I've Worn My Underwear Inside Out All Day & More Stories

Week 36, Day 4

I thought you might get a kick out of the title. It's totally true. We had an NST (non-stress test) done this morning, followed by a visit with Dr. Holmes (where I turned down the option to find out how far I'm dilated... it's not far and I know it because it hurt last week), and a Hospital Navigator appointment to go over the birth plan and see the birth rooms again. As well as, Mila had to see her pediatrician this morning too because she's got a cold and an earache... Poor baby. So we were running around, and this morning I guess I just didn't pay attention enough to get my underwear on right, but hey... I got them on.

Apparently during this time, mama is more forgetful and clumsy. I have to agree. Yesterday we went to David's military burial at the National Cemetery in Leavenworth (quick, yet beautiful service) and I couldn't remember if I brought my purse with my glucose finger stick in it. I didn't think I did so I used Pastor's. When we got back to the car, there it was. <shrugs> The day before I was running out the door for some reason and realized I couldn't find the car keys. So going back in, I found that I forgot the zip lock baggie of my dinnertime insulin routine on the couch (alcohol wipe, bottle of Humalog, shot, two Metformin pills). I grabbed them, ran upstairs, found the keys under all of the baby clothes Mila and I had gone through, and left the zip lock bag. <shrugs> There's no winning here. Your mind is gone, Erryn.

I didn't get any pictures because I wanted to be respectful and I left my phone in the car, but the burial was really nice. Two honor guards stood saluting at the podium while someone else played taps in the background. (I don't know if he was really playing or pushed a button, but I assume he pushed a button because the last note went on a long while and I don't think he had that much air. On the other hand, he acted it out really well... much better than Granddad...) Then the two honor guards undid the flag and refolded it properly. Did you know that each fold means something?? Then one knelt down in his uniform and presented it to Mom. "Ma'am, on behalf of the president of the United States... (etc. etc.) we present you with this... (might have said more)." I cried and couldn't hear anything else. It was so touching and such a huge honor. I think that was the part where you could really feel loss. Like he died in battle. Afterward, two other men came up and took the bagged "cremains", buried them afar, and then we were allowed to go down and see the grave sight. The stone isn't there yet. And shots were never fired either. I think that's only for high ranking officials or if you die in the line of duty. So when Mom dies, she'll be in the same place. On marker 316 (Mom was excited because John 3:16 was a favorite verse of theirs, I guess.)

Anyway, back to pregnancy. And other events.
I never shared my 30th birthday. I was all emotional during the week. One day I'd be excited. One day I wouldn't care. The next day would be depressing. I blame pregnancy hormones.
Forgive me if I repeat myself from prior posts...
On the 1st, we celebrated with Aldo's family. It was kind of a flop. The fam heavily relied on Aldo to be the host, even though it was their idea. He picked out the food and made sure I could eat it. He was in charge of the games and the music, etc. But, unfortunately he had to stay late at work dealing with "the dog exploding on the buyer and leather couch escapade" and then he had to get ice or pick up so and so... the party didn't get started til he got there. I was starving because I had to wait to see how many carbs everything was. While waiting, Vero asked me what I wanted to watch... chick flick!... and put on a horrible, raunchy, and seriously boring movie. Can't believe she even recommended it. On my birthday?? Later, I said I wanted to play the card game Marana, but Aldo's mom vetoed it because I shouldn't be playing a dangerous game in my condition (It's cards. Similar to Spoons. And I wouldn't have to worry anyway... we were playing with Lalo, who is always slow to put his hand down.) The 90s music wasn't what I grew up with. It was weird. And by the time it came time to do anything more, I was ready to go home and sleep. But the food was good! So I'll just say that.

Months before I said that I wanted to go canoeing for my birthday, and Aldo shot me down. By the time September came around, I was all for NOT going canoeing. So I came up with the idea to go to the beach at the lake with the kids, some friends, and our dogs. The lake that I used to go to Dad with won't allow dogs on the beach. Bummer. So instead we found a dog park that has a creek running through it. First we went out to eat at Grinders on the patio. We got so many cute puppy comments. And the kids loved hanging out on the hammocks while waiting for the food. Then we went to the park. It was a trek. It was hot. I could've died. But I didn't. The "path" down to the creek was more of a 75% incline mountain with some branches sticking out for stability. It took three people to get me down and back up again. But it was totally worth it. The dogs had so much fun. Bandit was born for the water! Ok, ok... so he fits in with our family. The kids had so much fun. Luke looked for shells. Mila walked around in the scum and every time she got knocked down, she had to get out, realize her feet or hands were dirty, get back in and wash them. I just enjoyed the water on my feet and the smiles. PERFECT BIRTHDAY. It was my dose of nature that I was wanting.

Mill Creek with All My Friends!

Boys Looking for Shells

Mila Gets Knocked Down & Dirty

Bandit Has a Blast!

(Is This My Birthday or His???)

The next day we were supposed to go to Ant-Man and The Wasp, but we got hung up at the car dealership... buying my birthday present... a 2012 (correction: 2013!) Chevy Traverse. My SUV with the bucket seats I had been researching. What's best is Aldo likes it too. Afterward, we went to Pizza Studio with my mom and... NEW!!! They have almost carb-less pizza! So I was able to enjoy that.

Skip forward. The following weekend, Aldo's mom really wanted to throw me a baby shower. I was under the impression that it would be family and small. It was all of her Zumba friends!! It was full-out, a Mexican baby fiesta! They spoke Spanish the entire time and played Spanish music. I caught a few words here and there... like juego - "play". I just hoped that they didn't make me do anything embarrassing. The games weren't bad at all. They passed around a rolling pin. They played charades. They dropped lemons in a cup. Guessed my belly size with toilet paper. Etc. And at the end, I gave myself a pat on the back for having such a good week of glucose numbers and ate two slices of cake. His mom really went all out and made me feel special.

