Delivery Details

My parents and I have been talking about their trip out here when the baby arrives lately. So I called my doctor to get more detailed information on the delivery. She and I had talked previously in general terms about delivering me early because of my age and the gestational diabetes. So in talking with her assistant it looks like on my appointment on January 18th (the start of my 38th week), she'll check me to see if I am dialating on my own yet and if I might be progressing naturally. Depending on those results, she'll schedule me to be induced on my 39th week (which begins on January 25th). So it looks like if I don't deliver on my own, the baby should be arriving sometime around January 25th!

The Nursery Has Begun!

We finally got things rolling on the nursery this weekend. We bought some blinds for the window (the window in this room was one of the few in the house that had no window treatment), 3 white shelves to put decorative items up on the walls, picked up the crib and we were able to find a seashell wallpaper border. I want to use the wallpaper border as a chair rail. Originally my thought was to do a taupe, sand-like color below the border and an ocean blue color above. But in talking to Matt, we decided to put some more green into the room instead of blue. We looked a bit for wallpaper borders yesterday, but I was finding that I wasn't going to find what I wanted.... I didn't want an "under the sea" look, or something that looks baby-ish.

So I went online last night and found this border to put up. Once we receive it, we'll look to find paints that match and also figure out the color material we want on our glider... either a seafoam green or taupe color. What do you think of our wallpaper selection?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We have much to be thankful for this year... healthy and happy families, a job Matt loves, and in about 7 weeks, the arrival of Baby B!!! We were invited to spend Thanksgiving with some people we became friends with this year... the Schley's. It was just Herb, Trinnie and their son Vinny (who is the one that calls Matt Dr. Blowfish) and us... Trinnie really did all the work, cooking the turkey and side dishes. Matt made his now "famous" pumpkin cheesecake (pictured left), which was delicious... although I think I'm starting to get that cold that Matt had last weekend, so my tastebuds were a bit off today! Everything was delicious. We also enjoyed watching the Cowboys lose to the Saints! We are also really thankful to Trinnie and Herb for including us... if we can't be with our families in CA, it was great to spend the day with some good friends!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!!

Doctor's Appointment

We are now going for our doctor's appointments every 2 weeks through the remainder of the year... then we move to weekly appointments until Baby B arrives. Today we met with one of the other doctor's in the practice (there are 4 total), since my doctor is out of town for Thanksgiving. I figured it's good to at least meet the other doctors, on the off chance that one of them delivers me. She was nice.

The one thing I didn't like was that I had to use their scale for my weigh in. I've been using the same scale in my doctor's offices this whole time... this new one I had to use I don't think is calibrated the same or something because it said that I had gained 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks. I definately don't think that's right. I was tempted to ask to be weighed in on my usual scale, and I should have done that. So we'll see what my weigh in is in two weeks when I'm back with my doctor and her scale! My blood pressure what still good with no changes there. We also heard the heartbeat with was strong and perfect.

She reviewed my sugar levels I've been keeping track of. In looking at them, she decided to up my dosage in the morning because I have a little more trouble with my numbers after breakfast. So now I'll be taking 2 pills in the morning and 1 at night. She said it's quite common to have to adjust dosages through the pregnancy because the further along you get, the more insulin your body needs. If I have more than 3-4 numbers that are out of my suggested range before my next appointment, then she wants me to call in and have my medication adjusted again. She really made the point that it's not anything I'm doing right or wrong... I could be doing everything right and still need adjustments. I really like that both my doctor and now the one I saw today really made a point to tell me that this isn't my fault and it's not something I'm failing at or doing to the baby. I think that's important, especially for first time Moms.

So we go back in weeks and I'll be seeing my doctor. And we'll see what the "correct" scale says!!!

8 More Weeks???

Today I am 30 weeks along! I can't believe the end is getting so near... I'm really enjoying pregnancy and am sort of sad that it's coming to an end. And because of my age and the gestational diabetes, my doctor is probably going to have me deliver early... probably sometime between the 38-39th week, so somewhere probably between January 18-25. I hope we can avoid Joseph's (Matt's nephew) birthday because I think everyone should have their own day and not have to share.

We still haven't started putting the nursery together. The plan was to get that started last weekend, but Matt got a horrible, nasty cold. So this weekend I hope to get the nursery cleared out, pick out a wallpaper border, find some paint to match and get some blinds for the window. And maybe we can even get the room painted with the wallpaper up! I ordered our crib last weekend (a very generous gift from Matt's Mom) so hopefully that should be here in another week. Then we'll order the glider (another very generous gift from my parents) and start getting the room together. I've got a picture in my mind of how it's laid out and how it'll look, so I'm excited to see the finished product.

