First Milestone

We did it!  We made it to the second trimester.  Got to see PB&J on our first abdominal ultrasound this morning to mark the occasion!  Not as clear pictures through all my tummy fluff and since they were hanging out really low, but beautiful heart rates of 157 and 163.  Love hearing those little choo-choo train sounds.  


Unfortunately, heartburn is still in full effect, but not so unfortunate - I can start on Prilosec again to control it.  Makes me a little nervous to take more medication, but everything I've researched says it's safe as well as the NP so I'm putting my faith in that.  Also unfortunate is the fact that my blood sugars are not controlled.  My fasting blood sugars are hovering in the low 100s and my postprandial (aka after meals) blood sugars are averaging in the 140 - 150s.  Not great.  Not super high either, but elevated enough I'll probably be put on yet another medication - Glyburide.  Fun fun.  


I also found out that I've actually lost almost three pounds in the last two weeks.  I try to eat.  I do, but it's difficult lately.  I'm not hungry most of the time and when I am, I'm full before I've eaten maybe half of what's on my plate.  Anyone else have experience with this?  What did you do to maximize your calorie intake with the least amount of food while still maintaining some sense of healthy eating?  Or could you?

Happiness abounds here in our household.  I think I'm starting to show a little, which gets me excited.  I'm definitely not fitting in any of my regular pants any longer.  We also found out recently that our sister-in-law is also expecting - I can share now that it's become Facebook news!  So now not only are we experiencing pregnancy with our best friends (who are a week and a half ahead of us), but also with Momma B's brother and wife (who are a month and a half behind us).  How fun!  Momma B's parents get to now prepare for THREE little babies to come.  It's gonna be a busy year for the B family!  


And last but not least, we decided to move forward with buying a house before PB&J get here, so Momma B and I went to some open houses on Sunday and met a great real estate agent that we hired that day.  We found a great little house that we both loved and found out my credit and income put us right in place to buy now.  SO EXCITING!  My very first offer on a house was submitted this morning.  I think I'm holding it together pretty well, considering.  Not too nervous, not too excited.  Even if this house doesn't come through, we at least got the ball rolling and are on the official search.  How awesome is that?!  Hopefully we'll hear soon.  According to our agent there are multiple offers (yes!  even in this market.), but he's pretty confident ours will be the best one after feeling out the seller's agent.  Keeping our fingers crossed for good news.  Can I just say though ... WOW do they need a lot of paperwork!  Who knew! 

Where We Are Now

Just amazing!  =)

Circle+Bloom

If you've kept up with my blog, you may remember that I used the Circle+Bloom meditation CDs to help keep me relaxed and focused during the entire TTC process.  I loved the options they had for both medicated and non-medicated cycles.  I would listen each night and find a little peace within myself as I was able to visualize what was going on within my body.  It was a wonderful way to end my day and fall asleep dreaming of what may be.  I fully believe it was part of what helped keep me sane during the entire TTC process.  In other words, I highly recommend you try it!  

Right now they're offering a 35% discount for anyone that uses the HOLIDAY35 code.  What a great deal!  I haven't gotten it yet, but they have programs for a healthy relaxed pregnancy and birth.  It's worth checking out anyhow.  You can click on the ad on the right side of my page or Click here to visit Circle and Bloom..  

Rest well, my friends!

Too Sweet

Why oh why do they give citrus flavors
on an empty stomach?!  Gag!  =/

My blood, that is.  Yep, I failed my two hour glucose tolerance test and have now been officially diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM).  Not so sweet.  Now I get to prick my finger multiple times a day and worry about what I'm eating while also worrying about gaining enough weight to keep PB&J healthy and happy.


The funny thing is, I'm no longer craving sweets like I used to, well, pretty much always.  In fact, if I were to think of something I'd want as a midnight snack it would be a burger or cheese or a cheeseburger - pretty much anything full of protein.  Those are my only cravings.  The sweetest things I've actually been loving are fruits - mango, pineapple, pears, you name it.  My absolute favorite, ice cream, has been passed up several times these last few weeks for fruit or cheese!  So go figure.  


Unfortunately, by failing this test, I felt as though I'd failed PB&J somehow too.  I know I cannot control these things and I fall into several of the high-risk categories, but everything has been so healthy up to this point that I just hoped it would remain that way.  Now it's all different.  After I learned the results Friday morning, I was deflated and sad the rest of the day.  I couldn't stop feeling that I was entirely responsible and I just put my babies at risk.  It's taken a couple days for me to clear my head and realize this is just another small hurdle, but nothing that cannot be dealt with and not such a big deal that I should let it affect my mood and elicit so many fears.  I meet with the dietitian on Wednesday and the Nurse Practitioner (NP) on Thursday, so between the two hopefully I'll get the required tools and information I need - something more focused for me and not just the general information I know from school and my field.  


The unfavorable aspect of this is the conflicting information I'm getting.  The NP we met with at our first OB appointment made some comments to us that lead us to believe she's not thinking of this pregnancy any different than that of a singleton - she actually told me it would be okay if I lost weight throughout this pregnancy!  A big red flag to us both.  We're hoping we don't find the same from my actual OB.  Then there's the awesome dietitian that works both with the Moms of Multiples and Sweet Success programs, who basically told us that I can control blood sugars with meds if necessary, but it's too important to gain the necessary weight with multiples to try and overly control my food intake.  I'm more apt to listen to her because she does work with both programs and definitely knows how different the needs can be with a twin pregnancy.  It doesn't make things easier though because as a nurse, I know the importance of controlling blood sugars and I know what the risks can be to a fetus, but mainly when there's only one - not two.  And I'll admit, my focus continues to change the further along we get in this pregnancy.  PB&J's health is becoming top priority and I want to do everything to ensure they get the best start in life!

On a totally different, happier note, Christmas has finally landed in our home.  We normally get our tree and decorate the entire house the weekend after Thanksgiving, so we're a little late, but who cares ... it's finally here!  It's so exciting to have the sparkling lights and festive decor around us again.  I love this time of year!  And while I find myself excited about the current season, I have to admit, I find my mind wandering to the future and trying to imagine the joy we'll find when we have a couple of little ones to enjoy it with as well.  Just amazing and so damn sappy.  I'm blaming it on the pregnancy.  

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!