GD Test

So I failed my 1 hour glucose test. I'm pretty beat up about it. When pregnant with Makani, I worried the whole time about gestational diabetes, since both sides of my family have diabetes running through them. Fortunately, I passed it and thought I would coast through the rest of my pregnancy and birth my boy at home. Then I got hit with high blood pressure and preeclampsia. I'd never heard of preeclampsia before, and never had an issue with blood pressure, so I was pretty blindsided.

Again, I was fortunate. With the help of wonderful midwives and acupuncturists, I carried Mak to full term and a with a four-day labor, he came out happily at 38 weeks. No health issues, and my BP returned to normal shortly after. It wasn't the home birth I wanted, but it wasn't a cesarian either.

I have to admit, we were nervous when we started talking about having our second baby. We always wanted two kids, and we wanted them somewhat close together. But the fear of repeating those health issues certainly gave us pause. The research was on our side, though, so we went for it. And we're excited to welcome this little girl to our family in December.

I've been keeping track of my blood pressure this whole pregnancy, and it's been great. I went in this morning to take my GD test and didn't even bat an eyelash, I had full confidence that I'd pass. I didn't. The number was well above the cutoff, but not high enough to slap the "diabetes" label on just yet. I'm sure come Monday morning, I'll be getting a call from Kaiser to schedule the dreaded three hour fasting glucose test. Let me tell you, I am not a fun hungry person. I go over two hours of not eating and I. Am. GRUMPY (that's putting it mildly). So now looking forward to fasting overnight, showing up at Kaiser to drink some orange soda and get my blood drawn four times?

Oh yes, please, sign me up. Funny how I just wasn't worried. And I know I shouldn't be worried yet. But man, as a woman, it sure feels like my body is telling me, "Look, I just don't like this pregnancy thing, so please stop now." And even though this is likely my last pregnancy, I would still like my body to embrace its easy fertility. We're lucky, why the complications?

Argh. I hate feeling discouraged. But at least I've learned to be proactive. Instead of just waiting around, we've already decided to throw out the indulgent junk foods we keep in our pantry and replace it all with fresh foods. If I do have GD, I'm certainly not going to let that stop me from attempting my home birth.

Thanks for listening.

Much Love,
The Dolfos

PA

There's nothing like getting up to go to the bathroom (for the billionth time, thanks pregnancy hormones) and having your (almost) two year old shout, "MOM, PEE!"

Yes, yes, I'm going pee. Thanks for the PA, child.

Much Love,
The Dolfos

New Words.

Makani has two uncles named Kai and Myles. He calls them "ka" and "mole".
It just makes me giggle uncontrollably.

He has an aunt named Jessie, which he pronounces as "assie".
He still calls my sister "ara" for Tia Ciara.

I love how little ones talk. Love their practice, love their pronunciations, love love love.

Much Love,
The Dolfos

Change.

It's been a stressful few weeks. Brad's still waiting to hear about a job placement in the district, and he started his last semester of college. So looking forward to him not being in school, but first he has to finish four classes to get his degree. Which should help him get a better job. But it would be nice if he had a job in the meantime. Damn budget cuts.

Anyway. Lots of changes at home, too. We finally got Mak a "baby sister" doll and a stroller, so he could start practicing being a big brother. So far, not bad. He can be very loving and gentle when he wants to. He can also run over the baby with glee when he wants to. I'm not worried, though. I just want him to develop a sense of purpose, a purpose for himself as a big brother, and know that the baby has a purpose in our lives, too.

More changes: Carter has started preschool. Such a bittersweet moment for me, since I started nannying for him when he was just fourteen months old. He'll be four years old in November, and while I know it was time for him to start, I couldn't help but feel sad at the thought that this precious kid just outgrew what I could give him. Luckily, I took him to some trial days at preschool, so I actually got to see how enriching it will be for him, and how well he fits in... My sadness diminished into joy as I saw how happy he was to have other kids his age (not just Makani) to play with.

If I'm this sad when Carter starts preschool, how many tears will I shed when it's Makani's turn?? I should buy some stocks in Kleenex now.

I have to say, as stressful as things have been lately, I'm proud of Brad and I for keeping each other grounded and sane. Stress is hard on a marriage, but we seem to have found ways to check in with each other and deal with it effectively. I hope that never changes.

Much love,
The Dolfos