Silver Lining

OK, so everything is not all bad all of the time...


There are some bonuses to the situation that I am in. One of them is that when I had my first appointment with the OB-GYN, I got to have another ultra sound (what with the gestational diabetes, they wanted to check Baby John's growth...) I wasn't planning on another ultra sound, and am not sure how insurance is going to react to that... but its fun to see him again none the less.


This first one we really love, because we thought he might be making an angry face with his lips puckered. Its a face William and I pull at each other all of the time, in jest of course. It is also possible that he is whistling. I'm unsure.




This next one we both admitted kinda freaks us out. Its cool that he was facing us, and that we can see his cute little chubby cheek... but the eye is freaky, right? Of course, then it reminded us of THIS and then it was all just funny to us.




The word from the ultra sound is that he weighs about 4 1/2 lbs, and he's positioned head down, facing my back - which is perfect for delivery and I'm hoping he stays put.


And the new doctor seems really nice. She made it clear that their objective was to make sure that I was healthy and the baby is healthy during labor. They have no ulterior motives (like getting it done as fast as possible). As long as things are going well they will let me labor naturally and in peace. I appreciate that.


On a slightly unrelated note, I read several weeks ago that if you place your head on the belly of a woman more than 28 weeks pregnant, you might be able to hear the heartbeat - depending on how the baby is situated. William has been trying it every night since then. AND, he has heard it twice. Which is totally fun. What is also fun about this is the many nights that having his head on my belly has turned into a game I like to call "Kick the Daddy." Good times.


In other good pregnancy news, there are things going right for me. Like I mentioned in my last post, I haven't gained excessive weight. Also, I've had minimal swelling. And I'm not achy and sore all the time. I think that doing my yoga everyday and going to my chiropractor every other week as really helped with all of that. So, minus that major health conditions, I'm really feeling okay.


See? Its not all bad...

My GD journey

It all started several weeks ago, when I had a simple glucose test at the birth center. The gave me some specific instructions for the breakfast I was to eat that morning, and it all had to be timed just right for the testing. I followed the instructions to a tee, and wasn't really worried about the outcome. Seriously, what are the odds I'd have hyperemesis AND gestational diabetes, right? Besides, I eat healthy, exercise, I haven't gained excessive amounts of weight (in fact, I'm under the mark) and at the time that I first tested I was 28 weeks along--the onset of gestational diabetes should have happened much sooner, right?

Well, you know I wouldn't be telling this story at all if there wasn't a problem. I, as you may have guessed, failed that test. I was convinced it was a fluke, but they sent me into the lab for a 3 hour glucose test nonetheless. You know, the one where they make you drink pure liquid sugar and draw your blood four times.

About a week later I found out that I failed that too. AWESOME. The worst part of the news is that gestational diabetes is a high risk condition, and I can't remain under the care of the midwives at the birthing center with a high risk condition. (Mind you, hyperemesis is also high risk, but since we've been able to keep that under control they were politely ignoring it.)

When Layla the midwife called me to tell me about the failing of the 3 hour test, she must have recognized the panic and despair in my voice when she mentioned this rule, and agreed to give me another shot at the 3 hour glucose test. That's right, I did that puppy twice.

But for the second test I went in better prepared. Layla put me on the Paleo Diet, which is a bit miserable but is great for diabetics. Really, I can't imagine living this way. Its like the opposite of the Word of Wisdom, which really bothers me. And makes me feel like its not only miserable, but wrong. But, William, Camille, and my mom helped to convince me that its a medical intervention, and I really am feeling willing to do it under those conditions. Layla seemed sure that it would help suppress the problem and help me to pass the second test.

Don't get your hopes up. I failed 3 hour test #2. The blasted gestational diabetes became an official diagnosis.

Like I said, the worst part of this is that I can't stay at the birth center. This has caused much weeping. I've, all along, had this beautiful vision of being in a calm, quiet, soothing environment. Just me, my husband, the emerging baby, and one of the midwives. I imagined giving birth to my baby (after some seriously hellish pain. I'm not naive, my vision included the pain) and helping to clean him off, and feeding him for the first time, and then going home shortly thereafter. Because at the birth center you get to leave once they make sure everyone is okay. I was really looking forward to being at home so soon and recovering with my baby there.

Anyway, there is no need to wax on about that vision. Its not happening. I'm gonna be in a hospital with the bright lights and nurses changing shifts every few hours, and needles, and people who want to keep asking me if I want to use a vacuum, or forsepts, or if I want an episotmy or an epidural... They will all be well meaning I'm sure, but their goal will be to deliver my baby as fast as possible, as though having a fast labor should be the ultimate goal. Mostly I feel like a healthy labor should be the goal, and that doesn't necessarily mean fast.

ANYWAYS, I digress. I'm transferring to a new practice. I've heard great things about them, and all the reviews I have found online have been outstanding. It really does seem like the best OB-GYN practice in town. And I've chosen to be grateful for the intervention of modern science in my pregnancy. I really wanted to give birth the way women have been doing it since the dawn of time... but if this were the dawn of time I'd be giving birth to a huge baby that would die shortly there after due to insulin shock. In fact, I probably wouldn't have made it this far in my pregnancy without the intervention of Zofran, which kept me from throwing up so much that I threw up blood. (don't forget the hyperemesis.) Anyways, the point is that modern medicine is really awesome, and I should appreciate that.

