Update ...

I had my weekly doc appointment today and it actually went so well that I was able to cancel my appointment for next Tuesday. She said we can hold off on the twice per week visits for one more week!! How long has it been since I've left the doc's office with good news? I had my ultrasound first, as usual, and they fluid in the belly appeared to be gone AND the cyst was nowhere to be found!!! We're cautiously optimistic about the cyst because it is possible it is still there and that the baby was just in a different position but the fact that it wasn't seen today means one thing, it's not huge so it must not have grown any if it is still there. The doc said it's still 50/50 whether my perinatologist will see it when I go there next Thursday so we're definitely keeping our fingers crossed!! Baby Megan is making herself all better and things are going well. I guess the full moon is working in reverse for us - good things instead of strange things!! My blood pressure had inched back up a little but is still acceptable so I live to work another week. The only thing I'm on the lookout for now is the anemia. They took my blood for that today ... and after three sticks and some digging around in my arm, they finally got what they needed. I don't know what happened but I'm big as a house with dainty veins. great.

Oh ... and the best part (well, that pertains to me anyhow) ... I'm holding steady at 19 lbs for the entire pregnancy and the doc said it's OK that I'm not gaining as long as the baby is gaining. And boy is she!! She measured in at 4 lbs. 10 oz. today which is one pound over the past two weeks. She's just a tad above average but in no way the HUGE baby we were expecting. At her current rate, we're looking at around 8 1/2 pounds at 40 weeks. The ultrasound measurements also showed her legs to be a little longer so she was inclined to tell us our little girl will be tall. James was excited that he might have a basketball player but I reminded him that the boys like the leggy girls so he'll have his work cut out for him in the dating department.

And from the "Things you don't want to hear" department ... as I was being hooked up to the monitor today my dear husband exclaimed ... "Are those stretchmarks?"!! I guess I had done a good job hiding them because you can't really miss them. I can only imagine what exclamations the wonders of birth will bring out. hmmmmm.

Wish my Aggies well this weekend. It's going to be a tough one but maybe we can take part in the Top 10 upsets that have been going on all year in College Football. I'm happy it's on TV and it is going to be an absolutely BEAUTIFUL weekend here so I can't ask for anything more. Well, I could go for some cake and ice cream ... maybe some mexican food ... or a huge pizza with pepperoni and jalapenos ... and a margarita or a few beers ... But a great weekend is good enough!!

Happy Friday everyone!

Picture!

I think my ass sticks out as much as my belly! :-)

I'm freakin' HUGE! I have HOW MANY more weeks to go?

Just had to share! I was able to squeeze my big fat piggy feet into normal shoes today!! Unfortunately, they have a two inch heel and my excitement has waned somewhat ... but they fit! I guess the cooler air, lower humidity, (and elevating my feet at night) has brought the swelling down!

Poor little Megan has a procrastinator for a mommy. We received the pre-registration packet for the hospital a few months ago. Tomorrow night is our last baby class and we're supposed to turn it in there. Ummmm ... the only problem is we're supposed to list the pediatrician on the form. We have yet to interview a pediatrician. I have gathered three possibilities and I have checked that they are on our insurance (that is NOT changing for 2008 by the way - Thank GOD) and I have researched them on the internet but I have not called any of them. With twice-a-week doc's appointments when am I supposed to visit a pediatrician for crying out loud!

I ran into Christy and little baby Lexi at the new Target yesterday! Lexi is so tiny ... and so is her mommy! Christy looks great for having a baby three weeks ago. I guess the inability to gain weight during pregnancy will do that to ya. Of course, I talked her ear off and I know she only had limited time before Lexi would want to eat again so I hope she made it.

All things aside, I am loving being pregnant. It is absolutely amazing to think there is this little life growing inside of me. When I feel her moving I just look down and watch my belly move with her. It really is the most incredible thing I've ever felt or seen. James said last night that he can't imagine what it feels like and I had a hard time describing it.