So I think, now we're all caught up. Finally!
All of these latest posts I've had to stop midway and finish it later. I forget what I wanted to write or what mood I was in (Oh, I must've been venting on that one... but I come back in feeling on top of the world). It must look like I'm all over the place. So what I'll have to do in the future is Publish the post finished or not, and then create a new post the next time. Whew! This book is going to be so interesting...

HA! Speaking of... I just remembered the portion I was wanting to put in. It's the "I know for a fact this is Too Much Information, and too graphic, but it needs to be talked about" portion. So I warn you now!! My biggest fear this time around is hemorrhoids. I'm afraid the one I have is red and swollen and bigger than any of the others that the doctors have seen, and when I give birth it's going to poke out and explode. How's that for imagery? So when we went to the doctor, I asked about it. If there's anything I need to watch out for. And I explained that it doesn't hurt or itch, but I know it's there. The doc wasn't worried at all. She said it was a normal thing and almost everyone gets them. It'll go away after the baby is born and won't affect anything. That made me feel a lot better. Primarily, she won't be absolutely disgusted by it. I've already pooped on her. <sigh> I also have a fear that I didn't prep my nips this time around and that they're going to get chapped and hurt from breastfeeding. Or that there will be clumps because of closed up boobie ducts. My hair down there is unmanaged. But you know what... this is the third time around. I have someone taking pictures of the "birth story" for their portfolio/birthday/me! Any sense of modesty has kind of gone out the window. It kind of has to...

If I think of anything else, I'll try to bring it up right away. Here's to the coming weeks of prepping the bags, installing the car seat, nesting/cleaning the house, etc.

Slowing Down & Speeding Up - The Great Conundrum

Things have finally slowed down at our house.

Luke's foot is in the walking boot and healing. Hopefully he's not running on it at school. He's in a routine at home - wake up at 7:00-ish, bedtime at 9:30pm, when he gets home I sign his agenda, etc. Bandit LOVES him. Luke's been sleeping over at Grammy's the past couple of days and you could tell the dog missed his boy. Chewing on his boot, wagging his tail when Luke feeds him in the morning, and hopping over to him when they play. Luke has been doing chores lately, not for money... but for time on his Kindle. Luke has been getting distracted on the thing and with any kid it's easy to lose track of screen time... so now he does a chore to earn Kindle time in 30-minute increments. It's been working out rather well I think.

Mila is still in the "terrible" stage. It takes multiple times for her to go do what she was told to do (like get a diaper or pick up a toy or EAT HER FOOD!). Spankin's don't work and nap threats don't work. I realized that taking away the item or turning off the tv are what does it. She's on this Lilo & Stitch kick, and she got very emotional when I turned the tv off so she would eat her chicken. I told her yesterday to keep her markers for her brand new purse on the table. When I found them on the couch - without the lids on!!! - I FLIPPED OUT. They were immediately taken away.
I feel like such a bad mom sometimes... but I remember going through this stage with Luke and we said nip it in the bud while he's young. So second child... sorry, but we were lenient for a little too long. It's going to be a hard month for you.
At the same time, Mila is just adorable as ever. She says the cutest things, and of course, right now I can't think of anything. Or the way she says them too. Like, Luke will always be "Lukey" to her. :D And Bandit sounds like "band-aid" but right at the last split second she'll add in the T sound.

We went to the doctor not long ago for Aldo and she kept mentioning Luke. The nurse asked her who Luke was and this is how the rest of the conversation went:
Mila: He's a power ranger.
Nurse: That's cool. What color is he?
Mila: <snickers> Pink.
After a while, she changed her mind because she wanted to be pink. Luke could be blue. Daddy red. Mommy gets to be the made-up orange power ranger...

Bandit, we found out, likes the rain. (It's probably because he's dehydrated most of the time... because when I do give him water, he spills it and lays in it.) He also likes swimming. More about that later. He now sits when he wants to come in. And sits when he wants to go out, longingly looking out the sliding glass door. If you take too long, though, he'll tell you or paw at the door. One of the greatest commands he's learned so far is "Time Out". It's the same as "kennel" but he knows he's in trouble. Yesterday was the first time he ate off a plate. I was giving myself a shot of insulin before dinner (which takes like 20 seconds) and he licked my potato salad. Mila saw the whole thing and yelled at him. You better believe he knew he was going straight to time out when I walked in the room.

Aldo and I are doing great (I think?). He's back to his regular schedule at work. With the weather changing though - with that autumn, dreary rain feel - I think it's making his feet swell worse.

I’m doing ok now since the last emotional post. I’m in a very strict routine, but I’m managing. I’m just ready for October. Not so much with baby stuff... We don’t have a car seat yet! Or a diaper bag. Things are finally slowing down with taking different people to doctor appointments. And yet, things are speeding up because WE'RE GETTING READY TO HAVE THIS BABY!!!

Hurricane Season

34 Weeks

I originally named this post “Hurricane Season” because of the phrase... “When it rains, it pours...” and I felt like the phrase just didn’t cover half of what we’ve gone through lately; it’s more like a hurricane for us. Ironically, according to the National Hurricane Center, hurricane season this year (in the Atlantic) runs from June 1st - November 30th. Let’s pray that that’s not how it’s going to be from here on out. Let the storm stop in September!! I was thinking about it the other day and before I was asking, “God, what is going on???” It finally occurred to me that He knows exactly what's going on and maybe he’s got a plan and that all of this is a set up. I can’t come to any other conclusion.

