i failed the test

I got a call from my doctor's office, which makes a first in my life. Seriously, for as many pap smears, and strep throat tests, and blood screenings I have had in my life, I don't think a doctor's office has ever called me to give me results. Mostly I chalk my ignorance up to bliss and figure that if there were any problems the doctor's office would tell me. At least if I am mistaken, I have laid the ground work for a profitable wrongful death suit. Anywho, they reported that my glucose test was "high." And then proceeded to interrupt/talk over me about how I have to call the lab and make an appointment for a three hour test and did I have any questions? How about, can I put off the test until I eat one of every Hostess and Little Debbie sugary snack cake available? Sweets are my thing! They always have, which makes it difficult if the hub and I are both craving something, because he craves savory and I crave sweet.

So, I called the lab and they scheduled me for 8:00 a.m. Tuesday. And the lady from the lab said "8:00 a.m." as if I would have a problem with it. "That means you have to be here at 8:00 ready to start the test. On time." I was left wondering if punctuality is a big issue for most people taking a glucose test. Are they just stuck in line at Starbucks and Krispy Kreme?

I have to fast before this one, but I can drink water, which the lab lady told me no less than 15 times. Are people's veins just shutting down from dehydration during the glucose test? I have to remember (remember? HA!) to bring a book because I'm thinking that being surrounded by sick people for 3 hours with only daytime tv to distract me won't go well. So, I'm left with the chocolate chip walnut cookies I made today and the hopes that after this test no one calls me with results.

the chair has arrived!

I was on the phone with my sister yesterday when I noticed that Storkland was beeping in on the other line. I quickly tried to switch over, but of course I don't know how to switch to the other line (home phone, not cell phone) so I ended up hanging up on them. I called back and was told that my chair was in! I was also told that my mattress still had not shipped from the manufacturer and they had no idea when it would show up. Hmmmm. But back to the chair - it is here!

Made in America (Indiana) and by Best Chairs, the pattern is a damask called "Shamrock." The bedding has green accents, and we figured that since the bedding had polka-dots and stripes, and the window treatments have polka-dots and plaid, let's keep the patterns coming. Plus, it is gender-neutral for use with possible future babies. I like nurseries that go together, but aren't themed-out. And this one is turning out awesome!

The domestic violence advocate at the courthouse I used to work at told me how she got a Cracker Barrel rocker for her nursery, and it ended up being so uncomfortable she never used it. The hub and I went for style and comfort here. The chair is fully padded, and rocks AND glides on a metal base. It is one of the few pieces of furniture we own that did not have to be put together. For some reason it looks small in the picture, but it is actually the size of a normal club chair or recliner.

Notice the ruffled lamp? That's courtesy of IKEA, $2 of fancy ribbon from Hobby Lobby, and some tacky glue. Target wants $29 for this lamp? Ha!

Close-up of the pattern:


And, of course at my favorite store Target, I found this frame with the same pattern as the chair and had to buy it.

And back on my run of stealing art from the internet, I saw this drawing online (I have no idea which website) of a little girl standing on the cliff overlooking flowers and fell in love.


The actual drawing, since I know it is hard to see in the above picture.

the third trimester

I am officially 28 weeks and 3 days into my pregnancy. I had a doctor's appointment today, and beforehand I did my glucose test. Now you don't have to fast before the test, but it's best to eat a breakfast of bacon and eggs, not sugary cereal. So I got up with the hub, made us breakfast, and then sat around until I was ready to drink the glucola. At 9:00 a.m. exactly I chugged the fruit punch glucola. It was not nearly as bad as the horror stories I have heard, but around a minute into drinking, it started to taste less like Hawaiian punch and more like medicine. I got in the car and headed to the lab, only to be told I needed my lab form. So, I went upstairs and got the form, then back down to wait another 22 minutes. After having my blood drawn, I went upstairs to wait for my doctor's appointment (and eat some tums I avoided before the blood test).

The whole appointment was routine. I won't give you details (because you'll be sick), but the term "mucus plug" did come up. Yuck! I told nurse Stephanie that it was a disgusting idea and it gave me the willies. Plus, ever since being pregnant, I cannot stomach anything medical in nature. I am measuring at 28 weeks, I have gained 21 pounds total, and my blood pressure is still really good. The baby's heartbeat is at 160 beats per minute.

