Twilight- too weird!

So I found a hilarious new product for all the Twilight junkies out there. This is a ring set. One for a guy and one for a girl. They say "What would I do without you?" Can I just say I think this is hilarious? I was joking with Jason that we should wear them as wedding bands. The sad thing is, I am sure there are people who do that. When is the obsession too much?

Embarrassing Story Number 2

Last Night for Mutual, both the Young Men and the Young Women went to play miniature golf, which was, of course, tons of fun. I thought we had rented the whole place out, since they had to stay open later for us. I went with Amy (the YW President) on a doughnut run instead of golfing. We ended up with 5 dozen (60) doughnuts, and they were pretty heavy, let me tell you! Anyway, I was carrying them to the pavillion, and I could feel the box was starting to give, so I yelled at the group of Young Men that was on the nearest hole. It was not a very nice yell, either. So I am all "Hey guys! I need some help NOW!" and right as they run up, the box collapses in the middle. Somehow, those guys saved all the doughnuts, and not one hit the floor, though it was a close call. I ordered them to take the box to the table for me, and after I handed it over, I thought- I don't recognize those guys. But, there was a new guy there from our ward, so I thought it must be him. So I look over to the "leader" that was playing with them, and I didn't recognize him either! Slowly, it dawns on me that these guys are NOT in my ward, and I have been ordering them around not-so-nicely. I was pretty humiliated. I thanked them effusively, which I hope helped a little. Maybe they will blame it on the big pregnant belly hormones or something... I hope!

Some NOT so exciting news...

So, I had a doctor's appointment today, and I found out I have Gestational Diabetes. I failed my one hour glucose test, and had to go in for a three hour glucose test last Thursday. (Which was a nightmare, let me tell you!) To be diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, 2 out of 4 blood draws have to show high blood sugar levels. All four of my blood draws were high, so I definitely have it.
What is it? 4% of women develop Gestational Diabetes. Basically, the placenta interferes with your body's ability to absorb insulin. Once you are no longer pregnant, you no longer have the problem, so that is good news. It can cause the baby to produce extra insulin, since insulin does not cross the placenta, but high blood sugar does, which is why it's so important to monitor it.
What does this mean? Well, for me, I have to do the prick test for blood sugar levels 4 times a day. I will have to strictly monitor my diet, and I'm not sure how to do that yet. I will have appointments with a Diabetic Counselor at the hospital, and I will have to report to them weekly. They will help me set up a diet and exercise plan. So far, I know I can't have any sweets, juice, sugary fruits, rice, and most likely pasta. Luckily, there is no real risk to me. There is an increased risk of pre-eclampsia, but we'll take that when we get to it. For the baby, it's still very low risk- especially if I monitor myself like I should, but there are some possible complications. G.D. can result in very high birth weight babies, or very low. It can also result in large amounts of amniotic fluid. The placenta sometimes becomes "old" or less effective much more quickly, and the baby's lungs don't mature as quickly. I am a little concerned about this, as I am terrified to deliver a 10 pounder or worse. They did say they would induce me if my baby is looking particularly large, but because the lungs take longer to mature, there is more risk with that.
In the long run, I am at a much higher risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes with in the next five years, and 2 out of 3 women who have had G.D. get it again on their next pregnancy. If it's not monitored, the baby will be producing extra insulin, which can cause obesity later in life. Basically, the doctor told me that I should just adopt the diet I am given forever, to decrease my odds of getting Diabetes later. Also, I am at a higher risk because I have PCOS (Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome), and they are sister diseases. One almost always gets the other.
Overall, everything should be fine. It is the most common pregnancy problem, and very easily treated. There is a possibility that I will have to take an oral medication to help, or even insulin shots, but most cases are easily monitored through diet. Most of the risks are during the pregnancy, and the baby should be just fine. I am thinking positive, and it's looking like I won't have to have a Christmas baby after all, which is certainly a good thing! Plus, a little diet and exercise never hurt anyone!

Pregnancy Preconceptions

I decided I need to blog more often about being pregnant. After all, I only have 8.5 weeks left, which isn't very long at all! And if I continue posting like I have been, I will only get about 2 more posts before I have the baby. And there are just so many funny things about being pregnant that I would like to remember. Or maybe just use to persuade the rest of you to stick with your birth control! :) Just kidding.