So in case you missed it here’s a quick look at the past three months...

• June 5: Luke breaks feet (leads to re-breaking foot on July 31st)
• July 5: I don’t pass my first glucola test (leads to a 3 hour test, finding out I have gestational diabetes, pricking finger and keeping track of blood sugar readings 4x a day, starting diet of low carbs and high protein which in turn leads to constipation {wha.. wha...}, have to start Metformin which causes nausea, and as of late started insulin... to be continued I guess...)
• July 20: We bring home Bandit - a very overwhelmed feeling of Is this really the right time?
• July 26-29: Aldo goes to conference to learn about selling life insurance - another overwhelming feeling considering I won’t be working myself and he wants to change jobs
• August 11: Aldo is rear-ended (leads to Blazer being totaled and multiple doctor and chiropractic appointments, and now shopping for a new vehicle)
• August 21: David passed away (funeral yesterday and keeping mom company and out of depression)

I don’t think anyone else could handle it. Did I mention my birthday is coming up? I’m turning 30. I think I could use some good news now. And we haven’t celebrated our anniversary yet. :( That was a month ago. And we have the gift cards too, just sitting in my purse. Ugh... #whenlifehappens

- - - - - -

Well, I was sad the other day thinking on the book I had for my pregnancy with Luke up to his first birthday. And then Mila’s book (which hasn’t been printed yet. And now this one. I’m sorry if any of my kids ever feel left out or like you got the short stick. I love you all so so so much and I just wanted the experiences written out and perfect. None of them are the same. I learn as I go... just like regular people.
For example, I had no idea what to expect with Luke. I had so many newbie mom questions. I went to the classes for birthing and bringing a baby home. I learned a lot. With Mila, I had the experience of breastfeeding and baby blues, and maybe exhaustion... because it’s easy when you can put all your concentration and energy in pregnancy and raising a newborn as a new mom whereas when you already have one child, attention goes there as well. You feel like you missed some of the big milestones of pregnancy with the second. But you definitely try. And the third, I feel so bad I haven’t kept track of ANY milestones. It’s been more of keeping track of what symptoms are hitting me this week...? What's up with this bruising? It's vericose veins that won’t go away. Am I going to die in the middle of the night from a blood clot in my leg? No, it's just regular ol' leg cramps. Flex your foot and point or get up and walk; it will go away. Am I having Braxton Hicks? Is it too early? Braxton Hicks are with portions of your belly getting hard and sometimes associated cramping or pain. Sometimes you feel them, sometimes you don't. What's "full term"? 39 Weeks. Do I have to count the baby's kicks/movements? Not with how active she is. And remember, toward the end of pregnancy there is less room in there, so movement might appear to slow down. (I apologize for being graphic ahead of time.) Is discharge normal? Yes, depending on color. Hemorrhoids??? Yes. Sorry you're strained. When does the “bloody show” actually show? Closer to delivery... like days before. So BE READY!!
Funny how you have new questions with each subsequent pregnancy. AND I completely forgot how to take care of a newborn. AND... now we have a dog (more precisely “an energetic puppy”) that steals blankets, toys, and even food off your plate, which I’ll be bringing my newborn home to. Whew. It’s a lot to think about.

This Post Isn't Sugar-Coated...

... because I have gestational diabetes. <insert chortle or eyeroll here>

30 Weeks, 1 Day

Well, clearly I am doing better with the entire health issues thing than I was a week ago. I'm just happy I was able to eat most of the coffee-flavored ice-cream and all those peanut butter cup cookies that Aunt Dolores gave us before I had to cut the goodies completely out. So I began the limited diet journey on Monday, July 13th. That Thursday I met with the nurse. She instructed me on what gestational diabetes is and how to operate the glucose meter.

Gestational Diabetes (in my own words) is basically when the hormones of pregnancy block your natural insulin from working. And that regulates your blood sugars. A high blood sugar means you could have a very large baby (macrosomia), go into early labor and baby could have respiratory issues from lungs not fully developing, and/or greater risk of Type 2 Diabetes later in life (for you AND the baby).

How to Operate the Glucose Meter: It's super easy once you get the hang of it. First you have to make sure your hands are sanitary. I carry extra alcohol wipes in my case if I'm out and about. Rub finger you will prick so that blood is pushed toward finger tips. Insert this special strip into the meter, which will turn it on. You take the... I'll call it a "trigger" but I don't really know the technical name... already loaded with a lancelet (tiny needle) and place on side of finger tip. Hit button and needle will poke you. Push more blood up if the spot isn't enough. Put next to the special strip and blood automatically gets sucked in. The meter will read it. And when you pull the strip out and dispose of everything, meter will shut off. 

Right now I have to record my blood sugars 4x a day - right after I wake up in the morning (fasting) and two hours after every meal. In the morning my levels should be <95 and after meals <120. Weirdly I can still eat carbs, I just can't eat as much as I was before. My portion sizes are a LOT smaller. I used to go back for seconds on a bowl of stroganoff and now I might be able to have a cup of noodles (I'd have to check my cheat sheet, the label on the noodles, or my Carb Manager app), but honestly I wouldn't even consider stroganoff a meal worth having now.

Which leads me to my appointment with the Dietician on Tuesday, July 24th. We went over what my diet had been prior, and then talked about what they're looking for in my diet now. At meals I can have up to 45g of carbs. At snack times, I can have up to 30g. I should have protein every time I eat. And, "increasing the protein in the evening will lower my ketone count" (...but I don't completely agree with that statement based on what my numbers are showing).

