GO GATORS!
Sweet Boy!!
Counting down.....
Playing "catch-up"...
On Saturday the 24th, we were in full nesting mode! Ok, so I was, and I think I dragged Daddy into it with me.... before I knew it, we were doing laundry, stripping the bed, washing blankets, cleaning bathrooms, rearranging storage closets - it was crazy!! But Daddy was awesome - he just went with the flow, putting up with my "spells".... Luckily I didn't interrupt alot of football!! hahaha. It helped too that the Gators had a night game against Mississippi State, so I had a plan to finish well before the game started. Daddy managed to get the little guy's bouncy seat AND highchair put together too.... That was so sweet to see him working so hard on them!
Wow I'm getting big!!
Hidey ho!!!
We are truly blessed (beyond measure) to have received such wonderful gifts!!! Gamma knitted him a beautiful blanket with matching hats, that are just too cute for words. We received a highchair from Aunty Cathy, Renee, Michelle & Steffie!!! Aunt Cynthia, Melissa, Kristi, and Tiffany even gave him his bedding that we had registered for - it's ALL boy and just too adorable! We can't wait for him to get here to see it all too!!
On Saturday afternoon, we went to Gamma & Gaga's to watch the Florida vs. Tennessee game. Daddy was at the game with Uncle Danny - they left EARLY that morning to go - and they had so much fun! But then again, when is going to a Gator game NOT fun, ya know?! Auntie Carol, Aunt Holly, Emma & Cole were there also (its so fun to hang out with them!!!) We all watched the Gators pretty much put a spanking on the Vols and won 23-13! What a great game!!! Later on in the day, we ate dinner and it was yum yum yummy, as usual! We never leave Gamma & Gaga's hungry, that's for darn sure!!! hahaha.
On Sunday we got up early and headed to Jacksonville for the Jag game against the Arizona Cardinals. We always have so much fun tailgating with everyone and getting ready for the games. Mom even made sure to get up early, so that everyone wasn't waiting on her to get ready - she takes forever (sorry Mommy, but you do!!!)!!! {Dolly Parton has the two best quotes in Steel Magnolias and I live by them - "There is no such thing as natural beauty" and "It takes some effort to look like this"!! hahaha} Anyway, we got to the parking area to tailgate just in time for the rain to come - and then go away - and then come back again - and then go away for us to walk to the stadium. It was great but the heat was a little too much, so Mom had to go to the tunnel to cool off just before halftime. (Snowcones are wonderful things!!!) The Jags ended up losing to the Cardinals, but we still had fun and really enjoyed ourselves. It was great getting to go to the game with everyone!!
Monday (Sept 21) was Auntie Carol's birthday!!! Luckily we didn't have to leave until later in the morning, so we had a chance to hang out with her for a little while before we had to hit the road again and head home. After a fun visit, we always hate the drive home. It seems to take so much longer than getting down there!! =o)
Later in the week we went on our first daycare visit. Tracey Wiseman, a friend of a friend, is the director of a daycare facility in Goodlettsville and offered to give us a tour of the facility and answer any questions we might have. She knew we were new at all this "baby stuff" and was so warm and welcoming!! The daycare, Bright Horizons, was precious and all the staff seemed so wonderful. We will definitely have to keep Bright Horizons in consideration. We were told though to look around and find what WE feel will be the perfect fit for our little man. When we see it, we'll know. So for now, we're making a list from all the information Tracey gave us, to shop around and find the next facility we want to visit. She was a GREAT help!!
On Thursday the 24th, Gamma & Gaga came up to visit. We were all going to the Florida- Kentucky game on Saturday but of course it's nice to get to your destination early so you have some time to "recover" from the trip!!! On Friday we had an awesome dinner at Longhorn (our favorite) and then headed home for an early bedtime. Then on Saturday, it was up with the chickens because we had a GAMEDAY to get to!!!! woo hoo!!!
Saturday morning we headed to Lexington to watch the Gators play the Kentucky Wildcats! I'm not sure if Gamma & Gaga had ever been to a Gator away game, but Mommy hadn't! That was so much fun, I cannot even tell you!!! Our friends Greg & Kim met us at the Kentucky state line and followed us to Lexington. We checked into our hotel, then went to have lunch at Rafferty's. The food & fellowship were fantastic! We even ran into a group of Kentucky fans that gave us their parking pass!! We were so surprised by that - great hospitality from the KY fans!!! All of us said that we would definitely come back to Lexington for another game.
The game was awesome, but when Timmy went down with that concussion and didn't move, the entire stadium went from cheering for a great hit, to complete silence. I'd never seen anything like it! When he finally did get up, the entire stadium cheered - seems like almost everyone loves that young man!! He ended up going to the hospital overnight for observation, but it was a scary time! The Gators beat the Wildcats 41-7 and we had a blast!!!
On Sunday, we all headed back home. Of course, we stopped by Cracker Barrel for breakfast - the breakfast of champions!!! hahaha.... Then Gaga got us home just in time for kickoff of the Jaguar game. The Jags were playing the Texans and although it wasn't on TV we did get to hear it on the satellite radio. Plus every now and then, it was on the Red Zone on NFL network. So we didn't get to watch the entire game, but we did get to see clips....
The following week was supposed to be a very relaxing one!! We didn't have to pack to go anywhere!! We had a dr's appointment on Monday to visit Dr. Strnad. She was one of the dr's in the practice that Dr. Lipsitz wanted us to visit. In the event that Dr. Lipsitz isn't available to deliver our little guy, she wanted us to be familiar with some of the other dr's that might be taking her place. Dr. Strnad was very nice, and personable and seemed very bubbly. We liked that!! Our visit was quick and painless as usual. Mommy had lost a pound but was still measuring a little big, so Dr. Strnad scheduled an ultrasound on Oct 13 (our next appt) just to follow up.
We also faxed our blood sugar readings to Tiffanie on Monday. She called later that day and said that although the readings looked ok, she and Dr. Weirum wanted to increase the morning insulin to 20 units. That should help keep my lunchtime readings lower also. The dinner insulin might be increased to 12 units depending on if they were higher also, but Tiffanie left that up to Mommy to decide if we needed to increase that dose. So starting Tuesday the 29th, we increased our morning insulin.
By Thursday morning, Oct 1, I (Mom) had noticed that the little man hadn't been moving around as much as usual. He was moving, but just seemed really lethargic and slow; not the usual jabs and kicks that I had been getting. So just as a precaution, I called the dr's office, and they requested that I come in and have his fetal heartbeat checked. We were at the dr's office at 9:45am and they had us hooked up to the monitor for about 30 minutes to make sure he was doing ok. After being monitored for about 5 minutes, he started kicking and moving like he usually does, and that was a big relief for Mom. Daddy says that he was just being like his Mommy and showing out because she had an audience!!! I wasn't worried, but I was concerned because I knew that something didn't feel right. Dr. Lipsitz thinks it was because my insulin was increased by a significant dosage that it may have just slowed him down for a bit to adjust to the increase. We left the doctors office very relieved and happy that we contacted them for advice.
Week 25 was a big one..... Head to foot he's about 13 1/2 inches long!!! He weighs about a pound and a half (about the size of a rutabaga)!!!! He's starting to add some baby fat to fill out too!!! He's starting to grow more hair also, but you really can't tell the color or texture yet. He's starting to become quite the roly poly, wiggling around - sometimes for comfort, sometimes for attention!! hahaha.... Here is a glimpse of what he looks like at 25 weeks.
At 26 weeks, he's weighing about a pound and 2/3 and is about 14 inches long!!! OMG!!! The nerves in his ears are better developed and more sensitive than before. It's possible that he can hear both Mommy & Daddy's voices when we talk to each other. His lungs also continue to develop and he is practicing breathing movements to get him ready for his first gulp of air. Plus, as for his little boy parts, the testicles are starting to descend into his scrotum, which could take about 2-3 days. Here's a picture of what me may look like at 26 weeks.
