Megan - 10 Months Old!!

Here are some pics from this morning. I can't believe she's 10 MONTHS OLD! WOW! She wouldn't sit still for long and I was snapping the pics really fast so they're kind of blurry. I guess I'll try to get more later!

Stay-cation!

We never got around to any sightseeing last time James took some time off so I'm happy to report we finally did this time around! We loaded up the car this morning and set out for a fun day at the Dallas Arboretum. If you've never been there, it's definitely worth going. I remember when the place was built - back in the day - because it is near the neighborhood where I grew up. Today was my first visit and I look forward to going back someday. It's not really cheap - $5 for parking, $8 adult admission, $7.75 for a cold soggy sandwich and a tiny bag of chips (which we shared) - but it was a lot of fun and really wasn't very crowded since it was a weekday. I'm glad we got there early to avoid the heat of the day. They're set up for fall with their pumpkin patch so we got some great pics.



Afterwards, we took a tour of the old 'hood and stopped for a bite to eat at Keller's Hamburgers, a drive-in on Northwest Highway that has been there since the 60's. I had always heard they have good burgers but I had never been there. It was pretty yummy! One really weird thing about this place ... you can order beer. It's a 'drive-in'. You never leave your car. They will bring you a beer that you can drink. In your car. huh? I guess that would have been pretty nice after a hot morning at the arboretum ... if I could drink beer!!

My Poor Dog

I don't know if I've mentioned that my dog is crazy. Right, only a million times. Well, a couple weeks ago we had her groomed at the vet. She's an old dog and I liked the idea of taking her to groomers at a place where the docs could help her if she needed it. I asked the groomer to pay special attention to her ears so she shaved them. She didn't trim them or 'pluck' them like groomers do ... she shaved them. The stubble made her itch and she scratched and scratched until she started to bleed. SO, we took her to the vet and they put a satellite dish collar on her and gave her antibiotics and a topical spray and told me to up her anti-inflammatory dose. She was getting better. The sores had healed nicely so we took off the satellite dish collar. Almost a week had passed and she was doing so well ... until yesterday. I happened to glance over at her and she had scratched another HUGE sore and just had blood all in her fur. My poor dog! My poor CRAZY dog. So, I loaded up Megan and the dog and we headed back to the vet. They shaved her sores, put her back in the collar, back on antibiotics, and this time they put her on steroids. She can't take her arthritis medicine when she's on the steroids. The vet said the steroids should help with the inflammation but she can barely move. She lays down all day and just looked so pitiful when she hobbled over to her bowl for dinner. Say a little prayer for my poor little doggie. :-( I'm so sad for her.

Her new name, by the way, is Dish Network.

We laugh ... but we love her dearly.

I had to share a pic.

True Confessions ...

I figured it might be time for some confessions. I laughed at myself yesterday, as I was cleaning up my closet and unpacking all my maternity clothes. I happened upon a few things that might give you guys a chuckle ... and it goes on from there.

1. James gave me a Craig Biggio jersey several years ago for Christmas. I wore it to every Astros game we went to (over a tank or a tee) and to work on occasion when we were supposed to wear baseball stuff (like when the All-Star game was in Houston and when the Astros were in the World Series, etc.). The last time I wore it was to Biggio's jersey retirement in August then it finally ended up in the hamper. That jersey was finally washed for the first time. Is that just gross? I hadn't realized how dirty it was until I saw how sparkly white it was last night.

2. Maternity clothes rock! I know they can be dumpy and lifeless and sometimes you feel like a cow because the MooMoo is the only thing that fits but as I was hanging up my clothes last night I found myself yearning to wear some of my favorites from my last pregnancy. There were some outfits that won't fit me for at least 3 more months but they are SOOOOOO comfy and stretchy. It's like wearing PJs all day long. I can't wait!!

3. Along with the maternity clothes are the maternity undies. They are just so huge but they don't ride up my huge pregnant butt or roll down my rotund belly. I have to wait a few more weeks before I can wear them but, again, I'm looking forward to it. Does that make me crazy?

