Ready to pop...almost
So I am basically writing right now (although this is long overdue) to keep my mind off the fact that I am extremely nauseous at the moment. My third trimester nausea hasn't been nearly as bad or as often as last pregnancy, but when it hits, it *hits* so I have to do something right now or I will just be laying on the bed in misery.
I re-read my last post to see where it had left off, and I couldn't believe how much had transpired. I will start with GD stuff. So my post meal readings have been pretty good...especially lately, as I have cut out french fries completely other than an occasional cheat meal (once a week ish). My fasting readings have been very inconsistent, however. This was concerning to my midwives, since in order to do a homebirth, I am supposed to have 20% or less of failures for each kind of reading, and my fasting readings have been more failures than that most of the time. They sent me to a nutritionist, which I really hate because I hate talking about my eating habits with strangers, but I agreed to it to show the midwives that I was trying my best. The nutritionist had me try a number of things to get my fasting readings good, none of which yielded consistent results, which I expected. So she basically said that it was nothing I did or didn't do that was going to help them. They seem to come in waves most of the time, with a few good days, then a few bad, etc. So at my 36 week home visit with the midwives, when I had to tell them this, I was fully expecting for them to say that I had to go on medication and cancel my homebirth plans. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find out that this was not the case. They basically said that the requirements for these things keep changing, and it is only within the last year that it has gotten so strict. (Used to be 20% on all readings, which I meet, and before that was 30% on all readings, and apparently the fasting OK level used to be 105 instead of the current 95, which would also make my readings fall within standards). So based on that, and based on the fact that I was trying so hard, they are willing to go ahead with the homebirth as long as I meet them halfway. That basically entails keeping my post meal readings good, agreeing to be monitored more strictly if I go past 40 weeks, agreeing to be monitored more strictly during labor and transfer at the first sign of problem, and agreeing to check the baby's blood sugar for the first 24 hours after it is born, which the midwives won't be there for all of. Also they don't want me going past 41 weeks. (I really don't think that will be a problem - my gut tells me she will be here early, but I have been wrong before). So I am *ridiculously* excited about that, and really love my midwives.
I started nesting yesterday, which is not something I ever felt with Ally, so it has been weird. I woke up to Paul's 4:45 alarm, and couldn't fall back asleep for thinking about all the things I had to do *RIGHT NOW* to get ready. I think I drove Paul and Kelly crazy yesterday bossing them around to get them to help me with things. It was worth it though, as we got most of the things on my list checked off yesterday and most of the rest of it isn't urgent. I pick up my birth tub and my homebirth kit tomorrow, and that will be a huge weight off my mind. After that, she can come any time she is ready.
Went to my doc for acupuncture last week, as my midwives recommend going starting at 36 weeks to get the cervix to start ripening and whatever. I was nervous about this, since last time I had it done I went into labor that very night, lol. Thankfully my doctor was a bit nervous about it to, so instead of the needles, she used some kind of little not poke-y tiny round nub things that she basically bandaged to pressure points to push on the or something in the same spots that she would have done the needles, with the hopes that it would be effective at what we wanted but not send me into labor. So far so good, hehe. She said whenever I *am* ready to go into labor just to let her know and she will try with the needles instead, but I think I will wait a week or two for that - making her come out before she is ready is not my goal.
OK, enough about pregnancy, let's talk about Ally. She is a little goofball. No lack of personality in this one, that is for sure. She makes me laugh multiple times daily, and I am addicted to it. She loves to give a big cheesy grin when posing for pictures, she loves to give nose kisses, she does these funny walks sometimes for no apparent reason that just make us all laugh. She is the best (sorry everyone else with kiddos!).
On the language front with her, she is still using sign language as her primary form of communication. She is very good at it, and often picks up on signs that I really didn't think she had learned. She even knows quite a few of her letters in sign. (Her favorite is E, which she will often say out loud as well as signing...no idea why she likes that one so much). She has even made up some signs, which is adorable, even though it often takes me a while to figure out what she means. She also knows all of the letters in the alphabet (though not in order or anything). She has colors pretty well down pat too, and numbers are getting there. She gets her brains from her Daddy. She has been saying words out loud more often lately, but only when she isn't thinking about it or when she thinks no one is paying her any attention. Caught her saying the name of her rocking horse yesterday, followed by elephant a little bit later while looking at a book about them. (Her new favorite animals). She also loves to sing, and even though I have no idea what she is singing, she will sometimes throw in signs or real words (or both). The other day she was singing, and kept signing "table" in the middle of her song, and I started to listen and sure enough, when she signed it, she also said it out loud. No idea why she was singing about a table, lol.
She has decided lately that she wants to try to cut out her nap completely, which I of course am determined to not let happen. We'll see who wins. I put her down at her normal time, and she stays perfectly happily playing in her crib - wide awake- for several hours before actually sleeping most days. That is the only reason I have time to type this right now, actually. (Although I need to go get her soon or she won't be ready for sleep at bedtime).
We have decided to postpone potty training at all until after the new baby arrives, since she doesn't seem to want to do it yet and also because she would likely revert back a bit with the new baby arriving anyway. Alas, more diaper changes in our future.
As far as Paul's government shutdown woes go, no new news or anything yet. He is still working, we are still not getting paid. If I go into labor, he will come, and will be officially furloughed until it is over (which he may or may not get paid for afterwards). We applied for food stamps, and since hubby got a partial paycheck for a few days worth this month from last month we don't qualify this month, but we will starting in November. I don't really feel guilty about it, but I think it is silly that the government has let it come to this. *sigh* I check CNN daily for any progress, but don't really expect any. Keep seeing basically the same thing - "Oh we are making progress, it will be over soon, really, trust us," but with no actual end in sight. I'm not letting it stress me out, and most of the people we have called and told that they won't be getting payments from us have been really cool about it. It is what it is, at this point.
OK, I hear her waking up, I gotta run. Seems my nausea got better at some point during this writing, so yay, it worked!
I re-read my last post to see where it had left off, and I couldn't believe how much had transpired. I will start with GD stuff. So my post meal readings have been pretty good...especially lately, as I have cut out french fries completely other than an occasional cheat meal (once a week ish). My fasting readings have been very inconsistent, however. This was concerning to my midwives, since in order to do a homebirth, I am supposed to have 20% or less of failures for each kind of reading, and my fasting readings have been more failures than that most of the time. They sent me to a nutritionist, which I really hate because I hate talking about my eating habits with strangers, but I agreed to it to show the midwives that I was trying my best. The nutritionist had me try a number of things to get my fasting readings good, none of which yielded consistent results, which I expected. So she basically said that it was nothing I did or didn't do that was going to help them. They seem to come in waves most of the time, with a few good days, then a few bad, etc. So at my 36 week home visit with the midwives, when I had to tell them this, I was fully expecting for them to say that I had to go on medication and cancel my homebirth plans. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find out that this was not the case. They basically said that the requirements for these things keep changing, and it is only within the last year that it has gotten so strict. (Used to be 20% on all readings, which I meet, and before that was 30% on all readings, and apparently the fasting OK level used to be 105 instead of the current 95, which would also make my readings fall within standards). So based on that, and based on the fact that I was trying so hard, they are willing to go ahead with the homebirth as long as I meet them halfway. That basically entails keeping my post meal readings good, agreeing to be monitored more strictly if I go past 40 weeks, agreeing to be monitored more strictly during labor and transfer at the first sign of problem, and agreeing to check the baby's blood sugar for the first 24 hours after it is born, which the midwives won't be there for all of. Also they don't want me going past 41 weeks. (I really don't think that will be a problem - my gut tells me she will be here early, but I have been wrong before). So I am *ridiculously* excited about that, and really love my midwives.
I started nesting yesterday, which is not something I ever felt with Ally, so it has been weird. I woke up to Paul's 4:45 alarm, and couldn't fall back asleep for thinking about all the things I had to do *RIGHT NOW* to get ready. I think I drove Paul and Kelly crazy yesterday bossing them around to get them to help me with things. It was worth it though, as we got most of the things on my list checked off yesterday and most of the rest of it isn't urgent. I pick up my birth tub and my homebirth kit tomorrow, and that will be a huge weight off my mind. After that, she can come any time she is ready.
Went to my doc for acupuncture last week, as my midwives recommend going starting at 36 weeks to get the cervix to start ripening and whatever. I was nervous about this, since last time I had it done I went into labor that very night, lol. Thankfully my doctor was a bit nervous about it to, so instead of the needles, she used some kind of little not poke-y tiny round nub things that she basically bandaged to pressure points to push on the or something in the same spots that she would have done the needles, with the hopes that it would be effective at what we wanted but not send me into labor. So far so good, hehe. She said whenever I *am* ready to go into labor just to let her know and she will try with the needles instead, but I think I will wait a week or two for that - making her come out before she is ready is not my goal.
OK, enough about pregnancy, let's talk about Ally. She is a little goofball. No lack of personality in this one, that is for sure. She makes me laugh multiple times daily, and I am addicted to it. She loves to give a big cheesy grin when posing for pictures, she loves to give nose kisses, she does these funny walks sometimes for no apparent reason that just make us all laugh. She is the best (sorry everyone else with kiddos!).
On the language front with her, she is still using sign language as her primary form of communication. She is very good at it, and often picks up on signs that I really didn't think she had learned. She even knows quite a few of her letters in sign. (Her favorite is E, which she will often say out loud as well as signing...no idea why she likes that one so much). She has even made up some signs, which is adorable, even though it often takes me a while to figure out what she means. She also knows all of the letters in the alphabet (though not in order or anything). She has colors pretty well down pat too, and numbers are getting there. She gets her brains from her Daddy. She has been saying words out loud more often lately, but only when she isn't thinking about it or when she thinks no one is paying her any attention. Caught her saying the name of her rocking horse yesterday, followed by elephant a little bit later while looking at a book about them. (Her new favorite animals). She also loves to sing, and even though I have no idea what she is singing, she will sometimes throw in signs or real words (or both). The other day she was singing, and kept signing "table" in the middle of her song, and I started to listen and sure enough, when she signed it, she also said it out loud. No idea why she was singing about a table, lol.
She has decided lately that she wants to try to cut out her nap completely, which I of course am determined to not let happen. We'll see who wins. I put her down at her normal time, and she stays perfectly happily playing in her crib - wide awake- for several hours before actually sleeping most days. That is the only reason I have time to type this right now, actually. (Although I need to go get her soon or she won't be ready for sleep at bedtime).
We have decided to postpone potty training at all until after the new baby arrives, since she doesn't seem to want to do it yet and also because she would likely revert back a bit with the new baby arriving anyway. Alas, more diaper changes in our future.
As far as Paul's government shutdown woes go, no new news or anything yet. He is still working, we are still not getting paid. If I go into labor, he will come, and will be officially furloughed until it is over (which he may or may not get paid for afterwards). We applied for food stamps, and since hubby got a partial paycheck for a few days worth this month from last month we don't qualify this month, but we will starting in November. I don't really feel guilty about it, but I think it is silly that the government has let it come to this. *sigh* I check CNN daily for any progress, but don't really expect any. Keep seeing basically the same thing - "Oh we are making progress, it will be over soon, really, trust us," but with no actual end in sight. I'm not letting it stress me out, and most of the people we have called and told that they won't be getting payments from us have been really cool about it. It is what it is, at this point.
OK, I hear her waking up, I gotta run. Seems my nausea got better at some point during this writing, so yay, it worked!