UGH and YAY and every emotion between!

Ok, so while I am not entirely ready for Spencer to be here...I am way ready for this pregnancy to be over with! I am more and more miserable each day and my doctor's office is being less and less helpful! Last week their equipment wasn't working, so I got sent to the hospital for monitoring. You can't get to the labor and delivery floor except via the ER...so Carl and I had to sit in the ER waiting room and wait to go to labor and delivery. (Keep in mind I am diabetic and pregnant, and we ate muffins about 3:00). We finally get seen and they hook me up to monitor Spencer's heartbeat and my blood pressure...and do not come back to check on me for well over an hour. My back is hurting so bad I was in tears and squeezing Carl's hand...someone FINALLY comes in and hooks me up for an ultrasound to measure amniotic fluid and Spencer's movement...I am still hooked up for blood pressure, but no more heartbeat machine thing. After she prodded me for what seemed like forever (back still in a lot of pain...I think just from the way I was lying down so long). Then she tells me that someone will be back with my discharge papers...Carl has to leave to go to pharmacy before they close...I waited for over an hour and no one came to check on me...Carl called me and was ready for me to meet him outside. (It was after visitation time, so it would have been a paid to get him back up to my room). So I decide I am just going to leave...but of course they stop me. I tell them I am leaving NOW because I am diabetic and it is after 9:30 pm and I haven't eaten. I am sure my blood sugar was getting pretty low...on top of being tired and pregnant and irritated, I was just crying talking to the doctor. And that is my rant for the day. Can you believe they want me to go back and do the same thing tomorrow? I haven't decided if I am going or not. I really do not want to be put through that again. It was extremely ridiculous.

The swelling has not gone down any. I can't even make a fist in the mornings and I go barefoot at work a lot because none of my shoes fit me anymore. My mom bought me some Halloween sock/bootie things with the grip sole...I wear them a lot. If I can't get a good night's sleep anyways, I figure I might as well be getting up all night to feed and change a baby! At least then maybe I would feel a little more normal without the swelling and having to give myself so many shots all day, etc. I didn't really have much morning sickness and the early part of my pregnancy was really easy. I really think I am making up for it now! But I don't know. Maybe other people this far along were just as miserable. By the way, I am 35 weeks and 2 days along now...so 3 or 4 more weeks for me and I am done! (They won't let me go past 38 or 39 weeks b/c of my diabetes).

On a much more positive note, Carl and I got pregnancy photos done Sunday. My friend Camille did them...she took pics at our wedding and I wouldn't have it any other way! She really could do professional photography on the side if she wanted to!

Here are a few of our pics. They were taken at Cameron Brown Park in Germantown. There are many more, but these are just a few of my faves:

Another ultrasound...

Being diabetic and 32 weeks pregnant means I go to the doctor a whole lot. Yesterday I got sent for an ultrasound to determine how big baby Spencer is. My doctor(s) already thought he is bigger than he should be and they wanted to know just how much bigger.

Yesterday we learned that Spencer is 5 lbs and 7 oz already...and is approx. 2 weeks further along than he should be. He is in the 80th percentile. They said that is not all that great, but that they wouldn't worry unless he reached the 90th percentile. His heartbeat was 147, which is good.

I was told by this new place that he would be born at 38 or 39 weeks and that they don't let diabetics go 40 weeks. So that means we are having an early to mid-November baby unless he decides he wants to come early. Please just stay til Nov 1st at least!!

Third Trimester

Well, I am 32 weeks along now...and trying my best to get fully prepared for the big event. Several things have happened lately that have helped me feel almost ready. The first is the baby shower my sister threw for me. It was great fun and Carl and I got all the big ticket items we really wanted. We got an infant car seat/stroller travel system from some of my girlfriends that pitched in together. We go the matching high chair and play yard that go with it from family. It is all Alphabet Soup from Safety 1st. I love the pattern, Carl didn't at first, but I think he likes it more now. We got tons of clothes from everyone. We got a take along bouncer, mattress for the crib, the puppy bedding set I wanted for the nursery...we got really spoiled! I am so thankful for my friends and family that have helped us in getting ready for the upcoming arrival of Spencer Mason. Here are a few picture
 

After the shower, we got the rest of the nursery furniture assembled and got a lot of the nursery ready. Really the main things left to do are to grab a few last supplies, do the nursery windows, and get the birth plan ready, car seat installed, and bags packed so we are ready for our little man should he come early.

Another thing we have done to get ready is that we started baby classes last night. We go to the 2 hour classes every Monday night from now until baby Spencer comes. Last night was the breastfeeding class. I really feel that we both learned a lot. I feel great about our decision to breastfeed and learned helpful tips. For example, it should not be painful and you should not even need lanolin...if you do have pain and get chaffed it means you are not doing it properly and the baby is not latched on right. I always thought chaffing and pain went along with breastfeeding. Carl and I learned many benefits of breastfeeding...it will help me lose the baby weight faster AND help lower my blood sugar, which has drastically gone up throughout my pregnancy. 