I have to tell you, we got a sneak preview of our future last night. We went out to dinner at the local 'family sportsbar' where they do Karaoke on Tuesday nights. From 6:30 - 8:00 they have it set up in the non-smoking area for the kids and you get serenaded by Disney songs (oh so many High School Musical songs) and even the Alphabet. No, I'm not kidding. And they're so bad. Cute! But so bad. We won't be going to the sports bar for sports and beer anymore ... it'll be all about kids karaoke. Ummmm ... yay? The kids get so excited about it and the karaoke guy makes them say "thank you very much" when they're done singing. It is cute.

Doc appointment on Friday and our last baby class tomorrow. I guess we're ready and we know everything we're supposed to about birth and taking care of our new baby.

right.

Thank you everyone for your comments. It means a lot that so many people are concerned about Megan. My doc appointment on Friday really could have gone better. The ultrasound lady thought she saw more than one cyst ... one on each side. But when we spoke with the doc she said it was unclear whether she saw the same one or a different one. She wants me to go back to the specialist so he can take another look. Either way, there was a bit of good news regarding the cyst(s). The measurement I had on the picture of the cyst indicated 3 cm but my doc said the measurement was in millimeters rather than centimeters. It is nowhere near as large as we thought it was. That being said, the one they measured Friday was 6 mm so, if it was the same one, it is growing. The other good news was that my blood pressure behaved. It was back down in they 120s. She told me to go to Houston and enjoy my shower ... and have a piece of cake.

The good news ends there. The ultrasound lady found something she was even more concerned about. There was fluid in her belly that was not there when I saw the specialist the previous week. It appears to be fluid around the liver. In all honesty, we didn't ask exactly what that meant for Megan but apparently it is something they see in diabetics. So, we have a new concern and another reason I might go back to the specialist this week. I fell in love with my doctor all over again. She made me feel so much better (I'll admit, I was an absolute wreck). She told me that the baby has passed all her chromosomal/birth defect tests and she's growing on schedule (and not huge - yet) and now we're facing some unexpected problems but they are all fixable. There is no reason to think I won't have a healthy baby. She also said that I had gotten just too much information over the past week so she postponed my anemia blood test until my next appointment.

I have scheduled all my appointments with my OB through week 38 and I will be doing the ultrasound and non-stress test every Friday. After next week I'll be doing the non-stress tests every Tuesday as well. It's a good thing I only have three more weeks of work because I'm never going to be there!! The doc has backed off her thought that I'm destined for a c-section because I'm having a huge baby. I might actually get to do this thing the way it's meant to be - squeezed out of somewhere I don't even want to think about aided by many many drugs. :-) Obviously growth spurts are still possible but we're thinking normal baby rather than jolly green giant baby. I guess I need to pay more attention to the relaxation techniques in baby class instead of giggle my way through it.

Looking past all that stuff ... we had a fantastic time in Houston this weekend! We didn't get down there very early but we went to Chili's for dinner with MIL. The Southwestern Cobb Salad - without the corn relish - is absolutely wonderful and apparently safe for diabetics. My shower was Saturday at a place called Backstreet Cafe. It was a really nice little place and the weather was beautiful (I know - strange for Houston) so we were able to sit outside on their patio. I was smart enough to order a grilled chicken salad so I could save all my lunch carbs for cake. And that cake was sooooooo good. I ate the whole piece, except the frosting, but it was so worth it!! I had a wonderful time and received some great gifts. Here's a pic of the girls ... it's the only picture I have but I might get more later when Shannon or Tina email them to me! Clue: I'm the absolutely HUGE one in the middle totally rethinking the polk-a-dot maternity shirt.

Afterwards, we went to a friend's house where the guys were watching football. OH - and the Aggies won! WHOOP! We just hung out there and snacked a little but James and I had to tear ourselves away to go back to his mom's house and we went to Saltgrass for dinner. I was so tired of chicken and lettuce that I ordered something very different. I got some chicken breast with cheese and salsa and pico. It was really good - especially for someone on the chicken and lettuce diet!! I had the fried onions on the side (I absolutely LOVE those fried onions) but only ate about half of them. I think it was the first time I have been full in a long time - probably since I started this diet. mmmmmm. On the way home today we stopped at the Conroe Outlets where there is a Motherhood Maternity Outlet. I got a few more tops, since my top seems to be growing exponentially by the day. Two long sleeve and one more summery one but apparently it's never going to get cold here anyways. I hated to spend money on stuff I'm not going to wear much longer but I need big clothes.