Dr. Doeden and I had our question and answer session: (1) recommendations for pediatricians; (2) tops of feet are red - totally normal; (3) baby movements varying - totally normal; (4) 3D/4D ultrasound - am I going to have to pay Stork Vision $200 or am I getting one in the office? Jackpot! My third trimester ultrasound will be 3D/4D (I don't really know the difference, but it beats grainy pictures) and I will have it June 17th at 2:30 p.m. when the in-laws are visiting, and they can come and see.

Then I had to meet with the insurance billing people at the office so I could sign over a check for 20% of the delivery fee. Ugh. By the way, this delivery fee (assuming I have a vaginal birth, which I'm hoping for) DOES NOT INCLUDE hospital fees, anesthesia, the pediatrician, pathology, blood tests, urine tests, ultrasounds, or fetal monitoring. Yay for me! And my bank account! I am thankful that I have insurance in the first place, but I've already met my deductible for my public defender insurance, so switching insurances means I have to meet another deductible. And I need to meet with the hospital account services to pre-register and get all my other fees worked out. I have heard that the hospital gives away NOTHING, so even though I may think those snazzy socks with the tread are free, they aren't.

By the way, you may notice the bouncy cradle in the background of the picture. The hub put it together, and now it is ready. No co-sleeper for me, and our featherbed means the baby isn't crashing with us. This bouncy is supposed to help with fussiness and reflux, as it holds baby at the optimum 30 degree incline, and baby's own movements make it bounce and sway. I want one for my adult size, and I've caught Sadie eyeing it too often.

the nursery, part infinity

Here is an update on the nursery. STILL waiting on the mattress and chair/rocker/glider, but I did finish the window treatments and homemade artwork. The raspberry polka-dot mats on the pictures are scrapbook paper, and a perfect match to the bedding AND the bows on the window shade. The pictures are clip art from the computer. Screw you Target and your $25 EACH children's art! The saleslady even gave me a "I can't believe you asked me that" look when I asked if $25 was for the set. Silly me!



Baby B's "coming home from the hospital" outfit we picked out at Macy's. Originally $46 *gasp* we got it almost half off. Yes! Love the smocking and little flowers. Think it'll fit in the already-crammed baby book for safe-keeping?


Cutest letters I could find. The hub and I went to an art festival in town, and stumbled upon one of those baby stores where everything costs too much and you recognize the brand because Gwen Stefani's boys wear it. But we spotted these letters, and I love that they are antiqued and lower-case!


My balloon shade! Nothing screams "little girl" more than a balloon shade. We went with white because we didn't want to do too much pink. I found the pink and green plaid ribbon at Hobby Lobby 50% off, as well as the raspberry polka-dot ribbon, so I added both to spice it up.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend snuck up on us this year, and the hub and I were left with no plans. So, we slept in, did yard work, he changed the oil in his truck, and we grilled hot dogs. We even hit up this sales, getting Baby B's "coming home from the hospital" outfit from Macy's for a cool 45% off. Basically, we goofed off all weekend. It was fantastic.




Sadie is super-excited about the prospect of a hot dog falling off the grill and into her mouth. Can't you just feel the excitement?

the puppy

Yes, she's almost 3 years old. Her birthday is August 12, 2009, just one week before my due date and third wedding anniversary. But Sadie is still my puppy. She has seemed down since we moved out here. Not because she misses her doggy friends - she didn't have any in WV, and the annoying puffy dog next door doesn't count. Or the dog from across the street who liked to poop in my yard. I think she is bored of me.



She still likes to snuggle, will take over the bed like nobody's business, but during the day she just looks sad.



She falls between either wanting to sleep or wanting to play. Though, since moving here, she has added a third category: laying outside on the patio sunning her belly. I can't stand the idea of her getting too hot, or leaving the door open with the air conditioning on, so most mornings I will pull up the shades and move a mat in front of the door window so she can sun her belly indoors. This is her heaven.

But everything changes when her daddy gets home. She is ready. See, he "fights" with her better than I do, and she knows it. The hub trained her early on to not bite, so while her playing make look vicious, she'll never bite him. When she has slipped up, gotten too excited, she knows it and immediately hangs her head in shame at the daddy she has disappointed.

The hub will get on the floor, and spend time throwing the ball and various toys for her to return to him with glee. He wiggles his feet and she attacks. She loves it. She loves him.

ladies who lunch

Wikipedia defines "ladies who lunch" as: a phrase to describe slim, well-off, old-money, well-dressed women who meet for lunch socially, normally during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a restaurant, perhaps in a department store during shopping. Sometimes there is the pretext of raising money for charity.

Does this describe me and Sadie? Not really. Sadie is used to staying home all day, but she previously slept all day in her doggie playpen while the hub and I were at work. Now she has me home, bugging her and moving on the couch, when all she wants to do still is sleep. Sadie has taken to the back patio, sunning herself until she gets too hot and then moving indoors for more *you guessed it* sleeping.

I've been trying to make my days useful and I've now found that I am inventing errands to have something to plan to do. The nursery is basically finished, and there's not much I can do until the mattress and chair are delivered in a couple of weeks. I feel a little superstitious, but I just can't take the tags off the clothes and wash them. If the worst happened, I could pack up the furniture, but the clothes, carefully chosen for this child, would have to go and I just won't jinx it.

I do set my alarm every day, mostly because if left to my own devices I will sleep all day just because I can. I get up, get dressed, and put on makeup. Anyone who knows me knows my HUGE aversion to pajamas as going-out wear, and I won't ever leave my house wearing sweatpants/pajama pants unless I'm going to the hospital. But the makeup is the important part because it means I'm still trying. It was easy to get dressed, brush my hair, and put on makeup when I was working because I knew I would be seeing people, interacting with colleagues and clients, and I wanted to put my best look out there. But no longer working, maybe seeing a cashier or two, I have no real "reason" to try, except for myself and for the hub. Sadie could really take it or leave it.

And I detest daytime television shows. Ugh. When did TLC get rid of "A Wedding Story"? Now it's four straight hours of "A Baby Story" and "Jon and Kate Plus Eight." And I can't get behind stupid talk shows like Maury Povich, because I don't care who the father is. And shows like "Judge Hatchett" aren't law, so I might as well watch "Law & Order." So, I really only have one have-to watch show per day - "Barefoot Contessa." And today she inspired me!

The nesting is moving into the kitchen! Tomorrow I'm making her Beatty's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing. Then I want to try out her recipe for Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits. Yum. The hub and I have started eating at home more, in an effort to curb the huge eating-out budget we used to enjoy. We make dinner together, take a walk with Sadie, then head home because with my newest round ligament pain I can't walk too far. Tomorrow we'll have dessert of chocolate cake! Then I get to do my glucose test. Maybe the new kitchen nesting is a result of me thinking there's no way I'll pass this glucose test with a twin sister who had gestational diabetes twice?

the wizard of oz

Last night we got our first tornado warning, with all the news channels interrupting regularly scheduled programming to bring us the very latest. Everyone around here seemed to know it was coming because of the weather lately. I, however, am unaware of such tell-tale signs. All I know is "red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in morning, sailor's warning." And that if the leaves blow up rain is coming. But, suffice it to say that last night's thunderstorms and tornadoes made for an interesting night. The news even had footage of a tornado about an hour and a half away from us. The storm chasers were all over the funnel clouds, and you could hear hail denting their trucks. The courthouse in Anadarko lost half its roof (it's unknown if it was a tornado or just the very strong winds). The storm went around Edmond, and we didn't get so much as a drop of rain. Crazy.





Here's me showing off my pregnancy double chin. Doesn't the hub looked thrilled? I'm sure the neighbors thought it totally inappropriate for me to be pulling off a glamour shots photo session in the front yard during a tornado warning, with sirens going off. Sticks in the mud!

the 26th week

We got to meet my new doctor on Monday. I called for directions to the office and was told that her office is located in Lakeside Hospital. Actually inside of the hospital. That's convenient! Too convenient. The hub and I waited for over an hour because the doctor was delivering a baby downstairs! But, really, if there was ever an excuse for running late....

The doctor is one of ten doctors, all women, who make up the practice. They try to only deliver their own patients, though vacation schedules may dictate another doctor taking over your labor. The doctor is strict! She only does hospital births, which I guess rules out the drug-free home birth in a tub in the middle of the living room experience that the hub and I never wanted in the first place. I've seen my sister give birth twice. I need drugs! I need medical personnel checking on me! I need a craft-matic adjustable bed!

