Disclaimer: This is a long post. I guess I felt like I had a lot to say...and there aren't any fun pictures involved, sorry.I'm officially 31 weeks pregnant now, only 9 more to go. Unless little Rocklin decides to make his appearance a little earlier than expected, which I guess is OK as long as he's healthy (although I'm not sure I'll ever be 100% "ready" for this whole birthing and labor experience, so maybe it's best he wait out the full 40 weeks). He's not allowed to come any later than planned, so I'm not even going to write that in as an option for him.
I don't want to bore everyone with all the miserable experiences that come along with being pregnant, however there are some I feel the need to share. Here they are:
I've started snoring, much to Adam's dismay. It's funny because I was SO worried that when we got married Adam was going to be a big snorer. I've had a bag of earplugs in my nightstand for the past year and a half that I've only had to use a few times. Sad for him, but the tables have turned! He wears earplugs every night now just so that he can sleep. I'm hoping this is just a pregnancy related thing and that I won't be known as the girl that snores from now on.
I cried the other day because I couldn't bend over. I was trying to shred some papers in our shredder, and I was sitting in the big office chair and I dropped some of the papers and in my attempt to bend over and pick them up, I realized I couldn't reach them because my belly was in the way and I started crying. To those of you non-pregnant people out there, I'm sure crying seems like a bit of an overreaction to such a stupid situation, however to those of you who have been or are pregnant, I'm sure you can feel my pain on this one. Stupid hormones.
I have cankles. That's right, cankles. I usually do OK until about 4 - 5 PM at which point my legs go from looking like normal every day legs to tree trunks. It's mostly my ankles and then extends to my feet. I thought for sure I'd be immune from this horrible pregnancy side-effect since all my life I've had pretty nice ankles, if I do say so myself. Not anymore. And it's not like they just swell up, they swell up to the point of feeling tight - it's hard to explain, but it's not pleasant (feeling or looking). I'm sure they look way worse to me than anyone else, and a lot of it probably has to do with the fact that I'm still working full-time at my job and not at home resting as much as I probably should be.
I've just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Yuck. As if trying to watch what I eat wasn't hard enough, now I REALLY have to be careful and also check my blood sugar like four times a day to make sure all is well. Hello bran muffins, apples and sugar-free jello and good-bye pretty much anything else I'd like to eat. To be honest, I'm not even sure what I can eat...I'm waiting to hear from the hospital as my doctor has referred me to a "diabetes teaching" class at the hospital. At this class I'm supposed to learn what to eat, how often to eat, etc. etc. I've also started walking on a regular basis at night, and so far Adam's been nice enough to go with me. I figure a little fresh air and time out of the house and out on our feet couldn't be bad for either one of us.
Along with the gestational diabetes, my doctor says that I'm going to have to go in for ultrasounds twice a week, once I hit 33 weeks. This seems a bit much to me, and maybe it won't be extended until I deliver, but I guess for now it will be good to keep a close eye on our little guy to make sure that he's doing good. And as of my last appointment, he's doing really well - weighing in at 3 lbs. 12 oz., and looking really healthy. I am praying he stays that way and no complications come up because of the diabetes. Oh, and at my last appointment I had an ultrasound and we were able to see his little feet (which are about 2 inches long) and his spine (straight as can be) and his femur bone and a few other fun things, but he was being VERY stubborn about showing us his face! He kept both his arms and hands up around his face. I guess he was just not in the mood for pictures that day. It's hard to be upset with him though, I mean how can you be frustrated with someone who has 2 inch feet?
One last thing ... yesterday in our ward's primary, we watched the video Luke 2. I guess I never really thought in detail about the sacrifices of Mary and Joseph, but especially Mary, in riding a donkey to Bethlehem to deliver the baby Jesus. The primary leader put it into perspective in that it would be like a pregnant woman today having to ride a donkey 9 months pregnant from where we live in Chandler, AZ to say Flagstaff, AZ (about a couple hours away) and then having to give birth without drugs in a stable on top of hay surrounded by animals. The video brought a tear to my eye as I feel like I understand a little more about the sacrifices made by Mary. How thankful I am for this little primary lesson and for the eye-opening experience it was for me watching this Christmas video.
Here's Captain Howie blowing into the Conch Shell...he blew into 3 times, all representing different wishes to the couple:
Here's one more breathtakingly (is that a word?) beautiful view of the beach from a lookout point we stopped at:
