35 Weeks Today!

First off, no I don't have a recent photo. You will have to wait until Saturday or Sunday when Jason comes home. Sorry. I can't take photos of myself from that angle. If you still want a photo taken by me, it will be of my eye. I have those ones down! :)

I cannot believe that I am 35 weeks already! It is so crazy! Everyone says that time goes so slow when you are pregnant, but for me it has just flown by! Nine months seems like such a long time, but it never seems as long as it should be. I have just four weeks to go, tops. The doctor said she would induce me a week early (probably because no one wants to work on Christmas Eve. Not that I am complaining!) which would be on the 17th. So the countdown is started!
I am a compulsive list maker. I am not sure who all knows this, and it may surprise you, since I am SOOO organized and all! :) But anyway, I have been making tons of lists this week. I have, so far:
Things I Need to Buy for the Baby
Things I Need to Buy Before the Baby Gets Here
Things I Need to Get Done Before the Baby Gets Here
What to Pack in my Hospital Bag
What Baby Things my Mom Has

And I have reorganized them all a few times. I am starting to freak out a little that I won't get everything done. But I guess some people have babies without knowing they were pregnant and survive. I am sure I will be fine. I would just rather be all ready! :) I think my next list step will probably be things to do in every week, or possibly by specific dates. My mom finds it hilarious that I make lists, by the way. We were not the list-making types growing up.

Anyway. I am just excited to meet this baby, and can't wait for it to get here!

Baby Shower #2 and #3

On Saturday I had two baby showers! (How did I get so lucky?) The first one was at 10am, and Faith was a fantastic hostess! (She didn't get in any of the photos, because she was in charge of the camera. I should have noticed and fixed that, but wasn't thinking. All the blood is going to the uterus, you know!) We played a game where you melt candy bars in diapers and try to guess what they are, and also a game where no one can say "baby" or "cute". Basically, we all had five clothespins, and if someone caught you saying the taboo word they got to take one. I lost horribly! :) Lauren won it by about 7 pins or so.

It was crazy! Then we opened gifts.
Lauren made me a teddy bear! Isn't it cute?
Melanie got me a gift card.
Britney also got me a gift card. Also, I have to say that this was the first time I had seen Britney in at least 6 years, so it was so fun having her there!

Heather got me a goodie bag full of all sorts of fun things! It had some white onesies, diapers, a pack of gum, a cute birthday banner that she made, a really soft blanket with polka dots, some shower gel and a loofah, some toys, and I think that was it. Sorry, Heather if I have forgotten something. I appreciate it nonetheless! Also, her Jason always writes Roses are Red poems in cards and he wrote:
Roses are Red
Oceans are Blue
Babies look funny
There's nothing you can do!
But don't worry, they usually grow out of it. .......usually.
We all had a good laugh!

Kaylee got me a cute set of pajamas with duckies on the feet.

Faith went in on a group gift, and got me a travel system! Yay for that!

The second baby shower was at 1pm. It was at the church, and the theme was "What will it "bee"?" There was a really cute cake that Krystal Walch made me that looked like a beehive and had bees on it made with twix bars and marshmallows. It was really adorable! I don't have any photos because I was dumb and forgot my camera. (Ditto on the blood thing again) Devera made me a cute quilt that was yellow and black striped and we tied it during the shower with black ribbon. Her girls, Sheralyn and Madelyn made me a soft yellow fleece blanket with a Winnie-the-Pooh border. We played a guessing game, to see how many of certain types of snacks were in a baby bottle. Shockingly, I won the one with the cheerios in it! I have always been awful at those. Although I was still over 150 off. Oh well! :) They also had a pinata that I had to break. It was hilarious! It took me probably a good ten minutes to break it open, and some of that was without a blindfold! And I had a BASEBALL BAT! It was very well reinforced!