Here are some of the things about being pregnant that have really surprised me. (And don't worry, I am keeping it PG and not too gross, so don't run away screaming just yet!)
1. I find myself looking at my bare belly in the mirror and thinking that I don't look pregnant at all, just fat. And then I cover it with a shirt and it's cute! I am not sure how this works, but I find it somewhat annoying.
2. It takes me FOREVER to roll over in bed. And I have to do it about every hour. It's funny that the belly makes me so unwieldy!
3. My joints are SO loose! If I don't have my knee or ankle propped up, it hurts like someone is sitting on my calf or foot, making my joint bend the wrong way. It's so weird!
4. I feel full all the time. Like I have just gorged myself on Thanksgiving, and there is no way I could eat another bite. Plus, maybe feeling like I need to unbutton my pants. You know the feeling. And yet, I haven't eaten in hours.
5. It astounds me how big my belly looks from the side versus the top! I look at the top of my belly all the time, and while it definitely sticks out, and Jason laughs at how far away on the floor things have to be for me to see them, it doesn't look that big. And then I see a picture. HOLY COW! I look like a walrus! Is my belly really that big? Yes. Unfortunately! :)
6. One of the funniest things to me is how much I love this little sucker already! I feel it kick, even when it's uncomfortable, and I get this goofy grin on my face and just think- "Oh, baby! How I love you!" It kindof reminds me of being a newlywed, but a different kind of love.

I just really love being pregnant! Sure, it's uncomfortable and I try in vain to convince myself that I look pregnant, not fat, and that it's GOOD that I have gained 20 pounds, but it is so awesome! I love feeling the baby kick, and I love knowing that I have a baby inside me, that I have created and given life! I love thinking about if it will be a boy or a girl, and who it will look like. I love that I have no idea how much my tummy sticks out and I am always bumping into things. It is just too cool, and I am so glad that I get the chance to be a mom! I can't wait to start the next chapter of this adventure!

Our New Survey!

I just learned that you can add a poll to your blog! So I have added one! You all get to guess if you think we will be having a boy or a girl. Also, I would love if you would leave what you voted in a comment as well, since I am curious to know what everyone thinks! Also, you don't have to have a blogger account to vote, so please PLEASE do so! :)

The Swine Flu :(

I am sure you are all just ravenously curious about the swine flu. Okay, maybe not. But I am sick of being sick, and thought I would whine a bit about it, and then you can all feel sorry for me!
First off, last week, before I got sick, my Dad called to warn me. He had been reading some articles about the swine flu in pregnant women, and was pretty worried. Especially since their stats were wrong (which he did say they probably were) and said that 1 in 3 that got it died. It's not that high. Or anywhere near it. But anyway, being myself and not at all worried that I might catch the flu, I told him I would be extra careful.
Fast forward about 3 days... SATURDAY
I am starting to get sick. I have a tiny bit of phlegminess in my nose, but nothing too bad. I think it might just be another pregnancy symptom, since I have had a stuffy nose on and off my whole pregnancy.
SUNDAY
While eating a Rolo, I inhale about half of it and promptly start hacking out a lung. I'm not sure I got it all out, since I am still hacking for the next few days. Nose is still stuffy. Still think I'm not getting sick.
(Jason- feels a little shaky, but thinks it might be because he didn't eat breakfast)
MONDAY
I am feeling pretty crappy today. I now think I might be getting sick, but still not sure. It's hard to tell, because I am having a bad day anyway, and anytime you cry you feel nasty and have nose issues.
(Jason- a little back pain, it's deal-with-able)
TUESDAY
WHAM! I am SOOOO sick! I can't talk, I can't breathe, I am wheezy, I have a bad fever Tuesday night, I am achy, I have a sore throat, I am still hacking away, and I am permanently attached to a box of Kleenex. Also, I am having another crappy day. Jason agrees to come home, Thank Goodness!
(Jason- major back pain, confusion, and feeling a little bit sick. Feels he was lucky to make it home.)
WEDNESDAY
We decide to go to the doctor. Okay, Jason decides he wants to go to the doctor, and I figure I might as well get something to make me feel better if we're already going. We get tested, and we have the swine flu. Yippee. Can you tell that I am just having an awesome week? :( Plus, in order to get tammaflu (or however you spell it) you have to go in within 48 hours of your first symptom. So we were too late. Still feeling awful. Biggest thing I notice today. Sluggishness. Major. It's work to keep an expression on my face. Plus all the symptoms of Tuesday. On the plus side, I no longer have a fever. But on the down side, I am getting the chills major. Sweating sucks too. And we have NO appetite. Nothing whatsoever sounds edible. I choke down some chicken, feeling on the verge of tears the whole time. And I LIKE chicken!
(Jason- WHAM! Feels totally awful. Everything I had Tuesday, plus extra back pain. And he had a fever of 101.something at the doctor. That's the only number I can quote, because we still don't have a thermometer. I should really go buy one sometime. Plus he has really freaky dreams- due to the fever.)
THURSDAY
Still feeling awful. And now we are getting cabin fever too! Plus, soup, while super tasty, is just not very filling, although it's about the only thing either of us will eat without feeling like we need to cry. This marks the beginning of feeling better, though neither of us are sure at this point. Jason is about one day behind me, so you can just guess how he is feeling from now on. I will say though, that his fever broke, and he is over the fever part. I am tired of watching TV. Really tired of it. And I have read almost all of my books recently. Grrr. Being cooped up is awful!
FRIDAY
We are both sort of getting our appetitites back. And since the doctor said we are not contagious 24 hours after the last fever, we decide to brave a drive thru to grab some dinner. Partly because we don't feel like cooking, partly because if we eat more tomato soup we might die, and mostly because if we have to sit in the house anymore we will die. Don't worry. We totally sanitized our money and were really careful. We're not supposed to be contagious, but it seems weird, since we are both still sick.
SATURDAY
I am feeling quite a bit better- actually put on some make up, so that tells you alot. Still phlegmy, still coughing and sore throatish, but no more aches or chills. And the nose things are way better.
TODAY
Slept through most of the night, which was AWESOME! Still have some congestion and I am hoping we will be better before too long!

