2 more months to go....maybe :)

Carlee

Today we had a visit with the doctor and got some really nice 3-D pictures of our "Little One" or should I say "Big One"! They estimated her weight at 4lb1oz! If she grows at the normal rate, 1/2lb per week and goes to term she will be at 9lbs. Oh my goodness. I really thought I would have small babies, guess I was way wrong. The good news is that she is healthy and growing, we couldn't be happier. She is already head down and moving around contantly. Mom says she was showing off yesterday at the pool. She was twisting, turning, flipping, and sticking out everywhere. Wish I had a video camera for times like that.

30 weeks gestation

The bad news is that I have been diagnoses with Gestational Diabetes. That is why our beloved Dr. Fraser has come back into our lives. I had a feeling this was coming, since my sugars were high with Caelyn. I wasn't diagnosed GD with her, due to her small frame and no worries of having a big baby. For those of you who are unfamiliar with gestational diabetes, it occurs in about 5% of all pregnancies and is usually caused by the pregnancy hormones. What I learned yesterday in my class was that the hormones attach to the insulin, thus blocking the sugar from getting into the cell. So, I have lots of sugar running through my veins, unable to get into my cells because the hormones want to get in the way. This is also one of the reasons why I am so extremely tired! The others are my anemis and just being pregnant. Now I don't feel so bad for being tired (or lazy like I thought I was). This usually occurs in the last trimester of pregnancy and can cause a rather large baby if not controlled. Also it is something that I couldn't control, says my doctor. It is just the way my body responds to being pregnant. So, for like the last month Carlee has been getting an abundance of sugar making her a bit bigger. Let's hope she stays under 9lb please, I don't want a c-section and I want her to be heatlhy!

What does gestational diabetes mean for me? Well, basically I just have to eat a well balanced diet, 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. Well balanced meaning with fat, protien, and carbohydrates in each meal or snack. Then I have to check my sugars 4 times a day. The poking of my finger isn't fun, but the finding out what my sugar level is, is quite fun. I want to check everyones to see what level they are at. If my sugars don't go too high, then I will not have to go on insulin. So, lets hope not. Then I go back to see Dr. Fraser again for another ultrasound in about a month, so he can see how we are doing. In the mean time I will be reporting my sugar levels to his office weekly. I hope I get to share some more pictures of Carlee for you then. Now I will leave you with a cute picture of Carless practicing holding a baby with our cat Skip. (hehe!)

Skip thinks Carless is the best!

A New Year

2009 started with a bang for Carless and I. It was New Years Day when we found out we were expecting our third baby. I am now 13 weeks along and doing great, aside from the "morning sickness" and worries. I am due somewhere around September 9, 2009. We had a very comforting ultrasound in February when I was 11 weeks along. We had our doctor measure the back of the baby's neck, the test is called an NT scan or Nuchal Translucency Scan. It is done around 11-13weeks to screen for Down's Syndrome and in our case SLOS. If the baby has too much fluid built up at the back of the neck, it is an indicator of a possible heart defect. A normal measurement is below 2.5mm. I am proud to say our baby's NT measurement was less than 1.0mm!! As soon as I saw our little one on the screen I knew everything was fine. I had such relief to see little one moving and grooving in my belly. Thinking back to Bella's ultrasound at 11weeks, I remember she didn't move much at all. Her NT measurement was about 4.0mm, very obvious if you know what you are looking for. I'm growing too, unlike my last two pregnancies. My belly has grown to about 32" around already! I am definately into my maternity clothes and loving it. I can't wait to feel this baby move around. I still plan to have a urinalysis done at 14 weeks to prove this little one does not have SLOS. We should get the results at around 16 weeks, or the first of April.