This past weekend was great!  Chris and I had two baby showers!!  One was in Houston, hosted by my little sister Stephanie with my cousin, Tina, and my sister, Kat, helping.  My dad and my aunt helped cook food.  The other one was in Lumberton, hosted by some members of Woodcrest U.M.C., the church that Chris's dad preaches at.  They were both great showers and we had a lot of fun! 

On Monday, we left Lumberton and drove to Henderson, TX to visit the hospital where I would be giving birth.  We got to meet the nurses and the doctor that would be delivering, Dr. Zeid.  Then, we got to tour the birthing area.  The nurse showed us where I would deliver although she couldn't show me inside the room because someone was in there.  She then showed me the postpartum room where I would be moved to after the delivery.  I get a choice of either having Arielle in the nursery or having her room in with me.  I think I'll have her in the room with me.  We also found out that people can come in and out while I am in labor but only two people are allowed once they start delivering the baby.

After the hospital visit, we went to the office of the doctor who would deliver Arielle.  We got lost because the doctor gave horrible directions even though it was only a couple miles away.  But we got there.  We got to have a 3D ultrasound and then we talked with Dr. Zeid!  We bought a DVD of the ultrasound and got to have one picture which I am putting in my photo album.  It was a great weekend!

Later this week, the day before yesterday actually, I found out that I have gestational diabetes.  So I have been monitoring my sugar as of yesterday morning, and also watching my diet.  I had an appointment this morning just to make sure I was using the glucometer correctly, which I am.  I am doing the best I can to stay healthy and keep my blood sugar down so that it doesn't have adverse effects on Arielle.  It should turn out just fine.

Well, I just got back from my appointment with the ob, which was pretty routine except for a 1 hr glucose test.  I had to drink a sugary drink and they set a timer for 1 hour and handed it to me.  Then, I was weighed and went to one of the rooms where the helper checked my blood pressure, measured my uterus, and they used the doppler to listen to Arielle's heartbeat.  All was well, and the girl left to bring in the nurse practitioner, Terry, since my doctor wasn't there that afternoon.  Terry told me that everything was fine and didn't give me any news.  I asked about special childbirth classes and she told me to ask up front.  So I did and they told me to ask at the hospital and even at Mother Frances (which is in Tyler) so I won't have to drive to Henderson for the classes.  I sat in the waiting room for twenty minutes until the timer went off, and then I went back in to have my blood sugar tested.  They took some blood from me which is always difficult since I have difficult veins... small and deep.  Well, they used some of the blood to do the glucose test, and I FAILED.  What does that mean?  Well, it means that I could have gestational diabetes, diabetes that a woman has only when she's pregnant.  I have to do a 3 hr glucose test next Wednesday to know for sure whether or not I am diabetic.  It was just so weird for my blood sugar to be high at all because I hadn't had anything sweet to eat today.  I think I must be at least a little prone to diabetes because I was prediabetic before I got pregnant, and now I failed a glucose test.  I read somewhere that pregnancy is a good time to find out just how prone you are to diabetes because if you have gestational diabetes then you are more prone to diabetes later in life.  So I've decided to watch my weight and monitor my diet more to avoid diabetes in the future.  I don't want to wait until it gets out of control.  I am putting myself on a diet after I have Arielle and even while I am pregnant I am going to be careful of what I eat and eat healthy.

Well, that's all for now.  I am excited about the appointment next Monday at the hospital in Henderson where I will get my 3D ultrasound, meet the doctor that will deliver Arielle, and tour the hospital where she will be born.  I am also excited about the baby showers this weekend!  It should be a fun weekend!