4. I didn't care what my dinner did to my blood sugar last night. I was hungry and we went to eat BBQ at the new Dickey's!! I had brisket and fries and a side salad (at least I was good there) and I knew BBQ sauce is pretty high in carbs but I poured it on. They had a spicy sauce that was almost too much for us. It was sooooo yummy. I only ate a couple bites of my roll and reluctantly passed it over to James but after dinner I did get myself a nice little dish of free soft serve ice cream. I only shared a few bites of that with Megan (she loved it). I started to have diabetic dining remorse so I had James drop me off at the end of our street so I could walk a little. :-) If anyone saw us, they had to think we were crazy in a fight or something. Another reason I was organizing my closet ... it was more exercise!

5. My blood sugar after that pregnant binge was only 94!!!

6. It feels so good to be sitting on the sofa watching All My Children. I secretly hope Megan takes a nice long nap. :-)

7. I had a list of 7 things I needed at Kroger and I spent $140. After coupons. Included in my purchases was a big slice of chocolate cake. mmmmmm. cake.

8. I bought myself some flowers. They were pretty and I wanted them. No, I didn't splurge for the $30 bouquet even though they were so much prettier. It wasn't a $30 bouquet day. Not yet.

9. I'm a little embarrassed to be an Aggie after Saturday's game. I'm tempted to take down our yard flag. No, maybe I'll give it another week. But if we don't beat Army ... right ... I'll still be an Aggie and I'll still wear my maroon and people will still laugh at us.

10. I know the laundry needs to be put in the dryer and I don't care.

11. I am SO looking forward to the new TV shows this week! I can NOT WAIT for Grey's! I saw the commercial and are they seriously going to try to kill off McDreamy?

12. OK - so I'm finally motivated to do something other than blabber on the blog about nothing anyone cares about. I'm going to do some Grey's spoiler research. I'll share if I find anything worth sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*******
OK - apparently there is some sort of dream sequence that may have been shown in the sneak peek commercials. Also, rest easy because Rose is NOT pregnant - and apparently her time on the show may be limited. From what I found online, there was a car wreck that injured McDreamy and it happened when he was going to talk to Rose while Mer is waiting for him at the "candle house" on the hillside. Nothing I read said he's going to die. I think that might be a hard secret to keep! ;-) So I guess we'll just have to wait and see. The suspense is killing me!! haa ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

For some reason this is how I always answer my doc when she asks. That's when I should go into my litany of complaints. I'll figure it out someday and I'm sure my friends will be happy when I finally do!

Now, I'm sitting here with the windows open and I'm getting ready to absolutely binge on some potato chips and dip! Just a small treat I allow myself when my blood sugar has been well under control. No, I won't overdo it. I'll count out my chips like a good little pregnant diabetic. hee hee hee! I guess shouldn't have gone "shopping" at CVS while I was hungry! I certainly shouldn't be chowing on chips when I look like this ... 14 weeks along and I've lost 4 lbs. but my tummy is just OUT THERE. I guess the old uterus didn't have a chance to snap back into shape before it started stretching out again. For crying out loud, this baby is only 3.5 inches long right now!

And here's a pic of Megan today. We got to spend some time outside since it is so beautiful so of course I took the camera along. I was originally planning to set up the blanket under one of the trees in the yard but due to Ike's rain and the sprinklers running as scheduled today the yard was a little squishy SO we set up camp on the patio. Megan enjoyed the flowers!