I'll update when I know more. I don't know if I'm going to the specialist this week or not. Megan sure is acting like one healthy baby. She was very active this weekend which helped put my mind at ease since we were so far from home. She had a horrible case of hiccups this morning that kept me from going back to sleep at 7:00. It just made me laugh. Thank you again for all your notes and thoughts and prayers. It really does mean a lot to me.

I'm here

I just wasn't sure how to share the newest problem with the pregnancy. As I may have mentioned, I went to the high risk guy for an ultrasound a week ago. Everything seemed to be fine with the baby. She was measuring right on schedule for 30 weeks and everything looked good. Yes, he confirmed again that Megan is, in fact, a girl. Whew ... no repainting for James and no returning any stuff.

Now, on to the next thing for us to worry about. The doc found a cyst on my baby girl. Yes, my unborn child has an ovarian cyst that is about 3 centimeters around. The doc did say it could be on her urinary tract or maybe her intestine but it didn't seem connected to either of those areas and there didn't appear to be any blockage so he was certain it was her ovary. It isn't threatening the pregnancy and is not a reason to take the baby early ... it's just one more "wait and see" thing. I have another appointment with him on November 1 to take another look. A few things can happen with a cyst like this.

1. It can resolve on it's own either before or after birth.
2. It can turn on itself and cut off blood supply to the ovary.
3. It could just stay the way it is or get bigger.

Both 2 and 3 would require surgery on my little baby girl resulting in the possible loss of her ovary. We are supposed to meet with a pediatric surgeon before she's born just in case surgery is necessary. They think it is caused by an overload of hormones, both mine and hers, so it is possible it will just go away after she's born - once she's away from my hormones. That damn placenta strikes again. Apparently. it is to blame for my diabetes and this cyst. I have an appointment with my OB tomorrow for an Ultrasound and an NST (called a biophysical profile). We will discuss this further with her and we'll get another look at the cyst and hopefully she'll have more information. Add baby Megan to your prayers.

While I'm asking for prayers, a friend of mine just had her baby quite a bit early. She was due a week before me but little Reagan decided she was ready to greet the world. She weighed 2 lbs 7 oz. at birth and is doing well. She is off the ventilator but still has a feeding tube. With all the crazy things going on with my pregnancy - my inability to eat anything fun - or drink anything fun - I am very happy Megan has not decided to make an early appearance.

We had baby class again tonight. We got to watch videos on pain management and c-sections. The nurse had the epidural catheter for us to take a look at. I think she was trying to convince us it was small but, I don't know about you, anything I can hold in my hand like that shouldn't be sticking out of my back!! She also passed around the pee catheter. Isn't it called a Foley or something like that? Anyways, it was HUGE and looked extremely uncomfortable. We also had to do some breathing techniques and practice pushing. I guess there's just no turning back now. YIKES!!

I'll post an update soon but probably not until after this weekend. I did get some pics from the last ultrasound but when the baby is as big as she is (measuring 3 lbs 10 oz by the way) there's just no way to get a good picture anymore! It was much easier when she was smaller. I'll get it scanned in someday. Have a good weekend! The Aggies are not on TV this weekend, thank GOD. ... GIG EM anyhow!

To quote a Tim McGraw song ...

It just gets better all the time.
I really like that song. It's a nice slow love song that I loved in college and I used to listen to it when I was driving home from work after a hard night of serving up nachos and hot dogs at Central Park.

HOWEVER ... when I say it right now, it's laced with sarcasm and irritation.

