4 weeks old...almost

Wow - I can't believe Ethan is 4 weeks old on Saturday.  It baffles my mind how fast he has grown and how different he already looks.  I look at his newborn photos and his head and body are sooo tiny.  Now he seems so much bigger to me ( I know he is still tiny but being with him every day I notice how he was and how he is).  I still don't see much of his personality yet but I do understand, for the most part, what his cries and fussiness mean.

His newborn clothes no longer fit.  Some of his shirts won't even go over his head.  He is now fitting into 0-3 month clothing.  I do notice that I have a tiny bit more wear from the sleepers from the states though. I think their clothing runs a bit bigger.

Christmas was pretty good.  He did well and was perfectly fine being passed around from person to person.  I am quite happy about that.  I know he is still young but if we can get him used to that from the start, then hopefully he will like going to other people.  It takes soooo long though to get everything packed up, loaded in the car and unloaded at peoples houses.  That was 3 straight days and we were tired of all that!  For example, what comes with us:  Diaper bag - diapers, cream, wipes, extra clothing, receiving blankets, bibs, bottles, milk, milk bags.  Then I have my pump.  Then I have the nursing pillow.  Then we have Ethan with his car seat, blanket, bunting cover.  So this week we told our families that we are going nowhere and everyone can come to us - because we are tired!  We are having New Years Eve at our house and we are soooo excited to not have to go out!

Visitors are starting to come to the house as well to meet him. It's nice seeing everybody and seeing their reactions when they meet Ethan.  He is already a little charmer!

He has finally started to breastfeed.  He will nurse now for about 20-25 minutes.  I still top him off with a bottle after.  I still don't trust that he is getting enough just from me.  He seems to be a bit of a lazy eater when breastfeeding, so I don't know if he is always getting milk or if he is just using me as a pacifier.  It's funny though, because, I switched, AGAIN, to a different bottle and it said it's supposed to mimic breastfeeding, and ever since he has been with those bottles, he also takes to the breast.  I am now using the Playtex Drop In system.... the same kind that pretty much all of us had as babies if bottle fed.  It's the ones with the plastic bag that drops into the hollow bottle.  They are great.  He doesn't have any projectile vomiting and hardly any spit up (he still spits up but not nearly what he used to).  And the gassiness has seemed to become less....it doesn't seem to build up in his little tummy - he just lets them rip!

Things are still getting easier and easier.  I find it is still hard to initially put him down to sleep but once he is down, he only awakes for his feedings and then falls back asleep.  He still is going down between 11 and 12 at night, then wakes up around 4:30am for a feeding and then again at 7:30am.  Sometimes he will go back down until 9:30am, and others he is wide awake.  If he does sleep later, I am a happy mommy.  If not, we just chill downstairs with the pups and have a lazy morning.  I'm trying to rest when he sleeps but it's just so hard.  I am feeling good during the day though so I don't think I am that sleep deprived (but yes, I still could sleep for 3 days straight if it was at all possible!)

So, that's really all I have for updates.  The main thing that I am excited about is the possible success to breastfeeding.  Even if it's just at night that he does it, it will make my/our lives sooo much easier because I can nurse and go back to sleep.  Not nurse, top up and pump, then fill the bags, clean the equipment and finally go back to sleep for an hour and a half before doing it all again!  *But, if I have to do that, I will hands down, do it because my little man deserves the best and as the saying goes "Breast is Best!!"



Goodnite :)

Our life has changed....

For the better of course!!

I'm not going to lie, we are both (or should I say all - dogs included) pretty darn tired these days.  I find that I try to get everything I can possibly get done in the amount of time Ethan sleeps.  Now, he does sleep about 3 hours at a time, but within that time, I am making or preparing dinner for night, pumping breast milk, tidying up and washing and sterilizing bottles and pumping equipment.  On top of that, I have to fit in eating, showering, doing my hair (that gets done once every three days - thank god my hair is now on the drier side!), running errands, etc....  it is true that a baby will change your life forever.  And I couldn't be happier.

