Diabetes Free

On a positive note to my day, I found out during my doctor visit that I do not have Gestational Diabetes. I took the three hour torture test two weeks ago and found out that all of my numbers were within normal range. I'm really glad to hear that. Goodness knows, I'm loving the chocolate cravings I've been getting lately. It would be a shame to have to give that up. But, I have been good.. I've switched my nightly bowl of icecream for Malt O Meal chocolate puffs with marshmallow.. This way I can have my treat, but not all the fat.

So that's my small dose of good news.

Boobies is Sick...

This has been a very stressful week for me. I've been on the verge of tears all day today, some of last night, and the night before. Boobies is still throwing up food at night. He goes most of the day okay and then, dinner time comes, and it's up-chuck city. We've taken him to the vet to see Xrays showing he is full of food. From his rectum all the way to his stomach. Food is just stuck there. Sitting. We paid $300 to find this out. I was relieved to find out that he wasn't just being silly and throwing up his food due to fast-eating, but at the same time, dumbfounded to think that he was full of food and sh*t.. literally.

So our main vet, Dr. Matt, gave us a prescription for anti-vomiting medicine. It didn't work. He was throwing everything up, even the pills. Dr. Matt was surprised and said that he's only seen one dog in his whole career throw up the pills.. and that dog had cancer. He suggests we take our dog to an internal medicine specialist. Yup, dogs have those too. That just means pricier experience.

After a blood work and ultrasounds were said and done, there was nothing to show what was causing Boobies to throw up. Another $550 bill and we were no closer to a solution than we were before. One vet tells us to put Boobies on bedrest and the other put no limitations on exercise. Right then we were confused as to which to listen to.

So the next day, after a night of vomiting (maybe due to the excitement and trauma of another vet and ultrasounds?), Boobies seemed okay. He ate his breakfast, and lunch.. was doing okay. We had him on the vet-recommended ID for easy digestion. He ate just a 1/4 cup at a time. Did okay to hold it down.. No vomiting. We were pleased to see this. Then Kyle played a little fetch with him. We figured a little exercise would do him some good. That's when the wretching began again. Worried, I called Dr. Matt. He first suggested we move on to the Endoscopy,with the Specialist, to search out his intestines and stomach. I asked if there was something quicker and simpler we can do first, like an enema. So for another $49, Kyle took Boobies to Dr. Matt get an enema. But over the night, nothing substantial came out. He only vomited.

The next morning he was good again. No throwing up, back to his puppy self. I thought we were in the clear. I figured I would wait to schedule the Endo. There was no use if he can pass some stool. He did pass a little bit during the day.. but nothing major. We fed him some 100% pumpkin as referred by many Lab forums online for fiber. He seemed okay for a while. By six o'clock in the evening, I was a wreck. Boobies was vomiting again. Lots of foam and drooling and he did not look good. After fits of puking for a few hours, he was okay around 9PM. My dad asked a vet online about feeding him Milk of Magnesia to relieve his constipation. So we tried it.

All night long, Kyle got up to see if he could get Boobies to go. He did not. He did not have to. Or he just couldn't. By morning, still no sign of a bowel movement and that was odd, considering the bottle pretty much guaranteed something within 1/2 to 6 hours. It even read not to give too many doses in 24 hours. I didn't want to risk overdosing him. I worried about screwing him up more than he was.

I got a good text from Kyle that Boobies passed a bowel movement. I was thrilled. So I called both vets and told them about the movement. They both separately told me that it didn't really matter. That since he's throwing up every day for more than a week, even if not after every meal, that his stomach was not moving things past a certain point. That what empties out of the rectum might be something past the blockage. Basically, if it was their dog they would get him further looked at. Something could be wrong. It could be cancer. It could be an inflammatory disease. It could be a few bad things and Dr. Matt insinuated that we don't know if he could get surgery scheduled on Monday. He said he would not wait through the weekend. We were best to get him in today, just in case something bad happened over the weekend and we needed an emergency. Cuz then the cost would be double to triple.

So we are in a battle of, do we go into more debt, possibly to find something wrong? Or, do we skip the surgery today, hope for the best, and possibly face an emergency? Or hurt our dog more? I voted to get some real sleep tonight and to not stress about him so much. I voted to listen to the professional opinions. It might have been easier to just go the "natural" way, if we didn't already know he was full of food from top to bottom. Even still, he was throwing up everyday. There still has to be a reason for that. It's never good for a dog to have regular vomiting like that.

