Week 30

I didn't get an "A"...

So, I got a message on my cell phone today from the OBGYN office telling me to call them back about my test results. 

Dum, Dum, Dummm....

I say "Dum, Dum, Dummm..." because normally they just leave me a message that tells me that my test results are back and for me to call the automated test results number and check on 'em.  So, I immediately had a feeling...this ain't good.  

So, I call the lady back and she tells me that: 

1.  I'm anemic (How weird is this...I take a prentatal vitamin with iron in it everyday!)  So, now I need to add on another iron pill to help.  This news actually made me feel validated because I have felt EXHAUSTED lately and so run-down.  I thought it was just because of busy time at work but the anemia adds in, too.  

2.  I didn't do so well on my gestational diabetes test on Tuesday. "Slightly elevated" were her words though she might just have been trying to be nice.   It was just the baseline test so now I have to go back tomorrow morning at 7:30a.m.  and drink the supery sugary drink and stay for 3 1/2 to 4 hours (geez!) while they draw my blood.   Also, I have to fast beginning at 10 p.m. ... including fasting from water.  

They clearly don't know that I drink two full glasses of water DURING the sleeping hours, do they?  Also, you don't get any water during the testing tomorrow which may be the death of me.  ( I drink a lot of water.)

So, I had a slight breakdown where I felt like I was a bad mother already and that I should've been doing things differently and eating more hunks of red meat of which Adam was able to talk me down and remind me of all the pregnant women who eat fast food every meal and wasn't I doing so much better than them?  Thanks husband.   So, I'll keep y'all posted with the results.  Thanks for listening to my rant.

Regardless of the results, we praise God for this little nugget growing inside of me and the blessing that he's already been.  

A picture my brother put up on facebook of me from my early years...wonder years.

  I had a doctor's appointment today.  Don't worry- this wasn't a 10 pound month, you'll be glad to know.  It was a 6 pound month which seems much better I think.  So, weight gain total equals 23 pounds.  The doctor was pleased.

  I also had my glucola/gestational diabetes test today.  this entails drinking a sugary orange drink (like uncarbonated Sunkist) 30 minutes before your appointment and then having blood drawn to check on your blood sugar levels.  If you fail your test (dum, dum, dummmmm), you have to go back after drinking an even more sugary drink and have your blood drawn for three hours.   Yikes.  I hope I got an "A". 

  Speaking of sweet orange drink (or not), my friend Lauren had her baby today!  7 lbs. 11 oz., little William Marc.  Aww, can't wait to meet him.  

And...to continue the Honest Facts from yesterday (dum, dum, dummmm again), here we go:

3.  Adam is my personal alarm clock.  He wakes up at the butt crack of dawn and studies and then comes upstairs later on and wakes me up despite my grumblings and mutterings.  He will wave my arms around or tickle me or give me wet willies...whatever it takes.  But he's a trooper.  Good man, good man. 

4.  I, like Jen, rarely listen to the whole voicemail message.  Usually, once I hear who it's from, I delete it mid-message...unless the person is bawling (we broke up...) or ecstatic (I'm engaged).

Tan Toothbrush Stealer.

Thanks, Brooke, for the award & for tagging me.  Now, Camille's blog is proud(ish) to present...

10 HONEST Things about Myself.  (The way the word "honest" is bold ed makes me feel like they really mean weird, quirky, horrifying, or gross things about yourself)

(Brooke, I know you tagged me for the other survey...but I like this one better...or it's more of a challenge...or something like that.)

1.  I always bought the semester package to the tanning bed place when I was in college.  Every semester.  I was tan.  Too tan probably.  I vowed that after my wedding day, I would never lie in a tanning bed again because a. it's horrible for you and  b. my mom has had skin cancer places removed so my pale skin (like hers) is very susceptible.  And I have kept that vow!  Go me!  

Although I do miss it- it's s warm and wonderful and you can just fall asleep in those cozy coffins of light.  Evil temptresses.

2.  I like to use other people's toiletries.  Mary Lou (my best friend), my mother, and all of my college roommates can attest to this.  But mostly my sweet husband.  It drives him crazy that I use his toothbrush (only child!).  It's not that I want to use other people's toiletries...it's just that their toiletries are right there and I'm not sure where mine are...or I forgot to pack them...or I ran out of room in my bag and I just thought, "Well I'll just use my mom's when I arrive." or they have really awesome mascara.   Adam and I have a deal right now that if I stop using his toothbrush then he'll turn off the light everytime he leaves the basement (my pet peave).  So far, so good.    