I am, however, finding it easier every day to getting things done around the house and keeping up with housework and laundry and making dinner.  Unfortunately with all that, there isn't much time for rest, so sometimes my body physically won't do anything, and that's when I know I've done too much.  I have to learn to rest mid-day and take a nap.  I had no problem doing it when I was pregnant! I guess I have to just drop everything and think of myself one time during the day :)

In the last couple of days, Ethan has been more alert and wide eyed.  He is responding to different toys we put in front of him and is awake about 6 hours out of the day.  He still doesn't know the difference between day and night, but he is sleeping well when he does go down.  Every couple days, he is sleeping longer than the last.  And that is great until I wake up with engorgement :s

The health nurse came for a home visit yesterday.  He is now up to 8 lbs 12 oz.  So he only gained 3 oz since last Tuesday, but the nurse said she is not concerned because of the amount of weight he has gained since being out of the hospital.  We have our regular doctor appointment in the beginning of January, so we will see then where he is.  He has gained an inch in length since last Tuesday though, so I guess it kinda evens out.  He still fits into newborn clothing, but they are definitely coming to an end.  As a side note, it seems as though sleepers bought in the USA run a bit bigger than the ones here.

She checked his belly button and circumcision, and both of those are healing very well also.  I can't wait for his belly button to heal so we can start giving him a bath in his whale tub!  He is getting much better with the sponge baths though.  The last one there was zero screaming - I almost think he enjoyed it! He especially loves his head being washed under the faucet.  I guess it mimics feelings in the womb.

Anyway, it's time to tend to the peanut.  He is really digging the baby belly and leg massages!  It seems to help a bit with gas as well.

Breastfeeding Challenges and other things.....

Just a small update....and word of caution if any males are reading this.  It's all about the boob and not in a way that you are going to want to read about it!

I am still pumping every 3 hours and I find that I am getting into a routine with it.  I am having a bit of a hard time with the mid-night feedings because I simply do not want to sit around for a half hour at 4am to pump.  I have learned my lesson with that one when I woke up this morning and was engorged because I decided that I wanted to see if I could get away with not pumping in the middle of the night :s

Tonight I started back with the skin to skin contact.  I took Ethan up to our room, and I stripped him down to his diaper and me down to my underwear and I put him on my chest.  He did his frog dance down and right on my breast.  He nursed for half an hour on both.  When I topped him up with the bottle, he took about 20 millilitres.  He usually drinks 80.  So I would say there was some success in that feeding.  He is now currently passed out on dad.

I am undecided on where I want to go with bottle feeding and breast feeding.  Ideally I would like to exclusively breast feed, but I have this hindering thought that he is not drinking anything when he nurses.  I think I just have to be diligent in doing the skin to skin contact and getting him and myself comfortable with breast feeding.  It is clear that he does not have nipple confusion because he latched onto me right away and it was a good latch.  There was no pain, his lips were flanged out and he was swallowing.  I think my plan is to do that each morning and each night and see how he does with clothes on in the afternoon.

To go with that, I find that I am waaaaaaay less emotional now and am actually doing things around the house and finding time to do it.  Ethan is still a very content baby and sleeps for most of the day.  When he is awake, he is very alert and basically just chills either in my arms or on the Nursing pillow.  And he is very content in that way.

I found that he is a bit gassy, so I switched bottles to the Playtex Ventaire system and he doesn't seem to spit up as much or have stomach bubbles.  If I can prevent "colic" in any way possible then I will do what it takes!  These bottles apparently reduce the risk of ear infections as well.

We think Ethan has a blocked tear duct.  He has a lot of sleep in his eye when he wakes up and it crusts around his eye where he can't open it.  We have been doing duct massages and warm compresses and putting a bit of expressed breast milk on his eye and it seems to be getting better.  If it doesn't clear up by early next week, then we are going to have to have another doctor's visit.  From what I read, these home remedies should do the trick (if in fact it is a clogged tear duct).

I guess this was a bit of a longer update than expected.  So much changes in just a few days, it's amazing.  Pretty soon Ethan is going to be driving a car and going on his first date!!

