My Boyfriend

Another weekend is quickly approaching. I'm excited about Friday night - DATE NIGHT with Joel. He's been my boyfriend for over 9 years now, and I love getting to spend one on one time with him. (Okay, so I'm feeling a bit sappy...it could be the hormones.) It's been over a month since our last date, so we're due-and I know that once baby girl comes that our together time will be limited. There's something about having a nursing baby that makes it hard to 'get away'. I'm ready to meet her though! From the way she kicks (and does gymnastics) in my belly, I think she'll be feisty. I also assume she'll look just like Mr. P did when he was a newborn. If she looks different (as kids tend to do) then I'll be surprised. :)

My two favorite guys!

Yesterday was my 32 week appointment. No glucose in my urine, hooray!...and I hadn't gained any weight since my last appointment. The midwife (a different one from last time) asked me if I was feeling okay. Excuse me? Am I feeling okay? YES. I just got freaked out by my last appointment and worried I'd have a 10-pounder. It's hard to eat the same amount when I'm having to severely limit carb and sugar intake. :) Anyhow, she said everything looked great...and, while I'm still going to be watchful of carbs and sugar (I don't need a lot of the extra 'junk' anyhow) I at least feel like I can eat in moderation. Which, I guess is kinda the point.

Mr. P and I enjoyed some time outside today. It's so sunny and beautiful...I pretended we were on a beach vacation. I even got a little burn! :) But, alas...there was no ocean...and I was wearing my maternity clothes instead of a bathing suit. Oh well, a girl can dream, ha! For our 'vacation' this year we'll be at the Hospital having our daughter, so...I'm trying to improvise here.

Carb Condemnation

Well, my love affair with the Reese's eggs (and Krispy Kreme) has come back to bite me in the hiney. It's not that I was going any more crazy with the sweets than normal...in fact, the first half of my pregnancy, I couldn't really stomach the sweet things I normally love.

Well, I'm having to cut out EVERY thing good. Ok...that's probably a slight exaggeration, but as of yesterday...I'm on a severe carb limit (only whole grains-sparingly) and no 'sweets'. I was a grump last night because of it.

Not the end of the world, I realize, but it seemed like it to my 30 week pregnant brain. The midwife said my weight gain is right on, so I get a gold star for that (yee-haw) but there was glucose in my urine. She asked me if I'd ever spilled sugar into my urine before. "Uh...what?!?" Anyhow, apparently that means my body isn't processing/metabolizing? sugar correctly because 100 is way to high for sugar in the urine. I'm not sure if it's 100 mg or what...but I feel like I should be more informed.

Either way, they're worried about Millie (don't worry that's not her real name...just a nickname) being a 10-pounder, so I'm having to be extra careful. Apparently I barely 'passed' my glucose test 2 weeks ago and had sugar in my urine last time. Nice that they never even let me know until my appointment yesterday, but whatever.

The way I understand it is, if too much sugar gets to Millie-it will force her body to produce extra insulin, which will then cause her to pack on the pounds. The midwife stated that we wanted to go for an 8 pound baby, rather than a 10 pound one. Um...yes, please.

*Sigh.* So, meanwhile...I'm extremely aware of how many church & family functions are centered around food, cake, etc. I'm already having withdrawals. But, if eating more protein, and cutting out starchy carbs & extra sugar can help my body in growing a healthy sized bambino, it's definitely worth it.

This is our garage sale weekend, and my sister and her family will be here. I was thinking about pizza and icecream cake for my Brother-in-Law's Birthday on Friday night to celebrate...Now, we're going to grill out. I'll have a hamburger, with no bun please, hold the ketchup.

Getting Antsy

We've been invaded. Yesterday I noticed (thanks to P) that our entryway was being taken over. Little black ants were marching in and even going up the stairs! This happens every Spring, but this year they seemed especially thick. I got out the Tarro (ant poison) and told P we were going to 'feed the ants'. Ahem, feed them poison. He loves to watch them, and when he comes down the stairs will ask, "How you doing, ants? Good?" It cracks me up. He would totally keep them as pets if I could handle little critters crawling in my house. Yikes!!

Yesterday morning P asked me if my baby has toys to play with, while she's in my tummy. The poor kid was worried about her getting bored. ;o)

Not a lot new to report...We did go to the Children's Museum this morning and had a good time. The Zoo with our MOPS group might be on the agenda for tomorrow, depending on the weather. I'm ready for some SUN shine again. Last week spoiled us!

Easter was nice. We had a feast at my parents and then did an outdoor egg hunt. The boys all really get into it. Late that afternoon, we dyed hard-boiled eggs and I've been eating our artwork this week.

Last night at Bible study, I got a craving for an Reese's Easter Egg. A BAD CRAVING. I wanted one something fierce and came home to have a spoonful of chocolate frosting mixed with a little spoonful of peanut butter. So. Not. The. Same. Today while we were at Target, I had to invest in a package of Reese's Eggs (50% off). So delightful. I had one today...and I'm telling ya, it was everything I hoped it would be. I can't keep this up, I realize...or this little girl will be over 10 pounds, but I'm telling myself that she's really growing this week, so that's why I'm craving more food. Not really sure if that's true...but for now it works. :)

My favorite thing about Sunday

Besides going to see great friends from the church we used to go to, hearing an inspiring and challenging message from the Word, eating lunch at our favorite mexican restaurant ever, and getting more fabulous baby girl hand-me-downs from my friend T...