We are just so thankful and grateful to have friends and family that care so much for us, all three of us!!! Thanks for keeping up with us... we'll have more for you later!!Love,
Mommy, Daddy & Lil Duck
It's time for football!!!! YEA!!!
On Sunday we went to Target to register and had a blast. We went in this time with a game plan (because it seemed like our Babies R Us registering was sooooo overwhelming) and got so much done in such a short period of time... I was stunned that we immediately agreed on everything! We even found the cutest little training potty that looked like a big baseball!!! How can you not love that?!!?!.... Like I said, we had so much fun!!
We had another follow up appointment with Tiffanie on Wednesday (16th). They like to check in with you every few weeks - face to face - to make sure that things are going well, see if you have any questions, and basically just check on your progress with diet, exercise, mood, etc.... Mommy's sugar readings look good for the most part, but the morning (fasting) sugars are still a little elevated. So we're going to increase to 8 units of insulin at dinner, and the long acting portion should take care of decreasing the early morning sugar readings.
Daddy & Mommy (& the womb-mate) are leaving on Friday (18th) to go home to Florida again. Saturday is the big game when the Gators take care of business against the Vols and Daddy & Uncle Danny are going to the game!!! SUWEET!!! Mommy is having another shower for Lil Duck Saturday morning at Ya-Ya's church and the whole family is coming too. Well, the girls at least - Gamma, Auntie Carol, Aunt Holly, Cousin Emma.... Think the other boys - Gaga and Cole - are going to be chillin' at home....
Week 23 really surprised us because our little boy is getting so big!! Chances are that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just a little more than 1 pound. He weighs about as much as a large mango! (For you Saturday Night Live fans - "No! You cannot touch the Mango!" haha). We're able to see him wiggle around a little in Mommy's tummy, trying to find a comfy position. His hearing is getting better too - his ears are able to pick up sounds getting him ready for the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now (like the vacuum cleaner, the washer/dryer and dishwasher) probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb... Pretty neat huh?.... He's an idea of what he looks like at 23 weeks.
At 24 weeks, he's already gained 4 ounces since last week. He's still just over a pound and is about a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn!). He's still pretty lean, but he's starting to plump up with some body fat. His brain is growing quickly and his tastebuds are still developing. His skin is still pretty thin also, but that will start to change very soon. He's a photo of what he might look like at 24 weeks.
Well, it's been so fun, but we've got to run and get some exercise, the rest, then eat! hehe... Hope everyone is well. Check back in soon and feel free to leave comments!!!
Love you,
Daddy, Mommy & Lil Duck =o)
Our little rock star!!
On Tuesday, August 25th, we were officially 21 weeks along. We also had to go to our Gestational Diabetes Training class at Baptist Diabetes Center. Shelly, a diabetes nurse, and Marjean, a dietitian, taught the class and they were just wonderful! The class taught us about food you should eat, foods you may want to avoid, portion sizes, foods & drinks that can make your blood sugars spike, all about artificial sweetners, how to control your blood sugars, how to test, and all the info you could need to know about insulin. (Again with the needles!!! haha) But it's all for the little guy, so I'll do what we need to do to get him here, safe and healthy!!!
Shelly was so great! After an emotional breakdown after class (Preggo's have them from time to time!) she answered all my questions and calmed all the fears I was having about being newly diagnosed with diabetes. I was really scared that our little boy may have been harmed in some way, and she completely reassured me. (One of my main concerns was that over the last 2- 3 weeks, I had lost almost 10 lbs and I was worried about the weight loss during pregnancy; especially now that I have gestational diabetes.) Marjean even gave me a mealplan list to go by for meals and snacks. I was so sure that I was eating plenty, because I kept eating until I was more than full sometimes. But apparently, I wasn't eating enough, and they both got me back on plan. I had a follow up with Shelly a week later, after I keep a log of my food, blood sugars and ketones.