Oh and today was supposed to be my due date ;)  

Our baby is 11 days old :)

I cannot believe we have had a cute little newborn for 11 days now.  It is still surreal to us that he is ours, that we created him and that he grew inside me for almost 10 months!

Every day/night seems to get easier and easier, and I honestly can say that I could not imagine our life without Ethan.  He seems to just fit right in.

He had his first doctor's appointment yesterday and passed with flying colours.  He gained a 3/4 lbs since last Wednesday, so he is definitely getting enough food.  He has completely recovered from last weeks mishap and he is starting to nurse as well, which I am so delighted about.  I will do anything for our baby, even if that means pumping 24 hours around the clock, every 2-3 hours, but if I can get a couple nursing sessions in there, it would just make life a little bit easier!

He seems to be a really happy baby.  He is starting to get on a schedule.  I let him tell me when he is hungry.  He is starting to sleep more at night and stay awake a bit during the day, but mostly he just sleeps and eats.  We are learning what his cries mean and when he fusses or grunts, we can usually figure out if he has a dirty diaper.   He is growing out of his newborn sleepers slowly, and hopefully soon we can start using the cloth diapers.  Right now they are waaaay too big on him, so we are still using the newborn pampers.  They are getting a bit snug on him and we've had a few leaks.  It's especially wonderful (using that term loosly) when I'm feeding him and feel a trickle going down my side...... and no, it's not milk!  He is a heavy wetter so we have to be very diligent on diaper changes.  We are learning!

The dogs are adjusting well.  Paco is very concerned when he cries, and he is my sidekick baby monitor.  If anybody other than Ryan and I are holding him you can be sure that Paco is right at your feet watching you!  Lola is starting to warm up to him, but she really doesn't care.  Sometimes we will catch her sniffing his feet or staring at him, watching him move and grunt.   All our worries are out the window with them, but there is still a bit of caution there.

We have taken Ethan out on a few occasions.  He has been to the grocery store, both grandparents houses, a restaurant (for my Christmas Party), to the house where he got his newborn photos done (soon to come), the hospital and the doctors office.  He is getting better with the car seat, still screams for the most part when we put him in there but settles down right away.





I will try to update weekly.  It depends on when I can get to the computer for any length of time.  Usually when he naps I am either pumping, catching up on sleep, showering or tidying up.  Currently Grandma Dufour is here so I am able to do a few things, including this!

I am also considering making this blog private, so when I do decide to do that, I will put a post up a week before so it is known that you have to sign up to receive updates.

Time to feed the peanut!

Introducing.......

Ethan Alexander Dufour!!  He is here.  Weighing in at a whopping 8.1 lbs born December 3rd at 4:36 pm.

I was going to write about my labour, but decided that it is not something that everyone would want to read about.  I'll briefly go through what I went through.

I started on Friday morning at 3:00am.  I was having contractions that didn't feel like the ones I usually had.  I timed them and waited them out and decided that Ryan and I should go to the hospital.  We went to the hospital at 7:00am and they assessed me.  I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Not bad.  I decided that I wanted to go home and labour at home for a while.

At home, we were breathing through contractions and we had a friend come over to help out with them.  We went for a couple long walks, I took hot showers and bounced on the exercise ball.  This continued until 6pm.  We went to the hospital and they assessed me.  I dilated another centimeter and was a bit more effaced.  We got a room at 11pm so before that we laboured in the triage area and walked around a lot.

Once in the room, the nurse assessed me and I was 4-5 cm dilated.  The doctor came in, said I was only 3 cm and said I need Oxytocin to get things progressing.  I mentioned that I did not want the drug, and the Doctor's horrible bedside manners came out, basically saying that I would end up with a C section.  I just have to say that Ryan was absolutely amazing and was a great coach throughout the whole process.  I can't thank him enough (xoxo).

Long story short, I ended up with the Oxytocin and afterwards with an Epidural because I could not deal with the pain.

The rest of the story I will leave out.  If you would like to know I can tell you in person.  In the end, for the delivery, Ethan was born by a forced forceps delivery.  He came out beautiful with only a little bruise on the side of his face and a scratch on the top of his head - pretty good if I say so myself!

