27 weeks!

:(

Well, I "failed" the glucose test.  My blood sugar came back higher than my doc would like so on Monday I get to do the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. ack.

Hopefully this second test rules out gestational diabetes.  Here's what I read on the web about the test I did today:

If the reading is abnormal (too high), which happens 15 to 23 percent of the time, your practitioner will have you come back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test to see if you really do have gestational diabetes. The good news is that most women whose screening test shows elevated blood sugar don't turn out to have gestational diabetes.

So on my day off (office is closed Monday) I get to sit at my clinic for three hours. yippee. I also have to start taking an additional iron supplement twice a day.  And things were going so well....poo.

Glucose Screening tomorrow for Gestational Diabetes

I'm not sure why this test freaks me out so much.  I think it may be because I worked with a girl once who had gestational diabetes and had to eat a special diet and test herself every day. That seemed like a huge hassle. 

So, here I am, it's my turn for the test.  Here's what I'm in for:

How is the screening test done?

When you arrive for the test, you'll be given a sugar solution that contains 50 grams of glucose. The stuff tastes like a very sweet soda pop (it comes in cola, orange, or lime flavor), and you have to get all of it down in five minutes. Some centers keep it chilled or let you pour it over ice and drink it cold.

An hour later (bring a book or magazine!), your practitioner or a technician will take a blood sample from your arm to check your blood sugar level. The idea is to see how efficiently your body processes sugar. Results should be available in a few days.

If the reading is abnormal (too high), which happens 15 to 23 percent of the time, your practitioner will have you come back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test to see if you really do have gestational diabetes. The good news is that most women whose screening test shows elevated blood sugar don't turn out to have gestational diabetes.

So I have that to look forward to tomorrow. Other than this test, here's what happening with us...

My wardrobe has shrunk considerably.  If you'll recall last week's posts, I had to go shopping for my first batch of maternity clothes.  It was a successful trip! I got a few tops, two pairs of jeans, and a little bit of confidence back.  However, I'm still in need of a few more items.  I had a mini online Old Navy shopping spree the other night, so I'm patiently awaiting a UPS delivery any day now. 

Baby is very active..or is he/she? I don't know if it's because I'm use to the movement, been super busy and haven't noticed, or kiddlet is mellowing out, but I feel like I haven't felt as much as I should be lately.  I'll be asking Dr. M about this tomorrow.

Hormones are back! Weepy pregger lady was visiting on Monday.  I felt terrible.  Physically and emotionally.  I was trying to still wear some of my "regular" clothes - what a mistake.  I was so uncomfortable.  That led me down a wicked emotional downfall.  Then to top it off we got semi-bad news about a house we were interested in.  I actually started bawling at work.  I ended up leaving early for the day.  It wasn't good. 

But, I feel great again today.  Sun is out, I get to sleep in a little tomorrow, and a wholesaler is coming in today and bringing FREE lunch! Poor guy, he has no idea he gave his credit card information and free range ordering power to a pregnant lady. ha ha ha!

i feel huge.

I've finally hit the point where none of my clothes really fit (barring the elastic stuff!) I'm suppose to go shopping tonight with Katy to get some moo moo's or something, but the snow is messing with my plans.  Not to mention the fabulous dinner out I have my heart set on!

So, there you are.  I feel huge.  Thankfully I've been told/ or lied to/ that I'm "so little". 

But...I'm still 6 lbs under my first appointment weight.  Why didn't any of you tell me I was the size of a whale pre-pregnancy?!

me in a few short weeks? eek.

Registry - check.

Yesterday I started our registry at Babies R Us.  Sheila and McKenzie helped me.  I was completely overwhelmed and without Sheila, I would still be in the infant care department! We spent almost 2 hours walking through the store.  I knew there would be a lot that was foriegn to me, but I was not prepared for the emotions I would deal with afterwards.  When I got home I started to feel a little panicked.  I started to cry and had to take a hot shower and nap to recover.

After my recovery period, I found energy again for the registry process, so Jeff and I stopped at Target to start that registry.  We added a few items, mostly because I wanted Jeff's opinion on some of the "big" stuff.  I felt much better and pretty excited after we left.  We then had date night and went out for dinner.  All was well as we drove home and I started to think about holding our little miracle and felt better.

