Baby stuff – the yucky parts

some of them anyway.


Thursday I had to do the dreaded glucose test. I don’t know why. I’ve never failed it before and have no reasons or signs that I would fail this time, but it’s not something I call invasive so I do it. GROSS. I hate it! Every time I do this test I get ill at my stomach with that nasty orange soda crap and have to force it to stay down, then I get all agitated and can’t sit still, then I start shaking and eventually the headache kicks in followed by a very heavy drop in energy and lack of ability to move. I would say that it sounds like I should fail this test, but my blood sugar when I’m NOT pregnant stays very low, to the point that at times (though I’ve never tested low) I have had some very scary episodes of very scary low sugar activity. I’ve been tested numerous times because of what happens to me – I shake, I get weak, I start sweating profusely, I feel very faint, and have once or twice. What do I do – I very quickly drink a large glass of Orange Juice and a huge chunk of cheese. I was never really told to do that, but it works and I don’t know which ones is actually working, but they do and quickly. I was tested once at the moment of one of these ‘attacks’ having my blood drawn three times during the process and each result was the same: within normal range, but on the low end. As a result I’ve never really been given a diagnosis, but was told when I had these symptoms to treat myself as having hypoglycemia (not to be confused with hyperglycemia). We’ve charted and logged and done all kinds of things to see if there were ever any consistent relations to why this would happen. In the past six years it has happened to me four times: once with each of the pregnancies when I have to drink that nasty stuff and one other when I could find no rhyme or reason. So, enough about that – the point: By the time we got home Thursday, the doctor had called to leave us the message that my sugar levels were normal (113). And I hated it, it’s over with.

We were also hoping to get another ultrasound done at that appointment (especially with it being a little more than an hour’s drive to get there), but they were so busy we had to reschedule for this coming Wednesday. We are hoping to see that the placenta has moved out of the way enough for a natural delivery. We would like to see that the baby has turned head down and butt up, but I can tell you that as of today that is not the case. If the baby is still breech I will need to have some serious conversations with our midwife about the options. My doc back in Hattiesburg was going to let me deliver Flyntstone breech if, IF, he presented butt down and not feet down and only because it was my 5th baby. Flyntstone turned just like his big brother had turned so I am praying this one will too. And, of course, if we are able to see all of the baby, we want to find out if it’s a girl or a boy. And, no, we won’t be sharing anything other than the sex of the baby, so don’t ask.

Now on to more serious matters, much more important matters. Do you know what Cankle are? Well, in case you don’t go take a look, please. Then come back and read one. Done? Good. Now presently I am plagued by this cankle thing in only one leg – the left. Why I am not sure. I know that there is some edema as a result of pregnancy and it will go away (once that baby gets here anyway – at least it better), but why just one side, one leg? Does it hurt? No. Does it tingle like it’s numb or asleep? No. Is it ugly? Yes. Is it grotesque? Yes. Is it pleasant to live with my foot looking as if it’s been replaced by that of some other human being? No. Does it fit in any of my shoes? No, unless I put it in there as soon as I step out of the bed in the morning and refuse to take it off until I put my foot back in the bed at night. Does my foot get stuck in my shoe? Why, yes it does. Does the swelling go away at anytime during the day? Only if I hold it above my head in some freakish ballet or yoga manner. And who wants to see a pregnant woman do that? Eww. And even if someone did want to see such a thing, what pregnant woman can hold that pose long enough to relieve the swelling in said cankle.

Truth be told, I am going to coin a new word that describes my sufferings beyond that of the word Cankle. At first I thought of Knankle: the area of the lower leg which has no shape and is the same in diameter from the knee to the top of the foot. Then today sitting in church I realized that my thigh had no definition of which to speak. I looked down at what little lap I had left and realized that my leg right above my knee was the same size as the are in my upper thigh. My right leg still much normal shape. So I have since decided that the word Thankle (not to be confused with anything referring to thanks) is the best definition and new word usage for the description of my left leg. And “NO!” you won’t be getting any pictures.