Okay, those two are enough for today.  Don't want to give all the milk away or you won't buy the whole cow, right?  (What?!)  

Hormonal

Today I was crying on the treadmill at the Y while watching the end of Rocky 2.  

Yeah, I'd say I'm definitely slightly hormonal.  

Yo Adrienne!  

That Good Ol' Baylor Line...

Sic' Em Bears!

I dreamt last night about living in Waco and our beloved Baylor University.  I woke up really missing all my old haunts and a little nostalgic for those good ol' days.  We are thankful that God brought us here and placed Adam in medical school and has provided friends and community in Erie.  We like where we are.  But we lived in Waco for six years.  We met our senior year in college at Baylor and dated for a year and a half before we got hitched. Then we lived in Waco during our first year of  marriage in this teeny-tiny rent house down the street from the most delicious custard shop (Oh, Katie's...we miss you.)  while we both worked and Adam applied to medical schools.  

I'm content in this season but it certainly made me want to buy a plane ticket and go back with my sweetheart and visit all of our favorite places.   I am so excited to show Baylor to our son and, obviously, he has no choice but to be a Baylor Bear.  He will bleed green and gold by extension.   

Almost Week 29 Baby Belly

My cheeks are growing (all of them!)   

(Mom, I had to make Adam take some pictures of me after you put up those truly heinous ones on your blog.)

I have a doctor's appt. on Tuesday (the glucose appointment- yummo!) So, I'll keep y'all posted on the grand total gained.  (I have a feeling that this might have been another 10 lb. month...)

Insider Information

I'm fortunate to have several girlfriends who have gone through this whole Mom thing before me.  

And good girlfriends, too- who will share the good, the bad, not to mention the ugly.  I've heard about the sleepless nights, projectile vomit, breast feeding debacles, and vaginal dryness. 

 

I've had friends who love their babies describe to me the hormonal roller coaster that is postpartum, the marital struggles that often come with a newborn, and the hours of walking a wailing baby up and down the hallway.  

I know, in my head, that it will be hard.  But I just don't think you can prepare yourself until your elbow-deep in meconium.  Plus, I'm a hopeless optimist:  I just don't believe that it will be that bad for us.  I can't help it- I have great expectations!

However, I am grateful to have friends who will give me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 

P.S. Even if, at one point, they wanted to throw their baby out the window...they wouldn't trade it for the world.  My friends are wonderful mamas.  

P.P.S. You can all check this blog in April & May and remind me of my hopeless optimism.  

Shower In A Box.

The nicest thing happened to me on Friday.  I received a huge box in the mail from these gals:

top row:  Mary Lou, me  

bottom row:  Janie, Linzie, and Sarah

and this gal in the middle:

Mrs. Faye (Mary Lou's mom)

Mary Lou, Janie, Sarah, and Linzie have been my friends for years.  We all grew up in Ruston and have all been a part of each other's proms, weddings, babies, and other life events.  They are my hometown pals and I love them.  So, since I can't fly during my 3rd trimester and come to Ruston for a shower.  They sent me a SHOWER IN A BOX!  

Now, you may ask yourself...what is a shower in a box? Well, it contained plates, cups, lemonade, and petit fours (a must for any southern shower).

Powers and I opening the petit fours...yummm.

The box also included a pool for the baby J's birthday & weight, words of  mothering wisdom written out by my girlfriends, a sweet poem and gift card, and many, many gifts!

 It was the most wonderful surprise and my parents were here just in time to participate in the shower "ooooh" ing and "aaah" ing.  Girls, y'all are too thoughtful and I felt so loved.  The gifts were so cute.  Thank you for my shower in a box!

Adam got a gift, too.  "Be Prepared" for new dads.  It even tells you how to change a diaper at a crowded sporting event.  

Who doesn't love a good onesie?

and breast pads!

SNEAKY DOG

Well, if you've ever read this blog then you're familiar with our little stinker, Powers. He is our four-year-old boxer.