I'm gonna love being a Mom.

oh, and at Babies R Us...I got to park in the "expectant mothers" special parking spot.  That was pretty cool.

Squeeky Ball + Frankie = Excited Baby (or freaked out Baby)

Today I experienced a first. 

I was snoozing on our bed with Frankie when she decided it was time to get up and play ball.  She brought me her loudest squeeky ball and started the NOISE.  All of a sudden, Baby started moving.  Then when Frankie stopped with the ball, Baby stopped moving, but as soon as Frankie started again so did Baby.  It was pretty neat!

Long awaited UPDATE!

Me & My Bump at week 23

Oh boy, where to begin?!


I left off at week 13. I was too sick to care about the blog – sad I know. But, I feel GREAT now! I’ve actually felt great for about a month now. Actually, it’s probably even longer.

Baby’s doing fantastic! Here are some of the highlights from the past 11 weeks (yes, I’m at 24 weeks now!)

Week 18: I had the weirdest sensation hit me one evening as I sat on the couch watching TV. I felt this light “bubble popping” feeling in my tummy. Most books and websites say a first time mom won’t feel the baby move until about week 20, so I didn’t think it was baby. I told my friend Shelly about it the next day and she also said “nah, it probably wasn’t baby”. Well…it was! Now that I feel the bambino moving all the time, I know it was actually the first time I felt baby moving. I’m glad I didn’t dismiss it. It's such a neat feeling.  It's really hard to explain, but it feels a lot like little air bubbles popping - and not like GAS! HA! It's an airy light feeling. 


Week 19: Ultrasound – WOW! What a neat experience. I thought I would be emotional, but it was so interesting that I never really attached an emotional feeling to it. Jeff and I sat looking at the monitor in amazement. We got to see baby move his/her arm, we saw the baby’s heart beating, and the tech pointed out all the important “parts”. We left with a DVD of photo’s and some short videos. I did not enjoy the full bladder part of the experience, so I’m ok if my Dr. decides I won’t need another one during the rest of the pregnancy.

Christmas: Our kid is completely prepared to wear his/her UND Fighting Sioux gear and Vikings attire! For Christmas, little bambino got a UND onesie from Auntie Terry and Uncle Cordell (well, we’re hoping he’ll be an uncle some day!) UND gear from Mommy, and Vikings attire from Uncle Pat and Auntie Jen. Nana (trying this name out for my mom) already has a little girl Vikings outfit, which sadly, she had before we announced we were expecting. I’m sure she’ll spoil our kid with lots of MN sports team clothing. Baby also got an AMAZING gift from the Satniks. They gave us a play mat/baby gym play set. It’s Fisher Price Precious Planet – very cool! I set it up a few days after Christmas to see what Frankie thought of it and surprisingly she didn’t seem to care about it very much. This is good, but not sure it’ll last. Daddy also bought baby a nice little present. I was very impressed. He even got a baby gift bag for it. He found two body suits that say “Who needs a Superhero when I have a Daddy” and “I’m the boss (when Mom’s not around)” He also got a package of newborn Soothie pacifiers. I joked with him and asked if they were for Frankie because every time we visit the Headley’s, Frankie finds Addy’s Soothies and tries to chew them up.

We’ve also had a few Dr. appointments since last update. Everything is progressing just as it should. My Dr. says I’m doing excellent. We decided to decline the four marker genetics test. It wouldn’t change anything we would do, but might cause stress if the test were to come back abnormal, which our Dr. says is somewhat common. No thanks! It is what it is, and we’ll deal with whatever comes our way when and if anything presents itself. I get to do the glucose test next appointment – oh joy.

So, here we are. Week 24. Baby is very active, especially at night when it’s time for Mommy to sleep. It’s our special time. I’ve started talking to little bambino, but it’s kind of weird sometimes to talk to “air”. I’m getting more comfortable with it. We’re pretty sure that baby will know Frankie the minute her bark is heard. She’d definitely the most vocal Anderson in our house!

Oh, and here’s what Baby’s up to these days:

• Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.


• His body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.


• Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his distaste.


• Little creases have appeared on his palms. The muscular coordination of his hands has improved as he sucks his thumb.


• Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.


• His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.


• This week your baby is officially considered viable.


• Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler!