Health update

So I have an update on all my glucose testing: I have gestational diabetes. I'm very upset about this, as everything has to change about my lifestyle. Since it's for my baby, I will do it with as good of an attitude as possible. I'm being put on a strict diet and the things that I normally crave, I will no longer be able to eat. I really hope Audrey comes before 40 weeks so that we don't have to deal with this for very long. I will probably be losing quite a bit of weight over the next few weeks because of this low carb diet. I guess I can consider this getting a really early start on losing pregnancy weight. And this diet something I HAVE to do for Audrey's health and safety. I just really want to hold her right now and know that this is all worth it.

On top of this, I have an ear infection that is almost impossible to get taken care of by any of my doctors! My ENT can't see me till May 24th and my OB office isn't calling me back. I'm fed up with health, healthcare, and health problems right now. When it rains it pours.

Other than that, things are alright I guess. Just getting through each day doing the usual cleaning, cooking and everything that I normally do. Not too much excitement at this point. 2 months or less till Audrey is here. I'm so ready.

I fail..

At glucose tests! I figured since I hadn't heard back from my nurse on my glucose screen in 13 days...that I was fine. But she called today (dang it!). I failed my 1 hour glucose test. My levels were slightly higher than they like, so tomorrow I have to go for the THREE hour test. Oh please let me pass this one. I DO NOT want gestational diabetes. My Mom had it with her youngest and had to give herself shots everyday and eat super healthy. The shots are what scares me. I can't give myself a shot, so Paul would be doing it for me. Ack! And ow...So I really hope this was just a small bump in the road and doesn't change the rest of this pregnancy. Things are going well.

Another extreme couponing success today :-) A $15 purchase that was only $3 for me! That includes free body wash and free allergy medicine. And 2 toilet bowl cleaners that were cheap. I love doing this and saving all this money!

Our friends gave us their high chair and boppy pillow today. Woohoo! If I'm not prepared...I really don't know what prepared is. lol. Well, I still have to order our changing table, but that's it.

Audrey is 3lbs 8oz as of yesterday. That's crazy because she had put on a whole pound in 12 days. We got another 4D ultrasound and you can definitely tell that she is putting on the baby chub. She is absolutely precious and beautiful. I cannot wait until we get to hold her. These ultrasounds can be such a tease!! I want to kiss her sweet cheeks and forehead (that she got from her daddy). I love her.

Well I gotta feed the dogs and get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.

Blessed beyond belief!

The past few days I have been feeling blessed way more than I deserve. We have had an outpouring of love and help in preparation for Audrey from people here in Louisiana. It makes me feel a lot more loved and accepted here. Let me tell you what has transpired over the past few days. First of all, my sister in law sent me a $5 coupon for a diaper pail. I had a $25 gift card for walmart from my aunt, so I was able to buy the diaper pail absolutely free to me. My best friend here bought us a baby gift. She heard me mention wanting a girly playmat for Audrey, since most of the stuff we have is gender neutral. So she and her husband bought us an adorable girly tummy time playmat and a girly rattle for her. I cannot wait till she's old enough to lay and play on it. I cannot wait till I can play with my daughter!!! So next, we had the absolute honor of babysitting one of our friends 18 month old. I absolutely LOVE this little boy and Paul and I have so much fun with him. It makes me so much more excited to have children in our house. They paid us to babysit us and we bought an exersaucer/activity center for Audrey with the babysitting money. That was the last thing on my list as far as toys/gear goes and I am so excited to have gotten it. Especially brand new :-) So the last thing is...this same couple is also giving us their high chair and boppy pillow. I cannot say enough good about them! They freely gave us their crib, and now they are giving us their high chair and a pillow for me to us. You wouldn't believe all the stuff we have gotten free or dirt cheap due to friends, family and good deals on the internet.

Crib

bedding

Glider and ottoman

swing

jumperoo

high chair

nursing pillows

travel system

pack n play

bouncy seat

exersaucer

changing table

clothes

diaper pail

play mat

We've hardly had to pay anything! We are so so so very blessed.

So on another note, I did some extreme couponing today and had major success on body was and deodorant! Frreeeeeee. I love it. Couponing is addicting. Anyways, I need to get ready for bed. Going to the doctor to see my baby in the morning!

Feeling better

After several days of being severely depressed, I am feeling MUCH better today. I don't having anything specific triggering the depression and I'm sure it's similar to what I dealt with before getting pregnant, so I plan on talking to my doctor at my appointment next week. Anyways, onto happy thoughts...

I woke up this morning and went to the Airman's Attic. It's basically free stuff other people donate for E-4's and below. I found a really really cute outfit that I HAD to get for Audrey.

Couldn't believe how good of condition it was in, so that's why I got it. Plus, it's 12 months and I need some of the bigger sizes anyway. I got a few other things as well, but this was the main steal this week. Last week, it was free diapers. hehe!

This afternoon, I met a fellow AF wife at the BX and bought a jumperoo from her for $40. I brought it home, cleaned it up and put it together and I love it! I can't wait for Audrey to spend time in it playing and jumping. It's going to be cute. Here's what it looks like...

It's missing the rear leafy thingy, but I can get a replacement easily on eBay if it bothers me enough. lol! It was less than half price, so I'm happy! I wanted this specific one to match the baby swing we have. Here's the picture of that :-)

We got this for free from Paul's supervisor. All it's missing is a little stuffed animal from the mobile. Again...easy to replace! I *think* we are set on baby gear, although I feel like I'm forgetting something. And if I see something on craigslist or something some else is selling that I might want for Audrey, I'll probably get it. We order our changing table at the beginning of May. And then I put the finishing touches on the nursery! Eek. It's almost time for her to be here. 2.5 months. I can't wait!

Paul has been amazing lately throughout my ups and downs, especially my downs. Last night he took me to taco bell since I hadn't had much of an appetite and wasn't eating well. Then, he came home and made tonight's dinner to put in the fridge...just so I didn't have to cook. How awesome is that? So now, I don't have to worry about cooking and we can just enjoy the meal he made for us last night. I'm so thankful for him! We are going to a childbirth on Satuday and I'm excited to be able to do that together, especially since it's our first baby. I didn't think I wanted to do a childbirth class, but now that it's closer...I want to know what to expect and stuff I'll be experiencing before I go into labor. Plus, we found a class that works for Paul's schedule. Should be fun!

So that's the baby update for now. I'll have more to say either Thursday or Saturday :-)

Feeling blessed...and stressed.

Well, lately I have been feeling really blessed...and a little stressed on the side. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that my life if about to drastically change. Maybe it's the fact that I desperately want my little girl to hold NOW....not 12 weeks from now. Maybe it's the fact that my house is never clean enough. There's still so much to do to prepare for Audrey and I am really in the nesting mindset. My house is not baby ready, in my opinion. I'm in my 3rd trimester and I get exhausted so easily, making it hard to do everything I want to get done.

I do feel blessed for all that I do have and every way I AM prepared for this sweet girl. Her room is basically done, minus a few more decorations and the changing table. Her closet is full of stuff already that she needs and stuff I want for her. Clothes, diapers, wipes, bottles, nipples, pacifiers, blankets, burp cloths, bibs, towels, washcloths, medicinal stuff, nursing pillow, pump, everything. We have a great crib and glider. We have the travel system, the pack n' play where she will sleep in our room for the first little while. We are ALL stocked on diapers through size 3. This includes almost 1,000 diapers. No lie. We have an infant swing and a bouncy seat to occupy her when I can't be holding her :-)

I just wish I could relax. I am so tense and keyed up about everything. One thing...the boxes that still need to be unpacked and clothes to put away in my room. Ack! And I want to set the pack n' play up beside the bed just to have everything ready. That is...after I clean my room spic and span. Ugh. Still so much to do :-/

Haven't blogged in 50 million years...

Ok, not entirely true...but it's been a bit longer than I usually go. There are quite a few things to update on. My trip home was really wonderful and I loved being with my family. I got some things that I've been wanting. One of them being the moby wrap. I cannot wait to tote little Audrey around with me in it. I also bought more diapers! lol. I have been trying to buy a good amount of diapers every pay period. Another thing I do is keep track of how many I have so far so that I know approximately how long they will last. Official count right now is....*drumroll*...564. I've got about 360 size 1 diapers and am now working on size 2 which is currently at 204. I really want to not have to buy diapers for a while after she is born, so that's why I'm doing this. Plus, I've been on a huge couponing mission, so I'm trying to not buy diapers without coupons. I coupon for other stuff like pacifiers, diaper rash cream, bathing stuff. All this small stuff REALLY adds up, so every little bit helps.

Anyways, on Friday I came home to be with my husband. I REALLY missed him and he really missed me, so it was sweet to be together again. What I loved was his sudden increase in interest in my belly and our daughter. All he wanted to do was feel her move and watch my belly's movement. He kept trying to feel around for where exactly she was (you can always tell, because it's really hard in that certain spot). It was sweet. Then on Saturday, I had my birthday present...which was a spa day. I really felt like a new woman after that!! Prenatal massages are a MUST for when you get big. I had never had a facial before, so that was nice to experience. I got a new haircut that I absolutely LOVE...and a pedicure. So I was all set and brand new. Paul and I went out to dinner with friends that night.

Yesterday was my birthday and it was one of the best! I am going to recount all the details, so here goes: Paul took me to get an Icee at the Shoppette, then we went to the BX to look at washers and dryers. We ended up buying a big rug for our living room, since it's all tile. It was only $33.99. Good deal! And it adds a more personal touch to the house. The next stop was Target: my faaaaavorite store ever. There, we bought a rug for our room, the baby's room and a mat for the kitchen. Yay for making the house more of a home! We also bought more diapers and other small stuff. Next, Paul and I went to Best Buy to look at washers and dryers...again. lol. We had some time to kill until we got hungry so we can home and set up our rugs and stuff that we had bought. Then we went to Ralph and Kacoo's (a nummy cajun restaurant!!) for my birthday dinner. It was delicious and almost right up there with the actual food in New Orleans. Just what I wanted! After we got back home, we watched Army Wives and some other shows. I got the urge to clean and organize more in the baby's room so I spent a while doing that until my back hurt too bad. It was so much fun!

So basically that's what has happened since I last blogged. My 4D ultrasound is on Wednesday and I am SO excited to see Audrey. Hopefully, she cooperates and we can get a good look at her facial features. Should be fun :-)