Boobies is now out of surgery and will stay the night for observation. Apparently, we got the best vet surgeon in Florida, and even Dr. Matt was surprised we got him on such short notice. He told Kyle that Boobies' was one of his most boring surgeries he's had in a while. There was nothing to be found. Everything looked normal. No obstructions were visible. They took biopsies of all possible organs that could be affected and we should know something in a few days. I am just at wits end.

I guess we just wait and see what the biopsies say. A part of me hopes they find something to indicate a curable problem, and part of me hopes they find nothing. Cuz he's my baby boy and I don't want any problems, like cancer or worse. So my fingers are crossed that we do get a positive outcome, whatever it is.

"How Much Longer" and other Great Salutations

Nearing the end of my pregnancy, I have been noticing a few rather peculiar things. This should not come as a surprise, as most everything involving pregnancy is unusual to me. One particularly new trend that has been developing is the casual way to greet me. I know that my belly protrudes far beyond my normal stature and expect that it is going to be more noticeable to strangers that I am "with child".

So, Hubs and I went to Lowe's last night to pick up some odds and ends to finish up the ceiling fan project that he started in the nursery. We didn't have a fan in there and it is going to be much needed in the spring and summer... and fall... and some of the winter months here in Florida. We placed our purchases on the counter and proceeded to the cashier. The cashier looked at me and said, "How much longer?". I was tempted to reply, "well, as long as it takes for you to finish ringing up our supplies". I decided against it and realized he was just striking up conversation with me. My belly gets a "hello" before my head does. Okay. I can be okay with that. So I told him eleven weeks. I then recounted how I can't believe I'm going to be getting bigger than I already am. I feel like I'm as big as I "should" get already. But we all know I'm going to swell up like the Goodyear blimp come the end of this trimester. I'm sure he didn't want to know every detail, but I figured he started it.

I don't mind that my belly gets a hello... It's good. It proves that I, indeed, look pregnant, and not just chubby. I'm okay with that. I'm not okay with the fact I can't seem my hoo-ha anymore, but that's another story in itself.

So, today was baby stuff shopping day. Kyle and I went to a few stores to compare prices and to "play" with the selection. We want to make sure we get our money's worth, and that we get something we will like for a long time. We want to make sure it will be gender-neutral too, as we know we want more than one child.

For a baby that will come out knowing nothing or caring of simple things like bumper borders in the crib or paint on the walls, we sure have a LIST of things to get. I think we are down to just a few "necessities" like an activity center, a play mat, a high chair and a pack-and-play. Other than those things, I think we will be home free to just get odds and ends like toys, books, and clothes.

Well, we are always proven wrong when we go to Babies R Us. They can really make parents-to-be feel really inadequate and ill prepared. It's really not nice. There are so many things that they thought of that no person should feel they need. They have everything from cushy rocking chairs that made me feel like I sat in a warm plate of mashed potatoes to a million safety options that make me feel like a neglectful mom. This place is made for parents-to-be who decide that they are allowed to have a champagne taste with a beer budget. It's a place where credit cards can easily be maxed out to buy things that the newborn baby "needs". It's this realization that wonderful stores full of options and ideas like Babies R Us are just out to get us. We saw a wonderful stroller/carseat combo on Clearance while were there. If we were typical, just the red sign with a "sale" price might have sold us. Until we looked closer and realized that while the sale price was $239.98; it was not a deal at all when we looked at the original price of $239.99. A penny savings!! Did they really think that would sway us? I know that we had to double take it to be sure we were seeing what we thought. Yup... They're on to us. They know we will do anything for our munchkin-to-be. Which is why we left the store and decided to price out other places that might not have "everything". We're okay with not having everything. As long as he has a place to lay his sweet head and a safe ride home for the hospital, I'm sure we've got all we really need.

Baking a Bowling Ball

Brady is now officially in his third trimester of growing. There are so many different ways to figure out how old he is and what month I'm in, I just kinda do my own thing now. First off, they all say you are pregnant nine months. Sorry, but it's ten months. 40 weeks can't be squeezed into nine months no matter how you try. I have some weekly emails that claimed when I hit 28 weeks that I was still just 6 months along. I know that when I divide 28 by 4 weeks, I get 7 months. So I went with that date. I feel like I've been "running this marathon" now forever. I have the right to "bump" it up when I feel it's necessary. And to have to stay in the six month range is just criminal.

