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The one thing I can't get enough of in this pregnancy is water. I dream about water on a very consistent basis - always the ocean, not always calm seas. I have craved floating to the point where an above-ground pool from Sam's Club was starting to sound like a good idea. And, partly because of the diabetes and partly because of doubling my blood volume, I can't drink enough water.

So, I checked with my doctor last Monday and she cleared me for take-off. Admittedly, I was scared of traveling by air once the trip was actually going through. My biggest fear was going into labor without the hub. I was able to upgrade to first class from Oklahoma City to Dallas, which made that leg of the trip easy and relaxing. From Dallas to Norfolk I ended up switching seats with a guy who wanted to sit next to his girlfriend and sat next to a kid, no bigger than 50 pounds soaking wet, for all 2.5 hours. Score! I could take up as much room as I wanted. I did get shortness of breath on that flight, and the worrying over it made it get worse. But I didn't want to cause a scene, or freak out, so I figured I'd alert the attendant if things got really bad. They didn't, and I made it to Norfolk.

Let me just say that gestational diabetes and airport food options do not mix. It didn't occur to me that I could bring my own food, so I was stuck buying meals and snacks with no clue what to eat. My blood sugar levels were ridiculously horrible, and I just hope my doctor understands.

Once in Virginia Beach I got into the pool... Here I am floating on my stomach! I haven't been on my stomach in months...and I miss it.



Then that night my mom, me, and my aunt Jill went to Croaker's for seafood. Yummmmmm. I had the Croaker's Trio - shrimp, scallops, and lobster all broiled in butter and lemon. I also had to have one of their incredible corn muffins and I paid for it later with a blood sugar reading that blew past any of my other readings! We walked along the beach afterwards, which helped with my swollen cankles.


Then on to Chick's Beach. Here are me and Jessica exposing delicate redhead skin to the sun. The weather was awesome. Luckily Jessica has been pregnant in the summertime before, so I was able to borrow her maternity suits and save money. I'll admit it - in the privacy of my mom's pool, I did pull out the bikini.




On Friday night my cousin Stephanie, her husband Kevin, their kids Alexandria and Gavin, and my aunt Jill came over for some grilling. Jessica and I had spent the afternoon buying nursing bras for me and I picked up this tank top for the humid summer days. We ate steak and crab dip, and I did manage to sneak in a little exercise before we all headed out to Marshall's for some shopping.




It was a great trip! I got to do some shopping, some hanging out with family, Jessica and I made it to Cold Stone Creamery (where I had a diet Pepsi ONLY) and visit with our friend Valerie and her son Mylo, and of course play in the pool and at the beach. Jessica brought down her hospital-grade breast pump for me to borrow, and she showed me how to use it. Luckily, she will be coming to Oklahoma City when I have the baby, because my baby brain may not have retained all the information about hooking it up. My mom filled me up with tons of seafood and we relaxed every day.