28 Week Appointment

Wow! I am exhausted, but had an amazing day!

I got off work at six in the morning and headed to my sister's house to catch a nap before my nine o'clock appointment. We headed out to meet Foster at the office, and anxiously awaited to see our little girl.

I got the dreaded weigh in, BP and urine test. Everything looked great! My BP is holding steady at a nice 117/70 and I have gained 17 lbs so far. This is a little higher than I would like, but WAY below what I had gained with Rosie. Remember, I gained 58 lbs in 34 weeks with Rosalynn's pregnancy. My feet were a little swollen from working the past three nights, so it may account for the 3 pound gain from 2 weeks ago, but I am not going to dwell on it, as long as Avaleen looks healthy and my sugars are under control.

My sugars are doing well. The doctor was a little concerned about my fasting Blood sugars being a little high. They have been running between 90 and 112. THey should be between 60 and 90. My regular blood sugars are doing great! They are supposed to be between 90 and 120, and I have only had a couple "high" readings close to 130 because I have tested to see if my body could handle certain foods. Once I realize it can't I never eat them again. It is a constant balancing act. IF my fasting blood sugars continue to be high, the doc thinks a simple pill called glyburide taken  before bed will keep them under control. I am GLAD the words "insulin shots" was never uttered!!

Now onto the fun part! We had a great growth scan. Ava cooperated and we got some GREAT photos! She had a full bladder which is a great discovery because that means her kidneys are working. She is weighing in at a WHOPPING 2lbs10oz!!! The average for a 28 weeker is 2lbs3oz so she is just about right on track! Her heart looks great and brain, she is definitely fattening up a little and she has the cutest chubby cheeks. She is still a girl, which is always a relief. Foster and Bug had fun watching her, and I loved feeling her everytime we saw her move.

They decided to do a cervicle check with the internal probe. I wasn't worried about a short cervix or early dialation. When we lost Rosie and my doc checked it, she said it could take 3 days to put me into labor because my cervix was like Fort Knox. Sure enough, long and closed! Very ressuring that Ava plans on staying in there a little while longer.

I start my Non Stress Tests in 2 weeks. We also talked about steroids and the amnio. He plans on doing steroids, but with the Gestational Diabetes the steroids could possibly raise my sugar. He said in order to keep an eye on this and have the insulin or medication it may take to level it out, he will prbably admit me to the hospital for the injections. I have no issue with this. Many women hate the idea of spending time in the hospital, but to me, it is my second home. I work in one, and am suprisingly comfortable in them. I think it helps that I know a lot of the people who work there and know my way around. I don't get that "trapped" feeling that many people feel when admitted to the hospital. Plus, I feel safe because if anything were to God forbid turn bad, I would be right there with all the resources I need!

Without further ado....here are some pics!

sweet profile picture...looks like a knee or elbow up in her face.

Her little tootsies!! how cue are they?!?!?! i want to eat them all up!!

this is the frontal view. Her eyes are closed. I think she was sleeping...but LOOK at those cheeks!! I just want to kisss and pinch them!!!



Pregnancy Announcment

Well, now, you all know I am pregnant, so it isn't my announcement. However, I have been holding off for WEEKS to write this on my blog because she wanted to tell her family, and I know a lot of her family reads this blog. My best friend of 29...ALMOST 30 years is pregnant with her first!! JJ is and Mr. JJ found are currently 13 weeks pregnant!!! I am sooooo excited! I remember back in June when we were honoring her mom's first year in heaven, JJ and I were driving to breakfast. I looked up into heaven and said, "Mama JJ, I know you are having fun with your future grandchild right now, but it is about time to send him or her down here for JJ. You can play with Rosie while your grandbaby is down here on earth playing with Avaleen!"

Interestingly enough, they found out they were pregnant about 2-3 weeks later!!! That means Mama JJ must have listened to me:-)

I have to admit, with both Anne and JJ pregnant at the same time as me it is sooo exciting, but then again, as a Baby Loss Mom, it scares the living crap out of me!