But only 8 more weeks... wow!!! I can't believe I'm finally going to be a Mom in just 8 weeks!!! I've waited for this my whole life and I'm so excited that I've got a husband who is just as excited about becoming a parent as I am!!!

Monthly Ultrasound

Today I am 29 weeks along... and since I'll probably be deliered a week or two early that means there are only 9 or 10 weeks left!!!! Today we had our monthly ultrasound. Fibroids were measured... I forgot to ask their size and if they had gotten bigger (I have a Dr. appt next week so I can ask then), but we did get some good news... the one fibroid of concern near the cervix has actually moved up and further away from the cervix! That's exactly what we hoped would happen. Hopefully it continues to stay away from the cervix so it won't be an issue during delivery.

The baby weighs 2lbs, 14oz now... so nearly 3 lbs! This is right one track and about average... which is great news... I don't want a 9lb 9oz baby like Matt was!!! The baby's head, forearm, femur and abdomen were all measured as well as the amniotic fluid... everything looked great! The baby was in a breech position, so his/her feet and bottom were down. We got some great, clear profile shots, but that is all that he/she wanted to show today. Does the baby look like anyone yet??!!

We also briefly met with my doctor to discuss the gestational diabetes. I've been feeling overwhelmed and stressed that she wanted me to try my new diet for a week and see if we could get my numbers down. I felt that such a huge time would take more than a week. So in talking with her and with Matt, we decided to put me on a very low dose of medication. Since getting the diabetes under control is important for the baby, and we only have about 10 weeks left, I wanted to give the baby as much time as possible with things under control. So I'll start taking medication twice a day, will continue to work on my diet and will also start to exercise more (Matt and I are going the gym this weekend!). If my numbers get more under control, then I'll just continue with the medication, diet and exercise. Since I'm seeing the doctor next week, we'll go over my numbers. I already feel much less stressed knowing I've got the medication to help me out. And since my numbers aren't really out of control, I think that getting some regular exercise will really make the difference.

We now are seeing the doctor every 2 weeks, until the last month where we go every week. So we have another appointment next week. We are getting close!

My Grandma's Ring

My wedding and engagement rings have finally gotten too tight to wear. So this past week I put my grandma's engagement ring on. I received it nearly 15 years ago when she passed away (she is my only grandparent to have passed away). I can't believe this January will be 15 years! I still miss her a ton and really wish she could have been here to see Bethany and I get married and now have children. Not only is her ring beautiful, but I like feeling like I'm carrying a piece of her with me now during the end of the pregnancy. Hopefully it'll be able to remain on through the arrival of the baby and she can be a part of that incredible day!

Baby Bowdish Shower

Last Sunday, Matt's Mom, sister and cousin hosted a baby shower for me. Our nursery theme is going to be seashells and beach, since Matt and I grew up near the water. So Maggie did a beautiful job of keeping in that theme, from the invitation, to the cake and the table decorations.

She hosted the shower at her condo's clubhouse and it was a perfect location. Nearly 25 people attended... a mix of family, friends and friends of Maggie's and my Mom. It was great getting to see some people that I hadn't seen in awhile, and some that I have heard about, but haven't had the chance to meet yet.

We played a couple of baby games, and Matt's cousin, Gaye, did a great job of keeping them simple and fun. If you know me, then you know I hate baby shower games.... especially the one where you can't say the word baby or you lose a safety pin, or the "dirty diaper" game. But the games Gaye chose were fun, quick and not too painful! And the prizes were a big hit too... especially the cool shell bracelets she bought in the Philippines while she was there.

Maggie prepared a wonderful lunch of chicken salad sandwiches, broccoli salad and fruit salad. And then the cake she had ordered (pictured above), was so beautiful. I had a hard time cutting it up because I didn't want to ruin it! Maggie, Gretta and Gaye did a wonderful job of throwing a memorable shower for me and I appreciated all the work and attention to detail they gave!

To see all the pictures from the shower, click on View Matt & Kara's Pictures above on the right.