Ketones are measured in your first pee of the day. With gestational diabetes, you hope that the reading is low rather higher. If you have ketones, you are in a state of ketosis (or basically dieting, i.e. "keto diet" which is really popular right now). It means that the body, instead of using sugar for energy is using fat. And there's a strong possibility you are losing weight. I read that ketones are a sign that mom and baby aren't getting enough food for energy and could lead to low IQ in baby or learning disabilities.

So for example, my breakfasts have been an exchange between a slice of bread with peanut butter on it and a cup of milk (23g) or two slices of bread with a little mayo, eggs and cheese (22g). When talking with the dietician I learned that they don't count carbs in cheese or in some other foods. After the kids and I left the appointment, it was "snack time" and I told the kids because I did so good on my diet, we could have ice cream. My thoughts were ice cream is similar to milk, so it would be 15-30g of carb if it's a small portion. Add some peanut butter and get my protein in. I was wrong. My blood sugars spiked that night. Oops. But you learn.

Now, after doing the diet correctly-ish (because it's really hard to know precisely how many carbs are in a casserole or cheeseburger take-out when they don't provide the nutritional information on their online menu), my numbers are mostly in the 90s. But lately my ketones have spiked to HIGH. Ugh. My next appointment is this Thursday with the Diabetic Consultant AND the Dietician, so we'll see if there's anything I can do naturally to get that down. Otherwise, I am assuming that I may have to take medication. Having insulin is really the entire culprit of all of this mess.

30 Weeks, 5 Days

When there is so much going on... it takes a few days to get everything down that you want to cover. And then, of course, something else happens. That is life.

So backtracking a bit... On July 20th we brought home a golden retriever puppy. It was a surprise for the kids. Friends of ours just got one for their son's birthday and mentioned we should buy the brother. I guess I didn't chime in with my opinion of it being a weird time as loud as I should have (we're about ready to have a baby!!!) because now Bandit is part of our family. And he's nothing like his cuddly, mellow brother.

 

 Welcome Home, Bandit!

(9 Weeks Old) 

He Really Fooled Us...

Six days later Aldo got on a plane to North Carolina for a conference on selling life insurance. Why? Because he is considering switching jobs. (And I repeat... WE'RE ABOUT READY TO HAVE A BABY!!!!!!) The first two days were so overwhelming, I cried. It wasn't hormones either. From the words of my Diabetes Consultant - "You are a living whack-a-mole." :-|
The puppy, along with the kids, mostly Mila, became too much for me to handle. I can't explain my feelings because honestly, it's still too much for me to comprehend at this point. I am not a creature of change... and so I have to deal with one thing at a time, in order of priority (or in my case, risk factor or life/death). So it goes: testing blood sugars and controlling my diet, regular baby appointments and prep (including mental), taking care of kids, taking care of puppy, finishing up things at the library/making it ready for the next person to come in, thinking of future business. And unfortunately I don't know when/where the commitment to ministry goes in. It's terrible to say, but I think it has taken a back seat when my heart breaks because it shouldn't be that way.

I cried one more day somewhere in there, but since then things have gotten better. Bandit hasn't been the terror that he was before. I was reading all of these blogs and flyers and articles that said when training your puppy, you have to be positive. For example, you're not supposed to stick their nose in their poopy if they go in the house. I threw all that out the window. They're like kids really. They need discipline. Bandit now gets treats when he goes "potty" outside (and he can go on command!). He knows how to "sit", how to get "down" (the stairs, and should know it when we're on the couch), how to "stay" thanks to Luke, and "kennel". He knows the meaning of "time out", which is also going to his kennel, but he doesn't get a treat for that one. He's like another Mila, but still figuring out the language. Thankfully, it's going pretty quick. I'm understanding his schedule and it coincides with mine. We go to bed around 11-11:30pm and sleep through the night!! I let him in the backyard at about 6:30am to go to the bathroom while I figure out my ketones and take my fasting blood sugar. I let him in, we hang out until 7:30 and eat breakfast together. Two hours later, I test. I snack. We all eat lunch at around noon. In between all this, if he drinks anything or plays with the kids, afterward I automatically send him outside. He's notorious for stopping playtime to pee on the carpet or hardwood floor. So... send him out before he has a chance. In the afternoon, he naps and I either relax or get work done. However, lately it's been the time I go to an appointment and he waits patiently in the kennel for us to return home. At about 6:30pm, he starts pacing for dinner. I'm supposed to eat at around 7:30 and I'm getting slightly better at it. At least I'm not eating at 10pm and going to bed.

Now that I've caught up on what I originally wanted to say...
Last week, Luke was finally able to ride on his bike. I was outside watching and training Bandit on the leash at the same time when Luke turns his bike too hard to the right and crashes, the bike landing on his broken left foot (the one that didn't have a cast; the one that we never could see clearly on the x-rays, but knew it was broken). Right on the two toes that gave him problems in the beginning. Today we went for his yearly checkup to satisfy school enrollment and because he couldn't walk on his tiptoes, they recommended we go back to the pediatric orthopedic surgeon and get x-rays again. When will this all end???!!!

I also saw the Diabetic Consultant and Dietician yesterday. I tried to knock the appointments out in one day. Love the Diabetic Consultant. She knows what she's talking about, and has this brilliant Australian accent that I could listen to all day. AND she loves my trend graph I did just to get a visual for my fasting, regular meal, and ketone numbers. She showed it off to her staff and the doctor she's under. :)
To make the post a little bit shorter, I'll try to be brief. We realized that my biggest trouble is at dinnertime and with fasting. I'm to decrease my carbs at dinner and take a prescription by mouth at dinner that will allow my body's receptors to take in my natural insulin. They're proud of me for doing everything in my power to get my numbers down where they are. <Double smiley face>
A nap in the two hour window between eating a meal and poking my fingers DOES affect my numbers. If I feel tired at night, I am to take a 15 minute walk. And last, lower stress or find a way to manage it. Well, that's easy to say...

