A Sweet Update

The nurse called back today with an update about my last glucose test and our plan from here on out. She said that after speaking with Dr. Bain, they have decided to refer me to some counseling for gestational diabetes. Someone from the hospital should be contacting me within the next couple days with more information about these classes, but for now all I know is that it is an educational program about gestational diabetes that includes information about testing the sugar levels in your blood and about a good diet plan.

In the meantime, I am kind of at a loss for what to do now. I have been eating better and watching my sugar intake. When my sugar gets low, I go ahead and eat candy and a soda to bring it back up so I don't pass out. The nurse didn't really have any advise for what to do should I feel week and shaky; she just said to go to these classes.

I asked why a spike in my sugar would happen, knowing that no one in my family has diabetes that I know of and that most of my family, including myself, have low blood sugar issues. Nurse Kim advised that sometimes this just happens about this time in a pregnancy.

I am hoping that these classes provide a lot more information for me. In the meantime, I guess we'll keep on truckin' and just keep an eye out of any sugar oddities.

Our Christmas Tree

I am so proud of our little Christmas Tree!

Last year, we had a big and little tree for home. I just love Christmas decorations, so we went all out! This year, I only planned to put up our little tree. We took our big tree to Good Will last year since we have a lack of storage area. Being pregnant and having a large puppy inside, we decided the little tree would suffice. We are also working on our addition and some other remodeling to the house, so a big tree would be in the way.

Well, I was unpacking decorations earlier this week and I could not find the little tree. I have the lights and the tree skirt, but no tree and no ornaments. :( So every time I was out shopping, I kept an eye out for tiny trees. On Saturday at Lowe's, Dean and I found this little tree. It is tiny, but it is actually a live tree! This is the first live Christmas tree I ever remember having. It fits perfectly on top of our entertainment center.

The New Mommy and New Daddy mugs were one of the first presents I received when I found out I was pregnant (Thanks!). I thought I'd leave them out until the little tree is surrounded by wrapped presents.

I am excited to continue shopping and decorating this year! I am trying not to buy too much for Waverly, since her first Christmas is quite a ways off. It's tempting, though!

Black Friday

My aunt and I go shopping on Black Friday every year, for the past 5-6 years at least! Usually, we have a couple of girls with us, but this year we were on our own (we missed you Rachel and Sheila!). We had a great time finding our bargains and chit-chatting away all day.

Well, we began our morning super early - at 4:00 AM! We made it to Wal-Mart by 5:00 and joined the pandemonium within. It was so busy, we had to park at the nail salon across the street to get a parking spot. I made a bee-line for the special items on my list - feather pillows! I did miss out on the Pyrex dish set, but I think besides that we got everything we wanted.

After the big Wal-Mart adventure, we went to Wallgreens, K-Mart and Starbucks. Then, off to Hamburg! We parked at 7:25 AM, both of us proud of our time. Get in, get in line and get out was our motto! We hit up Bath and Body Works, Target, Kohl's and Gordmans. After looking around Kohl's for a few minutes, I took a little break. Other than that, I held up reasonably well for being 27 weeks pregnant!

For lunch, we went to my mom's. For the first time in a few years, the family was getting together for Thanksgiving. Mom had cooked, and we just all love mom's food! She even made mini pecan pies! Unfortunately, everyone arrived at different times during the day. So we only got to see mom. We did visit with Gary and meet his kids as well. We missed seeing all the family.

After a few more shopping stops, we headed for home! I was fairly tired and my aunt had another Thanksgiving dinner to get to. After a nap for me, I put away my purchases, wrapped some presents and began Christmas decorating.

This is a teddy bear that we found for Waverly during our Black Friday outings. It's a time out bear! The timer isn't working properly, but Dean thinks he can fix it. I don't think we'll need it though, I don't expect her to be in Time-Out very often!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! It's been a great holiday for us so far. This morning I went to my dad's house. It was great to see everyone. My Step-mom Betty had went all out with the Thanksgiving fixings, and my aunt and uncle supplied two turkeys to feed us all! Little Tanner has colic, so he was a bit fussy. Unfortunately, Dean didn't get time to visit this time. He was working with his dad on our addition to the house. The annual Burriss Christmas Tree decorating party is set for this Friday, so Dean will have to be there for that!

Thanksgiving night we spent with Dean's parents. I got there in time to help mom peel potatoes and butter the rolls! Thanksgiving supper was excellent, especially my favorite, fried sweet potatoes! Dean's brother and sister and her kids were there to visit. We missed my sister-in-law Marie; she had to work so we sent her a plate. We had a nice time though.

All in all, it's been really nice. All the food and visiting has rocked this baby to sleep today! She hasn't moved very much, but I don't blame her for resting today!

Tonight I'm staying over at my aunt's house. We have to be up early for Black Friday shopping!

We hope everyone enjoyed their holidays!

Bad news from the sugar fairy...

Nurse Kim called this morning to let me know that I failed the one-hour glucose test - again! I can't believe it! I did not have any breakfast this go-round, which probably caused the poor results. My sugar was 27 points too high. This is really amazing to me because my sugar is usually so low. What we think happened is that drinking the orange syrup on an empty stomach made the sugar levels shoot up, instead of giving an accurate description of how my body handles sugar.

So, Nurse Kim said that I will have to take another 3-hour glucose test, which I should have taken in the first place but the other nurse put the wrong order through. I was pretty upset, seeing as how the last test was so hard. I just can't look forward to 3-hours of needles and not feeling well. Kim said that she would confer with Dr. Bain about what other options there are and call me back next week.

