Checking in.

So it was pointed out to me that I haven't updated in a while. So I'm checking in.

We're at 33.5 weeks now and I am getting progressively more excited and panicky as the date approaches. I'm really looking forward to meeting our little guy, but still feel extremely unprepared. We're slowly but surely making progress on getting what wil be the nursery cleared out and ready for him, but it still has a way to go. Part of the problem is that while my nesting instincts are really kicking in, my energy levels are still pretty low (maybe it has something to do with the anemia? Or the fact that I'm just so cumbersome?) so it's harder to tackle big projects.

Speaking of cumbersome, I feel very big. (My daddy has started greeting me with the title "Great and Spacious One." If anyone else tries to call me that, though, there will be serious consequences.) I haven't gained too much weight this pregnancy (thanks to the brand-new weight loss program I discovered called "First Trimester") but the little guy is carrying really far forward so I stick out. A lot. I have to wash dishes standing sideways because my arms aren't long enough to really reach past my big tummy.

Sleeping is not working out so well. We're about to the point where I can sleep either in a comfortable position or in a position where I can breathe. I'm sleeping in 1.5-2 hour cycles and then have to get up several times during the night. My doctor says I can take Tylenol PM about three times a week to help out, but even then it mostly lengthens the cycles to 4 or 5 hours. I had one night this week where I was able to sleep straight through for 6.5 hours and it was amazing, but it hasn't happened again. The Tylenol does help ease the aches and pains so I don't wake up as stiff in the morning, though, which is also good.

It turned out that I do NOT have preeclampsia (big sigh of relief); just anemia and gestational diabetes (grumble). It hasn't been too much of a problem; it's more of an annoyance than anything else. My levels during the day were staying where they needed to be with diet and exercise but overnight my body always convinced itself that I was starving so my first-thing-in-the-morning levels were always pretty high, which means I have to take a pill to control it (no insulin shots, thank goodness). Unfortunately, because I'm on medication that means they have to monitor me more closely, so I have to go in twice a week to do non-stress tests. Other than the time commitment, though, I don't really mind this because it's a chance to briefly see the kid when they do the pre-test ultrasound to check my amniotic fluid levels, and getting to sit in those incredibly comfortable chairs which miraculously let me breathe AND be comfortable for 30-45 minutes in a semi-darkened room where I can just read and listen to baby's heartbeat is okay by me. It's seriously one of the most relaxing times of my day. (Baby doesn't particularly enjoy it when they have to wake him up with the buzzer to measure his elevated heart rates, though. He's definitely not going to be a morning person; his first experience with the buzzer brought on a tantrum that more than fulfilled the requirement for baby movement during the test and left me giggling because it is kind of hilarious to see my tummy moving like that.)

The main annoyance I have with the GD situation is the weariness of testing 5-6 times a day and having to eat at those regularly scheduled times with all the new dietary restrictions. Carbs and I have always been BFFs and now that I have to carefully monitor how many I'm getting I keep getting confronted (bombarded, really) with ads for donuts or bread or cupcakes or potatoes or whatnot. Also, my main craving during this pregnancy and one of the only things I could reliably count on to keep nausea at bay has been juice. And juice has so many carbs that it's not even worth it now. Also I have to be careful on my fruit levels because of all those natural sugars. So my diet options have become limited and frustrating even though my stomach's nausea-induced picky eating hasn't really subsided. So it's a bit frustrating and I have been spending the last few weeks telling Shallow Man "When the baby comes and I can eat again, we're going to get milkshakes/have an eclair/eat more waffles than you can shake a stick at/get drunk on orange juice/etc."

With all of that, though, I really do love being pregnant, even if I'm not overly fond of the side effects of pregnancy. I love feeling baby kick and wiggle and move around (as long as he doesn't try to dislodge my spleen or start tickling me while I'm driving). I love seeing him move. I love cuddling up next to Shallow Man and having him feel baby go crazy-go-nuts. I love registering for tiny socks (and big hats because our child has a large noggin. The doctor at the first post-diabetes ultrasound was a little worried about his head measurement until she saw Shallow Man's head and heard that we both have a hard time finding hats that fit) and looking at cribs and strollers. I love the sudden realizations that come over me at various times during the day, like "Oh, I'm going to need to get him a stocking for Christmas" or "I will have a TINY BABY to dress up for Halloween this year! Score!" or "If I want to go see that play that's coming in December I will need to arrange for a babysitter then." It's a wonderful feeling to know that our family is growing and that we've made it farther than I thought we would this time last year.

Of course there are feelings of nervousness, too, when I remember what has to happen to actually get the little guy out in public. But I'm finding it's easier to be calm when I focus on the fact that the end result will be, quite frankly, the most awesome baby the world has seen, at least in the last couple of millenia. We can hardly wait to meet our son!


(And I have to admit I'm looking forward to re-discovering what it's like to stand up without having to wait for gravity to finish re-arranging my internal organs and occupant, which inevitably results in my bladder getting squished, followed by a rapid waddle towards the bathroom.)