LAST, a couple days ago, I don't know why the sudden change... I haven't been able to enjoy this pregnancy as much as the first two because there's a lot of things that get in the way and sometimes I wake up and it doesn't seem like I'm pregnant until I put on pants or hug someone. It's so strange. Anyway, the other day I finally had a moment to feel EXCITED. I'm so excited to have another baby! There will be baby things strewn all over, hopefully away from the dog. Or maybe by then he'll be trained. I'm excited to see a little wrapped up bundle and some brown hair sticking out. I get to see the phases all over again! Mila gets to have a best friend, a girl. Bandit is going to be the family dog. Playful with Luke and obedient too, protective over the girls. AND, I think we've settled on a name. I can't tell you what it is, but I can say this is what it means - "I love you" in the Native American tongue of Zapotec. We have yet to get the middle name.

Mama happy.

They're trying to starve me, I'm sure of it... & Other Matters

28 Weeks, 2 Days (Entered into the 3rd Trimester)

So, whatever happened before camp, it seems like we went right back there after camp. It's been non-stop in this house and I'll try to catch up as much as I can.

For some reason Aldo decided to host 4th of July at our house. He invited the church, the family, and the neighborhood. After catching up on rest from camp, I immediately went to work on getting the house ready. One day, I cleaned out the garage and basement (because I figured that's where people would hang out since it would be hot and Aldo would be working the grill), only to realize... I did absolutely nothing to help out the house, which people would also walk through to use the restroom or cool down. The next day, which was the day before the 4th, I worked on the bedrooms, ran a load of dishes and finally a load of laundry. It was pristine! But of course, again, I missed the kitchen, bathrooms and floors... all much needed places to clean if we want to host anything ever. So then, I got up early on the 4th and did the rest of it while Aldo used the weed wacker. We went over time by a little bit, but it actually ended up working out just fine; EVERYONE was running on CPT.
After picking up Aldo's dad, we went to the fireworks stand and got a pretty good deal. Noted for next year. Got back, fired up the grill, and the people showed up gradually.
From cleaning, taking the kids to the parade (Also noted: not fantastic, but lots of candy collected), and going around entertaining everyone... I was exhausted.

Independence Day 2018

So then I tried to catch up on rest again. But then on Saturday, it was Home Depot Day. The kids love it and it gets them off of electronics and out of the house. So I went and did that... and then went to the Home Store and bought organization bins for the kids' rooms... and went through all their toys (that took two days alone).

Nephews <3 Mateo & Joshua

Home Depot Day!

(They made a fishing game and I learned about "Portrait Mode".)

The next week, we had Luke's follow-up appointment for x-rays on his feet. Originally we were told he would have to wear his cast for 8-10 weeks. But we were both surprised to find out that he was getting his cast off that day! And the rest of the month would be spent transitioning from the boots into tennis shoes in the house, and then tennis shoes outside the house, and then to regular play. Our final appointment for his feet!!!

THE SUMMER OF THE CAST IS OVER!!!

Not the last appointment forever though. After getting back from camp, I had that weird glucola testing done that happens with every pregnancy. The next day, the office called back and said I didn't pass my test. At first, I was surprised. And then I read a ton of information online on what it means if you have gestational diabetes and freaked myself out. (The only thing that seemed to calm me down was a blog I found about a lady who said it was the best thing that could've happened for her health and the health of her baby. That it went away right after birth. Her child was fine. Things were regulated because of the early detection. And she had it again with her second pregnancy and was already in the habit of eating right, so it was easy to do.) I had to schedule an appointment for a 3-hour test for the following week. Fasting again. Hear the excitement? <sarcasm>
Had a bunch of people encouraging me and praying for me. Went in feeling pretty good. Glad I took the books and downloaded a movie on my phone. During the first hour I read a book and toward the end started feeling nauseous so I had to stop. The next two hours, I just watched a movie because it felt like my eyes were going cross-eyed and all I wanted to do was sleep. But I was stuck in the uncomfortable chairs of the waiting room.

The following day, Aldo had his yearly health screening with his work. Just another medical thing I had to attend. (Apparently his cholesterol is off.)

That weekend I worked at the library. Thank goodness I was busy doing displays and research so the time went by quickly.

Also during the weekend was the church's 50th Anniversary. Wonderful words from the speakers. Challenging too. I'm glad they provided lunch on Sunday because it felt like a healthy meal and as of late all I've been eating, it seems, is carbs from noodles and potatoes. After that we celebrated with Asher for his birthday. He had a messy party, which unfortunately Luke couldn't participate in wholly (specifically he CAN NOT be on trampolines, bounce houses, slip n slides, etc.), but he sure made the best of it. And Mila just doesn't like being dirty. While we were there, the kids loved on Asher's golden retriever puppy. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to bring it up while Aldo was holding the puppy in his arms... but I asked what we were going to do for Mila's birthday, which is coming up in August. I've been thinking along the lines of a dance party with ballet-type decor but also fun stuff for the boys too OR a Paw Patrol party or adopt-a-pet party like what Ember had years ago. Aldo blurted out, why not get a dog? ... <pause>
You can imagine what I was thinking. We're having a baby. In 2-3 months. Seriously??? And usually he's the one that holds back and I'm the one that pushes for the big thing.
Things went kind of quick. For the past three days, I haven't been able to sleep through the night because of anxiety from thinking about a puppy - Are we going to have one? Can we afford it? Is it the right time? Am I ready? What do we need to do to prep? What should we call it? The next day, Aldo talked with the breeders, sent an offer, and it was accepted. We are in line to have a golden retriever puppy, brother to the Gutz puppy, by THIS FRIDAY! ... <pause>

It's starting to look like a little sunshine in our week.

