Bed Rest Only Sounds Like Fun ...

So, today I am 35 weeks pregnant. I have been on bed rest for nearly 2 weeks (one of them spent in the hospital) thanks to some lovely preeclampsia. As much as it might sound fun or relaxing to sit and do nothing, it is really only enjoyable for about 4 hours. I have read several books, played online, ordered some baby stuff (since I can't just go to the store and buy it), and slept A LOT. I still have 2 more weeks to go.

I have learned that I am not really cut out for bed rest. I have always been self reliant. Part of me feels guilty sitting on the sofa with my feet up asking someone to get me a snack or more water. I keep thinking the kitchen is not that far away, but I have to remind myself that even though I don't feel it, I am sick, and I must do what is best for myself and Amelia.

I have been very blessed to have my husband and mother in law taking care of me. If it weren't for my mother in law, I would probably still be in the hospital eating terrible food and having my blood pressure checked at 4am every day. They are taking care of me, taking care of the house, and making sure we have all the necessities before our little angel joins us on the outside. I'm doing my best to be a good patient and contribute as much as I can from my little corner seat.

I'm hoping to get an induction date at my next doctor's appointment (now a twice weekly occurrence), and I am looking forward to starting this new chapter in our lives.

2012 Goals

As we enter into this new year, and J and I prepare for a new life to join our happy family on the outside, I felt the need to set some goals for myself, or "resolutions" if you will. I think setting reasonable goals is an important exercise, providing us with focus as we look to the future, and allowing for a sense of accomplishment as we look back. These are my goals for the next year:

Keep the House Cleaner

Between work, church, a social life, and the added stresses of pregnancy, the house tends to be the first thing J and I let go. We started off the new year trying to catch up on the housework we had put off, and J created a schedule to help us stay on top of the daily, weekly and monthly tasks. Our hope is developing a plan now will make it easier after Amelia is born.

Continue Making Healthy Food Choices

Having the fetus diabetus has actually been a blessing in disguise. It has forced me to look at the choices I make, what leads to poor choices, and where my eating habits came from. I grew up in a "meat and potatoes" household, and as teenagers we slipped into the "fast food" lifestyle to accommodate our busy schedules. I carried this into adulthood, foregoing healthy options for convenience when life got hectic. Not only do I want to continue to make smarter food choices throughout this new year, I want to encourage my husband to make smart choices, so we can teach Amelia to make smart choices as she grows.

Exercise More

OK, so this should probably be titled "exercise at all", as I tend to avoid physical activity.  I can spend 8 hours walking around an outlet mall, but suggest 20 minutes on a treadmill and I will look at you like you just cheerfully offered to water-board me. There are exercises I enjoy (yoga, dance, walking on the beach), and I need to make a conscious effort to do these things on a regular basis. We intend to join a gym which offers a lot of options, as well as daycare for Amelia.

Record Family Events and Milestones

So, I just looked through the pictures we took while we were home for Christmas. There were only 21 pics, only one of me face on, and not a single shot of my husband or the two of us together. With a child on the way, I realize we need to do a better job of recording holidays, birthdays, and special milestones. These are not just photos, they are memories, and we are always filled with regret for the things we didn't take the time to capture.

Reward Myself for Small Victories

J and I are naturally critical people. We are hard on each other, and even harder on ourselves, maintaining very high (sometimes unreasonable) personal expectations. We beat ourselves up for what we deem as our failures or ineptitude, instead of rewarding ourselves for successes.   This year, and especially for the next two months, I want to focus on rewarding myself for small victories. What is a small victory, you ask? Well, for me, it is managing to remember to check and record my blood sugar results daily, making healthy food choices, and keeping up with the housework. Some days, making it out of bed at a reasonable hour is a victory. The point here is to retrain my brain to focus on the positive instead of punishing myself for minor setbacks. If I can learn to be more positive and nurturing to myself, then I hope it will transfer to a more positive environment for Amelia. I don't want her to grow up in a critical environment where she never feels good enough.

Live More Purposefully

All these goals lead to my final, and overall goal for 2012. I want to live more purposefully. I want to actively make decisions and take steps to create a better life for myself, my family, and a better environment for a new baby. I want to have plans and schedules in place, even if we sometimes deviate. I want to live my life with a focus on what is important, and a determination to make those things a priority in my life. 

I challenge each of you to set some goals for this new year, and then develop plans to help you meet your goals. At the end of 2012, I hope we can all look back at our goals, be proud of our accomplishments, and learn from our setbacks and deviations without criticizing ourselves. We can learn to see curves in the road as changes to our direction and changes in our priorities instead of failures. We can make smarter choices and be proud of how far we have come. 

Holy twinkle lights, Batman! It is almost Christmas and I haven't posted in nearly 2 months. Life has not changed much in the Archer household. I continue to grow, as evidenced by this procession of pictures:

14 weeks

17 weeks, 3 days

20 weeks, 1 day

25 weeks

27 weeks, 2 days

As I write this, I'm currently 27 weeks and 6 days pregnant ... it has been a long journey, and I'm glad to be in the last trimester. The 25 weeks picture was taken at my baby shower, which was hosted by my wonderful sister-in-law and mother-in-law.