We were discharged the next night since everything was going well.

The next four days was very very tiring.  Ethan cried a lot and we just didn't know what was going on.  Nothing would soothe him, he stopped taking to the breast and we were all miserable - dogs included.

Had the Maternal/Newborn Clinic appointment today and ended up admitted in hospital.  Apparently Ethan was not getting any milk at all from me and was basically starving.  He lost over 13% of his body weight.  He was hooked up to an IV and is being bottle fed breast milk and topped up with formula if needed.








I'm sitting here with him right now.  He has been sleeping like a baby (literally) and content and happy and feeding sooooo well.  I had some guilty feelings, and still do, but I am so happy that he is doing so well and feeling better.  I can't wait to take him home and start again with our beautiful newborn baby boy :)

Week 38

So I got some great news today - now while it may sound petty, it's a big deal to me :)  The doctor checked me today and I am one centimetre dilated.  Considering I had zero progress last Wednesday, I think this is a good sign.  I will continue to bounce on my exercise (birth) ball and roll my hips around, plus I plan to do some super hard core cleaning..... hand scrub the floors maybe??  Any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Now that I know my body is truly preparing for labour, I feel less miserable and irritated, and more excited to get things going.  And the fact that he mentioned that we will talk about induction next week, I really want to have things happen before then.  If it happens to go that far, I will refuse pitocin and an Amniotomy (breaking waters) ...unless medically necessary.  I am okay with  Membrane Stripping however.

So keep your fingers crossed and hopefully we can have a baby by or on Wednesday before dealing with this other "new" stuff!!  Can you see his face in the photo - see those chubby cheeks!!!!

Week 37 Update

I am just shy 2 days of being 37 weeks pregnant..... just 2 days away until the "safe zone" :)

Had my weekly check up today.  Baby is estimated at 7 lbs and now in the 69 percentile (sounds better than 78 like the last month!)  He is still snug as a bug in a rug - no changes in cervix.  I am still contracting every 5 minutes, and they seem to be getting a bit worse each day. I am obviously not worried since there has not been any changes whatsoever.

I tested positive for Group B Strep..... I guess it's just a natural bacteria that is found in some women during pregnancy.... and hey - why not add to the list!  All it means is that I would have to get antibiotics 2 hours before delivering in the hospital, and since I am going to be hooked up to an IV because of the Gestational Diabetes, it really won't affect anything.

The nursery is pretty much complete.  We only need to get window treatments and handles on the doors.  Here are a few pictures.  (If you are on Facebook, then you probably would have already seen these).

Diaper Changing and Update

I came across THIS SITE on how to change a diaper.  Sounds funny, I know, but honestly, I learned SO MUCH! lol.

And speaking of diapers, look  how cute Baby D's Grovia's are :)

I'm still waiting for the inserts to come in, they were on back order. It should be this week, and when they do arrive, I have to wash and dry them for a minimum of 5 times.... 10 times is beneficial for maximum absorbency..... so I will be busy with laundering.  I guess it preps you for every 2 days of launder with these diapers....but I don't care, they are still worth it in my opinion :)

Just a little update as well...

I have been having contractions every 5 minutes for the past 3 days.  For the last 2 days, it was mostly from 6pm on towards when I went to bed, but I woke up with them today and it's been going on since 9am this morning (when I got up).  We are not going to the hospital for these ones, I have an appointment with my OB on Wednesday and he will check me then for any progress.

I have also been getting back into the swing of things, since I have the go ahead to do so.  I have been walking leisurely every day, either at the gym, outside or at the grocery store.  I have been cleaning and doing laundry, and I have been eating some spicy food.  Just trying to get things going along :) In the end I understand that when he is ready, he will emerge... but until then, I will keep trying!

Baby Shower and Update

We had our Baby Shower on Sunday, and I have to say, we are totally all set for this little baby boy to come into our lives.  I want to thank everyone for their generosity and kindness to help us start our new family life out.