Think of it this way, I got left behind in my last pregnancy. A few of my friends were also pregnant and due around my time. The difference is they are friends.....Anne and JJ are my BEST friends. IF God forbid something happens to Ava, it will be THAT much harder to watch these babies grow up. I see my friend's babies that are Rosie's age, but not as frequently as I would see Anne's and JJ's babies.

JJ is exactly 15 weeks behind me. She is due in March. Papa JJ had a dream that Mama JJ came and told him it was a little girl! So Taylor Marie will be Avaleen Rose's best friend. They will grow up the way JJ and I did, being the best of friends!! I feel sooooo blessed. I just hope the shoe doesn't drop this time around.

Later today I have my 28 week growth scan and get to see Ava again. I can't wait! I will update about that when I have time in the evening.

Also, with Ava on the way, there is another BIG life change that will be happening...but I will leave that for another post;-)

HAHAHA...Take THAT IRS!

Foster and I got married back in 2009. We also bought a house that same year. In terms of taxes and the government, we had a lot of changes.

Foster LOVES tackling the taxes on his own, because he considers it like a puzzle. He loves math and percentages, calculations, etc.  Despite all the changes, he decided to file our taxes as opposed to going to an accountant. He did his research on the new home buyer tax credit, marriage breaks, etc. and successfully filed our taxes. We got a VERY nice return that year.

Well, the IRS decided early on it didn't want to give us our return. I don't blame them. It was a pretty hefty one, and the amount of debt our nation is in, I would be checking every hefty tax return as well. We were immediately audited before receiving our check. All they asked for the first time was copies of our W2s. No problem. We sent them in and a few weeks later we had our money. Well, about a month ago we received ANOTHER letter from our beloved IRS. This time accusing us of not claiming an ABSORBENT amount of income. Close to 6 figures. Now, if we had that much income coming in that we didn't report, I can tell you we would be aware of it. Plus, Foster is one of the most honest men I know, and would never keep that much money a secret from the government. Pretty much they were saying that some of our investments should have been claimed as income. Last time I checked, you didn't claim your investments as income until AFTER you cashed them in. Of course you have to claim gains and losses, which we did, but they wanted us to claim it as INCOME! IF we claimed this amount in income, then not only would we owe the IRS a TON in taxes on that "income", but it would have put us over the maximum income to be eligible for that $8,000 new home owners tax credit. In other words, we would have to pay that back as well. With the $8,000, taxes on our unclaimed "income" and fees, according to them, we owed over $30,000!!!

You can imagine the heart attack Foster and I both had when we got this lovely letter in the mail. We just about freaked. It was at this moment that Foster decided it was time to break down and hire an accountant. Fight fire with fire.

Well, after a few weeks, we just got done with all the processing and paperwork, and guess what.....now the IRS owes US money!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That's right, if they had just left us alone...but NOOOOOO. They really wanted that $8,000 back, and kept pushing and kept pushing, and now it blew up in their face.

This is one of those situations where i would LOVE to walk into the IRS building and do the happy dance and laugh directly in their faces. Oh well, that would probably jsut instigate them to audit us every year, and God knows we don't want to have to deal with this every year!

The Cheating Pregnant Lady?!?!?

I had to tell you guys this, because I still laugh out loud when I think about it.

This past week Foster was gone. He returned on Saturday, and we looking at the charges to our checking account. I was in the kitchen when I hear him from the other room, "Honey, what is this charge for Destination Mate?"

"What?" I asked.

"OH," he exclaimed with an obvious amount of relief in his voice, "That is Destination Maternity, your pregnant lady store."

"Yeah, wheat did you think it was?" I asked as I peaked my head around the corner and saw a sheet white face looking back at me. "Oh my gosh! You thought I went to some sex store or something didn't you?"

"No....actually......" he trailed off.

"What?"

"I thought maybe you were on some sort of dating website called "Destination Mate"."

"AHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA" I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life. I had tears streaming down my face! "Yeah right! For one, I am the most loyal person, I would NEVER cheat. Number two, I am pregnant! Who would want a fat pregnant lady? Number three.....i know you think I can be ditzy, but IF I would cheat, WHY would I use our joint account!??!?"

"Well," he said with a slightly embarrassed look on his face, "I thought maybe you had found some guys with a pregnant lady fetish or something."

I think my poor husband had a heart attack when he thought for a split second that his pregnant wife was cheating on him. I am sure from the way I talk about Foster, I know I am blessed and would never, EVER do anything to jeopardize our marriage. But oh my!!! How I got a great laugh from my husband's expense....hope you did too!!!

27 Weeks Survey

Size of baby: She should be around 2 pounds now. However, 3 weeks ago during the u/s, the tech said she was measuring 1lb7oz....so she could be bigger:-) I guess we will find out at her next growth u/s next week.

Weight: I am currently up 12 lbs. Thanks to losing about 6 since getting Gestational Diabetes 3 weeks ago.

Maternity clothes: seriously?!?! It is all I live in. I need to find a nice dress for a formal military dinner next week...that could be a challenge!

Sleep: Sleep is getting harder to come by. It is getting harder to roll over and shift positions the bigger my belly gets. But that is okay, because it is fun to wake up in the middle of the night and feel my baby girl kicking and dancing in my belly!!

Best moment of the week: Pretty uneventful week....I guess making it to 27 weeks! 1 more to go till 3rd trimester!!

Movement: TONS of movement. I am blessed she is an active one, less worry for me. However, she really likes to stretch, and that can get a little uncomfortable.

Symptoms: Gestational Diabetes that is staying under control with diet, sciatic nerve pain that I have gotten ALOT of relief from physical therapy last week. She taught me a few good stretches, and so far it is helping!

Food cravings/aversions: Well, now that I can't have sweets, of COURSE that is all I want to have!! I crave just about everything I can't eat! Oh well, 7-9 weeks left, I can do it!

Gender: Still a Beautiful HEALTHY baby GIRL!!!! Miss Avaleen Rose (Ava)

Belly button in or out: Still in, however, I did notice today that it is getting REALLY shallow!

Stretch marks: They wont stop appearing!! I am going to look like and 80 year old woman when this is all said and done!

What I miss: My husband. He is gone AGAIN! UGH!

What I am looking forward to: My next growth scan next week!

Weekly wisdom: There are only 2 items at the fair that are diabetes friendly: Steak on a stick, and chicken on a stick.....oh, and the BIG turkey leg...not a whole lot of fun to go to a fair when you can't eat the food!!!

Dream of the week: Ohhhhh....I had a GOOD one this past week, but can't remember it! I have been having TONS of dreams with all my exes in them though...what do you think that means?!?!?!

Picture: 27 week pic:

I purposefully left my face out b/c I look hideous w/ no makeup today...but LOOK at that Belly!!!

Unmotivated....Need Advice

I am 27 weeks in Thursday. Although it seems too early in a NORMAL pregnancy to start packing hospital bags and finishing up the nursery, I have to remember I am giving birth early. I am down to 7-9 weeks. When am I supposed to start all of this?!?!? I have a some-what finished nursery, but there are still things that need to be done. I want to declutter my house and make room for all the baby items. We have accumulated so much random stuff over the past 2 years, that most of it just takes up soon to be much needed space.

Here is a list of the things I need to do:

In the nursery I need to re-wash all the fabrics since that room has not been touched since April 2010. I need to dust all the furniture, because I ran my finger over the crib, and there is a lager 1/2 inch thick. I need to clear out the closet that everything was just thrown in after losing Rosalynn. Organize diapers into the different places I will need them (changing table, Pack and Play in the living room, etc). I also nee to apply the second wall script that was never applied last April, the "You are my Sunshine" that will be over the dresser/changing table. I also need to put the wall shelves up that will hold all the cute horse themes decorations around the room, and hang a couple pictures. Then I need to rewash all of the clothes Rosie never got to wear that have been sitting in the basement and hang them in the closet along with Ava's new clothes. After this, the nursery SHOULD be done.

With the house, we have to make it baby ready. We need to move the gun case upstairs because where it sits is where my Pack and Play will go, and we still have the stroller to set up. I have to to get decluttered, and deep clean the house. Now, luckily for me, my mom's housekeeper said she would come in while I am still in the hospital, since I will have a 4 day stay, and clean the house for me. However, I can't have it all cluttered. Yes, I am one of THOSE women that clean the house BEFORE the housekeeper come over. I am looking forward to this because then when Foster and I get home, all we need to worry about is bonding as a new family.