Well, today I got an email that claims I have "officially" arrived into the third trimester. Two thirds done with this! Some days I really feel like this has just begun. Others days, I feel so huge and whale-ish.. and wonder what it was like to not be pregnant. I'm sure most women go through this at one point. I find myself even counting down the days until we meet Brady in terms of weeks. 11 weeks sounds so much sooner than 3 months or 79 days. Then, when I feel overwhelmed with how fast things are going, I make myself feel better and call it three months. I reflect back to how three months ago it was the end of October. That seems like forever ago now.

Apparently we are in the home stretch now. Time to iron out the baby registry and figure out what is still needed and what doesn't need to be on there anymore. Time to figure out work/baby care situations. Time to finish things up. Time to eat to fatten him up. He's still a skinny thing. Wouldn't know it by how hard he can kick, but he's gotta get more meat on him. Kyle and I were both 8 pound babies and we were both a week or so early (I was a C-section, he was naturally early). If we would have both gone full term, I wonder how big we would have been. My brother was a ten pounder. Gosh, I hope Brady isn't a ten pounder.. that's a bowling ball!

Parental Practice

I have a feeling that Boobies, our yellow lab, can tell that there will be some big changes soon. He has been acting really weird lately. We switched his dog food from a more pricey $35/a bag for forty pounds of Purina One (food he's had since he was a puppy, that we love to feed him) to $20/a bag for 55 pounds of Purina Dog Chow. I know we've downgraded his food considerably, and I feel horrible. But at the rate Boobies and Monkey eat their food, we go through it so fast. We really need to tighten things up with money before the baby comes.

We know that when it comes time to switch food for our dogs, that we must mix the old with the new to transition the change. They have sensitive stomachs and we are careful to not disrupt their digestion too much. It's been about a month since we've changed their food. It seems that just recently, Boobies has been really inhaling his food. We watch him and see that he actually is sucking in his ribs to eat. Then he hacks and wheezes and sometimes even throws his food back up.

I've been trying to feed him little by little lately. That seems to help a bit. I give Monkey his food first, across the kitchen, and then I feed Boobies a teeny bit of food at a time. I try to praise him when he actually chews. He seems so ravenous. I wonder if maybe our food doesn't satisfy him and he really is starving by next meal time? It's not like he's been losing weight. I would say he's got a good build. He's not too fat like Labs get, and he's not skinny. I know that Labs have a habit of being glutenous, but this is ridiculous.

I know he doesn't have any obstructions to cause him to throw his food up, because when I feed him slowly, he doesn't regurgitate. I read on some forums that dogs can feel stress. I wonder if maybe he can sense a new arrival coming and he's worried. I feel so bad for him if he's stressed. I don't feel that Kyle and I carry our stress of the upcoming change with us, but maybe Boobies can see right past our facade.

He went from being our only "baby" since he was a puppy, to being just another dog. Monkey came into his life when he was three and lost a part of his pedestal as the best dog ever. Now, he's been watching as we work on the nursery and buy baby things, and he's probably sensing another change coming. I wonder if we need to get him a new toy and pay extra attention to him? I don't think that Monkey is as affected by any possible changes as he still acts the way he's been since we've known him. As long as he gets affection and gets to snuggle with Kyle on the couch, he is satisfied.

I'm going to keep trying to feed Boobies slow and see if that helps any. There are some bowls out there with prongs in them to help the quick eater, and if I have to, I'll buy that. A friend also suggested that we get some toys that give him a "job" to do. Maybe a new Kong or a treat ball of some sort. She thought maybe if he was a bit more active with his mind, he will feel less stress. We do take the boys for walks after work before dinner.

This must just be practice for kids... We get so mad at him for doing "stupid" things like breathing his food down and then up-chucking it all over the carpet. It's not his fault he's doing this, if it's caused by emotion or stress. We have to get over our aggravation of his behavior and try to get to the root of it. Hopefully if we pay more attention to him and show him that we love him, he will feel more at ease... Parenting practice... that's how I look at it.

Glucose Girl & the Numb Butt

I took the day off yesterday to get my blood work done. Sounds like an easy day off, right? Wrong. It was the longest morning of my life!!