Then we opened gifts!
Carrie Garner and Amy Peterson got me some Dreft (which is sensitive detergent just for babies) and some handmade burp cloths.
Marilyn, Celeste, Natalia and Tatiana Hernandez got me a reall cute Arthur book (that we read out loud, and all had a good laugh about), some cute puppy pajamas that are really soft, and a cute and soft teddy bear.
Dardree and Jessica McClellan got me a cute purple sweater with a bunny on it, some PJs with pink and purple flowers, and a pair of booties in yellow. The shoes are SO tiny!
Alison Pack got me a check, which is always nice!
Krytal Walch got me some Infant Tylenol, a medicine syringe, Bordeaux's Butt Paste, and Vaseline.
Devera, Sheralyn and Madelyn got me the aforementioned blankets. And also they were in charge of the shower. It was loads of fun!

A Surprise Baby Shower!

Last night I had no idea what we were doing for Mutual. None of the people at church on Sunday knew either, as the main players were out of town. Needless to say, I was confused, but willing to roll with the punches. Our planned class activity wasn't going to work out, so I was prepared to make something up on the spot if necessary.
Imagine my surprise when I get there, and it's a surprise baby shower for ME! I was SOOO surprised! I was even more surprised later, because I found out Jason knew about it. I don't know how he didn't say anything. I would have at least been tempted to say "I know something you don't know!" or something equally elementary school. But he didn't breathe a word, and I was floored!
First, we played a fun memory game where you match a pregnancy word with a type of candy. For example; Epidural and Life Savers or Preemie and Runts. Some of the pairs were hard to guess- especially dirty diapers. There are just too many candy bars that look or sound like they might be a poopy diaper! But it was really fun, and really made me think outside of the box. Then we played a game where there are assorted baby items in paper bags, and you have to feel them to find out what they are. It was also fun! (As a side note, I want to point out that I have never been to a baby shower before, so I am pretty excited that my first three will all be for me! It's got to be better when you get the presents, right?)
We had a fruit and vegetable tray, and chips and salsa. There was caramel dip too, so that is always a hit. And no, I didn't get to eat any of it. But it sure looked and smelled delicious! Afterwards, I realized that I could have eaten some vegetables. Oh well.
Then I opened presents. Each class got me a gift, and they were so cute! I didn't bring my camera, but I did take pictures of the gifts, and here they are!




The Beehives (my class) got me a bath set! There was a really cute hooded towel and some washcloths, some baby wash, and baby lotion. All super useful, and cute to boot!


The MiaMaids got me a package of diapers (who doesn't need those?) and a $10 gift card to Target. I am looking forward to spending it!




The Laurels gave me a handmade car seat blanket. Amy Peterson, the YW President made it and she is just a crazy sewing machine! It is super cute! You put the straps through and you can wrap it around your baby. I had never heard of one before, and I am surprised I haven't seen one in a store. It seems so practical! It is cute too, with owls.

I just love all the Young Women and the leaders! They are just too sweet! And I can't wait for this baby to get here!

The greatest pictures! (If we are talking mass..)

Here are the latest belly pictures! Taken just today! And I am over the swine flu, so I look pretty decent in them. I want to point out my lack of make-up, and that I am still looking smokin' hot. I am 32.5 weeks, and I have tops, 6.5 weeks to go. The doctor said she will induce me a week early if I need it, thank goodness! It's coming on so quickly! I had an appointment today, and the baby is head down. I was pretty worried about that, as the little sucker does cartwheels all the time. I was worried it would eventually run out of room and be stuck in some weird position that would require a C-Section. Luckily, it looks like I am all lined up for the normal kind! Phew!
Also, I have been walking around the neighborhood for exercise, and have been given quite the surprise! Every time I walk for more than, say, five minutes, I have contractions. Not the real kind, just Braxton Hicks. I figure this means two things- One) I will probably be able to jump start my labor pretty quickly by going for walks and Two) I need to find a new kind of exercise. It's not too bad, kind of like walking when you have a stitch in your side, but it's not very comfortable either. I asked the doctor today what other kinds of exercise I can try, and she was like "Walking is very mild..." Jason laughed really hard. I mean, I know walking is not intense exercise, but I was just hoping. However, it looks like I am stuck with it. But I guess if I go into labor early (but not in the next 3.5 weeks) that is just dandy with me!

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!