She did point out that as a redhead (she is a redhead too) I was more apt to have end-of-pregnancy high blood pressure and other issues (apparently besides OB, she specializes in "old wives' tales"). How much fun for me! What else does the crystal ball say? Her nurse Stephanie handed me a bottle of "fruit punch" glycola and a half-sheet of vague instructions concerning the glucose test. I pointed out to the doctor that since my identical twin sister had gestational diabetes twice, perhaps we dispense with the one-hour test and go straight for the three-hour test. The doctor disagreed and now I have to do the one-hour test whenever I feel like it in the next three weeks. Huh? I do well with limits. Just tell me when to come in!

I'm measuring right at 26 weeks, which is good since I am 26 weeks. Nurse Stephanie found the heartbeat, going at about 150 beats per minute. She remarked that the doppler she was using was old and on its last leg, and that she was ordering a new one from ebay. Maybe that was a joke?

The doctor is really into birthing classes, so now the hub and I are signing up for the Saturday "what to expect" class that runs from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. I hate that much classroom instruction! And I have to remember to wear comfortable clothing and bring two pillows (for my nap in the back of the room). Hmmmm....... We're also taking infant CPR and breastfeeding (just me, folks).

All in all I think the doctor is going to work out. She rules that office, and I like that she's quite the powerhouse. And her nurse and student doctor are sweet and talkative.

In other news, we're moving ahead on all things baby! The hub put together the stroller and swing because he couldn't stand having any more cardboard boxes in the house. I painted and hung two shelves in the room. We're waiting on the rocker-glider and mattress....4-6 weeks..... patience, Carrie, patience. I keep reminding myself that it's a good thing the store ordered the chair and mattress so I wasn't stuck with floor models, but really I'm kind of an instant-gratification type person.





And we bought a dresser on Mother's Day and got a great deal. The dresser that came with our crib furniture line was $326. Nope. We got this one for almost half that. And if it's anything like what Randy the salesguy claims, it'll last for years and bring our daughter many years of happiness. Is it a dresser or trustfund, Randy?

ode to Mother's Day

I've loved this pregnancy. Everything about it. But, in reflecting on motherhood today, I can say there are two things becoming a mother has given me that I will gladly give back. First, the underwear situation. I kept reading that pregnancy underwear is a rip-off, blah blah blah, so I kept wearing my normal everyday underwear. That is, until it started creeping down because of the belly. I called my sister for advice, and it was she who uttered those horrendous words - "Oh, you need to buy the big underwear. The kind that goes over the bellybutton." Ugh. So I did. And you know what? She was right.

New, bigger ain't better, undies:



Normal, everyday undies from days of yore:



Fun, haven't seen (or fit into) in a couple of years, undies:



Now, a comparison:



Hmmmm. Not only am I outgrowing my undies, I'm now outgrowing my body. Second thing I will gladly give back? The stretch marks.



I threw away the Palmers cocoa butter lotion because I couldn't stand the smell. I've been using Eucerin religiously since day one. And I thought I was in the clear. Sure, I ignored that my genetics said I'd get them. I really and truly believed I would be exempt. I've only gained 16 pounds total and I'm 26 weeks along! But no, it was not to be. At first they cropped up a few at a time, which really helped with the freak-out situation. Now, the stretch marks think it's funny I hyperventilate and show the hub the imaginary line of what a tummy tuck can accomplish.

So, happy Mother's Day to all my mommas out there!

the baby's room

We've given ourselves one week to get everything put away and in its place. I hung the curtains on Friday, and most of the pictures are up! So, the hub and I have taken to Baby B's room. We were originally going to do a chair rail and paint the lower portion pink. The idea of an all pink room gives the hub the heebie-jeebies and makes him think of pepto bismol. Well, standing in Lowes using my Blackberry to do calculations, we figured that the trim would cost about $100. Ugh. Then we figured out that once the crib, dresser, rocker-glider, and changing table were in place, you probably wouldn't see much of the pink. So, we decided to paint the whole room pink.