I had to fast from midnight the night before until my morning appointment. Luckily mine was at 8AM, but that didn't mean that they would be ready for me. I had to get the glucose levels tested for Gestational Diabetes. I've already taken a one hour test and failed it by just 16 points. This was a three hour test. Yay, me. This was going to be a torturous morning!

I arrived on time with a couple minutes to spare. I signed in, handed over my paperwork, and waited. And waited. After what seemed like three hours, I was called back to get started. My belly already started its morning rumble. My first tube of blood was drawn.. That wasn't so bad.. The technician handed me a bottle of Orange. It wasn't juice, it wasn't soda, it was just Orange. I had to chug it within five minutes. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It tasted like orange cough syrup; it was not easy. Especially on a very cranky and empty stomach! I told myself it was a liquor shot. I used to drink the grossest alcoholic drinks (before I was pregnant, of course!) and with no problem. This was harder because I knew I wasn't going to get a buzz.

It was already 8:30AM. Oy! I had to get my blood drawn three more times; once an hour. That means that I won't be eating any food til at least noon! I sat in the waiting room and was overwhelmed by people dressed in stale cigarette smoke and strong perfume. Okay, the wooziness was setting in. I found a 3 month old Parenting magazine and tried to focus on all the pretty babies. I tried to distract myself by texting on my cell phone. I hoped that would make the time pass.

It finally did. It was 9:30! I looked up and sent my subliminal message that an hour had passed. I overheard, "it's time for the Glucose Girl to get her blood drawn". Yup, that was me, Glucose Girl.

Back in my blood chair the technician pushed a needle in my arm. No problem... if I look away while it's going in, I don't notice the pain. Then I don't mind looking at the blood going into the tube. So I looked, and there wasn't any blood yet. What the hell? She started to move the needle around, in search of veins. OUCH!! She kept shifting the needle around, looking for gold. It was not going to happen for her. She apologized and tried my left arm. Yay. Luckily, when I looked away and then back at the tube, my precious red was flowing. Yippee. By this time, I swear my hand was turning purple. I started to see the world get floaty. I suppose that was the time the pure sugar I had the hour before was kicking in. Just about as soon as I notice the wavy surroundings, I felt my foot tap to a beat of its own. Yup, the sugar rush had officially started.

With this new energy, I was sent back to the lobby to wait another hour before my needle poke. I never felt so uncomfortable! I have decided that waiting three hours on an empty stomach with a baby kicking around in the belly would be the perfect form of torture! I felt Brady kick to his special beat; the one where he kicks the crap out of my cervix. He was probably as antsy as I was. I hadn't fed him since the night before. I repositioned myself and once again gagged on strong, over-priced perfume that hung in my nose from the stench in the room.

10:30 finally arrived and I went back for my third tube of blood. I complained to the technician that it really seemed unfair that a pregnant lady has to go through this. She told me that she had a woman who failed her first one-hour test by one point and had to do the three-hour test. One point! The technician and I agreed that if they had just told us to fast for the one-hour test, our results would be more accurate! I personally can smell a conspiracy. If they find that I do, in fact, have gestational diabetes, then this won't be all moot. But I have a feeling they won't find much more than the fact that I had Orange juice before my original testing appointment. Note to self: fast before first screening to avoid this experience in the future.

I was able to muddle through and survive the sugar crash before my final extractment at 11:30. It was so hard to not just pull up a chair and spread out and sleep. I almost asked if it would be okay to go to my car and nap. I survived though. The last vial taken, and I was a free woman! I called Kyle, told him to get ready, we were going to McDonald's!! What, did you expect something nutritious? Preggers needed some food NOW!

Hospital Tour

The much-anticipated hospital tour was last night. It surely wasn't what I was expecting, but at the same time, it was exactly what I thought it would be. After all, it is a hospital.

So we headed to the center with plenty of time to spare. It's only a fifteen minute drive from home, if we go the speed limit. I'm sure that when the labor time comes and we are speeding, we can cut that time in half! It was a little difficult to find close parking. We did manage to find a spot a few parking lots over. It's okay, pregger girl needs the exercise.