I have to admit, we received quite a bit of items, but our house, thankfully, is not cluttered at all.  Everything has a place and his room is soooo cute!  I am waiting for our never-arriving decals to come in and put up, and then I'll post a picture of the nursery..... it just doesn't feel complete without them.  The seller from Etsy.com is sending out another set and should be here by next week via express post.  So I have my fingers crossed!

Once I get some photos, I'll post them up here from the shower.

There were a few items that I was really excited to get, however, all the gifts received were just what we wanted/needed.  We got a few extra things that I didn't register for, which made things even more exciting because, well they are just fun/cute.  One example is the LeapFrog My Pals Scout! I started to play with this little guy last night, but gave up because I think I need to connect to a PC and didn't feel like walking to the other side of the room to Ryan's laptop (I have a Mac).

Some really cool items that we got, I'd like to share:

The Uppa Baby Stroller
Grovia AIO Cloth Diapers
Baby Brezza Food Steamer/Puree Machine
Skip/Hop Treetop Friends Bedding
MamaRoo Swing

~~UPDATE~~

Had an OB appointment on Wednesday, and so far, there is no real change.  Cervix is a bit softer and dropped a bit, but nothing that is showing labour signs.  I had the "go-ahead" to resume normal activities starting today, 36 weeks along, so I have been using some Organic Jasmine essential oils on the belly (which is supposed to help with stretch marks as well) and walking.  I went to the gym after about 2 months, and boy, can I feel it.  I was able to do half an hour (with breaks) and called it quits.  It's nice to get back into a routine, I'm still taking it easy, but definitely more active, and it's wonderful.

I will now be seeing my OB weekly, and at the hospital weekly too - at the hospital, one week is just a non-stress test (where they see the baby's heart beat and watch for exceleration as he moves/kicks), and then the following week is the ultrasound/biophysical profile and non stress test.  So Wednesday's are definitely busy busy mornings for me!

I want to do one more good cleaning of the house in the next couple weeks, and then I have to say, I'm ready...... I mean, I would be ready now, but I wouldn't mind another week or two just to get some things right in order - house wise.

We have a busy weekend coming up.  Tonight we are going out to Centro for Ryan's birthday (33!!) and then tomorrow day/night is a very good friend's wedding, and Sunday/Monday night is more birthday celebrations (yes, they go on for a week around here!)  I think I'm going to eat lots of spicy foods this weekend!!!

Some Good News!!!

I had my testing at Met today (ultrasound/non-stress test).  Baby D is still coming in at the 78 percentile, which means he is growing steadily and not getting too big.  He currently weighs approximately 6 lbs 3 oz.  He scored an 8 out of 8 on his testing (breathing, movements, size etc...)  So that makes me much more confident that if he does come early, that we will have nothing to worry about.

Next week, I see my OB, but he requested that I have another non-stress test before I have my office visit.  So it will be a busy morning next Wednesday!

I am feeling the same.  I feel the medication is not working as well and I am still having the contractions and cramping, but now I am getting used to it and I am just resting a lot.  When I feel that they are coming on strong, I just lay down and they seem to settle a bit.  They are still coming in about 10 mins apart, and 5 when they are bad, but I am now just dealing with it.

I feel like my hips/pelvic region is also ripping apart..... must be getting ready for delivery I guess.  I am pretty sure that I will make it to my shower on Sunday.  I am really taking it easy until then!  I am on the medication until then too, so it should prolong it.

I have been helping a bit with the desserts with my mother in law and I have to say they look soooooo good and smell delicious.  I, however cannot do any taste testing :(  BUT I do plan to freeze a few of each and indulge after the baby is born :)  Everything else is pretty much done too for the shower, so that definitely eases my mind since I can't do a whole lot.

Well it's off to bed for me.  I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow because I had to get up early today for my appointment.  And since the pups are pooped, they won't be getting up any time early tomorrow :D

Good night!!

How I'm feeling.....

Thought I'd throw out a little update letting you all know how I'm feeling.

