29 March 2007

me = grumpy pregnant lady

Got a call from the doc. I failed my 1-hour blood sugar challenge thinger-ma-bob. Now, I have to do a fasting, 3 hour test. My first thoughts were of sitting at the doctor's office for 3 hours. Grr. But, it gets worse. I have to fast for 12 hours (I got them to agree to 6 since that's what the nurse originally said). Then I really have to sit there for 3 hours. Here's the schedule:

2am - while up for potty break #2, EAT something.
815am, they take a "fasting" blood sample
Drink the orange crap (10 oz of liquid similar to orange soda but it has 50 grams of sugar and a bad after taste).
915am - take hour #1 sample
1015am - take hour #2 sample
1115am - take hour #3 sample

Okay, so maybe that doesn't sound so bad to you, but let's think about this. I'm PREGNANT and like to eat OFTEN. Usually by 11am, I've had a slim fast, a nutri-grain bar and a bagel with cream cheese. Even then, I usually have lunch by 1230. And they think I won't be hungry. Let's add to my grumpy attitude by having to sit at the doctor's office for 3 hours. I don't sit still well at all (I would have flunked that class and been called ADHD). They said to bring a good book. Who cares about the book, I just don't want to SIT anywhere for 3 hours. I don't even sit for the 3 hour drive to DesMoines right now - I make a pit stop half way at Target. And in not-comfy chairs... sitting... for 3 hours. Do they not understand that my back already hurts and I don't like this idea at all. Grr. I can tell that I'm getting more emotional than usual (which is bad because I already cry easy) . I wanted to cry when I got off the phone with them. I'm so frustrated. Grr!

High/Low

Every week at bible study, we start with our "high" of the week and our "low". I always forget by time I get there and listen to everyone else so I thought I'd share it here:

High
So I walked into the local bakery the other day (which BTW has no comparison to the little mexican bakery back home) to buy a few things for the office. I asked for a half dozen "long johns" (aka maple bars) from the lady but was completely eyeing the muffins. She mentioned that she had a special for a dozen long johns and answered my question about the muffins. Smart-alek me popped back at her "oh, you're only telling me to buy more because you know I'm big and pregnant and want to eat everything in sight". Her response was to die for. She made my day, and possibly my week by saying "oh honey, but you are a beautiful pregnant!"
Okay, that lady rocks! Sure, my hubby thinks to tell me on occassion that I'm beautiful but isn't he supposed to? Duh, he married me, I hope he doesn't think he married some dog-faced nasty person! It was quite refreshing to hear some complete stranger tell me I'm beautiful!

Low
The next morning after rushing out of the house without a shower (okay I wasn't at all dirty or sweaty or anything but I feel like I HAVE to have a morning shower to freshen up), I was working at my desk. At one of my many potty breaks during the morning (the baby has shifted and is using my bladder as a pillow), I looked in the bathroom mirror. My only thought was: "yeah, today I'm definitely NOT a beautiful pregnant woman!!!" Today was much the same only I had my shower. The not beautiful part: letting my naturally nasty hair air dry, no make-up, nothing!

drama of the week

Okay, its actually a daily drama... my kiddo hates to have his teeth brushed. Its cool when he does it himself and he mocks me standing at the sink but when I go to finish up for him, its an all out war! I have to hold the child down and constantly ask him to open his mouth as he wiggles, bites the toothbrush, holds his mouth closed and gets swatted. I hate it! This usually happens right before bed time and it makes me so irritated because I'm already beyond the tired stage.

As if that's not enough, his dad has been gone a TON lately. He's either been running calls or working on taxes at the office the past 5 nights. I missed my hubby so yesterday I called and left a voice mail saying that I missed him, love him and want to run away with him! He so needs a break and so we are going to take a short but relaxing and inexpensive weekend get-away.

20 March 2007

Picture Update

(if you're blind or have tired eyes like me, click on the picture for a larger image)


The kid loves to play the piano (November 2006). I wish I could download the video of my little mozart playing the piano with his great grandma last week.





The kiddo sledding with his dad. It was definitely not a normal experience for the little guy, especially when his dad let him sled down the hill by himself and he crashed. (January 2007). Another moment with some cute video.


I tried to push him back up the hill instead of carrying him but I think I kicked more snow on the kid than it was worth!

It was first thing in the morning for both of them (February 2007). This kid loves "dj dog" but its not a love returned by the dog. The dog could really care less - unless he can sneak a lick off the kids pizza covered hands.















He definitely knows that there is a baby in his mom's belly. He likes to show us too and give it hugs (which means he puts his face against something like you see in the picture on the right). Picture taken February 27th - when I was ~22 weeks.