J's sister, Me and J's mom - thanks again!!

I'm so thankful for everyone who was able to attend, and all the wonderful things we got for Amelia. She is a blessed little girl, and she isn't even here yet.

 

 

 

 

Super fully loaded gift table! WOW!

Check out these awesome cupcakes, made by Dawn of Cafe Biscotto - and they were low sugar (take that fetus diabetus WHAM POW).

super yum!

I have to say it is the best baby shower I have ever been to, and it was mine (I might be biased)!! I'm looking forward to all the upcoming events - Christmas at home with the family, turning 30 (holy cow!), my Richmond baby shower, and most of all the birth of our little angel. Here's hoping she isn't such a chub that I can have a natural child birth!

It's A Girl!

After much ado, and little cooperation from our modest muffin at the ultrasound, I'm happy to announce we are having a baby girl! Everyone is thrilled, especially my mother, who has 2 grandsons and a third on the way. Amelia Rose (aka Mia, aka Princess Mia, aka Princess Squishy Face) will be coming to a family near you on or before March 10, 2012.

You are now saying to yourself, "You can't know when the baby is coming". You are wrong (I get sick pleasure from that, don't take it personally). Due to my fetus diabetus (more on that later), I will not be allowed to carry Mia past my due date. If she hasn't shown her lovely face by the 10th, she will effectively be evicted from my uterus. Speaking of her lovely face, here is a view.

 
Now, about the fetus diabetus. I continue to poke my finger with needles, eat every 2 - 3 hours, and take little pink pills (not to be confused with little blue pills), but I'm still experiencing some minor fluctuation. My doctor keeps telling me this is nothing to be stressed about and not to worry (which remains a challenge).  I am also focusing on setting realistic expectations for myself and others (challenge #2), and trying to focus on my own needs instead of making everyone else a priority (challenge #3). So, all in all, October has been a super fun (ie: super challenging) month.

Bring on the stress of Thanksgiving and Christmas! If anyone wants to get me a kitchen fairy this year, it would make an excellent gift, or you could hypnotize my husband to pick up his socks! In all seriousness though, I am excited about the holidays, looking forward to time with family and buying presents, and I will try to squeeze in some time for myself as well (wish me luck).

Hormone Explosion

The emotional roller coaster brought on by pregnancy hormones made a few stops at our house today. I had a mini meltdown when I walked into the kitchen this morning and realized J had forgotten to take out the trash. Another mini meltdown emerged when my computer kept freezing up while I was trying to work. I finally lost it entirely when my husband called to tell me about his doctor's appointment (not really sure why that put me over the edge).

I decided to take an hour for lunch (instead of working through as always), straightened up the house, took a hot shower, and made myself some lunch. When I clocked back in, my 2pm meeting had been cancelled and our internal software had crashed. You might think this would send me spiraling out of control, but I was actually kind of thrilled. I'm taking a much needed afternoon off, that doesn't involve doctor's visits, chores, or anything at all really. I may regret this when I'm making up hours on Saturday, but for now I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of a clean house while I can.

Sometimes you just need to take a time out, and start the afternoon as though the morning never happened.

Small Victories

Today Fresh Market tested my will power with a delicious display of pumpkin pies and pumpkin chocolate chip pound cakes. They were so enticing, but given my minor fail at lunch (Olive Garden lies about their carb count in paninis) I thought it best not to give in to temptation. I managed to resist the tasty goodness, keep the grocery tab under budget, and avoid purchasing non-diabetic friendly snack foods. J should be pleased. As a reward, I bought myself a diet Dr Pepper. Say a little prayer that the aspartame doesn't trigger a migraine :)

Epic Fail

I  have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), which in a nutshell means my hormones are wonky, and I am at a higher risk for things like high blood pressure, multiples, and gestational diabetes. I have to take medicine to help stabilize my hormones and sugar levels, which helped me get pregnant.

Due to my PCOS, I elected to have an early glucose screening (at 15 weeks). I failed. I was stressed and devastated, but everyone told me not to worry. Apparently lots of people fail the 1 hour screening but pass the glucose tolerance test. At 16 weeks, I took the 3-hour glucose tolerance test (super yuck), and waited impatiently for the results.

I got the results today. EPIC FAIL. So I have the "fetus diabetus" at 17 weeks pregnant. Apparently my body is overachieving at failure - someone forgot to tell my blood glucose it isn't supposed to act up until about 24 weeks. I  get to go see a nurse practitioner on Friday and learn all about the tasty things I can no longer eat or drink, as well as how to properly check my blood sugar ... 4 times a day (yay for needles! psych).

Failing at parenting before my child is born feels totally awesome, minus the feelings of total awesomeness.