I had a doc appointment this morning and, while there isn't reason to worry at the moment, the picture perfect pregnancy that was only recently knocked over by diabetes is just starting to wash away. I am now considered fully 'high risk', as if my age, weight and thyroid condition didn't already do that. I am going to the neonatologist for an ultrasound next Thursday and I have an appointment with my OB on Friday for a nonstress test thingy. I'll be seeing my OB every week now, and sometimes more than once, and I'll be hooked up to the monitor each time. To make matters worse, my blood pressure has decided to spike. It was high on Monday at my endo appointment and again today at my OB. It was barely within range but much higher than it has been and something that will definitely need to be monitored. I'm a mess. The wheels have long ago fallen off the cart. Now I'm starting to lose the cart itself. :-) She also told me I'm almost certainly looking at an early c-section because of the GD anyways but pair that with wonky blood pressure and it's not looking good. Chances of me doing this thing the way it's meant to be are slim. I'll have an ultrasound with the high risk doc next week at 30 weeks then again at 33 weeks and 36 weeks. That last one, right around Thanksgiving, will probably be my last as I will be scheduling my daughter's birthday for a week or two later, depending on how big she is. 8 lbs is the cutoff. Doc said the margin of error for an ultrasound weight estimation is about a pound and the biggest she wants my baby to be is 9 lbs so if she appears 8 lbs in the ultrasound, it's time. This is just crazy. Aren't I suppose to just gush water in public, scream obscenities and moan like a cow through contractions then blow out my vagina giving birth? This is so weird. BUT ... having a healthy baby is the most important thing. Period. Either way will involve drugs and stitches so I suppose it doesn't really matter. Besides, it's not like stretch marks haven't already ruined any possibility of me being a high dollar stripper in the future so what difference does a c-section scar make, right?

The best thing that has happened today (so far) is that I turned in my letter of resignation. I am giving them a long time to find a replacement, my last day is November 8th, but I figured it just made sense since I'll need more time off to see all the docs in the next few weeks anyways. Now they can try to find a replacement that I can help train and they don't think I'm just some crazy flake that never comes to work. They know I'm a crazy flake that's not coming back so maybe I don't care so much.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

GIG 'EM AGGIES!
B.T.H.O. OSU!!
WHOOP!!

YAY!!!

The furniture delivery guys just left and I had to take some pictures to share!! I am washing the linens so I'll have it completely set up soon but I couldn't wait to share! Oops! Gotta go! The dryer is done. I bet I'm going to have to iron something ...

OOPS! I did it again!

I cried over baseball. Yes, Craig Biggio (see photo below). Sunday was the last game of a terrible Astros season but it was Biggio's last game ... ever. The worst part about it is that I don't live in Houston anymore. If I did, I would have been a blubbering idiot in the stands ... or at least on my sofa watching the game. It was not televised here so I missed it altogether, which I'm sure is some sort of blessing in disguise because it could have sent me into labor early! HAH! Today, while dutifully eating my morning snack (3 graham crackers, 6 almonds, and a string cheese - yum-o) like a good little diabetic should, I read about the game online. I cried. I just couldn't stop the tears! I was hoping and praying that nobody would walk in and wonder what the crazy pregnant lady was crying over this time. It just won't be the same next year. Well, hopefully it won't be the same because the season was terrible but it will be sad to see someone else at second base every day. You better believe little Megan's first Astros game will be the one where they retire Biggio's jersey. I AM going to that game, no matter what!!

So the diabetes isn't so bad. I know I'm much healthier than I was (ever) and I haven't been absolutely starving but ... ok, to tell you the truth, it absolutely sucks. I really liked to eat and that feeling was greatly enhanced by pregnancy. Now, it seems like I'm always eating but I'm never full, though I am getting better at finding things to fill me up. You know, 'free foods' for diabetics are all something your friendly neighborhood rabbit would munch on. mmmm - tasty. My blood sugars have been a little off kilter after breakfast so I'm going to have to do something about that but I've been pretty good the rest of the times. I am seeing my endocrinologist today so I'll discuss some of this with her even though I'm going back to my diabetes nurse at the end of this week and my dietitian next week. Oh the joys. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly have more to do!!

On the bright side, I looked at my calendar this morning and realized I'm OFF tomorrow for the baby furniture delivery!! Our nursery is finally going to be a nursery with furniture in it! A place for baby to sleep! FINALLY! I am so excited to see what it all looks like in the room, and I really hope it's not too much for the room. Then I'll be ready to wash the bedding and set it all up, so we can sit and wait for baby to be ready. I will post pics as soon as I take some!