Off to Sherwin-Williams we went, and with bedding in hand I matched up the middle pink to "In the Pink." We got the paint home, taped off the room, and opened the paint can. It was seriously as pepto/cotton candy as it got! We figured that we had just sprang for the no-VOC paint, we might as well try it out (on one wall). One wall was all it took. There was no way we were painting the entire room in this bright pink! We retreated to let it dry and figure out what to do next. We came down to two options: paint the entire room a lighter pink, or leave the one wall as an accent wall. I grabbed the crib bedding and made the crib (sans mattress which is on order for delivery in 4-6 weeks....arghhhh.....) to see how it looked with the wall. It coordinated perfectly! So the accent wall stays.

Here's the room prior to painting, with our green biodegradable drop cloth, which made the pink putrid.



The hub enjoying the painting duties, and noticing that the pink looks kind of prissy.



But with the bedding (Country Cottage from Baby Gap) it looks great! So the pink stays, just no longer on every wall in the room.

we are here

The movers showed up Friday morning ready to pack. I was told they would be there between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., so you can imagine my surprise on my drive home from picking up Sadie that at 8:00 a.m. the movers were wondering where I was. I barked out some lame excuse about being told they would be there later and sped home. You know what I did while four men packed up my house? Nothing. I sat on the couch and watched tv, until they packed the tv. Then I mindlessly web-browsed for hours.

They ended up packing AND loading on Friday, so we were able to leave a day early. We arrived on Saturday night, got Pei Wei and rented "Role Models" (so funny!) and went back to the empty house. On Sunday one of the movers called to see if we wanted the hub's truck and motorcycle delivered. Yes!



Now, I'm not going to lie. This isn't pretty. Six month pregnant feet, after 2 days air travel, followed closely by 14 hours in the car. Sure, I walked every rest stop, but I can't stop mother nature. These ankles have roll marks! My feet are so tight from the swelling they are actually shiny.




Sadie hanging out on the movers' plastic walkways. So careful about carpet when the mud is red! And it has been raining in OK like nobody's business. She looks like I'm yelling at her because I probably was. I spent two days telling her to get out of the way.



On Monday morning, bright and early, our moving friends showed up to unload the truck. Here are the hub and Sadie keeping watch over the whole procedure, the hub's Starbucks shaken lemonade/green tea (sweetened) at the ready. This is as easy as moving gets people!



Our main mover Art referred to this as the "bingo list." As items came off the truck, they yelled out its inventory number and we marked it off.



Living amongst the boxes. Ugh. The hub is smiling because we haven't started unpacking yet. Fast forward to Tuesday night, and we'll both be cussing like sailors.




Do I want to unload every box and hang curtains and figure out where pictures should go? Of course. But what do I insist we do next? That's right - put together the crib. The crib we won't need for a minimum of four months. Who am I to question nesting?

the move

The hub and I got in around midnight last night. Our original flight was to have landed in Charleston at around 6:00 p.m., but as luck (our luck) would have it, Chicago was having bad weather, blah, blah, blah, and long story short we were rerouted to Denver - Dulles - Charleston. We kept telling the United reps that we had to be back in Charleston THAT NIGHT because the movers were coming the next day and didn't they understand how important it was that we get the house packed up? My feet were so big by the end of the night that my flip flops were barely staying on. Needless to say, once we got home and did laundry, I fell into bed.

See, I've been battling bronchitis and sinus issues all week. Love the pregnancy immune system! (But I still refused to wear the mask in the airport, swine flu be damned!) The bronchitis worked itself out by Wednesday, but the sinus problems only got worse with the plane rides all day. This morning I woke up to the alarm at 7:00 a.m. with the same sinus headache I went to bed with. I went to get Sadie from the vet, and on my return home the movers called me. See, I was told yesterday that they would show up between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., so I felt safe going to rescue Sadie from the boarders at 7:30 a.m. WRONG. I rushed home and the movers went to town on my house.

Everything is now in boxes. And, for the first time in all my moves (and there have been A LOT), I did not have to pack a thing. Nothing. I've been sitting on the couch all morning watching everyone else work. And I loved every minute of it. It's been a whirlwind week for me - Monday was my last day of work, and to call it traumatic is simplifying it. I hate leaving a job I don't want to leave, and I had a ridiculous drive home, alternating between crying (missing my work people) and coughing (bronchitis). Early Tuesday morning we were on the plane to OKC. Wednesday we closed on our new house (and I won't even bore you with the details of how the mortgage company needed documents sitting 1600 miles away in my file cabinet), and Thursday we returned to WV. First thing I'm doing after the move, after everything is unpacked, is putting my swollen feet up.