My hospital bag! Oh my! Well, last time there was no hospital bag. It was a quick trip to make sure that everything was okay that turned into a devastating four day stay in the hospital. I had the clothes on my back, and that was it. I managed. Foster brought the laptop and a few items for me to use while there, but for the most part, the hospital provided a lot of items I needed. This time I want some comforts from home. For instance, I want my own pillows, and maybe our fuzzy blue blanket from our bed. I already have a coming home outfit for Ava, but other than that, I am at a total loss. I have NO CLUE what to pack! I found a few lists from a couple blogs, but would LOVE your advice. for those of you who have stayed in the hospital after giving birth, what did you bring? What did you use, and what could you have left behind. Remember, I will be there for 4 days because of my c-section. What all do I bring for Avaleen? For myself?

WOW!!! re-reading all of this, I still have ALOT to do!! Foster and I leave for Milwalkee and get back on the first of August. I think I will have to sit down and REALLY focus and get things done. I am just soooo nervous because I don't want to feel like I am jinxing myself! 7-9 weeks...WOW! Not much time....

A Lemon?!?!

I briefly mentioned wanting to throw my new computer out the window in my last post. What, so you ask, would make me want to throw a BRAND new computer out the window? Well, here is what happened.

My 6 year old computer started running EXTREMELY slow after I installed 2 photoshop programs into it. When I mean slow, I mean even my pregnant butt could have caught up with it! :-) It would take me 10-15 minutes to edit a photo from a shoot, and that is WAY unacceptable. I would never be able to do more than one shoot a week if I expected to keep up with the editing, and actually expect people to pay me for it.

Foster finally broke down and agreed that it was time I invested in a new computer. He talked to my mentor about what PC to invest in. He said none...and surprisingly told me not to invest in a MAC either. He said the best computer if I really wanted to make this my business was an IBM. A business computer would have enough memory and RAM to run large programs like Photoshop and never slow down. So, that's what we bought. I also had an additional 4GB RAM installed for a whopping total of 12GB!! This baby should NEVER run slowly!!!

Well, I was so excited about receiving my new laptop. I paid the $100 deposit and waited till the custom laptop came in to the shop before authorizing the guy to finish the rest of the transaction. When he called, I gave him the OK. I noticed in my bank account 10 minutes later that he had charged me the full price, and neglected to subtract the $100 deposit. I immediately called the shop. I wanted to see what happened. Well, turns out he forgot about the deposit, charged the full amount, realized he did, and cancelled the transaction. Okay, no problem. Where he screwed us, is he ran the card AGAIN. Now this is a debit card directly to our checking account. The first transaction, although cancelled on his end, could take 30 days to be cancelled in our account. So we had two LARGE pending transactions in our account that prevented us from using that money. Now, financially we were fine, but it still ticked me off that the guy would not think this COULD have caused a problem! COMMON SENSE!!

That was strike one. Strike two was when I finally got the laptop home. I plugged it in, and it would not turn on! I tried and tried, but was getting no power to it. I tried different outlets, made sure the outlets were working by testing other electronics, made sure all the "male and female parts" were matching up and completely engaged, and finally tried 3 times to reinsert the battery. I don't know what finally made it work, but after about 30-45 mins of messing with it, I FINALLY had power to it.

I should have known this would not be the end. Strike three, what almost had me chucking my new computer out the window, was the worst yet.

I had the computer booting up, and it would start loading Windows and then a black screen would come up indicating something was wrong and asking me how I wanted to load windows. I would select "Load Windows Normal" and then it would go to a blue screen explaining either the last hardware or software was not installed properly. I tried three times to bypass this screen when finally a last black screen popped up "Critical Error" and my computer would shut off.

I was livid. I called the shop and the same idiot who charged us twice. I was about to explode, so he got the brunt of it. He admitted to being the one who installed the extra RAM. I asked him if he even tried to load up the computer after installing it. He CLAIMS he did, but after seeing how incompetent he could be, I highly doubted this was the case. I talked to another guy from the company and he agreed to take a look at it.