I've been MIA, I know, but I've been really busy watching Hurricane Ike coverage on TV. I am sad for Galveston. It was one of our favorite places and it absolutely breaks my heart to see the destruction there knowing it won't be back on it's feet for quite some time. James has a couple days off coming up and we were thinking about an extended weekend stay in Galveston. Glad we hadn't made any reservations since we were looking at beach houses (so we could take the dog with us too). I know Houston was badly beaten too and I hope everyone gets power again soon. I would hate to live without electricity but I couldn't imagine doing it in the heat and humidity of Houston. So far, no reports of severe damage from any of our friends. We did hear that our former house sustained some roof and fence damage, though that really didn't surprise us because we had roof damage from Hurricane Rita and that storm hardly affected Pearland!! We're praying for a quick recovery in Houston and along the coast and have a room available (with drinkable water and A/C!) for anyone who wants to head this way!! You may have to change a stinky diaper or two .. ;-)

As for us, we're doing great. It was a wonderful weekend. Ike didn't do much around here but we got 1.60" of rain, which we needed. It was windy but nowhere near as bad as some of those cold fronts we get. Basically, we stuck by the house all weekend and watched football and it doesn't get much better than that. I had my OB appointment last Wednesday and everything looks good. My total weight gain stands at 4 lbs. lost. I'm kinda happy about that because I just had an ultrasound showing the baby is right on schedule. My OB said it was OK as long as I start gaining a little soon. We're both fully aware that I have plenty of pounds to spare. ;-) She failed to mention anything about me doing the 3-hour glucose test and I didn't remind her. hee hee! Heck, I'm already checking my sugars and dieting so why bother? My specialist recommended weekly non-stress tests starting in the 3rd trimester and monthly ultrasounds throughout because of the low fluid levels that put me in the hospital last time. So my OB wants to see me again in 3 weeks (instead of 4) for another ultrasound and visit ... looks like I'm going to be seeing a lot of her again. That's OK. Just keep my baby safe!!

Meg, the dog and I took a nice long walk this morning. The weather is BEEEYOOOTIFUL!! I was chilly in my shorts and tee until we got moving and I think Megan might have been a little chilly too but she didn't protest much. She had on shorts and a hooded sweatshirt and socks and shoes so only her little knees were exposed. The dog LOVED it (except when she got blasted by a sprinkler! ha ha ha). I better get my day going. I have to leave for the foot doc in less than an hour and I haven't showered!!! I have a couple pics to share later!

Take Care!

To everyone who lives in South/Coastal Texas, take care and leave early if they tell you to!! I read this on weather.com today:

BRAZORIA COUNTY:
A MANDATORY EVACUATION HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR ZIP ZONE 77541. A SPECIAL NEEDS EVACUATION ORDER IS IN PLACE FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY. A VOLUNTARY EVACUATION IS IN PLACE FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY. RESIDENTS IN THE COASTAL AREAS AND THOSE REQUIRING TRANSPORTATION FROM BRAZORIA COUNTY TO BELL COUNTY MUST RUSH THEIR PREPARATIONS TO COMPLETION.

I'm very happy I don't live in Pearland anymore (though if Ike finds his way up here and collides with the cold front coming down from the North things could get ugly here too). After our experience fleeing Rita ... well, let's just say I would never wish that on anyone. Fill up with gas, pack a cooler, get out of town and cross your fingers that the storm goes elsewhere and that you evacuated for no reason!!

Wednesday Morning Funny

Weekend Update

We had a good weekend. The Aggies won! WHOOP! James and I went to a new sports bar to watch the game while my mom stayed with Megan (thanks again, Mom!). Even though they had really cold beer that I couldn't drink, great chips and queso that I couldn't eat, and hard chairs to sit on, we had a great time hanging out, just the two of us, and watching the game. The food was really good. It sure beat out our old place but I didn't care much for the wing sauce at this new place and that could be a deal breaker. We'll definitely go back - and I'll give their wing sauce another try!! Spending 3+ hours at a sports bar sure is cheap when I'm only having iced tea!! hee hee

We're happy to have football season back and we're rooting for our beloved Astros as they make a last ditch effort towards the NL Wild Card. We know there's not much of a chance but stranger things have happened!!

I'm still fighting occasional nausea and extreme hunger as I try to stick to this stupid diet. My endo had run another glucose test (fructosamine) that shows my average sugar numbers over the past 2-3 weeks and it returned completely normal. My number was 70 points lower than the "excellent control of blood glucose" range and was in the "normal blood glucose" range, as if I'm a normal non-diabetic person. Who knows!! I have an appointment with my OB today and I'm sure we'll schedule that wonderful 3-hour glucose tolerance test and I'll have something else to bitch about in a future post. ;-) I am very happy to be able to report that all my blood work has come back normal so far. My First Trimester screen came back normal too! WooHoo!!