The drugs make me very drowsy, and nauseous but otherwise I am ok.  They seem to "Mask" the contractions, which now are back to every 20 minutes or so.  I find though, that once the drug wears off (about 8 hours) I go right back to the intense 5 minute apart contractions, but I can't take the pill for another 4 hours (12 hour intervals).  So I go back to my breathing and just breath through them until it's time to take another pill.  I have them for 10 days, so even if the labour is prolonged for 10 days, then I will be happy.... the longer this little guy hangs around inside the better!

SO.......

That's all I really have to say lol.  I am just taking it easy and resting for most of the day.  I'll get up maybe 10 minutes at a time to do something and lay down for another hour.  I am trying to find things to do while laying down but it's hard.  But I know it's best for the baby so I just do it anyway :)

Threatened Pre-Term Labour

Yes..... this is now what I am dealing with :(

I was in the hospital for most of yesterday, in OB Triage.  I started with contractions on Thursday night around 7pm.  They were coming every 10 minutes on the dot.  I was going back and forth whether or not I should go to the hospital, but decided to wait until the morning.

I did not wake up too much during the night, but when I did, it was during a contraction.  Ryan also said that I was very restless too.

Well, morning came, and my contractions ended up being 5 minutes apart and much stronger.  I started to get a bit concerned, so I called my doctor's office, and they told me to go to OB Triage right away.  So I had my dad drive me.

I was put on a monitor and asked a bunch of questions, examined and sent home.  They said to come back if the contractions got worse..... they did.

I ended up back at OB Triage at around 5pm and again, and not only was I having the contractions, but I was also nauseated and very flushed.  They hooked me up to the monitors and my contractions were going off the page (figuratively not literally).  I was examined again and it showed that my cervix was still closed but becoming soft.  The doctor on call said that I could go either way - either full blown labour or threatened labour.  He said that if it was to happen, they wouldn't stop the labour because there would be no point this late in the pregnancy, however, they did want to try and prolong it.

I was stuck with an IV and they started a sugar water drip along with penicillin in case I was to go into labour.

 Due to the gestational diabetes, they fed me as well..... it wasn't horrible, but considering it was hospital food, it was alright.

My mom was there with me keeping me company and telling me that whatever happens, it's going to be alright..  Then Ryan came and that seems to be when all the good news came....












After a couple hours, the contractions seemed less apart but still just as strong.  I was checked again 4 hours later, and my cervix showed no signs of change.  I was prescribed Prometrium and sent home on 'almost' bed rest.  I can still do things, but nothing that over exerts myself.  And thankfully, this is only for 2 weeks, and THEN, I can do whatever I can to allow Baby D to make his grand entrance!!

So as of now, I should be able to attend my own baby shower lol.  I am still having contractions, but they are back to 20 - 30 minutes apart and not as intense as they were yesterday.  I am taking it easy for a few days and allowing the medication to do what it needs to do.  Luckily it causes drowsiness so it shouldn't be too bad squeezing a few naps in the day ;)

Officially Done Work!

I saw my O.B. yesterday and mentioned that I have been having very regular BH Contractions (like every 20 minutes on average) plus some lower abdominal cramping and upper thigh pain.  The first thing out of his mouth is "Are you still working?"  And then said I will no longer be working.  It's bitter sweet I guess.... I mean it's nice that I will be off now, but at the same time, I was not expecting it.  I was considering going off beginning of December, but they are certain that this baby boy is coming early (let's see about that...... I hear a lot of people are told this and end up being induced 2 weeks later!)

The good news is that this is considered a "medical leave", so that entitles me to a full maternity leave when I do have the baby.  I was at the hospital today for almost 2 hours straightening everything out, but at least it is all done now and I don't have to worry about it :)

So technically I am not on bed rest (thank goodness!) but I do have to take it easy and only do things that need be done.... which is everything!!  I am trying to take it slow though.  

I think he is running out of room in my belly.  He is stretching a lot now and I feel movement almost the entire day - not so much kicks, but I feel his legs and feet through my skin.  It's still weird to me, but I am getting used to it.  I try to lay straight at night so he has a little bit more room in there :)  Sometimes though, he gets stuck, and he wants to roll over to the other side and I swear my ribs move when he kicks the crap out of me to get his legs out!!  