My favorite thing about Sunday was spending a lazy afternoon at the park.

Yes, Spring has arrived...and I'm so thankful!

It' a good thing I love him

This morning we went to church, came home and had yummy roast & veggies for lunch, and then went downstairs before P's nap to hang out for a bit. Joel was testing out his new sound system (bought off Craigslist) with a bit of Starwars playing on his new speakers. In one scene, P was like, "Mom...You have to come look at this girl." I wondered why he wanted me to see her. He said, "Don't you wish you could be like that girl?" I said, "What do you mean...Do you think she's pretty?" Of course he did. I asked him, "Do you think she's prettier than Mommy?" He answered, "Yeah."

Wow, talk about blunt! Kids have such a way with words. They call it like they see it. And the way they see it isn't always...NICE! :)

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Today is my Mom's Birthday. I won't say which Birthday. Age is not important. And she will read this. And she would kill me if I reveal her age. :)

My Mom is beautiful. In honor of her big day, I wanted to write what makes my Mom so amazing. There are a lot of things...but here goes:

She is a voice of reason. Even when things seem crazy to me, she knows what to say to bring me back to reality. Basically, she is a realist. She tells it like it is...and it's usually not that bad!

She is a great Grandma. Her Grandkids love being with her. She loves them so much. It's hard to believe that soon there will be a little girl amongst all these boys! :)

She is physically strong. I wouldn't say she is Superwoman...but, pretty much! She'll walk 8 miles on her treadmill, on a STEEP incline...scoop 6 foot drifts of snow for hours, play tennis in 98 degree heat, and still have the energy to babysit her day care kiddos the next day. Where does her energy come from?? I'm not sure. But I admire her strength! For years my Mom has logged her exercise...daily. She is the most 'fit' person I know. She encouraged me GREATLY when I was losing the baby weight with P, and I know she'll be a source of encouragement (and irritation) for me this time around, too! :)

She is one of my best friends. Growing up, I never thought I'd say that about my Mom...but it is so true. I am blessed daily by our conversations. Sometimes several times a day. I appreciate that I can call her up just for the little things...I tell her funny things P says, and she laughs with me. I don't know what I'd do without her.

I love you, Mom! HaPpY BiRtHdAy!!!

Random Ramblings

This morning we had an 8 am Doctor's appointment. I realized at 7:30, as I was trying to wake P up, that I should not have made such an early appointment. He was bemoaning how tired he was, asking for 'FIVE more minutes!' We were only about 5 minutes late to check in at the ped's office though, so I consider that a small victory.

The Doctor spent about an hour with us! I did not feel rushed, and got alot of allergy questions answered. I also found out that P is in the 75th percentile for weight (40.25 pounds) and the 95th percentile for height (43.5 inches). When did my child get so big?! *Sigh*. He's almost full-grown. Okay, probably not...but it won't be too long before he reaches the top of the giraffe in our pediatrician's office.

After nearly 3 years without a severe peanut attack, it baffles me that P has had TWO pretty severe attacks this month! I'm wondering what in the world is going on! This last attack was at church on Sunday, when a well-meaning relative gave him a Butterfinger chocolate heart (for V-Day) and within 20 minutes of eating it, P had thrown up, had hives all over, and was itching profusely. He also had a hoarse voice and was coughing. (Throat swelling?!) I called the nurses line, and absolutely praise the LORD that his second dose Benadryl kicked in because the next step was the E.R. The nurse told me to watch for the coughing/hoarse voice, and of course unconsciousness. This attack really shook me up. I hate seeing him like that! We have to be so careful.

So, after eating out at Applebee's a couple weeks ago (where he also had a pretty severe reaction)...I am thinking we can no longer take him out to eat with us. He has had their chicken tenders/fries at least a dozen times...They are not cooked in peanut oil, do not normally cause reactions, etc. THIS time however, it appears that the french fries that were prepared in the common fryer were contaminated with some sort of peanut product that may have been cooked in the fryer previously. He threw up his entire supper that night after he was in bed...had hives on his face/bloodshot eye...gave him Benadryl and then he was fine and slept through the night.

I am taking him to the natural doctor next Tuesday that we've seen before in town. I was skeptical of their processes at first, but we saw AMAZING improvement with his severe eczema and tummy troubles when he two years old. I am a firm believer in the natural treatment of the body. It seems that Dr. offices many times just give you creams/pills to mask the symptoms, but natural care is aimed at getting to the SOURCE of the problem. I'm thinking something is out of whack with P right now, causing his more frequent and severe reactions. Hopefully they'll be able to pinpoint it and give us the minerals/supplements we need to help him out!

After our lengthy Doctor's appointment this morning, we picked up our new prescription for 2 more Epi-pens (and bought P a pack of Transformers for being so brave while they took 3 vials of blood from him) and then headed over to meet some friends at the Children's Museum. The kids had great fun playing, and us Moms loved the chat time! I grabbed a Jimmy John's sandwich on the way home for lunch. Yes, #6. Delightful.

Tonight is my friend's jewelry party and my Mom is coming down for it. I suppose I should get to cleaning. The maid is late again. She's so fired!