Chris and I went to Fort Worth this past Friday and Saturday and we had a great time.  We mostly went to get my military ID which I had lost, but we also turned it into a vacation.  We are taking advantage of time that we have together now because we know it'll be different when Arielle arrives.  We got to stay on a Naval Air Base at a hotel by Lake Worth!  It was a beautiful lake, and the base was nice too.  On Friday night, we had a very nice dinner together at the Cattlemen's Steak House.  We would've gone to a rodeo, but I had caught a cold and wasn't feeling well so I needed to sleep.  We took a walk by the lake on the base together before going to sleep; it was quiet and peaceful.  The next day we went to get my military ID, a DOD sticker for the car, and then had a picnic by the lake .  Later, we took some pictures by some planes and then went to the Stockyards and watched the cattle drive down Exchange Ave.  I took a picture on a longhorn which is in my photo album; it was quite interesting to get up on a longhorn while 7 months pregnant.  I don't think I'll be able to pull of a stunt like that in later months.

Well, I'm still trying to get over the cold that I caught over the weekend.  Chris has been sick too but not as bad as I have.  I was in a kindergarten classroom observing last week and that is probably where I got the cold.  An interesting fact I've learned is that a woman's immune system will partly shut down while she is pregnant so that the immune system will not attack the baby.  Of course this makes her vulnerable to illnesses.  That's why it's easier for a pregnant woman to get sick.  That's probably why I feel worse than Chris does too, and also why it is taking me longer to get over it.  I've had a cold once before during this pregnancy and it was pretty bad too. 

I had one bad night earlier this week, Sunday night I think, in which I had trouble breathing every time I laid down.  I was feeling some pressure in my lungs and I was also congested.  I think Arielle was a bit higher than usual and also the congestion made it worse so that every time I laid down I could barely breathe.  I was in tears out of frustration and the frightening thought that this might be a pregnancy symptom that would last for three months.  I mean, I've already been finding myself breathing harder lately as if I need more air ... (I've actually read that your body becomes programmed to breathe harder in order to provide more oxygen for the fetus)... but to have my breathing obstructed and my lungs unable to expand (which is what it felt like) is quite frightening.  Chris ended up bringing all of the couch cushions/pillows into the bedroom so I could figure out the perfect way to position them.  I was pretty much sleeping sitting up.  Later in the night, I felt some relief from the pressure on my lungs and also the congestion was getting better.  It felt like Arielle had moved a little lower for me so I could breathe.  I was able to take the mountain of pillows down. 

I did read online that I am supposed to be finding it harder to catch my breath the bigger Arielle (and my uterus) gets.  That's kind of scary but good to know in advance.  I wonder if I will have a particularly hard time breathing since I am carrying high.  I've read that the lightening phase occurs sometime between 6 & 4 weeks before the due date when it's a first pregnancy.  The lightening phase means she'll lower herself into my pelvis in preparation for birth.  So I'll feel even more pressure in my pelvis, and less pressure toward my lungs and be able to breathe better.  I'm getting more apprehensive the closer the due date comes.  I have questions haunting me like "What will it feel like?",  "Will everything go okay?", "How will I know when it's time?", "What if something goes wrong?".  I try to focus on the questions that I can find some help with and ignore the "what ifs" or questions that I can't control.  As far as "what will it feel like?", I've found answers that say pain in the abdominal region (well, obviously) and a tightening there as well.  For the question of "How will I know when it's time?", I've found answers like "your ob will give you specific instructions on when it's time" and I've also read what to look for as far as the frequency and length of the contractions.  I've also read about my water breaking which is when the amniotic fluid leaks out of me either in a gush or a trickle.  I've also read about Braxton Hicks contractions which are pretty much "false labor", and that I should be feeling those as well but not to worry unless they are frequent and intense.  There's just so much to know and remember, but in the end it's all in the Lord's hands.

I have my appointment with the ob on Thursday so I should probably write down all of the questions I have.  I usually don't have too many questions for the ob except whether or not the pregnancy is going well, but now there is so much I want to know.  On top of the questions listed above, there are questions about breastfeeding and the right pediatrician and on and on!  On Monday I have an appointment with the doctor that will actually be delivering Arielle.  The appointment on Monday will be in Henderson, TX at the hospital where I will give birth.  We'll get to tour the hospital and talk about our birth plan as well as have a 3D ultrasound!  I'm excited!  After that, my appointments with the ob will be every other week since I am in my third trimester now.