Sure enough, two days later, the idiot called me back apologizing that it was indeed the RAM. The stick was bad, and had to be replaced with a different one. I was right, he never tried to load the computer after installing it the first time.

When Foster went to pick it up again, he was not so nice to the incompetent employee, and made it VERY clear that we were not happy about the inconveniences.

However, it is all water under the bridge now, because my laptop is up and running, and WONDERFUL! I can edit a photo in a matter of 2-3 minutes as opposed to 10-15. I breezed through 10 the other night in no time. This will allow for more photos edited in less time, which means more time with my hubby:-)

Quick Update on Avaleen and Me

Sorry I have been a little absent lately. I have been keeping busy with photos and editing, spending time with family and Foster. He has been out of town on and off the past couple weeks and is leaving again, so trying to get every minute of time with him.

This past week I started getting sick on Monday. I BARELY made it through my 12 hour shift on Monday night, and went home dead as a doornail. I ended up calling off Tuesday and Wednesday because I just got worse! I was lucky to get into my doctor's office on Wednesday, and he let me know what I could take. It was frustrating, because everything I have been told I could take during pregnancy had "Do Not take if diabetic or have thyroid disease" on the package. I have BOTH, so I was at a loss on what I COULD take, so I didn't take anything until Dr. C told me what I could take.

We discussed the plan a little further. He said instead of 32 weeks starting the Non Stress Tests, he is starting at 30. He also said that I might as well put my leave paperwork in for work at the 34 week mark when we are scheduled to do the amnio, because hopefully we will be delivering that day, but if not, shortly after. CRAZY!! Crazy to think she will be here in 8-10 weeks!!

My sugars have been good and completely manageable by diet alone, so that is comforting.Dr. C says that it could get worse further into the pregnancy as the placenta gets bigger, but hopefully since we will be delivering early, this won't be the case. Every time I want that chocolate cake, milkshake, or ice cream, I just think how it is in Ava's best interest for me to abstain. I kind of stinks, because there are so many restrictions on pregnant women as it is, our only true source of enjoyment is food, but this sacrifice will all be worth it! I can do it for another 8-10 weeks.

I got my new computer, but wait until I tell you about the fiasco we went through the first week I owned it. I was about ready to throw it out the window! I am sooooo happy to finally have it, because I  can edit and process pictures SOOOOOO much faster. This is going to come in handy since I will have 4 shoots in the next week. I have two newborn shoots tomorrow, and a pre-deployment shoot next week and a family shoot also next week. Guess what the best part is? I am getting paid finally for my work!! I will post the link to the pics once I post them next week.

I will do a pregnancy survey update with a belly shot at 27 weeks, because Foster and I are about to head out the door.

Shakespeare Festival, Meeting The Phantom of the Opera, and a BLM

I mentioned that Foster has been gone WAY too much lately, so in order to make time go a bit faster, and spend some much needed time with my aunt, I headed out to Pennsylvania with my mom to attend the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.

My aunt has been an actress for YEARS. She has starred in her fair share of stage performances, but has also played rolls on numerous Law and Order episodes, along with an extra roll on Revolutionary Road. I love any opportunity I get to see her perform. When I noticed she was going to be in the PSF's "Pride and Prejudice", I HAD to go and see her. Not only is P&P one of my favorite books, but I LOVE the movie starring Keira Knightly. I was even more delighted to find out she would be playing one of my favorite characters in the book, Mrs. Bennett, the mother.

She was BRILLIANT!!!! Actually, brilliant doesn't even seem to cut it. She was MADE for the role! Mrs. Bennett is a slightly obsessive, borderline crazy mom who is more than a little adamant about marrying off all of her girls to wealthy men. She truly embodied the character, and I loved watching every minute of her on the stage. Apparently so did the rest of the audience, because as her and "Mr. Bennett came out for curtain call, the crowd went nuts!

My beautiful aunt's head shot!

She is the woman in the middle sitting down surrounded by her daughters and husband.

My mom and I saw P&P twice and were also able to see Hamlet. My aunt was in that also, but unfortunately her role was a LOT smaller, and she was only on stage for a few minutes the entire performance. Although she was missing from the stage, I still thoroughly enjoyed the play.