Back to medical... since I didn't get a call the next day from the Women's Clinic about the 3-hour testing like I did the first time, I figured everything was alright. Because they get back pretty quick with the unwanted results, and if they're good that's when it takes 2-3 business days. Today I found out that I did not pass.
> I have diet guidelines to follow.
> I have a nurse appointment where I learn about gestational diabetes and how to use a finger pricking device and monitor my sugars.
> I have a dietitian appointment next week.
I was on the phone for most of the afternoon talking to scheduling and insurance providers, seeing what's required and what's covered, filling out documents, and seeing how much things will cost.

I AM EXHAUSTED.
I've kind of had enough medical issues for a while. (That's my feelings right now.)
After a good talk with a friend, I know I can get through it... many people have... and I know God has given me the strength and provision; He's made a way EVERY TIME... I don't need to worry.
Sincerely, I think my brain is just fried for the day.
No more thinking please.

The next few days will be busy and informational. With a little puppy-breath sweetness thrown in. Then next week (why did I do this to myself???), the kids have VBS at Jerad's church. And near the end, Aldo is going out of town to hear about selling insurance. I'm not looking forward to that Thursday...

• Husband leaves early in the morning. 
• Luke goes to VBS.
• I lock up the puppy (*tentative) and leave for my next appointment with Dr. Holmes, since seeing the nurse and dietician.
• I go back home to let out puppy*.
• Jerad picks up kids, I go to work from 2-8pm. Who takes care of puppy?*

Not to mention, I have to run Children's Church all by myself that Sunday. <sigh>
I may be taking naps throughout the following days just to prepare myself for what's coming.
And seriously, what IS coming????

When All You Can Do Is Laugh...

So it's been an eventful two weeks. This is how it went down...
It started with our big camp meeting that we have every year. During the prayer, when the leaders spoke against opposition, I couldn't help but feel a little weird. This year has been different for us, especially financially. We've donated more than we have ever before, more so that even with the past years put together this year's donation was more than that figure quadrupled. On the way home, the only "opposition" I could think of was when we tried to find babysitters for the kids. So I talked about it with Aldo. He calmed my weirdness over the situation referring to the story of friends holding up Moses' arms during the battle against the Amalekites. In a way we were stepping in to hold up the arms (financial burden) during a time when our friends experienced job loss. That settled things.

Not even a day later, the opposition came. If you're one to look at it that way, I guess. We were in a meeting at the church and were just about ready to go when Luke climbed up the welcome booth for some unknown reason because he's usually not a "climber" (a booth that was on wheels to be thrown in the trash) and it fell over on top of him. Thankfully he was thrown as it fell down so that it only fell on his feet. Thankfully it bounced so that he could remove his feet and didn't get stuck underneath. Thankfully, Mila had moved closer to me seconds before to say she was ready to go home. And thankfully, Aldo made it to the meeting because he hadn't been feeling well that morning and took off work (otherwise he would have been a closer and wouldn't have been at the meeting). It took only seconds. But it felt like I stood there for 10 minutes in shock. I honestly cannot tell you what I did in between the time I saw Luke's face after the impact and getting Mila in the car. I remember the breaking of glass and initially thinking Luke was crying because he broke something that belonged to the church, not because he had hurt his feet. The face he made is forever ingrained in my head. It breaks my heart that I didn't react more quickly. Aldo, on the other hand, went into calm, yet fast, parent mode and asked the all the right questions. We made the decision to take Luke to the ER. I'm sure that Aldo was worried, he just never let it on. Mila came with us; it was already late and she was worried about Luke. She said, "Luke's crying so Mila's crying," and talking about getting Luke a band-aid.

I hate going to the ER. It seems like if you are gushing blood and guts coming out (sorry for the graphic imagery), they just take their sweet time. But I am thankful for doctors and nurses and everyone that is working hard to get you in and out. On the way there, all we could do was tell Luke to breathe through the pain. We waited for a while in the waiting room, then we went to triage, where they decide the urgency of your care. Then we went to his room and waited some more. In between all of that, I saw that Luke was tearing up and asked if he would like me to hold onto his glasses. So I was put in charge. By the time we made it to his room and Luke went to the restroom, the glasses had disappeared. No one has found them since. One minute I had them hanging on my shirt. I did not touch them. And the next minute they were gone. Aldo has no words for it either. Probably because we just picked up our new glasses two days before. And probably because that night we had found the camp flashdrive that I had "lost" in my computer bag. Pregnancy brain... it's a real thing. So while waiting, I was also mad at myself for losing Luke's brand new glasses. Let's just pile on the bills, shall we?

They took x-rays and ended up putting Luke in ace bandages on both feet and a splint on the left foot, which was tender, already bruising, and swollen. They also gave us crutches and told us we could follow up sometime in the next week with our doctor. It was about 5 o'clock in the morning when we were discharged. Aldo went to go get the car while we waited in the waiting room. Mila had fallen asleep finally after going between laps, coloring, and eating everyone's hospital snacks. A minute later I got a call - we had a flat tire. Aldo said to never pray for opposition ever again. I didn't pray for it! All I said was I felt weird!!! As Aldo was changing out the tire as the sun came up, I was in the waiting room hoping someone would turn in Luke's glasses before we left the building. :( It never happened though. We made it home at 6:00 am and were exhausted. I called in to work. It was supposed to be my first Wednesday going in early... but there was no way I'd be able to function on an hour of sleep.