Next Monday the class is about post-partum baby care. I really think this class will be beneficial to me because I have never really been around babies before. I have never changed a diaper, I am terrified of holding babies, etc. I am hoping to learn more helpful tips and ease my fears about holding, feeding, etc to my baby before he comes. The week after starts Lamaze classes. Carl thinks they will be pointless, but I just want to at least go to one or two and see what it is about. It can't hurt! 

So now to nest and get the house ready, stock up on diapers and bath supplies, finish up the nursery, etc...and get ready for our little dude!

Ugh

I have been going to the doctor weekly now...getting closer on getting insulin right, but not quite there yet. Last week, they switched me to NPH and R insulin instead of the 70/30 mix I was taking...so that means mixing my insulin and taking more shots. Yesterday they upped my dosage a little bit and I go back next week to see if it is ok or if it needs some more adjusting.

I have started back to zumba twice a week. I really missed it and I try my best even though I really can't do some of the moves right now. Instead of jumping I will bounce on my toes, and I don't lift my legs as high as most of the other people. But that is just fine. I am still getting a workout and doing something that will hopefully get my blood sugar levels under control.

This past weekend I went to an ultrasound clinic where I got to be a guinea pig for doctors learning about ultrasounds. I got a few new ultrasound pictures...glad I got paid instead of paying them! Haha! They were a bunch of goof offs and had trouble finding the babies organs and parts.

I am supposed to go for an ultrasound sometime this week to check on Spencer's size. They think he is on the big side. Ugh!

My sister is throwing me a shower in a few weeks...I am really excited! I have finished registering at Target and JCP and am trying to save up some money to buy some of the bigger items off the registry myself if at all possible. My sister is having fun planning the shower, and I am looking forward to seeing my family there! One of my friends is throwing me a shower in early November...that will be fun too!

Latest Doctor Appointment

Had another check up with the doctor yesterday. My blood sugar levels have not been within limits, so I have to increase my insulin and go back next Monday to see if it helps. If it does not help, they will probably switch me to a different type of insulin. I didn't have an ultrasound, but doc said that the baby feels a little big to her....which I knew was common with diabetics and what I was hoping to avoid. Sigh. Hopefully we will get this under control soon.

So, next appointment is next week on Monday. Hopefully I will have better news to share then.

I am just about done with my registries at Target and JC Penney. My sister is having a shower for me I Sept 19 and a friend is throwing me one early November. I am really excited about them!

Registries

I have finally started registering for baby Spencer. Creating a baby registry is much more fun than creating a wedding one! Our nursery is a real pretty light/medium green color and we want to go with a light wood crib and furniture to match the rocker that I won from the bank. I found several bedding sets that I liked, and this is pretty much the only one that Carl would agree on:


We registered for the whole nursery set at JCPenney.com. I am really looking forward to getting the nursery ready, decorated, and stocked. Right now I feel very behind with everything that needs to be done before the end of November!! It seems a bit overwhelming right now, but I know somehow we will do it!

I also started a registry at Target. I don't want to register anywhere else, because I am afraid if I do, then I won't get all I really want from the places that I have registered. (I really want all the nursery items from JCPenney!) I emailed friends and asked for input on what is useful and what is a waste of money. I got some really good feedback, but I still have so many questions! (How do I know what kind of formula to get? How do I know the stroller I pick out will be good enough? What is ok to buy used and what to I need to buy new?) Everyone keeps telling me I have plenty of time, but I really don't! The hubby works 2 jobs now, so we don't have much together time to work on projects around the house. I work at a Halloween store, so I pretty much won't be able to do anything starting in late Sept through Nov 1st. So we need to get a move on and get ready!

2nd purchase for baby

The first purchase I made for baby was for Carl's father's day present. I bought a red Star Trek uniform onesie and a vampire pacifier from Thinkgeek.com. Carl wanted all of the colors they had for the onesie, but I was not about to pay that much for a father's day present when the baby hasn't even been born yet and when the baby does not need a Star Trek onesie in every color. Carl can be such a nerd :P Here is my 2nd purchase for baby Spencer Mason Lindley:


I wanted a baby book that I saw at Target the past few months, but I didn't know if I needed the boy one or girl one. They reduced the price and sold out of them before I knew the sex of our baby, so Carl and I went to Babies R Us to find a different one. We found the C.R. Gibson Little Pond Record Book and I fell in love with the cover. I am definitely extra emotional lately...I cried while we were looking at baby books because they were so cute! The only things that really bothered me about this book were that it does not have a place for first ultrasound picture or hospital bracelet, and the other books did. But, in the end, we chose this one because everything else about it made up for that. Plus, I can put those items in the back section where there are a few pages for memories.

We spent probably an hour walking around Babies R Us trying to decide on nursery items and looking at things we want to register for. In the next month or so we will have to go back and actually register. We will probably register at Target for most of the items and then Babies R Us for the rest. I am so ready to start working on the nursery!!