On Saturday night, my aunt informed us to be on the look out for her friends Brad and Barbara. She described them and told us they were in theater as well. My mom and I ran into them, and started idle chit chat as we waited for my aunt to emerge from backstage. The man asked me about my favorite shows I had seen, "My all time favorite was Phantom of the Opera! Hands down!!"

"When did you see it and where?" he asked.

"I believe it was around 2005/2006 in Columbus, Ohio." I replied.

"Well, if it was one of those years, I was the actor playing the Phantom."

I was dumbfounded! I was soooo excited to be meeting this incredible actor. I could listen to him talk all day, and trust me, if indeed that was him on stage, I could listen to him sing every moment of my life. The interesting thing, is after spending the evening with him and his wife, they are both successful in their trade, and they are the most humble people I have met in a long time.

I spent 3 amazing days with my aunt and my mom, and I am so glad I was able to go. It may look like I will get to see her on the "big screen" soon as well! The contract is not finalized, but it looks like she may be in a small budget horror film! I am so proud of her!

On the way home, I was blessed enough to meet up for lunch with one of my best Baby Loss Moms/Rainbow Mommies. Foster and I met up with her and her husband last winter in D.C.. Since her town was only about 10 minutes off the highway we were traveling, I could not pass up the opportunity to see her. Unfortunately, we were only able to meet up for about 1.5 hours, but every minute was worth it!

It was a great weekend, and definitely a great way to make the time go by faster, because unfortunately the time FLEW by!

A Father's Love Will Never Fade

I know that I am never shy with expressing my love and feelings for Foster on here. However, I cannot even begin to tell you how happy he made me this past weekend.

He is not known for his compliments, or physical affection. In fact, getting him to hug is like pulling teeth, and he usually has a knack for opening his mouth with no filter, leading to "insert foot into mouth" moments. He was in rare form this weekend.

I guess it could be the lack of time with me due to him being out of town so much this weekend, but he turned into a totally different person. From the moment he walked in the door on Saturday and I received approximately 10 hugs within the first 2 hours he was home. I had to check his breath multiple times to check if he had been drinking! HAHA.

As I was sitting at the desk posting some ebay items and checking my facebook, Foster walked in and announced, "I want to go visit Rosalynn tomorrow after church."

I turned around and I think my mouth had hit the ground. Up until now, I think I have been the one who suggests us go. Foster has made a few trips out to visit her on lunch breaks by himself, but I have never heard him be so adamant about visiting her in the cemetery, "What brought this on?" I had to know.

"I was out weeding the rose garden and really got to thinking about her. I want to bring her out some of the roses from OUR garden tomorrow."

I just looked at him with utter love and adoration.

Oh, it doesn't end there. He decided to drop down his truck bed, crack open a beer, and enjoy the evening watching our neighborhood. I walked out to join him and he gave ma ANOTHER hug and kiss, "I have such a great life, I am so blessed."

I tell you, this man knows how to bring me to tears. I NEVER forget how blessed I am to have a husband as amazing as Foster. However, it is nights like these that just affirms my feelings. We have gone through ALOT. Alot more than any one couple should have to in their first few years together, but we are still so blessed in so many ways.

So, Sunday, Foster cut the roses he wanted to bring to Rosie and we headed out to the cemetery. We trimmed back all the grass growing around and over my grandparent's and Rosie's headstones, placed her flowers with some sugar water in her permanent vase, and then sat with them all for a while. Foster talked to Ava and told her all about her big sister and then talked to Rosie and thanked her for picking out her sister Ava for us. Our two girls....sisters. It saddens me to know that they will never get to grow up together. However, I am incredibly blessed to have an incredible father for both of them. With him by my side, Ava will grow to know her sister, and Rosalynn's memory will never fade in our household.

It was so nice to sit there as a little family...our little family. It was sunny, and there was a slight breeze. Then all of the sudden the bells from the chaple started playing. As the soft sound made its way up the hill, I realized one of the songs was Amazing Grace, the opening song to Rosalynn's funeral service. It was if she was letting us know she was there with us, spending time with her family.