The kid is an absolute ham! These are two of his favorite toys right now. The cow and the horse from when his dad was a kid. He knows they go behind the fence and he pushes their heads down so they can eat.


Yes, my child always has red eyes. Here he is having a blast playing piano with his great grandma last week (post seizure).



We took this after the EEG. It looks like we jacked up his hair on purpose but it was from the things being glued to his head. What you can't see is the gobs of glue and the red marks that were drawn everywhere a probe thingy went. It looked like someone did a bad job highlighting his hair and then put way too much product in it.



Happy St. Patrick's Day! This kid is a teency bit Irish so we had to celebrate with a new tshirt of course. This time we jacked up his hair on purpose. Yup, he's a doll

Okay, that's it for now.

19 March 2007

update

1. still no prego pics. I've got them on my palm pilot but not on my flash drive (hopefully hubby accomplishes that today for me)
2. Happy Birthday Hubby. You are getting "old"
3. No MRI appt as of yet. Hopefully we'll know more tomorrow. Our home docs think that he may not need an MRI and suggested he might see the pediatric neurologist up here (almost a 2 hour drive)
4. I'm not motivated to work today. I am motivated to eat :)
5. I'm making hubby almond crusted salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and vegies for his bday supper. If only I could add to that a quiet, romantic candle lit evening and some virgin daqueries. Instead, we'll have juice or pop and entertainment from our wild child :)

New things for Small Fry

A few new things about the small fry (besides the seizure):
- He likes to say LOTS of things. A few favorites are "come in grandpa" in the sweetest little voice ever; "where fill in the blank go" with arms spread wide open.
- He loves stairs and thinks he needs to go down them too often now (thanks to LC who's been watching him and teaching him to do the steps outside).
- He didn't want to nap the other day so I tried to snuggle with him. Instead of sleeping, he spent at least 20 minutes "playing" with my hair. He'd move it out of my face and back, etc. Yes, he's my son and doesn't take after his father on that one!
- He likes his potty chair but only because its a chair his height, not because he associates it with pottying.
- He still has a fettish with shoes and phones (another sign that he takes after me). The kid thinks that mornings and toast are related some how.

We visisted an older couple from our church last night. By time we left, he was calling Gladys "grandma". I wonder if any older person will now be grandma or grandpa. He's an absolute blast to be around but has a definite strong will to him. It's frustrating but funny when he gets mad and throws this very short but obvious fit. The kid loves cookies, counts to 3 or from 6-10 and knows some ABC's. He's growing so fast. His vocabulary is amazing which makes me wonder if he'll be slow in another area such as potty training.

16 March 2007

Small-fry had a Seizure

I could write you a long drawn out email with all the details of the last few days but will hold off on that. My small-fry had a seizure Sunday night at 130am. Praise God that I heard the "scream" and went to him right away. He was having what we commonly know as a "grand mal"
seizure. He was shaking, gagging, frothing and not alert at all. Thanks to the 911 operator, I was able to do the right things, get him breathing again and the seizure stopped. It was a very scary experience, especially when I realized that I was holding my child who wasn't breathing. I was comforted by the EMT's who arrived. They took us by ambulance to Blanks Children's Hospital in Des Moines. Hubby's grandparents (who I was staying with for a few days while I worked near Des Moines) followed us there. Things checked out great at the emergency room - his temperature was back to normal, he was alert and doing his typical things albeit very tired. By 630am, we were safely back at the Grandparents! I spent Monday on the phone with nurses, hospital staff, etc trying to figure out the next steps, learning what to do in case of another seizure, etc.

We were able to get an appointment with a pediatric neurologist on Tuesday following the EEG appointment. And when the nurse called to tell me the details, she said "this is nothing short of a miracle, but you have an appointment..." (it usually takes two weeks to get into to see a pediatric neurologist). Praise God for having His hand on the situation. Hubby drove down Monday after work and arrived in time to go to bed. The three of us spent most the day Tuesday at Blanks Childrens. The EEG was clear, and they still don't know the cause of the seizure. So, we'll continue to hope and pray that it was a "fluke" thing and be thankful that God intervened in numerous ways.

We still have an MRI to schedule (which I hope to do today) and a follow up with our doctor here. Small-fry is his normal active self and is thrilled to see people and as energetic as ever. There is a 50/50 chance that this could happen again so we'll have to keep that in the back of our mind as well as carry around the medication that will stop another seizure should he have one.

Meanwhile, we are trying to get back to the swing of things here at home, catch up on some sleep and enjoy the "normal" life!

07 March 2007

Welcome Sage

I have a new nephew! Sage was born to my brother and his wife yesterday afternoon. I'm eager to see him but they are 2200 miles from here so I'll keep enjoying the pictures that others send me.