Diabetes Education Class

So I had my Diabetes education class this past Friday, and left feeling fairly overwhelmed. It just seems that so much of what I eat (including items I felt were so healthy and I could have in abundance like fruits and milk!) are items that have carbs... and carbs are the enemy in diabetes because carbs turn into sugar in the body. I know my sugar levels when I had my glucose test weren't very high, so I think if I just incorporate some more excercise into my daily routine it'll really help. I admit I haven't been nearly as consistent as I should be when it comes to excercise, and now that it's cold outside, it's harder to go out for walks. But I've seen some excercise "on demand" stuff on our television so I think I'll check that out and see what I can do inside the house. So hopefully in understanding more about carbs, proteins, sugars, fats, etc, and incorporating more excercise, I'll be able to get my numbers under control. If that still doesn't work, then my doctor wants to put me on medication which is a pill twice a day. So I'll give it my best shot, but we'll see!!!

28 Weeks and a Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday I started my 28th week and officially started my 3rd trimester! I can't believe there are only 12 weeks left!!! I had a doctor's appointment this monrning and it went well. I gained 4 lbs, which is right on target. Going forward I should be gaining 3-4 lbs per month... I was impressed especially since my last appointment we went on our cruise!

She was a bit concerned with my sugar levels that I've been keeping track of. But I also reminded her that I hadn't yet taken my Diabetes education class yet (I'll take that on Friday), so I was just winging it as best I could. She wants me to contact them next Friday, after I've taken my class and been watching my diet more closely for a week, to see if the numbers have improved. If they haven't, then I'll need to go on medication to control it. She said sometimes, it just doesn't matter... you can eat perfectly and still have high levels. So hopefully my numbers will go down a bit next week once I really understand what I should and should not be eating.

I got to hear the heartbeat, which is always great to hear, and it was right on track... 163 and strong! I now also need to start paying attention to the baby's kicks. I should be able to count at least 10 movements within a 2 hour period (any 2-hour period I choose to pay attention to). If I don't feel 10 movements, then she suggested I eat something, drink a big glass of water, and then sit and relax and really pay attention. If I still don't feel 10 movements, then I need to call her. But I don't think it'll be an issue... I dont' feel the baby all day long, but definately feel him/her everyday... 10 kicks in 2 hours shouldn't be an issue!

I asked her about her opinion traveling for Christmas. I really want to head home for Christmas for a few days to see all my family one more time before the baby arrives. Matt (and my Dad) aren't thrilled with the idea, since I'll be 35 weeks along, but my doctor said that as long as everything is going along ok, and my blood pressure is doing well (it hasn't been an issue at all during the pregnancy), then it's up to me and if I feel comfortable traveling. Matt and I will discuss it, but I can't imagine spending Christmas away from my family.

We also discussed the baby's due date and what to expect. My doctor had mentioned at one point that because of my age, she wouldn't let me go past my due date (of February 1st). In talking to her today, it seems that it might be more likely that she'll be looking to deliver me closer to the 39th week, assuming I can control the diabetes without medication. If I am on medication, then we might push it up to the closer to the 38th week. It depends if I'm starting to dialate or not and when she decides that I might need to get induced. So it's looking more and more like a mid-late January baby for us!

I also got her opinion on pediatricians in the area. And I went and got my RhoGam shot... this is normally when I would have received my first shot since my blood is Rh-negative, but because of some bleeding early in the pregancy and my CVS test, I've already had two of them! I'll potentially have one more at delivery if the baby's core blood is also negative.

So lots of information during this appointment! I start going every 2 weeks now, until January when I go every week!!!

Here are baby bump pictures taken today... I'm definately growing!!

A "Fab"ulous Wedding!

At the end of last month Matt and I flew out to California to attend the wedding of one of Matt's ex-girlfriends. They've stayed good friends over the years, and I finally met Fab at our wedding.

Their wedding was at a church in Long Beach. I was expecting a lot more people at the wedding because she is Argentinian and he is Mexican, so I figured they had huge families. But actually there were only about 75 at the ceremony and about 100 at the reception. The ceremony was a Catholic mass, so Matt wasn't thrilled with it, but I was impressed that I still remembered all my prayers and responses since I haven't been to mass in several years.

Fabiola looked beautiful... her dress was exquisite... all lace and just stunning. I was hoping some more pictures would have gotten posted of her on Facebook, so I could include them in my blog, but this is the only one of her and Jorge I could find.

There were a couple of hours to kill between the ceremony and reception, so Matt and I headed to the shoreline and had some appetizers at the Yard House. The reception was held at the Hotel Maya which is just across the water from the Pier Street shopping area and very near the Queen Mary. It was a beautiful, boutique hotel and the room for their reception was perfect. It was small, but had a bit deck off of it and when the lights of the city and the Queen Mary lit up, it made for a beautiful backdrop. We had a good time at the reception... Matt caught up with friends he hadn't seen in many years... we did a bit of dancing... but eventually left when the Spanish-techno music became a bit much! We had a great time!