Here is Foster with the roses for his baby girl. You can see how it is pink and matches the color of her headstone (in the lower right hand corner of the picture:-)

Proud Father....he loves Rosie Soooo much!

24 Weeks and a Plan!

Sorry this is a few days late, but I have been a bit busy this weekend. the 24 week appointment went GREAT!! It was soooo refreshing. It was as if Dr. C had read all of my posts complaining about him.

We got about 30 minutes of screen time watching my precious daughter kicking and wriggling while the tech made sure she was measuring on target. Everything looked great, and I was so excited because my mom was able to come along, and it was great watching her watch her grandchild.

I also had to take the dreaded glucose test for this appointment. Which I failed miserably! they didn't even bother doing the 3 hour, the doctor just set me up with a nutrition appointment, and I called to order my supplies. Dr. C told me he was not totally surprised because I was diagnosed with the hypothyroidism, and unfortunately, I had a higher risk of getting GD because of this. HE also said I shouldn't feel bad, because there really wasn't anything I could have done to prevent it, that either your body can handle making the extra insulin for baby, or it can't. In my case, my pancreas couldn't handle it.

When Dr. C walked in, he called me "Mrs. Foster" and never once called me "miss". I asked him if I could get an idea of delivery and he said no later than 36 weeks. I asked him about the amnio and delivery around 34, and he said absolutely! I also then asked him what the plan from here on out is in terms of testing and scans. Here is what he said the plan is from here on out:

This week nutritionist apt for my GD.
26 weeks: Visit with him to go over my sugars and normal check up.
28: Growth Scan
32 weeks: Growth scan and begin 2x a week Non-Stress Tests
34 weeks: Amnio and possible delivery
36 weeks: Ava is born if not before.

I can't believe that in 9-11 weeks we will be holding our beautiful baby girl. My prayers have increased as I have gotten further along, and my anxiety is starting to creep up, but Dr. C and I can only do so much...the rest we have to trust in God's hands. Please keep the prayers coming.

24 Week Survey

Size of baby: During the u/s, the tech said she was measuring 1lb7oz. Grow baby Grow!!!
Maternity clothes: I have a few maxi dresses that are not technically maternity, but everything else is!

Sleep: As long as I sleep with the pillow between my legs to relieve my sciatic pain, I am fine, and can sleep pretty sound other than the couple trips to the bathroom....and these trips seem to be increasing every week!

Best moment of the week: Seeing Ava again, and making sure she is still a she:-)
Movement: She is getting SOOOO strong. it is fun to watch my belly vibrate as she kicks, and Foster will put his face on my belly to talk to her, and she will move for him...it is so precious!
Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain in my right butt cheek that is LITERALLY a pain in the butt it has also caused some extreme hip pain! Feet swelling, and now, Gestational Diabetes....or as Foster calls it "Live"betes.

Food cravings/aversions: Well, now that I can't have sweets, of COURSE that is all I want to have!! I bought sugar free PB and sugar free jelly so at least I can still have those. I also found some sugar free cookies and ice cream bars today. Hope they keep those intense cravings at bay!

Gender: Still a Beautiful HEALTHY baby GIRL!!!! Miss Avaleen Rose (Ava)

Belly button in or out: Still in

Stretch marks: They wont stop appearing!! I am going to look like and 80  year old woman when this is all said and done!
What I miss: My husband. He has been gone so much for work, we figured out I will only see him a total of 6-8 days the entire month of August. I am sad, because he is missing out on so much! He missed the 24 week scan, probably will miss the 28 week scan, and misses everyday of watching her kick and move and dance in my belly. I give props to those military wives who do this during deployments...where it is possible for their husbands to miss the entire 9 months!

What I am looking forward to: My next u/s in 3 weeks...I just cant get enough of watching her;-)
Weekly wisdom: Don't beat yourself up if you do get diagnosed with GD. It is NOT your fault. MOST likely it will correct itself after baby is born.

Dream of the week: I had a dream about some of my BLM friends and I spending a day at the beach. It was really a nice dream. We all had our rainbow babies, and they were playing in the sand and water.

Picture: Let me know if you see what I see....I think she was mad at all the poking and prodding, b/c it looks like Ava is flipping us off!!!