And if you're familiar with boxers, then you know that they can be bad about getting into the trash while you're gone. (My boxer book says it's the one thing you can't train a boxer not to do.)Now, Powers has been pretty good about this lately but yesterday, Adam & I came home after work and saw a couple of pieces of clear wrapper on the floor in the living room. Small pieces, but it looked like bread wrapper. I made out the words "Roman Meal" on a small sliver of plastic. We couldn't figure out where the rest of the wrapper went or how he would get a loaf of bread since we keep it on top of the fridge (and our current loaf remains on top of the fridge) plus there were no crumbs so we chalked it up to an unsolved mystery.



Well, later that night, I was cleaning the couch and I lifted up a cushion and there, wedged behind the cushion and pillow, was a large, empty wrapper from a loaf of bread. Mind you, this was clearly not this week's bread...it was still on top of the fridge. But it was multi-grain bread...lots of fiber. So, we guessed that Powers had just went to town and ate the whole loaf of bread at some point during the day and then HID the evidence (actually buried the evidence).

Well, that night, we got ready to get in bed (upstairs...away from the kitchen & sofa) and we pulled back the comforter and there, underneath the covers, were bread crumbs everywhere. Powers had taken the multi-grain bread and eaten it in our bed, UNDER THE COVERS! What a little sneaky sneaky stinker. We laughed pretty hard about his ingenuity and decided that we'll have to watch Baby Jennings' stuff around him before it starts disappearing too!

And where the bread came from? The world may never know.

Brrrr.

Get Ready to visit the tundra, Mom & Dad!

the Burden of Knowledge?

Sometimes I think that medical school has made my husband a bit of a hypochondriac.  Maybe not a hypochondriac but it does make him a little obsessive around certain subjects.  For example, Adam is currently in the gastrointestinal portion of medical school.  One of the diseases they have been studying is periodontal disease and acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (yummy!) and the effects on your body.  So, Adam has become the tartar police.  He has been brushing his teeth religiously and thoroughly.

 Many times a day.

 I swear, his gums are going to recede into his toes from heavy brushing.  And he's been showing me how to correctly use my sonicare toothbrush to correctly remove plaque by the gums and prevent infection.  Also, he doesn't approve of my flossing techniques any longer.  They are ineffective.  and horrifying. 

Ah, the adventures of being married to a medical student.  Can you imagine the obsessiveness once we have a kid?

Yearly Deathcicle Post

Tonight I was letting Powers out to go relieve himself in the backyard and I saw a terrifying sight.  Monstrosities hanging from the office entrance.  

Deathcicles.

Adam had  to pull one down and show us 

Adam demonstrating Antarctic hunting techniques.

I'm not gonna lie...it's a chilly week here.  My folks are coming up on Friday and the high that day is 12.  

12 degrees. 

The low is 7.  I say, I will be thankful for the cold because it makes me appreciate, savor, revel in the sun during the summer.  Ah, summer.

Get ready southern parents!

To see last year's deathcicle post, click here.

Things'll Never Be the Same

This afternoon, I took a shower and then accidentally fell asleep in my robe for two and a half hours (4:30-7:00).  This was unwise as when I take a particularly late nap, I usually end up wired for the rest of the night.  So, I've been reading this blog, upon Jamie's recommendation, and been so moved by their beautiful story.  If you have a chance, read it.  But start in the archives (January, 2008) and definitely have a tissue ready.  

Without going into too much detail for the sake of the males amongst you readers, today has definitely been a day of realizing that my body is no longer just my own or Adam's.  Things are changing and a drastic physiological change happened today that has really announced the ending of a season...from just me & Adam to a new life with our son.  Adam & I laughed a lot today about these transitions and welcome, joyfully, our son and the new life that he brings.  We reminisced about dating and our first couple of years of marriage and it was fun to look back at the road upon which we've been set...but also so strange to think that we will never not be parents from now on.  That's monumental. Each season is certainly to be cherished and celebrated.

If we were at a table of girlfriends, I'd tell you all about these changes as I have several of my buddies today but, alas, the world wide web is probably not the place to share these.  