We had another appointment with Tiffanie, our diabetes nurse practitioner, to follow up on our blood sugar readings for the week. We also met with Dr. Wierum, our endocrinologist - Nurse Tiffanie works with him. Dr. Wierum was a little concerned with how high my readings were, and he wanted me to start exercising every evening after dinner to help control the blood sugar levels. If the levels are still elevated after a few days, we may need to go ahead and start taking some insulin.
Dr. Wierum and Tiffanie were so great in reassuring me that my diabetes diagnosis wasn't anything I had any control over. For over a week, I had been carrying alot of guilt that our gestational diabetes diagnosis was something that I might have been able to control before I found out I was pregnant. You know, every woman does it, "if only I had lost that extra 5, 10, 20 lbs", "if only I got pregnant at a younger age", "if only I had exercised more". But God had other plans for us, and we're so grateful - even for our gestational diabetes!!! Tiffanie comforted me by letting me know the diabetes was just one of the ways that my body was reacting to the pregnancy. Pregnancy is a normally insulin resistant state, and my body was just MORE insulin resistant than most. After about a week, I kept telling everyone "we thought this little guy was a miracle already, and so special! But now he's so special he has his own TEAM of doctors. He has an Obstetrician, a diabetes nurse, a dietitian, a diabetes nurse practitioner AND an endocrinologist!!!" =o)
So, in the midst of all the Dr's visits, and nurses visits, and classes, and follow ups, and diabetes stuff.... we're moving!!! God won't put more on you than you can handle!!! My mom (Ya-Ya) and Aunt Cindy came up to help us finish packing, and moving, and cleaning, and settling and all that fun stuff. No I know it's not fun, and it was killing me that I couldn't do one thing to help. Ok, so I cleaned the bathroom at the old apartment and did my best to stay out of the way at the new one, but I felt so helpless. Everyone worked so tirelessly, sweating and everything, and all I could do was say thank you!!! Even that seemed like it wasn't enough.... but again, I was so grateful!!
Ya-Ya and Aunt Cindy came to town on Friday August 28th and we all went out to dinner at Black Eyed Pea - YUM!! That place is awesome!! Good food and fellowship!! hahaha.. Then we all headed home for some rest because this weekend was gonna be a doozie!! We actually had 3 days to move, and we wanted to get going!! Saturday morning, the 29th, we started early and packed boxes and other things into Ya-Ya's van and started moving! By the end of the day, the only thing left to move were the things we used everyday, and the furniture!!
That same Saturday, Daddy played in his first World Tournament every with the church team SOS. The tournament was in Mt. Juliet and it was icky hot!! The guys played their hearts out against teams from Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky, and they never lost a game!! Team SOS won the tournament!!! Go Daddy!!! They will get World Championship rings and everything!!! I'm so proud!!! 2009 CHURCH WORLD CHAMPS!!!
Saturday night, after everyone got showers and cleaned up we headed to Chili's to celebrate - our moving so much in one day AND the WORLD CHAMPS victory!! It was awesome, and you could not wipe the smile of sheer elation off of Daddy's face! I couldn't stop hugging him because I know what a big deal winning that tournament was! Later on, when we were watching tv in bed, the little guy started moving around alot - I mean, ALOT! Daddy got to feel him kick for the first time & he was just amazed!!! He said that that feeling was way better than winning any tournament!! :o)
Sunday the 30th, we all got up and went to church, then went to have lunch at Cracker Barrell. LOVE THAT PLACE!!! Ya-Ya and Aunt Cindy headed back to the hotel to change, and we went to the house to get ready for the last part of the move. By 2:00pm we had over 12 men, all friends of ours from softball or church, at our place loading up furniture and getting things, well, moving. I was stunned at how great these guys were to give up their Sunday afternoons with their families to help us move a few things. Again, I just felt so blessed to have wonderful people in our lives. We were completely moved within 2 hours, and everyone chilled out at the new place with pizza, chips, cookies and cokes... ( I did good, only 2 pieces of pizza - thin crust. No cookies, no chips - don't wanna spike the blood sugar! hehe)
On Monday the 31st, Ya-Ya, Aunt Cindy and I tried to get a few things in order and get a little unpacked in the new place and get settled. They brought breakfast and coffee, which was great, because we still had no groceries. My blood sugars were still a little elevated over the last 4 days and Tiffanie wanted me to start the insulin she gave me on Thursday. I was kind of concerned about the needle for the insulin, but I remembered that Tiffanie said it was actually smaller and thinner than the needle used for testing my sugar. Well, I started to inject the insulin and got scared and looked away. Before I realized it, the needle was in and I didn't even feel it!!! I was totally stunned. I started with 8 units of 30/70 insulin in the morning before breakfast. The 30/70 insulin works like this - 30% is fast acting and works immediately to lower blood sugar levels with the meal, 70% is long lasting and lasts about 6-8 hours depending on how your body responds to the insulin.