OK - I have to go find Megan now. She's on the move and she's a fast little bugger!!

Drum roll please ...

I had my appointment with the specialist today. Everything looked normal ... the baby is growing on schedule and was moving around. My doc said, based on what he saw today, the baby is a GIRL!! We won't know for sure for a few more weeks but my OB said this guy is very accurate at the first trimester screen so I'll be making plans for PINK until I hear otherwise. Obviously we're not going to buy anything or paint anything just yet.

For those of you who said BOY ... you still have a chance. I'll let you know sometime in October!!

Busy Busy Busy!

Megan had her 9 month appointment yesterday and she is almost off the charts!! My 'little' girl weighs in at a whopping 21 lbs. 11 oz. (90th percentile) and is taking after James at 29" tall (95th percentile). The doc expressed a little concern about her big head ... which was above the curve at the 97th percentile but we're expecting it to even out by her one year visit. She got two shots and barely cried. I hate watching that poor little face melt when she realizes what is going on but she was good. She's going to have to learn how to play it up when she gets older!! I had to fill out a sheet about her development and the doc said she's advanced since she's pulling up and cruising already. I figure it's a survival-type thing because it takes a LOT to move that big ol' body around! ha ha ha! The doc did get mad at me for not feeding her anything but baby fruits and veggies though so I went to Target in the afternoon and bought some new stuff for her to try. We went to lunch at Chili's with my mom so I offered her a bite of cheese (she hated) and a little egg yolk from my hard boiled egg on my salad which she gagged and threw up. Today, I gave her some yogurt and she seemed to LOVE it. It's a good snack but something I'll have to feed her so I need to find more stuff she can feed herself that she actually likes. And I'm terrified she's going to choke every time I let her eat something! This is going to be a long process, isn't it?

Last night I had my Fantasy Football draft and it took FOREVER! James got home late so I was trying to research and sign on while taking care of Megan. We started a little late and it just went SOOOO SLOOOOOOW. We didn't finish until 11:00. Then, after looking at the computer for 4 hours (and listening to Fred Thompson's speech!!!) I was still all fired up and couldn't sleep. When I finally fell asleep I kept waking up because Kaitlin was scratching her ears. She was groomed last Monday and they shaved the insides of her ears, which has made them itch terribly. This morning, I noticed a HUGE sore under her right ear so I had to call to make an appointment at the vet. I had to meet with the dietitian this morning so the dog would have to wait until the afternoon. Poor doggie. Now she's wearing one of those satellite dish collars and is absolutely miserable.

But let me tell you about miserable. This dietitian I met with was a bitch. OK, maybe she wasn't so bad but I did not like what she was telling me. She put me on this WAY STRICT diet because of the diabetes. Much worse than the one I was on last time. Needless to say, I'm going to starve to death and really miss all the good stuff. I'll survive but I do plan to talk to my OB about it because I really don't like how she cut my calories. She started with calories for my 'goal weight' and added 300 for the pregnancy. Sounds like she's trying to make me lose weight while I'm pregnant and I don't think I agree with that.

I did get some great news at the dietitian today. She had the results of my A1c and it was perfectly normal. My blood sugar levels have been under excellent control over the past 3 months so there's no risk to the baby from that. I was so happy to hear that.

This has been a crazy week and it's nowhere near over yet! I have my appointment with my high-risk guy tomorrow afternoon (perinatologist / maternal-fetal medicine specialist / whatever you want to call him). Yes, I'm only 12 (almost 13) weeks along but I am hoping he sees something tomorrow that will indicate a wonderfully perfectly healthy baby ... and maybe something that indicates the gender. I'll let you know!

I better wrap this up so I can pay attention to Sarah Palin's speech!!