In the meantime, it's watch out for sugar and carbs. Not good news, so close to the holiday. But, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone else!

An apple a day...

Another doctor's appointment down! I go to see the ob doctor once a month, at least until I get close to the due date and then they increase visits. Yesterday was my November appointment.

I also had to do another yucky sugar test. The first time I had a sugar test, I had breakfast, which the doctor had said was okay. Well, I had Chik-Fil-A which was loaded in sugar and failed the first time. As a result, I had to take a 3-hour sugar test. It's miserable! 3 hours of taking blood and no food! My sugar dropped really low and I thought I was going to pass out. The nurse even called as soon as she got results from the lab to see if I was okay! This time, I knew better than to have any breakfast. I chugged my orange syrup (very nasty stuff) and waited my hour, then had my blood drawn and was on my way. Waverly was just kicking up a storm - I think she got a sugar rush!

At the doctor's visit, my regular nurse was back! I was happy to see her. However, she looked at my chart and the nurse I had last time ordered the wrong sugar test! I was actually supposed to have the 3-hour test again. I almost cried! I just can't do that again! So, everyone cross your fingers and hope that the 1-hour test I did yesterday comes back okay and they just waive the 3-hour test!

Well, I may have lost weight last month, but I gained it all plus some this month. Little Waverly is growing - and mommy is growing with her! My blood pressure was little bit high, 155/74, so the doctor recommended that I begin taking a baby aspirin (81 mg) daily. This should help my blood pressure so that its not a problem later on.

We listened to the baby's heartbeat on the fetal monitor again. This time, we found her heartbeat right away! The doctor was very pleased. She said the baby's heart rate was in the 150's. I also asked the doctor about the pain I've been having near my pelvic bone. She said that this is normal, just soreness from the pressure. It's okay as long as there are no accompanying contractions. She suggested a baby belt, which would help relieve some of the pressure by holding the baby bump up more. This, however, isn't going to make a lot of difference, and she said just to rest more.

So, all is well in the baby world right now. I'll keep an eye on my blood pressure and get plenty of rest. In the meantime, I'm hoping that I don't have to go back for the 3-hour sugar test!

My next appointment is scheduled for Dec. 18th, at 9:30 AM. I also have an appointment for Dec. 4th, at 11:45 for a 3D ultrasound. I can't wait! Hopefully there will be really awesome pictures to share.

A Break Before Baby

This past weekend, Dean and I went to Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge, TN. for a vacation. We thought it would be good to get in one more small trip before Waverly is born.

Of course, we had to take our German Shepherd, Axel, with us. He is a great traveler! He slept most of the way there and back. He behaved very well in the hotel. We think he had a good time, too!

We had a great time in the Smokey Mountains. We drove up on Sunday and it was just beautiful.

Of course, we didn't forget about our little one while we were away. I took a couple naps and ate lots of good food, so Waverly might like to travel too! Here is a picture of a dress I bought for her; I just had to go shopping at Lid'l Dolly's.

We are already planning vacations for Waverly. We have planned a girl's trip to Gatlinburg when she gets a bit older. And, her granddad, Dean, has already stated that he's taking her to Disney when she turns three!

6 months along...

Can you believe its been 6 months? It seems to have gone so quickly! The reality is setting in, especially since I can't see my toes!

To update everyone on little Waverly, the research says that she should weigh over a pound now and is about 12 inches long! Her hearing is fully functional now and she has even developed her inner ear, which will help with balance for all those future ballet classes. She can hear noises now, including mommy and daddy's voices, cars and music. She can even hear our German Shepherd, Axel, whenever he barks.

I have been reading some to Waverly from the children books I had when I was little. I'm hoping that she will hear my voice and recognize it after she's born. It's been kinda fun, but I catch myself reading silently! Guess its good to break that habit now!

Angel Sounds

Since Waverly has been so active this week, I gathered up my nerves and tried something new. A while back, my aunt Phyllis had purchased an at-home fetal heart monitor. Though it looks different than the picture here, the idea is still the same. Simply apply the monitor to the baby bump and listen, trying to distinguish the sounds to baby's heart beat, kicks and hiccups.

I had been pretty nervous about using an at-home device. Though completely harmless to mom and baby, I was worried that I would be upset if we couldn't find the baby's heartbeat. I guess I was nervous because these machines aren't nearly as reliable as the doctor's equipment. Since Waverly has been kicking a lot as of late, I was ready to try.

On Monday night, Dean and I listened and almost immediately could hear her tiny heartbeat. It sounds like drums! I could also hear her kick, which sounds more like a big smack. I can't wait to figure out how to record it so I can post it for all of you to hear as well!

Thanks, Phyllis! This was a really cool gift!

Daddy's Hands

Well, last night was a big event for us. Though I have been feeling Waverly's little movements for awhile now, it was still too faint for others to feel. Kinda hard for others to share my excitement.

It seems that Waverly moves more at night than during the day time. I think she has her days and nights mixed up. I hope we get that straightened out!

Last night I was all stretched out on the couch and little Waverly was just kicking up a party in there. I laid my hand on the baby bump and I felt her move! Immediately, I got Dean to try. He felt and felt, but every time he would touch my belly, she would stop moving! After a couple of tries, she moved around some more. To our delight, Dean could feel her!

It was so exciting to finally share that with each other. It made me think of that song, Daddy's Hands, so that is now added to our blog site. How sweet! I think Waverly recognized her daddy and gave a big kick of hello out to him! He just smiled!

*This is not a picture of us, just a picture I found. I couldn't resist adding it to today's post.