We went to the women's center and waited for the event to start. We were on time. That's rare for me lately, so that was nice. There was a wide range of people for this tour. There was the "perfect" red cardigan girl, we'll call her Red, who sat across from me. I think she was due in March. One girl was due in February and said she would have loved to schedule it for the upcoming weekend if she could, without having to have a c-section. Most women looked ready to "pop". I felt like I was touring a bit early in my pregnancy compared to them. There was a young couple with a belly barely 3 or 4 months. She barely even looked pregnant. I only have 12 weeks to go, I didn't feel so bad after seeing her. I figured it was safer than sorry to just get the peek at the hospital over with.

We start the tour and packed ten larger-than-life pregnant women and their significant others in an elevator. Fear of causing a crash did occur, but we were assured we were okay. We rode to the third floor and started touring the delivery rooms. I am relieved that all rooms have single beds. The tour guide mentioned that the dads can have a cot to sleep on and that they were pretty uncomfortable. Red's husband got brownie points from her for saying, "well, our discomfort won't even compare to what our wives are gonna go through". Gag me. Red proudly, or should I say, snidely, looked around to make sure we all heard what he had to say. We did, Red, he's great.

I was glad to hear that we are allowed up to three people in our birthing room. I plan to have Kyle, of course, and Cuz. They will help me to feel "normal" and will probably keep my spirits up. I like to crack them up and that will keep my mind off any pain I'm sure I will be having. Ours will be Cuz's first sight of actual birth. She has never seen her babies born or her grandbabies. It's so magical that she will see her first great grandbaby take his first breath! I'm just sure between Kyle and Cuz, they will be passed out on the floor while I am pushing. I'll be sure to bring my video camera for proof!

We moved on to c-section rooms and they weren't as pleasant. They had actual stretcher beds for wheeling into the operating rooms. As great as a planned delivery seems on paper, I think I would prefer getting over my fear of labor, because I know the healing process is quicker.

We toured the water birth room for Red. She "might" want to consider a water birth. How special. I do have to say the room was painted really sweet and I could really feel calm in there. But trade in granny-style wall paper and ugly borders in the delivery rooms for a water birth? No. That's right up there with the orgasmic birth for me. Might work for others, but a little to "new" for me. Let's just go old-fashioned.

Next, we went over to the postpartum area for moms and babies. We saw an adorably small baby in the nursery with his mom. She looked so tired and we were all giddy and gawking at her baby. Kyle felt so bad for her. But at least we were smiling at her. Intrusive? Yes. Cruel? No.

There is a great photography company that can do some pretty cute shots of the baby. I'm sure those will cost an arm and a leg, so we'll most likely pass. My digital camera will work fine for me. Gotta make sure to bring waterproof mascara. Don't want to look like a hot-mess in my pictures!

On our way back through to the delivery area Kyle hears a loud "PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!" to the beat of a ticking clock. I think I must have blocked that part out. He was a little white-faced after he heard that commotion. All I could hear was the wonderful shriek of a newborn's first cries. That was great for me. I'm really glad I didn't hear the "PUSH!!!". That would probably have had my nerves on end.

While waiting for an elevator for our herd, Red took a poll to see what everyone was having. We heard, "Girl", "We're having a boy", "We want it to be a boy", etc. Red counted that there were about four or five boys coming. I felt it was polite to ask her what she's having. I got an eye roll and a smug, "we don't know what we're having". I tried to keep the conversation going with, "oh, so you don't plan to find out until he or she is born?". I got a curt reply, "we want it to be a surprise". Her lip even did the snooty partial smile. I ended that conversation right then and there. Kyle said that he swears Red was giving me a dirty look the whole time we were there. Either I didn't notice, or I blocked it out, along with "PUSH". She was a special one, I could tell.

I got a good glimpse of how other new parents-to-be acted. A lot were very mushy. It was a bit over the top for me. We know how you got pregnant, we don't need a reenactment. We were on a hospital tour. It wasn't Disney World. Get a room. You might think I say this because I was jealous. I just don't see what is romantic about sterile hospital equipment and smelly cafeteria food. I know the event will be special and wonderful. I know that it will be scary and difficult. I know that it will be the best day of my life.

I'm really glad we went on the tour. I feel that a lot of my fears about where to go, where to park, and how the heck to we get to a room to give birth, have been put aside. I feel that now that the worry of the unknown is passed for location. Now I just have to prepare myself for the actual labor and delivery. Luckily I have a couple more months to get that situated in my head.