We're 22 weeks today (Sept 1)!!!! yea!!! I checked in with Tiffanie on Tuesday, the 1st of September and she consulted with Dr. Wierum. They both agreed that while my blood sugar levels did drop some with the insulin, it wasn't enough. So Dr. Weirum had me increase the insulin to 12 units. No biggie. And the little guy seems to like it quite a bit, because he's become much more active and seems to be growing alot more... Mommy tummy is getting quite round nowadays! I'm having more and more trouble getting up off the couch, getting out of bed and rolling over in the bed too!! hahaha... I'm like a turtle - if I end up on my back, I'm out of luck!!! hahaha.
I had a follow up appointment with Shelly at the Baptist Diabetes Center on Tuesday also. She just wanted to check in with me, check my meal plans, blood sugars and ketones to make sure all was doing well since the class. I still hadn't put back on any weight that I had lost - still only gained 14lbs total with the pregnancy so far, but she said it's normal for newly diagnosed diabetes patients to do that. I should start to gain in a few weeks again. Plus, she said if I just needed to talk or had questions at any time before the little guy got here, just pick up the phone or come by - anytime. Shelly's a hugger like me, and it made me feel so good to see her again!!
September 4 was a pretty cool day in our house - Mommy & Daddy finally got a new TV!!!! (hear the angels sing and see the sunbeams from the sky as the heaven's open, hahaha)... we've planned, researched, waited and saved for this for what seems like forever!!! College football starts on Saturday (the 5th) and it just seemed like the perfect time for it!! Happy birthday Mommy - happy anniversary Mommy & Daddy - happy birthday Daddy.... all rolled up in one!! What a great year it's been so far!!
Sept 5th was the start of COLLEGE FOOTBALL in our house!! hehe... Florida played Charleston Southern and won (duh!) in a shellacking of 62-3!! GO GATORS!!! I love me some Timmy Tebow, David Nelson and Aaron Hernandez!! ;o)
I went to Oak Ridge on Saturday (the 5th) for a baby shower that my Precious Aunt Nancy and Sweet Aunt Janie had planned for us. They really did a wonderful job!! We played fun games, opened gifts, and ate great food - and the cupcakes were AWESOME!!! ( I promise, I only ate one!!)
I say it all the time and I genuinely mean it when I say it - thank you!! I know how unbelieveably blessed I am to have such a wonderful family, fantastic husband and a miraculous child coming into the world!!!
LABOR DAY WEEKEND......
Labor day weekend, for us, was spent not doing any labor, that's for sure... Still not unpacked, but we made sure to go through everything and get the little man settled in his room. He's been moving a bunch over the last few days, and I'm starting to tell the difference between hiccups and kicks... it's all really cool!! I'm so glad I get to be his mom! We went to our friends Mike & Carols for dinner on Sunday - they were having a shrimp boil and had a bunch of people over, including Uncle Rico and Aunt Jill. The food was fantastic - and Uncle Rico can cook!!! YUM!!! But we were the youngest people there, and the first to leave - such is life these days I guess!! hahaha...
Our BIG boy is just constantly surprising me... During week 21, he weighs about 3/4 of a pound and is about 10 1/2 inches long - about as long as a carrot. He's in full fledged kick mode now, instead of just flutters, wiggles and nudges. He has full eyebrows and his eyelids are fully formed to cover his sweet little peepers. Look at how cute he is at 21 weeks....