My sugars have been hard to control this last week as well.  They seem very high in the mornings and for the most part, level out throughout the day and into the night.  The last couple days though, they have been high for pretty much the entire day.  (Nothing too bad, but generally .3 to .7 higher than they should).  I have been trying to eat a variety of different things to see what may be triggering it, but the Endocrinologist thinks it's just the baby.  SO I'm crossing my fingers this gets a bit better by next week.  

I have another ultrasound/biophysical and non stress test coming up next week so that will show some more indication on how things are going.  If I get a picture I'll be sure to post it!  

Testing

I had a few tests done today, an ultrasound, non-stress test, and biophysical profile.

In the ultrasound, I had to lie down on my back (so uncomfortable at this point), and the tech checked all parts of the baby and did measurements.  She showed me all parts of the baby, and he is definitely in a snuggly position head down.  Here are a couple pictures of him.... can you see a resemblance to anybody in particular!!  Hint: not me!

Sticking his tongue out :p


For the biophysical profile, the ultrasound technician studied is practice breathing to see how his lungs are working.

The non-stress test, I went up to the OB Triage area, and they strapped me to two monitors, and every time the baby kicked, I pressed a button.  They compared these to his heartbeat, and when he kicks, the heartbeat should go up.

So from the findings, Baby D is in the 78 percentile, which means he is 25% bigger than the average baby, which is a good thing.  Everything looks good on the ultrasound, and he is "practice breathing" just fine.  And when he kicked, his heartbeat went up.  It was a relief to hear these things.

SO as of now, everything is good, and it doesn't look like I'll have to be induced, however, I will be there every two weeks for these tests and they will continue to monitor his progress.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything stays the same!

Small Update

So I saw the diabetic doctor yesterday.  He upped my night time insulin from 6 units to 8 units and added an insulin injection before breakfast since my sugars are higher in the morning.  They were still slightly high this morning, but not as bad ..... I was .2 higher than I should have been.

He said it's not my diet that is affecting the high sugars, but I still think it may be.  I try to eat a variety of grains to see what affects the sugars the most.  White pasta is a no-no (I already knew that but tried it out anyway).  Cream of Wheat doesn't seem to be too good either.  Tomorrow I'm going to test out oatmeal.

I also saw my OB yesterday, and I am now going to go for fetal non-stress tests and ultrasounds bi-weekly.  This starts on Wednesday.  Life is getting busy now between all these appointments and getting the house done, so I have a feeling that time is going to fly by very very quickly!  Let's hope I make it past the shower - at least one week so I can get the nursery ready and bags packed.  Since I'm measuring 5 weeks ahead now, it's a possibility that I may go early..... just a possibility though.

That's all the updates I have.  If I can get a picture of our little man next week, I'll be sure to post!

A few updates

I seem to be doing long blogs lately - sorry for any inconvenience, we have just been super busy, as you will see below!

GESTATIONAL DIABETES UPDATE:

So I had my appointment with the dietitian 2 weeks ago.  She put me on a not so strict diet.  It's really how Ryan and I always eat, just spread out to eating 7 times a day....I have to say I have not eaten this much and I'm kind tired of it!

I met with the Endocrinologist and he started me on 6 units of insulin before bedtime and blood sugar monitoring 5 times a day.  My sugars seem to be out of whack in the mornings and before bed, and the food requirements I eat in the morning and before bed are the same, so I think something has to be adjusted because they are too high. During the day though, everything seems to be right on track.  I see him tomorrow so I will update after on what he adjusts.  My assumption is that he will adjust to more insulin at night and either an insulin shot with meals or adjust the meal plan.  (I hope it is the meal plan for two reasons: eating less and no more needles!)  I know it sound weird for someone who has as many tattoos as I do but it's a totally different feeling!

