The Fun Never Stops

Hey Humble Readers...

I think I am destined to have complicated pregnancies, that's all there is to it. 

Progesterone deficiency resulting in recurrent pregnancy loss?  Check!

High blood pressure?  Check!

Insulin dependant gestational diabetes? Check!

And new as of last night...
Raging kidney infection and possible kidney stones?  Check!

It started with dark urine over the last couple of days, which I thought was just a result of not drinking enough water.  Then I started passing tiny little blood clots in my urine (anyone recall that "spotting" I had last week?  Likely tied to this and not vaginal bleeding at all). 

AND THEN... the pain... oh heavens!  The only way I can describe it... you know that stitch in your side you get when you run?  Well, imagine that only a hundred times worse.  Thankfully, each time it came on it only lasted about an hour.   Drinking water seemed to be the only thing that made it at all bearable.

So I was able to get in to see Dr. B today, and do you know what he said to me when he walked into the exam room?  "Oh, you're looking well today."  Grrrr....

Long story short, he wants to treat the kidney infection (massive antibiotics), and see what happens from that point on.  If I start vomitting (oh joy... m/s has finally just vanished, and this could bring on more vomitting??) or can't tolerate the pain I'm to go to the hospital and be put on an IV.  Greeeaaat...

Honestly, I'm thankful that this isn't something that could do harm to our little Halfling 2.0 and that I was able to get in to see my doctor as quick as I was.  I'm just tired of feeling like things might just be leveling out when something new comes along. 

I want to enjoy this pregnancy, not constantly be trying to balance meds(this one twice a day, that one 4 times a day on an empty stomach, the other three times a day evenly spaced, insulin injections, eat now and test glucose in two hours) and eating and water and sleep. 

I apologize for the whining.  I'm just not feeling well and that is reflected here. 

Just For A Chuckle

Hey Humble Readers...

Something to make you all laugh, and probably shake your head...

Crazy, right?  Make sure to click on the pic to read all the insane details.  (ok, so it didn't come out that clear...)  This is what it says, "Not soon enough.  Labratory tests over the last few years have proven that babies who start drinking soda during that early formative period have a much higher chance of gaining acceptance and 'fitting in' during those awkward pre-teen and teen years.  So do yourself a favor.  Do your child a favor.  Start them on a strict regimen of soda and other sugary carbonated beverages right now, for a lifetime of guaranteed happiness."

And just for the record... I'm planning on Ginny not having soda until she's twelve.  (A mother can dream, right?)

11 Weeks: Slowly Waking Up... Maybe?

Hey Humble Readers...

I hope you're all doing well and that you had a fun Halloween weekend.  We had fun taking Ginny out for her first trick or treating adventure. 

On the pregnancy front I'm feeling more human every day now, which of course then brings angst of the "oh-my-gawd-do-I-still-feel-pregnant?" variety.

How far along? 11w0d

Maternity clothes? Not yet.  I am noticing a few changes in my body already tho. 

Body Oddities? M/s has eased off almost completely (only really hits if I get too hungry which can be hard to balance with the GD), dry skin, periods of extreme fatigue (altho it is getting a bit better), alternating constipation and IBS flares, constant hunger, acne, bruises from insulin injections, back ache

Sleep? Also improving, but still not perfect. I still have to nap at least once a day, and I'm usually fading by 8pm.  I have been able to sleep for longer stretches at night, altho the fact that I've been attempting to increase my water intake has had an impact on my sleep.  Also, I'm starting to find it difficult to get into a good position to sleep... I'm a tummy sleeper, and that's starting to become uncomfortable these days.

Best moment this week? Totally not pregnancy related... taking Ginny trick or treating last night.

Ginny the BumbleBee & My Beloved

Worst moment? Having my blood sugars tank while at a very stressful meeting at church on Sunday.  Not cool!

Movement? Not yet, but I'm so aware of every little twinge in that area that I'm constantly debating "movement or IBS?"