I would feel good about it if it weren't for this whole insurance issue. I have insurance. Two of them actually. A primary and secondary. This new practice accepts both kinds of insurance. That's not so much a problem. The problem is that they WON'T accept a secondary insurance. AT ALL. I have perfectly good insurance and this should mean that I don't have to pay anything for my medical care. In fact, I have budgeted $0.00 for my medical care. As it turns out, this new place is going to force me to pay the 20% my primary doesn't pay. After spending much time on the phone going round and round with people (including trying to talk medicaid, my secondary insurance, into reimbursing me) I finally figured out why this is. Its because insurance only pays out at the rate they think the doctors should be charging. If they make me pay, they will get more money in the end.

I have ever so many issues with this country's health care system.

So now I'm stuck eating a no sugar super low carb diet and medical bills I wasn't expecting.

Anyways, that's my GD story. Remember that funny little comment I made on this post about trying to give myself gestational diabetes? Cute, right? In all reality, you can't GIVE yourself gestational diabetes - its caused by the strain that being pregnant puts on your pancreas - but that sure is funny now.

Oh, and I hate being pregnant.

A few things

Just for fun, try this out: Palin As President (Thanks for that one, Sarah, its a good laugh).



My summary of the last debate:

Obama: I would be a better President becauseMcain: Joe the Plumber!



In case you don't get it, its a reference to how many times McCain interrupted Obama. It was out of control. I wish Bob had put a stop to it.



More fun than the debate was the charity event Friday night--the Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner. Its an annual event, in which politicians generally roast each other. I guess its tradition in an election year to have the candidate present. I don't know, this is the first time I've watched the videos after wards. I have to say, McCain pulls off a better joke than Obama. This doesn't sway me. I don't need my President to be funny. McCain is more than welcome pursue a career in late night comedy.





Speaking of fun videos, how cute is my niece?!?!?!

Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy!

The newest (and last) Twilight trailer was released this morning.


The greatest 2 minute and 22 seconds ever.


If the tiny screen I have to the right is not enough for you (its not for me), you can watch it for real here.

Before I forget...

My summary of this week's "town hall" debate:


Obama: Everything that's gone wrong is McCain's fault.

McCain: Everything that's gone wrong is Obama's fault... my friends.


That is all.

Halloween Fun

So, the 'fun' actually started Friday - when I went to Michael's and got a set of 30 Halloween cookie cutters. That's right. 30!

Then yesterday I set about making sugar cookies (add Vanilla to that recipe--you won't regret it) in order to use the new cutters. I actually decided to do only the smallest ones... of which there were 8. But one is a spider and I don't do spiders, so really I just did 7 different shapes. The thing was, by the time I finished making the cookies my back hurt, my ankles were swollen, and my feet were sore (being pregnant ROCKS). I think I decorated maybe 6 cookies and then said, "Forget this, I'm going to sit down." Then last night I hung out with a few friends and we ate undecorated cookies. And William and I ate some as well... Which is why in the picture below you only see one Frankenstein's Monster head and one Bat.

Today I was feeling more up for it, and William and I set about decorating the cookies. William did the Cats, the Bat, as well as several Witch's Hats, one Jack-O-Lantern, and one Ghost. I seem to prize uniformity more than creativity, and William the opposite. Having said that, I'll let you pick out the Jack-O-Lantern, Ghost, and Witch's Hats that William did.

Honestly, I just love his playfulness. Its one of the things that makes being married to him so much fun.

Okay, if you'll excuse me now, I have some more cookies to eat. (What's that Leah? You're *trying* to get gestational diabetes?)

The Debates

So, I totally forgot to blog about the debate after last Friday. I actually didn't get to watch it because we were in Orlando... but I read over a transcript after wards. I think I forgot to blog about it because I didn't learn anything new. It can be summed up like this:


McCain: "I'm just like W!"

Obama: "You're just like W!"


We didn't really learn anything new last night either. I would sum it up like this:


Biden: "McCain is just like W!"

Palin: "I'm a Maverick!"


The thing I really want to blog about is last night when I couldn't sleep (even though I was EXHAUSTED--pregnancy is weird) and was watching some of the debate analysis. I switched back and forth between the different news channels (CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS) and most of them were saying the same things: Biden clearly won the debate, and Palin did better than everyone thought she would. I actually wasn't very surprised by that. The one thing she has going for her is her public speaking ability. I knew she would do well on the talking points McCain's camp trained her on. And, in fact, she also did well sticking to those talking points even when they had nothing to do with the question. And I also knew that Biden would come out winning the debate. He's been around the block. He knew what he needed to do going into the debate and he did it. I was actually irritated before the debate by everyone who talked about how 'careful' Biden would have to be to not come of sexist or condescending. #1. This would not be a problem if he were debating a man, so its sexist to bring it to the table in the first place. #2. Biden has probably done more than any other senator for women's rights and championing legislation against women's violence. He's the pretty much the last senator you can accuse of being sexist. But that's not what I want to blog about.



What was funny was when, at one point, I switched to Fox News and Rudy Giuliani was being interviewed. He said--about Palin--the it was the "best performance in a debate he'd ever seen."


Seriously? Granted, she did fine, she really did... But was Rudy on crack? At first I thought he was joking. My sister and I made a game of counting how many times she said the words Maverick, America, and Alaska. And there was the aforementioned talking about the talking points when it had nothing to do with the question. Not to mention the several "Um..............."s that started her comments about those talking points.


Like I said, she really did fine-especially given that Biden is such an experienced politician and debater. She didn't flounder nearly as much as everyone assumed she would. But best ever is a far cry from what it actually was.

It must have been a joke.