Weighing in at 5lbs, 5 oz and 19" long, here's Sage:

His mom and dad look pretty proud in the pictures I've seen, as does his grammy who was able to travel the 2200 miles to see him!


06 March 2007

Kid Update - 2 stories

So, I get this email from Amy yesterday while she's watching my son. And she just wants to compliment me on how good he is and how much she misses that in her two children. Let me tell you what, it so made my day yesterday. And he is a good kid. But last night, I'm not sure what his deal was. His typical communication skills were a bit off-balanced. He was whiny and wanted me to read to him while I was trying to take 10 minutes to myself to read. He was also throwing these mini-fits. Not sure if he experienced those at Amy's or if he was just experiencing a new attitude that he found in the back of his little brain. He wanted in his high chair, then wouldn't drink his juice, wanted down and then back up - all within a minute. I had a major back ache and wasn't wanting to be very patient. So I fed him the apple sauce that he dug out of his diaper bag. Instead of his usual "all gone", he kept saying "apple sauce" as if he wanted more. Okay, 90 minutes before this he'd eaten roast and carrots at Amy's. I made the fair assumption that he had two straight days of playing with others all days and was just over tired. The kid proceeds with his attitude but keeps saying "meat, mommy". So, I get some ham out of the fridge, put it in a bowl in front of him and he goes to town. After that, he drank his juice right up and was the perfect little boy that I love having around! By now, Ryan and I had finished our healthy meal of home-made potato chips and taquitos (which the little one also had to share). We headed to the living room where I asked hubby to put his new notebook toy away and spend some time playing with his son. It was fun, I was tired and shortly after, we headed to bed where I took some Tylenol PM and was out.

So, then this morning, is day #2 of non-Grammy daycare. Take the little guy to the C's for the day. He loves it there. And LC has something going on right away so she bags up some dried cereal, pack his to-go fruit, fill his cup with juice and head back out the door. Leo shows up a few minutes later to pick them up as planned. Only, it didn't go as planned. LC made sure that he knew to bring the van since she had my kiddo and would need room for his carseat. He walks in and says "I brought my truck. You'll just have to hold him in your lap from here to town". Knowing that Leo is always saying something to get-my-goat, I blow it off with a reply in which I said "Right, Leo. You know you can't do that. He has to be in a carseat." Okay, up to this point, I was sure Leo was just kidding but I quickly found out that he was serious. I was floored and didn't know what to say or do next. LC told Leo that she'd have to take her van to town and we headed out to the garage to install the carseat into her van. I still can't believe that the man wanted her to hold him in his lap from her house to town. Let's think about this a little... LC lives out in the country. The closest route to town is down the gravel. Now, I was just on 1/4 mile of that gravel and it was still snow covered and a bit icy. The remainder of the way to town is twisty and curvy, etc. We've had bad roads with cold weather which means the snow and ice hasn't had a chance to melt. And he wanted to take my kid without a carseat??? I know he's 60+ years old and his kids didn't use carseats BUT today is different. There are laws that say we are required to use carseats. And we have the safety equipment available today so why not use it??? All because the man didn't drive his van out.

I was so irritated. And 6 hours later, I'm still ticked about it. I considered writing him a note that said something along the lines of "I love you guys and would trust my child in your care at any time. However, I do not appreciate your plan to have him sitting in LC's lap this morning and will not allow such behavior in the future". I wonder what his reasoning was for not bringing the van.

05 March 2007

Yes, I finally remembered my stinkin' password and am able to post.

Real quick (as if that is possible with me):
1. Took belly pictures but still haven't downloaded them (sorry Cori).
2. SIL is getting induced tomorrow AM so we hope to welcome my brother's first baby tomorrow or the next day.
3. Mom went to CA to help brother and SIL out which means the kiddo is in the hands of others for the next 3 weeks.
4. Kiddo likes to eat A LOT!
5. I've had girl scout cookies on my desk all day and haven't touched them - AMAZING!
6. We have 4' drifts on our driveway.
7. Hubby and I were both snowed in from work on Friday. He was too tired to do anything around the house after shoveling for 90 minutes to dig his truck out.
8. I got a 1.7% cost of living raise in January. Thank you taxpayers!
9. I'm loving my Keens and want to get another pair for my black clothes.
10. I need to be a good aunt and go home to see this new baby in the next few months but don't think it will happen based on ticket prices and pregnancy!
11. I'm liking Jody's new toy and think that I'll have to send her some of my scrapping stuff to cut for me :)
12. Baby 2 B is a mover and a shaker. I'm loving feeling good!
13. I sledded down the hill twice yesterday with some young friends and small fry. I'm old, pregnant and out of shape!