Some of my supplies

PRENATAL CLASSES

These are going well. Tomorrow is our 3rd class, with 2 more to go.  It's a lot of repeated information that I already know (from reading copious amounts of baby books), but it is also a refresher and based on hospital births, so I like that aspect of them since we are having a hospital birth.  And it's free, so I would like to get all the information I can get!  We did the introduction class, which was kinda boring, last week was about labour and delivery which was good.  Tomorrow is complications and interventions, then there is a breastfeeding class and the last one is caring for baby.  So they seem to get more interesting as the weeks progress.  The class is quite full, about 30 people or so, so I understand why it took so long to get into the class, but I'm not complaining.  With about 8.5 weeks away, it's good to have the information fresh in our heads.

HOUSE

The house is getting done.  The nursery furniture is up and now we are just waiting for the decals to come in to put on the walls.  There is just some window trim to do and finishing of the closet door. After the shower the nursery should be complete.  I still have to get a very cute rug from Walmart to put under the crib, but I still have time for that.  It's amazing how nice the things at Walmart are now.  I really have to stay away unless I absolutely need something!

The hallway is the next project.  It's painted, and the railing is up.  Now we have to do the stairs and get the shag runner installed - it's pretty awesome if I do say so myself!  Ryan also has to do a storage unit as you go up the stairs against the wall.  There was one there originally but it was not very attractive, so it's being redone.  After that, we have a few repairs to do, some artwork to find and hang, and our house should be complete and ready for Baby D.

 The storage unit is going on the left where the white drywall is.  This will store our vaccuum, linens and cookbooks.

The stairs are going to be painted a dark brown colour and the runner that you see below is going to replace this beautiful (not) green one you see in this picture. 

Runner carpet

Here are some pictures of our bedroom.  All we are missing is the television on the wall above the dresser.... hopefully this is installed before baby so so I have something to do while nursing! (hint hint!)

The bathroom still needs some work as well.  The shower needs to be hooked up to the water and we have to find some sort of contraption for the shower curtain as it's a very odd shape. We also need a door put up as well.  The important parts, however, are working - toilet and sink, for my 3-5 trips to the washroom per night!!  Pictures to come of the bathroom ;)

DOGS

I am starting to get the dogs ready for the baby too.  My mom is digging out a doll that was bought for me from my Grandma a long time ago.  It's a life-like doll, so I am going to be one of those weird people and carry the doll around and tend to it (not always!) when the pups are around.  I read this is one of the best ways to get the dogs less jealous of a baby coming into the house.  I'm also going to make sure some blankets/clothes are brought home before the baby is so they can sniff and get used to the smells of Baby D.  Other than that, we have to find a balance to share our love with baby and the animals..... wish us luck!

Paco

Lola


PROJECTS

I haven't really been doing too much new.  Still working on the afghan for the nursery for the glider.  It's now half done, so I don't have too much left to do.  I like it and Ryan loves it, but he is a blanket kind of guy!

I'm also working on our Christmas stockings....mine is the last one to do.  And I still have to add the names to the stockings as well, just waiting on that one though.  But they will be done before Christmas, that is the goal anyway.

Paco & Lola's stocking

 Baby D's stocking

Dad's stocking

Mom's stocking (not done but you can get the idea)


I was also planning on making some cute burp cloths, but I just don't have the energy or time to start a new project.  There is still so much I want to do so that may be on hold and I may just register for a few until I have time to make them (like never!!).

"NESTING"

I think I am in that nesting stage.  Or starting anyway..... I find that sometimes I feel this urge to organize something and I can't relax until I do it.   For example, our parents were over for dinner the other night for this AWESOME steak dinner that Ryan prepared for us (thanks babe - it was soooo good!), so she was cleaning our dishes because our dishwasher was out of order (it's back now - thanks again Ry!), so I decided that I wanted to wash ALL the dishes in our cupboards.....yup I know.  Once Ryan realized what I was doing he quietly sat down and let me finish what I started.  I feel SO MUCH better about it now though :)  Also washing the baby clothes, they are now all washed from 0 -6 months (mostly sleepers for the older sizes), and hung in his closet.... super cute.  I think it's the cutest closet in our house :)

I think that's really all I have to say, well I'm sure there is more, but this is a super long post so I should save some for next week!

Next week I'll write about what's going on with the diabetes and some more house, class, and nesting updates.... till then... take care!