to a name right now, which I get. So I won’t be ordering any personalized baby items quite yet. But we did finally order a new dresser so that we can move Leland into his new room soon, and get the baby’s things ready in the nursery. {We’re going to move Leland’s things into a new room, and he’ll use his crib still. The baby will be sleeping with us for a while, so he won’t need the crib yet, but his clothes and changing table and everything will be in the nursery. When the baby is ready for the crib, we will get Leland a big boy bed.}

31 weeks...

How far along: 31 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 24 pounds

Size of Baby: pineapple

Maternity Clothes?: Yup. Nothing else will do.

Sleep: Hit and miss. Sometimes I sleep great, and sometimes I have a hard time getting comfortable. And, of course, sleep is much easier when Leland sleeps well, which hasn’t been happening.

Food Cravings: Again, everything I can’t have. But I’m doing well with the things I can have. Eating lots of peanut butter.

Food Aversions: None really.

Gender: Boy, oh boy!

Symptoms: Achy back, like whoa!

Milestones: Hello, third trimester!

Movement: Still all the time. He’s been stretching himself out lately too.

Best moment this week: Our day in Leland was so much fun! Exactly what I needed before heading back to school this week.

Looking forward to: Finishing up my classroom preparation. I had it pretty much done, and then was told today that I am getting cubbies. I am excited for cubbies, because I asked for them, but now I have to move my furniture all around.

Extra Notes: I met with my dietitian again today. She wanted to check what my glucose levels have been and also make sure I hadn’t lost weight in the last week. I gained one pound since last Tuesday, and my sugar has been around 120 most of the time {the goal is 140 or less}. I have had a couple high ones, but only by 4-5 points, and the dietitian seems to think I didn’t have enough protein in those meals/snacks. So it appears I should be able to manage my GD without insulin, which is what I was hoping for. The hard part is that I don’t really like meat, so my main sources of protein are cheese, cottage cheese, and peanut butter. Yogurt too, but that also has carbs, so I can’t have a lot of it.