It's really starting to stick out....

Those were Jay's words the other day, and now that I see it for myself I must say he's right. Due to the largeness of the belly I'm a bit limited in my clothing these days, but with only 7 weeks to go I think I'll wait until after the baby arrives to go shopping (going to the mall to look for maternity clothes just doesn't sound fun at this point). Several folks have commented that I officially "waddle" now. And I'm sure they are right too. But other than that, and waking up a couple times each night (for no other reason than to roll over it seems), I'm still feeling great. The baby moves around quite a bit, but nothing that is bothersome. Seems to be a kicker as opposed to a puncher (good thing Jay bought that soccer outfit in Ireland). It's funny to watch my stomach explode into action but whenever I try to show someone else the kid stops as if it knows it has an audience. Must not be as outgoing as it's parents....yet.

Baby in 4D

It doesn't look nearly as good here as it did in person (the pictures they gave me are much clearer than the scan I used to post them online), but here are a few samples of our baby captured in 4D by one of the GE Ultrasound machines at work. Hopefully you can tell which one is the foot and which one is the face. It was cool to watch the baby sucking it's thumb and see the mouth and feet moving. The picture was actually so clear that you can already tell the baby has my lips. Jury's still out on who's nose it is.

The Head is Down

Yes, the head is down where it's supposed to be and the heart is still thumping along (sounding less like a choo-choo train and more like a human now). Still amazing to me how the doctor can feel around on the belly and tell exactly what's what...neither Jay or I posses that kind of talent. From now on the appointments are every other week (we've reached a significant milestone), with only 8 weeks left until April 15th!

Check out that baby move!

It is 3:51pm and I'm sitting at my desk watching my belly move as the baby wriggles around. At other times this has occurred during meetings, and I always wonder if anyone else notices the amazing amount of movement that can easily be viewed by those nearby. Unfortunately I still can't get the baby to move on command when people are actually interested in seeing it, poking and prodding doesn't seem to do the trick, but Jay did get to catch a quick glimpse last night. He arrived back from his trip yesterday evening, bearing gifts of course. The baby will be sporting an Ireland onesie in it's first few months, and maybe around age 2 a very sporty Irish soccer outfit.

I'm pretty sure I just got kicked in the bladder....

It's starting to look like a baby lives here...

This past week both my co-workers and neighbors threw baby showers for me, which made for a very fun week!

The crib is now baby ready, and there's even a bed for mom or dad to sleep if we so desire. Else I'm sure Rosco will enjoy taking his naps next to the little one! A few decorations for the walls and then I think the room itself will be complete. Still need the baby of course. ;)

How do you define a healthy breakfast?

I had my last appointment with the Diabetic Educator this week...key word being last. All of my 2hr readings were normal, and consequently she believes we will have a "normal" sized baby (whatever happens to be normal for the combination of our genes, I'm hoping that means under 9 lbs) So I now only have to test my blood sugar levels three times a day, and possibly less as the weeks go by. One area I have been advised to make a change in is breakfast. Apparently I don't produce enough insulin to breakdown cereal, milk, fruit, and oatmeal. It has been suggested that I have eggs and toast instead. (though some people might find this delicious, I personally do not like eggs enough to eat them on a daily basis). But for now I will do as advised, which is why I have 2 dozen eggs in the fridge along with a package of Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches for those days where I just don't have enough time to cook in the morning. (which will likely be most days monday through friday!) Did you know that 3 eggs with cheese, 3pieces of bacon, 2 sausage patties, toast and a glass of juice is considered a healthy breakfast? Who'd a thunk a McDonald's or Denny's style breakfast would be better than a bowl of oatmeal with fruit? (I'm sure if my problem was cholesterol I'd be given a different definition of a healthy breakfast.)

Bear Down...

The jersey fits even better with a big belly! The loss was disappointing but the game started out with a bang. I got so excited during the opening kickoff (who knew that would be the only shining moment for the Bears during the Superbowl) that it wasn't until after the touchdown was over that I noticed Jay on the floor laughing hysterically, picking up empty plates and glasses. I then realized that in all my cheering and enthusiasm my belly had in fact almost turned the entire table over, spilling all of our drinks out onto the floor of the pub. Quite funny. Thankfully hardly anyone else noticed as the crowd was enthralled with the touchdown itself and Bud Light commercials that followed. Then today I was writing on a white board and sat back down at the table when it was pointed out to me that I had smeared black dry erase marker all over my lower belly. It seems as my hand was writing the belly was erasing. Even funnier eh? This time everyone noticed, as it's very hard to hide black marker on a huge cream and tan belly.

Sofari So Goody...

This is day 3 of testing my blood sugar after each meal, and so far so good. Only one meal has put me above the "acceptable" blood sugar range and it was grilled cheese on wheat with tomato white bean soup. Interesting, because my body handles pasta just fine (WOOO HOOOOO!) and I thought for sure that reading would be horrible given that there is no other food that I love more than pasta. No diet yet, just avoidance of certain things like regular pop, candy, baked beans, asian food, BBQ sauce, jelly, and syrup. Which all are pretty easy for me to avoid actually (though over the holidays the candy part would have been a bit of a challenge) Next week based on my readings from this week we then determine how many carbs I can have per day. So 4 times a day, starting with when I wake up in the morning, I prick my finger and use this little gadget to determine my blood sugar level. And I keep a diary of everything I eat throughout the day. Pretty easy to do most of the time, and it will continue up until the point the baby arrives, and then all goes back to normal. Related to eating and blood sugar that is.

Oh and I had to laugh when the diabetic educator asked if I had an "exercise plan" that I was following. I responded with "Does walking up the stairs at work everyday qualify as a plan?"