Food cravings/aversions? Still longing for spicy foods... we have buffalo chicken burgers once a week now.  I'm also obsessing about cookies, and I know it's entirely because I can't have them.  Cottage cheese is still on the no-fly list.  I'm also struggling with water... I am normally a water person, but I just don't want to drink it these days.

Rings? Still on, and still loose.

Gender? Not going to find out, but I'm leaning toward 'girl' this time around. (which, of course, means that it will be a boy)

Intense Dreams? Yes, mostly about things I'm worried about forgetting... like getting my bloodwork done on time for my NT scan, and booking the photographer for Ginny's first birthday pics.

Medical Concerns? On 200mg of prometrium 2x a day until 12wks (almost done... yay!), Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5 times a day... levels almost settled for now), High blood pressure (on 100mg of lobetalol 3x daily), continued heartburn (on 150mg of zan.tac 2x daily)

What I miss? Sweets (only because I can't have them), energy, being able to eat whatever whenever I want (not having to wait until my next blood sugar check)

What I look forward to? My NT scan in 13 days, finishing the prometrium, getting started on making my Christmas gifts

Emotional State? Pretty mellow, with occasional bouts of frustration at being tired out.  There are so many things I want to get done right now, but I'm lucky if I can get dinner on the table most days

Ginevra @ 11 Months

Hey Humble Readers,

Check me out!  Two posts in a week!  I'm exhausted but it's important for me to write this post.  I missed last month, and I'm totally kicking myself. 

I wanna learn to play the drums!

Ginny is such a big girl now.  Looking at pictures of her from when she was a newborn tears at my heart a little, because she's grown and changed so much.  Oh, and she loves looking at pics of herself... she's obsessed with the little photo albums we have filled with pics of her. 

Peek-a-boo!

She talks up a storm now.  She says baby and daddy really clearly, and mumumum (that's me) and pup-eeeee anytime she sees a dog.  She babbles to herself constantly, especially when I put her down in her crib for quiet/nap time. 

Mama and Ginny and whipped cream... bad Mama!

She has a huge appetite and eats like a horse.  She loves just about everything, except carrots.  We don't have to mash up her food too much any longer, and she adores her yogurt in the morning.  Other favourites include quinoa, chicken, cheese, grapes, tomatoes, roast beef, broccoli.  Oh, and don't get me started on cheerios!  I swear they put something addictive in them for wee ones.  She just tried mushrooms for the first time this week and was intrigued.  I've also started to transition her from formula to whole milk.  She prefers to drink from a straw or sippy cup now, rather than a bottle. 

Look at those eyes

She's a total ham in front of the camera.  As soon as she sees it in my hand she grins like a fool and shows off her 2 little teeth.  Still no sign of the others making an appearance, although she has been drooling again and has recently had a bout of diaper rash.

Good stuff!

She's 19 pounds, and tall.  Pants that fit the length of her legs fall off her waist.  I got her a bunch of overalls just so she can have some pants that stay up.  She sleeps from 8pm to sometime between 6-8am almost every night, although naps are shorter than they used to be and are less consistent.

Nap-time with Daddy

Ginny has two favourite tv shows (please don't lecture me about wee ones and tv.  I know, I know).  She loves the weather report on the news, particularly the satellite images.  And on Saturday mornings she loves watching "The Littlest Hobo", a really poorly done Canadian tv show from the '70s & '80s about a german shepherd dog that roams around saving people and solving mysteries.  She just loves that dog.  She gets so excited when it comes on that she practically hyperventilates. 

On the move

Ginny will walk a few steps at a time before falling to her knees or butt and then crawling at hyperspeed, usually toward something that she's not supposed to touch.  She's addicted to pulling books off the book shelves and pushing buttons on the tv, remote, phone, and dvd player. 

Mommy!  Turn off the light!  Too bright!

