Celebrating... with ice cream... and banana bread

Hooray, no gestational diabetes! I actually passed ALL four of the blood draws, which is amazing because I have NEVER passed my fasting glucose test. I have been right on the bordelrine for diabetes for years, until now. Guess my body just like being pregnant (I know my heart and brain sure do).

MMM... Glucola

I had my 3 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test this morning. Other than being sleepy (I had to be at the lab by 7 AM) and long... it wasn't that bad. I got to drink the Fruit Punch flavored Glucola, which in my opinion, is WAY better than the Orange flavor. While I was waiting, I did a cross word puzzle, and I don't know if it was the glucose or what, but I was on FIRE! Good times! Which seems to be a bad thing... all my mom remembers about having GD is that she felt great after drinking the Glucola (she almost passed out when she drank it and didn't have GD). If that is any indicator, looks like I am in the club.

I'll post the results as soon as I find out...

She's got legs...

I had my 28 week ultrasound today (even though I am only 26w3 days, I wanted to get it done before my appointment next Friday and while I am on Spring Break). One of the first things the tech asked me was if Mike was tall, because apparently, little Maggie has some LONG legs! She definitely didn't get the tall gene from me! LOL. Mike isn't tall (5'9"?), but my dad, maternal grandparents, and lots of other family members are all at or over 6 feet.

Thank goodness we got the money shot last time, because Maggie was pretty modest this time. The tech and I kept poking her, trying to get her to uncross her legs! Finally, at the very end, she shifted and we were able to see the goods, and she is definitely a girl :)

Here are a few of the pictures...

Little girl even has some hair already! Not a lot, but enough to see!

And don't you just love the "alien view"? It always makes me laugh (only after I have seen in profile that she looks like a human!).

In other pregnancy news, while I was getting my ultrasound, my OB's office called to tell me that I flunked my 1 Hour Glucose Screen and I am anemic. I have the 3 Hour Glucose Screen tomorrow at 7 am (yikes!), just because I don't want to have to take extra time off work and I don't want to wait until after my Texas trip before getting this under control.

Looks like I am going to Texas!

I got a call from my assistant principal today, who said that the superintendent remembered me saying that if the district decided to recruit in Texas, I'd be game to go (seriously, when did I say this and how in the hell did the superintendent remember this???) Well, the district is recruiting in Texas in two weeks, and they would like me to go for 3 days to try to persuade a few Texans to give Arizona a try. After all, who better than a former Texan to tout the perks of Arizona?

It looks like my assistant principal, who is also pregnant, and I will be hitting San Antonio, San Marcos, and some place else... a little pregnant lady va-cay. More details to come!

Rare White Whale Lands in Arizona Back Yard

First off, let me just say how much I love living in Arizona (save this post to throw in my face when I am 9 months pregnant and it is 115 degrees out). I am on Spring Break this week and spent my afternoon laying out in the back yard, as it was a beautiful, sunny 80 degrees outside. I (barely) squeezed into one of my pre-pregnancy bikinis, slathered on some yummy coconut scented lotion and hit the lawn chair. After about 20 minutes, I realized that while my front side might get golden bronze, my back side is doomed to whiteness unless I can find a way to lay on my belly for an extended period... my best idea yet is to purchase an inner-tube, stick my belly in the hole, and hope for the best. In the meantime, I asked Mike to take my picture. When I saw the picture, all I could think was, "Whoa! I am gonna need a stronger chair by June!"

I also stopped at the OB's office today, because I am a little concerned about my recent weight gain... according to my scale, 5 lbs in 2 weeks, with no change in diet or exercise. Well, my OB's scale confirmed this weight gain, and they told me to call in a few days to see if they have received the results of my glucose screen. GD here I come...

Jumping the Fence and the Big Clean...

So, yesterday was Palm Sunday. For Catholics, and I think for all Christians, this is a pretty big day. At church, they read/re-enact the Passion of Christ in preparation for Easter/the Resurrection next week. This does make for a rather long Mass, so I put on my maternity brace and some comfy shoes and headed off to the gym (yes, my church meets in a gym until we raise the 6 MILLION DOLLARS the dioceses wants us to raise before they start building our church - but that is a whole 'nother story).