I’m starting to get nervous

I’m still trying to get through so much stuff we moved with us that we didn’t really want to move, but didn’t have time to go through completely. I’m downsizing in a major way. I’ve always thought of myself as a good steward of what we have when it comes to saving things, but I guess I’m really a packrat. I just can’t throw something out that I know I’ll need again for another child; it drives me batty to think I’ll have to spend the money on that again. Even with this baby on the way, I’m wondering what baby stuff to go ahead and throw out (give a way). I’ve saved all the clothes my children haven’t worn out so that the next child can wear them and I don’t have to buy so much, but I don’t have the space anymore and paying for the storage unit is going to have to get cut from the budget. This not knowing where we are going to be living in a month is starting to get to me a bit and the hormonal changes this pregnancy have been a bit over the top – for even me. I often find myself either crying for seemingly no reason, extremely antsy and restless, or at an extreme level of irritable. I just sometimes cry, just start crying – yes I’m tired and sleepy and tired of vomitting, but often feel sad and don’t really know why. Then I can’t seem to sit still or stick with anything long enough to finish the job because I just need to pace or go somewhere, but there’s nowhere to go or nothing to do. Then, like this morning, I just didn’t want anyone to touch me; the little ones crawling all over me and poking me for things was really getting on my nerves and I had to hold myself back from just screaming at them to “stop touching me!”

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Bits and Pieces

4th of July

fireworks
The Fourth of July – while not exactly what we planned (and in my hormonal-ness) it was still a good day. First we hopped on over to see Cars (a great choice for the whole family) with the WonderGirl, King Pen, and their crew in tow. We had fun at the movie although the family had to split up to watch it – that’s what happens when you run late and everyone else has the same idea. So Moggie sat next to me while Flyntstone went back and forth between my lap and dancing in front of me with the music or wiggling fast to the cars racing. It was more fun to watch him enjoy the movie, I think, maybe. “Go, Cars! Fas’, fas’, fas!” We had a nice visit afterwards and then came home for some downtime before the big city firework show.

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A quick note

WARNING: Graphic post – not for the faint of heart!

Well, I am still very very green and what little non-vomitous moments I have should be catching up on all the momy things I need to do. But in reality, the only moments of descency my stomach allows me are the ones where I stay very, very still. Movement, she brings on the green in a mighty way. So I get up, take my shower, get sick, get dressed, get undressed (don’t want anything touching my belly – I need some of those tube tops that will make me look like trailer park trash), stay very still on the bed trying not to think about throwing up, try to get dressed again, think about food (mistake, don’t think about food), but must eat, get sick, drink lightly sweet tea, go pee, try not to get sick, eat breakfast, try to keep breakfast down, drink sweet tea, go pee, do a lot of nothing – sitting still and trying not to get sick, go pee, drink more sweet tea, get sick, get hungry, trying not to think of food, drink tea, go pee, talk DD10 into making sandwiches for all of the children, put Flyntstonein bed, gio pee, go to bed myself, allow all others to destroy house while watching waaaaaaay too much TV, think about nothing for it makes the stomach nicer to be around, get up, go pee, drink tea, wonder what to fix for supper, get excited when RevMrKnowTea offers to cook, drink tea, go pee,the thought and smell of food makes me ill, eat dinner for the Pea needs nutrition, drink tea, go to bed, go pee, go back to bed.

Now with all this getting sick and tea drinking WHY IS MY BLOOMING BOOTY GETTING SO DAMN BIG? (Yes, I cursed. Forgive me.) The tube top is almost the perfect solution to the “nothing touching the belly rule”. But I don’t think RevMrKnowTea would allow me to wear it to church on Sundays and while I have no stretch marks I don’t think anyone else would enjoy the view either. I also try not to think about the horrible birth defects I have probaly caused the Pea with all the Dramamine I keep taking. While I do have doctor’s permission and all and two other children survived just fine while I took it, I can’t help but think about how much more I’m dependent on it these days than I ever was with those first two. AND – I was done with it all by about week thirteen, I’m in week 17 now and still this baby is kicking my butt.

In other news:
This is funny.
And
The times I can sit up and still successfully keep it down, I have been working on our homeschooling stuff and the new homeschool blog. The goal over there is to keep it strictly homeschool info (our views and others’), links, what we do, our projects, and have the children invovled in some writing. I’m sure that it will get much more active as the school year apporaches. If you know of some homeschool blogs or info pass it on to me. I’ve still got a lot that hasn’t been put in yet, but I’m always happy to entertain any new info.

Update: a total failure. I can’t keep two blogs going! all SAHS posts now imported here