Shamou Flips

Although I am enamored with my new body pillow ("Snuggles", "Steve", and "Percy" are some of it's names), I was not prepared for the challenges facing a body pillow user entering her 7th month of pregnancy.  For example, my hips often start aching in the middle of the night and I'll need to change sides.  This is no easy challenge with a husband who likes to sleep in the middle of the bed, a dog who often sleeps horizontal on the bed (often resting his head on my legs), and sheets wrapped up all willy-nilly.  First, I have to do a big heave-ho movement and get my body pillow moved from underneath me to my other side onto which I want to roll, slamming it into my husband, dog, or nightstand cup of water (I'm up to two HUGE cups of water on my nightstand these days...and I usually finish them both by morning!),  so that I can then  hoist myself up onto my side elbow and push off, performing a Shamou-like 180 degree flip around.  By the end of the night, it's a miracle if Adam has any cover.  I stand by my reasoning that he probably gets warm from sleeping in the middle of the bed and kicks it off in the beginning of the night, though.  

Fond Memories...

At a winery in Ashtabula last summer

Don't get me wrong:  I am really grateful to be pregnant.  I know there are so many people out there who would like to conceive but cannot.  And even then, people conceive and then lose their baby along the way and I am so thankful for a healthy pregnancy thus far. This child's a gift.  Grateful, people, I'm grateful. 

But let me just say that I am so excited to have a big, fat glass of red wine again one day.  

Until then, 

Molly McSober

For Mom.

Here are the two windows in the nursery:


And (a portion of) both:

My mom needed pictures of the two windows in the nursery (former guest room) so that we can decide on some new window treatments.  However she couldn't open the pictures in her email so here we go.  

 Adam is a superstar and moved all the furniture to the new and improved tiny guest room and stripped out all the carpet to reveal some saweeeeet wood floors.  Adam & Freeland also touched it up with paint and built some shelves in the tiny 1930's closets and a hanging bar in each one.  

I can't wait 'til it's ready!

Gratitude Moment

The other day I was sitting in this meeting at work.  I suddenly felt our little nugget kick and so I put my hand on my belly where he'd kicked and gave him a little nudge.  In response, he gave me a little kick back- right into my hand.  So i nudged him again and he kicked me back.  We did this a couple of times and I almost burst into tears in the middle of the meeting.  How stinking cool, how miraculous is this gift that I don't deserve.  

I think about how easy it is to get caught up in worry- worry about his health or finances or whatever.  It's so easy to throw myself into planning- planning for his arrival, planning for his life here.  How sweet it was to sit and have a moment of just pure joy and thanksgiving.  It was an awe-inspiring moment and I felt like I saw a new part of the Lord:  his simple delight in our lives. In our being.  In our being JUST as we are, made unique by his hands, crafted in his image.  

I thought about how delighted I was that our son had acknowledged my nudge with a kick and wondered how God felt when I acknowledged him, just simply remembered him and thought about him, apart from all the other random distractions going on.  I pray that I stay in a grateful attitude and have my heart fixed on lasting things and not consumed by worries or plans.  

Breaking News Bulletin

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to bring you this urgent and wonderful news announcement: 

I have discovered the secret to pregnancy. 

Yes, that's right. 

It's called the body pillow.  And although it's equivalent to adding another full-size human to our already squished bed, it is so worth it.  This is the breakthrough for which I've been waiting. 

Now if I could just get rid of those pesky leg cramps in the middle of the night.  I just read they were due to a calcium deficiency so I better pick up a pint of ben & jerry's while I'm out, eh?

The Year of the Baby

End of week 25 Baby Belly.

(I am wearing a pre-maternity dress that was suddenly about 6 inches shorter than the last time I wore it.  How strange!)

I was concerned about my ability to stay up past 9 p.m. last night.  We were invited to a New Year's party and I was excited to go but not confident that I'd be able to ring in the new year.  However, I surprised myself.   I took a quick power nap on the couch when I got home from work and then had a swig of Adam's coffee and got ready for the party.  Lo and behold, Adam and I stayed at the party til 1 a.m.!   (Impressive for Adam "Grandpa" Jennings, too!)

Well, I couldn't let this young feller out party me:

Our youngest New Year party guest.  3 weeks old.

Bill & Christie (the hosts) had a make-your-own sushi bar and a variety of other appetizers and delicioso foods and drinks.  The night flew by and we had a fantastic New Year's.  I forgot to take many pictures but I know that Brooke will take care of me there...(she's better about remembering to use her camera.)

 

Adam playing Dominoes with some fellers.

A closer look at his dominoes. Oooh.

Happy 2009 to you friends.  It's good to know that, no matter what the year or circumstances,  God is the same today, yesterday, and forever.