On the way home, Luke said, "Mom, I'm lucky. It could've been worse. The booth could have fallen on my legs!"
Me: "Or on your body and broken your ribs!"
Luke: "Or on Mila!"
Me: "Yeah, bud"
Luke: "Mom, I think God was watching out for me."
Me: "Luke... I think he sent angels around you!!!"
He's so sweet. I am proud of the young man he is becoming...

But that's not all!

Wednesday morning we were woken by a phone call. The ER told us that they were looking over the x-rays again and were pretty sure Luke had fractured his foot, so we should get a follow up right away with a pediatric orthopedic specialist. (Note: Something of concern for Luke's age are the growth plates.) That day we went in to the specialist -- awesome, awesome doctors and nurses -- and found out that Luke's foot was broken in two places... the right foot. Seriously? Luke had been walking around on a broken foot?! It took them less than 15 minutes to put a cast on Luke's broken, right foot with a walking shoe and a boot on the other foot. The other foot was too swollen to see fractures or breaks at this point, but better to err on the side of caution. We made an appointment for a week later to get x-rays again and look at the left foot. Then, we proceeded to Walmart where we had the tire fixed.

Two Broken Bones in the Right Foot

Our Trooper (& First in Our Family to Break Something)

I must also mention, prior to all of this I had asked Luke what he wanted to do for his 8th birthday and his one request was a Skating Party. As it turns out, I never got any contact information for his best friend from school, who I really wanted to be there. And both of Luke's cousins are out of town for the entire summer. We agreed that it wasn't worth the money to have the party without the people he would want to be there, and especially because he can't skate. We made plans to take him to the Omaha Zoo with some of our best friends, who would definitely make his birthday special. After the entire foot debacle, we had to tell Luke there would be no Skating Party. He was devastated. (He didn't know about the Omaha Zoo surprise coming up that weekend.) He said, "I guess I'll have a Dinosaur Party". I found this really cool cast design that makes it look like scales and a dinosaur/dragon foot. When I showed him, I said, "Luke, do you want to be a real hybrid?" His eyes LIT up. (We tease, but not really, that the kids are hybrids because they are half Mexican and half American. They think it's cool that they have the best of both worlds. Man, how the world has changed...) So back to Walmart - I let him walk through the isles and show me what toys he liked. Indoraptor (aka Utahraptor). LEGO Pachycephalosaur set (the one that looks like it has a skullet and rams into things). Anything from Jurassic World. Which is ok since he would actually play with it. Luke and Mila have been building a Jurassic Park out of LEGO men, plastic dinosaurs, stuffed animals and babies, and just about anything else they can get their hands on. Their summer project. Daddy said he couldn't get anything that night, but maybe he would get something on Friday (hinting at a zoo-type something from our day trip).

The zoo was so much fun! The car ride was long, and a little uncomfortable. Luke didn't try to guess where we were going or question much at all - even when he saw the sign for Omaha! It wasn't until he saw the desert dome that he put two and two together. And we chose the perfect company to come with us. The kids were all excitement. So much so that we had to continually tell Luke to take it easy. Although the weather seemed like it might get unbearably hot, we chose to see everything outside early in the day. A good choice. And everything inside during the afternoon. Mila wasn't scared of the skylift at all. She said, "We're flying!" and pointed out the rhinos, the big birds (ostriches), and the lions. We did get Luke a wheelchair, but for that first part he had to walk. And he didn't care. Toward the end, he was offering ME the wheelchair. My favorite parts had to be the butterflies (that Natalie is scared of and Mila loved), the aquarium that you walk through (we saw divers go in with the sharks!), and the lied jungle (with free-flying bats that Natalie is also afraid of). We had it easssssy this year - only a single bat sleeping in the long tunnel! Luke told me today that all he can think about is the monkey that was picking his behind. I mean, he was digging! At several angles!! :P Yuck! Oh, and there was the "escape ape", the orangutan that started to unscrew his glass enclosure. While the husbands went to get the cars, the wives and the kids checked out the after-hours family festival. They had vendors everywhere. When we asked what was going on, all they said was that they come twice a year and everything is free, so go get something. We took the bubbles ("that help with asthma"), went to the photobooth, made some sensory bags, grabbed some cotton candy and free Dip N Dots too!! That's when we found out that it was for special needs kids. !!!! Good thing the husbands called for us to pack up because we would have done balloons and face painting too! Instead we went down the walk of shame. Haha! The misadventures of us!

Our Day Trip to the Omaha Zoo

(I didn't get many pictures because we were travelling with a professional photographer, who blocked all my shots... but that's alright... 

I expect to see some good ones posted.)

You would think after that, we'd go back to something "normal".

Well, it's not so much family-related, but this week has been crazy at work too. There's construction going on outside. The road in front of the library will have improvements later on, and to prepare for that they have to move the water line, which is right at the entrance of our parking lot. The first day coming in this week, no one was here to let me in. I had to chance my key code and hope that no cops showed up. The second day, there was a huge hole in the entrance and I wasn't expecting that until the following week, so I drove around thinking we might be closed if no one called me back. We had to park on the street. It was also the day of a bus trip. The hole got filled in right before that showed up. And then the guys cut into our phone and internet line. Nice. It's been a wild week at work.

So then, there's today. Today we went back to the pediatric orthopedic specialist to see how Luke's left foot is (the one in the boot). The Dr. still couldn't see any brakes or fractures on the x-rays, but was certain that something was broken because of the amount of swelling, discoloration and tenderness in certain areas. We go back in 3 weeks. For the time being, Luke has to wear his boot most of the time. The exceptions are at night he can take it off to sleep, when he takes a bath, and possibly the pool (but if he's at the pool, he's not really swimming... it will be hard for him to move around and he can't get hit either). Then, getting into the car to go home we hear a hiss coming from the vent. And then the cold air was gone. I'm hoping with all the hope that I have for my car, that it's just a valve come loose and let all the freon out. Because at this point... all we can do is laugh and keep going.