Mass was crowded, but I found a spot and settled in. When it was time for the Passion, the priest asked us to sit down, and we did. What happened next blew my mind. The lady next to me pulled out her nail file and began to file her nails. She didn't just fix a hang nail, she filed all ten nails, then pulled out cuticle cream and starts doing her cuticles. The lady ended up giving herself a freakin' manicure while the priest re-told the story of Jesus's final days! And she wasn't the only one! The guy in front of me was smacking his gum, the kid behind me kept kicking my bleacher, and the lady next to me was playing SpiderMan with her 8 year old. WTF has happened to the sanctity of Mass? I understand infants and toddlers needing a distraction, but everyone else needs to rethink why they are there in the first place. And that is my pregnant, hormonal opinion.

By the time we celebrated Communion, I had had just about enough and decided to leave before I told off someone sitting near me. I went out the back door, so as not to disturb anyone, only to realize that the back door leads to a locked and gated courtyard. I turned around to go back inside, figuring that it was a sign that I was supposed to stay at Mass. But the door locked behind me! I was stuck. I looked around, and short of banging on the door until someone came to let me in, the only way out was to jump the 6 foot chain link fence. So I did. Almost 6 months pregnant and I hopped that fence and ran for my car. I bet someone would pay good money for video footage of that feat!

* * *

I am on Spring Break this week, and while most rational people would choose to relax, I have decided to take on a major Spring Clean. I made lists for every room in the house, down to scrubbing the baseboards and cleaning the air vents. So far, I have finished one bathroom, the laundry room, and 1/2 of the kitchen. Holy crap, this is a huge job! It wasn't as if our house was that dirty, but so many of these details get overlooked when I do my regular clean and really need to be done now, before the baby gets here. What makes it worse is that I can only work for an hour or so before my back gets really achy and I need to rest. I would enlist Mike to help, but he is out of commission this week with the gout. I am about ready to call in a cleaning service.

The Big 4-0

P.S. I hit the big 4 - 0 today. That's right, I am almost 2/3s as big around as I am tall. (40 inch waist, 62 inches tall). Mike threatened to roll me down a hill. We'll see what April brings... and May... and June...

100 days...and sleeping

According to my ticker, I only have 100 days left to go! I shared this great news with Mike and he promptly told me... "Only 2400 hours to go!" I am not sure if that makes it sound better or worse.

And I finally fell asleep yesterday... Luxe had to have a bath because he had rolled in something... unpleasant. I couldn't find the puppy shampoo, so I had to use Aussie and he smelled so nice. After his bath, we curled up on the couch and I fell asleep. Finally!

This really isn't the most flattering angle... and yes, I am WHITE! I stopped tanning years ago and have substituted with self tanner, but at my current size, I am quite sure that I could not reach all of my body to rub it in, so I would be quite splotchy and only partially tan... I am almost seriously considering Mystic Tan, but really who cares? It's not like anyone is going to be checking out this "hot bod" in a swimsuit this season!

25 Weeks and Outgrowing My Clothes

So, I outgrew at least two of my maternity shirts already... pretty much anything that ties or cinches under the boobs is out, since my boobs are just too big. I guess it is time to go up a size... or three. At least my maternity pants still fit!

Here is my most recent picture, taken today at 25 weeks 2 days. For a frame of reference, those boobies are size 36J+!

A parent at school saw me today and said to another teacher, "Wow! That is one pregnant woman!" She was shocked when she found out I still had 15 weeks to go! Trust me, me too, me too.

Sleep has become a little elusive. Insomnia is my new friend. Hooray for cable and Law and Order marathons. Other than that, everything is going smoothly, and I am thankful for that.

24 Weeks - Hooray

Today makes 24 weeks! Only 16 weeks to go... and I am so excited. Everything went well at my doctor's appointment today, minus one (temporary) HUGE shock. As I was making my 28 week ultrasound and doctor's appointment, the receptionist mentioned that, with my insurance, I needed to go to an outside facility for my ultrasound. I asked if this was a new thing, since my other 4 ultrasounds were all done in office. She said no and seemed surprised - then she checked my file and confirmed that I had already had 4 ultrasounds and she whispers "They're like $700 each!" My stomach dropped as I repeated, "I've had 4!" Thank goodness she looked at me and said, "Oh, we can't bill you, we'll have to eat it..." Whoo!!! I was terrified for a minute!

I also have my glucose screening to look forward to, which I am almost certain to fail. My fasting blood sugar is always borderline diabetic (like 124, with 125 being the cut off), so I imagine this will be no different, especially after drinking the glucose drink. Oh well...

My wonderful neighbor took me out to the fabric store today to pick out material for a blanket, and we had a great time. The blanket is going to be beautiful. I am so lucky to have such great neighbors (she brought fresh home-made cookies over when we moved in.)