She has two comfort objects... the first is the green blanket that knitted for her while I was pregnant with her.  Sadly, she's pulled a couple of really big snags in it that I can't seem to fix, so I may have to spend some time knitting her a new blankie.  Ginny's other comfort object is a we.bk.inz dog (a little golden retriever) named Stanley.  He goes everywhere with her. 

Who me?  I'm not up to nuffin'...

Did I mention, she's a climber?

My honeybear can be a little monkey at times.  There's only one cupboard in the kitchen that doesn't have a lock on it, and it happens to be the cupboard where my Beloved keeps his breakfast cereal.  She's figured out how to open the door and can grab the cereal.  She also loves tearing apart the shoe rack by the front door and 'helping' when I'm folding laundry by taking the nicely folded clothes out of the basket and dumping them on the floor. 

Everything tastes better from Mommy's cup

Ginny hates socks... but she comes by that naturally.  I look at them as a necessary evil.  She's lost more socks in the last two months than I have in a lifetime. 

Flyin' with Daddy

She's happy and healthy, and very active.  Even though I'm struggling these days for energy to keep up with her, I wouldn't trade one tired moment of this life. 

10 Weeks: A Hibernating Hobbit

Hey Humble Readers...

Again, I apologize.  I had the best of intentions last week to get back into the bloggy-groove, but keeping up with a wee girl who's just started taking her first steps unassisted is taking what little energy I have.  My Beloved is lucky if he gets dinner when he gets home at night, and my house is a disaster.  About the only thing I have accomplished this week was weeding out my sock/underwear drawer. 

How far along? 10w0d

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I have noticed that some of my jeans are a little tighter.  I think my bella bands will be enlisted before too long.

Body Oddities? New this week: acne.  Otherwise still dealing with mild pukiness, supreme exhaustion, insomnia, crazy dry skin, constipation, IBS flares, hungry, occassional dizziness and headaches (I'm going to talk to Dr. B about that on Thurs).

Sleep? Still awful.  I'm exsisting on a series of naps.  I sleep for a couple of hours, then I'm awake.  Wide awake.  This happened last time around, so it's no surprise, I'm just really tired of being tired.  Ginny gets what little energy I have have left, and my poor Beloved puts up with the dregs. 

Best moment this week? Ginny's been very snuggly the last couple of days, and I'm really enjoying it.  She likes to curl up with me on the couch under my fuzzy blanket while I watch the morning news.  Blood sugars are coming along nicely.  I'm almost bang on most of the time (except for when I have a weak moment), and I'm just about there with my first morning test.  Feeling great about that.

Worst moment? I had a scare this week.  As a certified tp-checker, of course I habitually check for spotting.  Last week Thursday I had a teeny bit of pink on the paper.  I freaked out pretty majorly.  All is well, but I'm still counting the days until my NT scan so that I can see this little Halfling.

Movement? Not yet, but I am hoping to recognize it much earlier this time around.

Food cravings/aversions? Still jones-ing for anything spicy.  Franks Red Hot is my new best friend.  I'm also seriously craving protien.  I'm eating a lot of chicken these days.  I can't go near cottage cheese this time around.  I normally love cottage cheese and it was great as I high protien snack last time around... hopefully after the m/s goes away I'll be able to eat it again. 

Rings? Still on, and still loose.

Gender? Not going to find out, but I'm leaning toward 'girl' this time around.

Intense Dreams? Lots.  A couple of delivery dreams, in one I have a boy and in the other a girl.  In one I had a c-section, and the other I delivered vaginally.  Also having dreams based on what I've been seeing on the news.  Not so fun.

Medical Concerns? On 200mg of prometrium 2x a day until 12wks, Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5 times a day... levels almost settled for now), High blood pressure (on 100mg of lobetalol 3x daily), continued heartburn (on 150mg of zan.tac 2x daily)

What I miss? energy, sleep, french fries (oh how I want an order of poutine!), having a clean house

What I look forward to? My NT scan on Nov 14, the end of the first trimester, finishing the progesterone

Emotional State? Mood swings, primarily connected to my energy level, are making things interesting.