To wrap up: the swine flu is not all that different from the regular flu, except it's like 8 times more severe and hits really suddenly. But luckily, it doesn't seem to be SUPER awful for too long, although I expect there will be little bits of sickness to remain for a while. Neither of us got close to dying, although my Dad did chew me out a bit for not being more careful.

As a side note, I have no idea how I got it. Maybe a shopping cart handle or something? I haven't been around any sick people. It is weird. But now I don't have to get the vaccine! :)

Also, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of our loving and wonderful friends! Everyone offered to go to the grocery store for us (Jason Acosta won that one, and we are so grateful!) and a few people in our ward are bringing us dinners this week. I feel so loved, and lucky to have such fantabulous friends! You guys are the BEST!

The latest pregnancy photos!

Well, I have had quite the adventurous week. Jason and I both have the swine flu, which is really no fun at all. Luckily, we are both getting somewhat better, albeit slowly. I am hoping we will be back to normal on Sunday, but we'll just have to see, I guess. So, keep that in mind when you look at these photos. I have the swine flu, even though I didn't know it, and that's why I look so yucky.
On the pregnancy front, I am hoping to be delivering a baby in exactly ten weeks. Ten weeks is not too much time, and I am looking forward to that! Things are going well, and I am still feeling lots of movement. Enjoy!

Earrings Galore!

Last Saturday, before the Relief Society General Broadcast, our stake had a get-together where the women displayed their talents and had dinner. I guess my jewelry making skills are making the rounds, because they called me up to see if I would demonstrate at a table. I agreed, and had a great time! I decided to only bring pearls and crystals and make earrings, since there was no way I could have brought enough stuff to do more. And- seriously- it was insane how much stuff I had to bring anyways! They gave me one of the banquet tables, and it was totally full of drawers of chain, findings, beads, other jewelry I brought to display (but a very small area. I brought a ton, but had no space to display it all...) and tools. It was crazy! Everyone seemed to really like the jewelry, and I really enjoyed seeing what jewelry caught people's attention. The one that got the most was one Julie helped me design- chain and blue and brown lampwork beads. (Julie- I wonder if you remember it?)
Anyway- here are the earrings I designed while I was at the thingie. I thought I would get more done, but I felt rude making jewelry while people were talking to me, so you only have like seven. I enjoyed the challenge of using pearls in different ways, and I hope you will enjoy them too!

This is the first pair I did, and it is simple, but cute. Or at least I think so! I liked the bright yellow, and thought they hung well on the square jump rings.

This pair made me step out of the box. I don't usually like using colored wire as well as silver, but I thought it made these barbie pink pearls less girly and a little more party-ish. The pearls really are Barbie pink. It's hard to tell because of the flash.

This shade of green really reminded me of a Granny Smith apple, so I decided to make wire leaves for them. As a side note- most of these earrings are very short, which is not at all the norm for me. Most are less than an inch long- including the fishwire!

These earrings are actually a very vivid purple weird shaped pearl, with sky blue pearls as spacers. Nothing fancy- but the purple really is incredible.

These earrings are the longest I made, and I liked the idea of repeating the circles. I tried to find perfectly round pearls, but I guess real pearls just don't come in shapes like that. So this is the best I got. I have worn them a few times since then.

This pair kept trying to get designed while I was working on the other cream colored set. I ended up making one earring for each set, and then the other one. I love the simple elegance of the gold and pearl combination.

This last pair is my favorite, and got a few comments- mostly because everyone was so surprised that those are pearls! I love the color, and I love stick pearls. And I love that they are asymmetrical. I am just drawn to that. One of the ladies said they have a very southwestern feel to them, and I agree- to a point. They look more Indian to me (India, not Native American.) But the stick pearls do kindof remind me of chiles.