Lake Trip and Carter's Newest Cousin

Well, I thought I would take a break for a moment from the pregnancy updates and instead give a brief rundown of our trip last weekend to Hot Springs. We started out by hopping on a tiny little plane flown by Seaport Airlines with a whopping three other people on it in order to fly there. (5-hour drive plus a 2-year old? NO THANKS.) It was...interesting.

Upon arrival, we had to immediately go eat at the local favorite, McClard's BBQ. He may not look much like me, but my son is a WADE. He shoveled it in!

We spent the rest of the time swimming at the pool...

 Sorry for the maternity swimsuit here...YIKES!

riding on the boat...

playing putt-putt...

hanging out at the house...

and just having fun as a family. It was such a sweet time because it was just the three of us all weekend, and I know those days are numbered. (In a good way, of course!)

We also found out while we were there that Carter has a new cousin! My brother, Stewart, and his wife, Gillean, welcomed their second boy, Owen Paul Wade, into the world on June 20th after 22 hours of tough labor. The big boy was nearly 9 pounds and 21 inches long! He is so precious, and we can't wait to meet him! Welcome to the family, Owen!

29/30 Weeks: Surprise 3D Sonogram!

29 (almost 30) Weeks!

Well, I saw my doctor yesterday, and we got lots of new information. I failed the 3-hour glucose tolerance test which means I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and will be meeting with a diabetic counselor tomorrow to discuss my new diet/exercise plan and to learn how to test my blood sugar. I already eat lots of small meals that aren't super high-carb and I exercise at least 20-30 minutes a day, so I can't imagine it'll be all that different, but we'll see. This is a huge bummer obviously, but on the bright side, I will have sonograms a LOT between now and the time she gets here since her size is the biggest concern with this condition. We got a surprise sonogram yesterday at my appointment since we hadn't had a growth scan done since 20 weeks, and the tech even flipped to 3D a few times! I didn't even know my doctor's office did that! :) 

Baby girl scored an 8 out of a possible 8 on what they call her biophysical profile which is the type of sonogram I'll be having from now on. She was moving around great, fluid levels were good, and she weighed in at 3lb. 4 oz. which put her just shy of the 60th percentile for size. (The doctors get concerned about delivery if she gets up into the 80th/90th percentiles.) We'll do another one in 4 weeks and then we'll get one weekly until her arrival. We also learned that due to this condition, we will go ahead and induce at 38 weeks if we get that far! Which means at the latest, we should be meeting baby girl around August 8th. This THRILLS me!(And yet is oddly terrifying, given that it's already the middle of June!)

As far as everything else goes, I am officially DONE with work and am now a true stay-at-home momma! This was very bittersweet for me, but I know it's what is best for our family right now. I will most certainly miss the adult interaction I'm accustomed to, but I also know that this time with babies is precious and goes by so fast that I am going to do my best to cherish it...even when I want to pull my hair out. I am counting on the Lord and my friends to be my sanity these next few years. :) Prayers appreciated as we make this transition!

28 Weeks: It's Getting Rough...

Well, I am 28 weeks tomorrow, and I heard back from my OB regarding my blood work last week. He left me a voicemail because I was in a meeting (which is typical), but for the very first time I heard, "Hey Allison. Your labs came back with some abnormalities, so please call me when you get a chance so we can go over them."

CRAP.

I had been feeling "off" and very tired for the last week or so, but I figured it was just the third trimester kicking in, the heat starting, the end of school, etc. Not so much. Apparently, my blood sugar tested high after my glucose test, AND I'm iron deficient.

CRAP.

So, now I get to start taking some lovely iron supplements which I hear are very unpleasant for your stomach, and I get to go sit at the doctor's office for over 3 hours on Friday morning to take the fasting 3-hour glucose tolerance test where I will be stuck with 4 different needles and more than likely either faint or vomit at the end.

DOUBLE CRAP.

This baby girl is kicking my BOOTY. She better be cute! :)

27 Weeks: Oh, hey, third trimester!

How far along: 27 Weeks

Baby’s size: ~16 inches and ~2.5 lbs (the size of a cauliflower) 

Sleep: This is becoming problematic - it's getting very hard to get comfortable at night with the extra 15 pounds I'm wearing around my waist, I'm waking up several times to visit the bathroom, and this time of year has been crazy schedule-wise with work coming to a close, so I'm having a hard time turning off my brain at night. Thank goodness for coffee or else I'd be a MESS!

Best moment of this week: Getting my precious baby shower invitation in my email from my sweet co-workers. They are throwing me a going away party/baby shower with a "Storybook Princess" theme where they are all supposed to bring me books for Kate's nursery with notes inside. Plus, the shower is purple! They know me well. :) 

Miss anything: Advil, excessive amounts of coffee, being able to slouch without pressure on my lungs/ribs, sitting comfortably for long periods of time.

Food cravings: Not so much this week - I've noticed that I've really enjoyed chicken salad sandwiches and Sprite this pregnancy more than normal. 

Queasy or sick?: Due to not sleeping well, the headaches have returned. :/

Have you started to show yet?: People keep telling me that I'm small for nearly 7 months, but I feel HUGE. 

Gender: Girl! (Kathryn Reese Ezell)

Belly button in or out: Out...I was actually asked by a student this week who noticed by protruding belly button whether or not that was the baby's foot. Ha. Nope, honey, just another ugly pregnancy side effect. 

Happy or moody most of the time: Becoming moody...especially in the mornings and after 7pm. I do okay in the middle of the day.  

Looking forward to: Being DONE with work (9 more days of teaching!) so I can really just focus on my family, fixing up our house, getting our garage sale done, and planning for baby girl. I'm getting very tired of feeling "stretched" between so many obligations. I cannot believe how blessed I am that I am going to get to stay home with my kids in just 9 short days...God is GOOD.

Overheard on the Monitor this Morning...

Carter woke up singing this little diddy this morning..."Hi, Gish. How you doin? How you doin (sounded like DO-INNNN), Gish?" (repeated about 40 times before I got him out of bed.) 

Told you that kid loves his Gish. :) 

The Newest Ezell...Gish

For Carter's 2nd birthday, we decided to get him a fish because it was cheap he loves the ones in the aquarium at his school. We already had the tank and plants that was handed down by my parents, so it was a very easy gift. He had so much fun picking out his orange and white "gish" at Petsmart, picking out his "geen" rocks, and helping me put it together the night before his birthday. Every night before bed, he watches as we feed it and Gish goes "up, up, up" to the top for his food. He also insists on kissing Gish goodnight on the top of the tank. So sweet.

As fascinating as all that is, I really wanted to include Gish in the blog because I witnessed one of my favorite Carter moments EVER the other night as he was chatting with Gish. Every day after school, we ask Carter about his day. We ask what he did, who he played with, what he ate, etc. Well, apparently Carter has decided that Gish goes to school too because I overheard this little conversation in his room the other night while Carter was supervising meal time.

Carter: Hi, Gish! School? (pause) Yeah. Play? (pause) Yeah. Eat? (pause) Yeah. Friends? (pause) Yeah. Sleep? (pause) Missed you! (kisses tank)

I just about died.

I know everyone says the 2's are supposed to be "terrible," but I say bring them on! If this is any taste of the fun that is to come now that he's talking, I CAN'T WAIT. :)

Holy. Moly.