Camp is 9 days away. <sigh> And boy am I counting down...

Half Way There

Week 191/2


Well I feel horrible. I haven't written in months! I'm sorry, Child #3... I really wanted you to have your own book too. It seems like you're only going to have about five pages if I keep this up. :(

Our schedule seems to stay full - whether it's with being pastors of The Mix: Kids and forming the lessons/skits/games/etc., work-related things, birthdays and holidays, or taking care of the house. In almost 30 years of living, YESTERDAY I MOWED THE LAWN FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. It took a phone call to the husband and the help of two of my neighbors to realize the gas was empty, but I did it! It's amazing what used to be on my "things I want to do" list vs. my list now. Mowing? Really?
And on that topic, Luke and I started our own garden at the beginning of May. We bought rosemary, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and watermelon. Mila played with the packets, so we ended up losing one and just bought a rosemary plant to get us started. And now we have cucumber sprouts too! I don't think our sweet peppers made it. I kept them inside by the patio door for the light to come in, but it was also next to the air vent. They probably froze (oops). I used to hate gardening with mom and getting my hands dirty... now I'm turning into a mowing, gardening enthusiast. Is this a mid-life thing?!

Aldo had his 30th birthday in April. Days before he asked me if I had planned anything - "A party? A hotel stay just for us?" - I felt so bad because I was just going to get him a drill and call it good. This was his 30th! A drill doesn't exactly scream I love you, does it? So last minute, I got the family on board for a surprise Escape Room. I used the phrasing "appointment" because I knew he would assume a baby doctor appointment. I planned on who would watch the kids and how to get them there. I planned on the timing and mapped out the drive. Why take Metcalf instead of I-35? - Because I'm having a craving and your sister told me about this bakery (who knew it was a lame "We don't have dairy", vegan cafe?). He loved it. The family loved it. So much that they requested it for the next birthday. Haha! We escaped with about 6 minutes left. We totally could have beat that time - Maecy and I had to keep rechecking the locks after a certain younger cousin tried the combinations, Granddad stared at an address book for quite a bit of time and when the information we needed came up he didn't realize it until Mom had searched and found the answer, and it took us forever to understand how to unlock the actual safe. The one thing I didn't like is that they gave us clues without us asking for them. I would recommend something and a second later, they would say the exact same thing. We didn't need the clue! Anyways, lots of fun. Highly recommend. Perfect for the guy who likes puzzles.

Team "Find Aldo" Got 2nd Place for the Day

Joshua Tarin, our newest nephew, was born on May 1, 2018 a little before 2pm. He weighed a whopping 8lb 6oz. You should see his cheeks! I was too sick with allergies and gunk to visit at the hospital, but I saw him at 5 days old and he's adorable - not as chunky as everyone said. Just his cheeks. And he seemed so laid back too. After Luke asked to hold him, Mila wanted to as well. She helped hold his feet and later I placed his bum in her lap. She "tickled" his feet a lot. Now whenever she gets on my phone and sees the pictures, she thinks it's funny that she tickled the baby's feet. Mateo loves having a baby brother, so I continue to hope that Mila will do well with having a new baby too.

 

Visiting Baby Joshua

So as far as baby news...
I've been feeling great. Some days I have energy, some days I need a 3 hour nap and crash at 10pm, leaving Aldo alone to finish whatever show we had been watching together. But the nausea is gone and that makes me so happy! I had to go to the maternity store the other day because my pants weren't fitting. Not even the maternity pants/skirts I had before. I found some cute stuff and just in time for camp mode. Honestly, I could walk around in a tank and my underwear all day long, but since we don't have curtains on the sliding glass door and our neighbor mows and waters the grass almost daily, I don't think he'd appreciate it.
This past week I've finally felt the kicks. Or I guess now I am certain they are kicks. Also note that this week my app says that baby's legs are growing... so it all makes sense.
Our next appointment is the big one. Where we find out gender. Or do we?
We haven't decided yet what we want to do. This entire pregnancy I've just told everyone that we're finding out. But then it hit me, this might be the best time for it to be a surprise. We have one boy and one girl. Baby, you're the tie breaker! And it would be fun to have a reveal party, not so much to get stuff, but just to celebrate. I thought maybe when we go in for our appointment, I ask for them to put the results in an envelope. And then we can decide what we want to do after. The library ladies have a joke that they'll do a pool to see how long I can go without looking in the envelope (Jenne has me at within the day). After talking with Aldo, he said he can't have it in the house because he'll look behind my back. Can't blame him - I planned on doing the same thing... I would attempt to wait 24 hours at least. It's just so hard because you want to start thinking of names and what colors to get, plan on where the baby is going to go and announce to your other kids that they're going to have a baby _________. 
I will say this - both Aldo and I think we are having a boy, but for different reasons. Aldo's mom told him that Mila would reveal what we're having by her behavior. Seems jealous and has an attitude? We're having a girl. Cuddly? We're having a boy. Mila has been full of cuddles, but that's not much different from her usual self. I am more convinced by the fact that my nausea resembled what I experienced with Luke and that my emotions aren't all over the place like with Mila. But it really is a toss up, because every pregnancy is different.

Mommy Daughter Selfie Session ;-D

Speaking of... I should get some pregnancy pictures while I still have "the glow" and not the "uncomfortable behemoth" look.