At week 22, he's not slowing down in the growth department, that's for sure. He's already about 1 pound and is 11 inches long!!! That's the size of a spaghetti squash!!! (I remember when he was the size of a kumquat! hehe) He looks like a miniature newborn now. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the color part) still lacks pigment. He's starting to grow downy hair, and has some deep wrinkles - but they'll fill in when he puts on some fat! His pancreas is steadily developing too... Here's what 22 weeks looks like.....
See, I told you we've had ALOT going on the last few weeks.... Thank you so much for being patient with us to get the blog updated. Now that things are more settled, we're going to be able to get back on track.
We love you all,
Mommy
Is it a boy or girl???
Mommy finally went to have her 3 hour glucose test, and she was NOT looking forward to this one. The blood stealers take your blood and get a fasting result, then they make you drink the yucky orange stuff AGAIN!! (But this time it's twice as sweet!! YUK!!) Then they take your blood again, once an hour for 3 hours.... NOT FUN!! Mommy was starving by the time the testing was over. The nurses in our dr's office are so wonderful too. They kept saying "it's almost over" and "just be thinking about what you want for lunch".... You can tell they've done this before! Needless to say, we went to Applebee's for lunch and Mommy had to chow down! :o)
Daddy was looking forward playing some ball with the guys again, so on August 15th the church team SOS played in the NSA Church state tourney. The weather was really nice & we had so much fun at the ballfield, hanging out with our friends and their kiddos!!! It was a fairly big tournament and the guys played their hears out!! They ended the day by winning the whole tournament!!! GO Daddy!!! 2009 NSA Church State Champs baby!!!!
We met with Tiffanie on Thursday morning and there was so much information to absorb. Testing blood sugar levels, watching what you eat, maintaining a steady diet throughout the day, exercising to help with blood sugar levels, but all Mom kept thinking about was that needle! Well, Tiffanie showed Mom how to use the blood sugar monitor and it was a BREEZE!! So easy to use, and so not the scary thing she thought it would be! Mom has to test her blood sugar 4 times a day, controlling what she eats, exercise and follow up with Tiffanie in a week so she can check the blood sugar results. What a blessing that we were able to diagnose the diabetes early in the pregnancy so that we can get it under control. Mom also had to schedule a training session at the Baptist Diabetes Center, but that will be later on.
On Friday the 21st, it was the most amazing thing ever!!! Just 3 days shy of 21 weeks and MOMMY FELT THE LITTLE GUY MOVE!!! It was almost like he was waiting for us to know him a little better before he started to wiggle. It was like big, thick, bubbles in chocolate milk in your tummy... SO AMAZING!!! I marvel at how God has been so good to us!!
Our little boy is getting so big, we can't believe how quickly time passes.... At week 19, he (WOW! We can actually say HE now!!!) weighs about 8 1/2 ounces (big boy) and is about 6 inches long, from head to bottom he's about the size of an heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are finally in proportion to the rest of his little body. His kidneys are working and hair on his scalp is starting to grow. Here's a little peek of what our little BOY looks like at 19 weeks....
At 20 weeks, he's done so much more growing that in the past. Previously, he was only measured from his head to his bottom (crown to rump) because his legs were curled up against his torso and it's hard to measure. Now, at 20 weeks, he's measured from head to heel. Right now, he weighs about 10 1/2 ounces - see he's growing so fast - and he's about the length of a banana. He's swallowing alot these days and that's good for is digestion. Here's a picture of the little one at 20 weeks! Pretty amazing, huh? He looks like a little person!!!
Well, we know it's been a while, and we're doing our best. Just so much has been happening and we're trying to update as often as we can..... Hope everyone enjoyed the update! Check back for weeks 21 and 22.... they're pretty awesome too!!
Luv, Luv, Luv,
Mommy & Daddy
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Cason Scott Knight has arrived!!
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