The funniest thing happened with the baby today! I was watching TV in bed with Marti, lying on my left side, when the baby started kicking Marti's right arm. Ok, that's not really that funny, but the next part was.

As we were watching it and watching TV in between kicks, she really started some weird stuff. It was not the quick jab kicks she usually did, but instead it was long (5-10 seconds long) presses on the side of my belly. So much so that it looked like she was raising my side up about 1-2 inches each time! Marti said on one he wasn't even watching and could still see it out of the corner of his eye.

I was laughing so hard I was crying and every time she did it, I started laughing again! It was really WEIRD!!! It was as bizarre to watch as the time the doctor flicked at a little ball of fat hanging out of a dog bite puncture on my arm. It was that same uncomfortable kind of laugh. It didn't hurt, but it really freaked me out. I told Marti it looked like an alien was going to come bursting out of there any second!!!!!

I didn't dare get up to get the camcorder, but I wish I had a clip of that to show her sometime later.

I got my glucose test results back and everything is "perfect" as the nurse said. :) Yeah!!!!

Another bit of good news is that I worked until 10:30 pm last night AND that was after spending a couple hours in the morning before work cleaning up our downstairs at home.

I still have some stamina in me, even if it is getting sporadic. Now before you start telling me to take it easy, I only work like that when I feel like it and if I just feel like stopping, I have no problem stopping if my body just doesn't want to play along.

It does feel good to still be able to get a few things done, though! :)

Another unproductive weekend. Well I did spray down the patio, but given the storm tonight, that was a fruitless effort. I came home to standing water in the back yard all the way onto the patio with little areas of what used to be dust settling in the texture, now mud.

I don't have the energy I used to. Tonight I left work as soon as my 8 hours were up. I guess that means I'm not doing a "flex" week. I took yesterday off and was going to work 4 ten hour shifts and save my sick time, but I really didn't feel like it today.

I had the glucose tolerance test yesterday and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The one on Wednesday last week made me feel sick and want to pass out. When I didn't pass that one, I got invited back for twice as much sugar, 3 times as much time spent in the office waiting, and 4 times as much blood drawn, and amazingly I wasn't feeling like a pile of dog vomit when I left there.

I actually went out to lunch and shopping with my mom and Beryl for a new dress for a couple of weddings we'll be going to in the next month. After that, Mom and Ron and I got a bite to eat for dinner. All together it was a pretty good day of hooky!

Baby was kicking like crazy last night and I had a hard time getting comfortable for the first time. I mean, I've had some joint pain in the past, but nothing that really interfered with my sleep.

Last night, between the kicking, the uncomfortable issue, the dogs, and the storm turning the power off and on for a while, I had a really hard time sleeping.

Today I am tired and want to go back to bed... really badly, too!!!! I hope this is just a fluke and the rest of the pregnancy isn't like this. I'm not ready to feel this way yet.

Today I was on the phone with a student and my other line rang. It was the nurse from my OB/GYN's office. I didn't notice the voicemail lamp until later in the day, so I didn't get the message until RIGHT AT 5:00pm when the office was already closed. :(

Of course with the tests yesterday, she said if the results are normal, we will get an automated message from their new service. However, they never leave abnormal results on the machine and always call directly. (ding ding ding!!!)

So, that can probably only mean one thing. I didn't pass the glucose tolerance test. :(

I know a million people that have had to take the follow up test and everything came out fine, but it's just the fact that I have to take the 3 hour test that really gets me down right now. I'm going to feel like total crap for hours on end in preparation for the test and in recovering from the test. If normal people are floored by the glucose roller coaster, what is that going to do to me, the hypoglycemic kid?

I have low blood sugar which I understood to be the exact opposite of diabetes, so the way I figure, test or no test, it's going to be hard for me to get gestational diabetes. I figure it's like telling an anorexic she's got high cholesterol. Sure, it's possible, but not likely. But I still have to do the test I think.

The only other thing I suspect it can be is they did also test for anemia yesterday, so it could be about that. But I don't think it is because I have been taking my vitamins so how can I have low iron? Plus my blood is as red as can be - I see it all the time! hahaha!! I guess the bloody noses serve a purpose there?

Today we met with the doctor again and it was time for the glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes. I was fine for a while, but eventually all the sugar got to me and I was in "going to pass out" mode for a while. Marti had to drive me home so I could sit it out. I didn't make it to work until noon!

That was also the last of our monthly appointments and we're officially on to the appointments every 2 weeks now.

If you are offended by bathroom talk, do not read any further on this day's posting.

Otherwise, keep reading and I swear it is not that graphic, just comical.

So, apparently, there are a lot of problems that pregnant women can have in the bathroom area, but so far, other than having to pee every 10 seconds now, I have been lucky enough to get away without any hemorrhoids or constipation. However, today pretty much sucked because all day I felt like I had to go poo, but every time I went to the restroom, I didn't have to go anymore.

I was afraid to make an issue of it and push for fear of the hemmies, so I just grabbed my purse and headed back to my desk each time.

Finally at about 4pm, after about 10 failed attempts on previous trips, I decided enough was enough and I was going to just sit there until it happened.

I no sooner sit down and, wouldn't you know it, here comes the rolling garbage can that can only mean the janitor is coming to clean the bathroom. Knock knock, and I have to answer that the room is occupied. Knowing he waits outside the door, I decide to abandon ship and make alternate plans.

So, as if that wasn't potentially embarrassing enough, I left the restroom and decide to go to another building completely to avoid the janitor situation. Sure enough, as I am walking out, the security guard asked me where I was going! (Since I had my purse on me, I think he assumed I was leaving for the day at 4pm and probably wanted to tease me since I normally leave MUCH later than that.)

Of course, the "trying to find a safe place to poo" response probably wouldn't have been well received, so I just said I was going to another building and left it at that. Thankfully he chuckled only that it was approved and let me go on my way.

I am equally thankful to say I ran into no obstacles on the way to the bathroom and was able to successfully take care of business in a nice quiet secluded restroom with no interruptions.

I've heard holding it in and trying to force it out are the 2 main problem causers in the aforementioned problem areas, so I didn't want to have to resort to that. I've made it this far without needing a donut cushion for my desk chair; I don't want to start now! ;)

OH MY GOD my belly itches today! I think this linen has wool in it! If I pull my waistband below my belly it doesn't itch as much, so it has to be the pants. But I've worn them a few times and this is the first time they've made me itch this way. WHAT is going on?!?!?!?!?!?! What cruel person made maternity pants out of itchy fabric??? What were they thinking????

I've also found myself watching WAY too many baby shows on Discovery and TLC lately. They are even on in the morning now, so I get to watch them before work. The other night I fell asleep in front of the TV and woke to a woman screaming in agony as her breech baby (and an adult human hand) were being pulled through her nether regions. I guess sometimes it's not important how you do it, just as long as you get it done and nobody dies.

Nobody would ever ask for that pain, but once it's over I don't know any mother that would say "I wish they would have just let that baby fade away so I didn't have to feel that pain." The doctor said she was afraid the head was going to get stuck if it came through backwards, so I guess that's why her hand was in there guiding the chin downwards and out.

Yeah, this is what I watch for fun these days...

Tonight I was sitting in my chair and mentioned to Marti that it smelled like tunafish. He informed me he had a tunafish sandwich for lunch that day.

Pregnancy side effects:
Itchy belly: CHECK
Bloody noses: CHECK
Heartburn: CHECK
Increased sensitivity to smells: CHECK

Today I got to watch Joey get spayed at the vet's office through a big glass observation window. COOL!

Except I got a bloody nose as soon as I sat down and it was a doozie! I went through about 4 or 5 McDonald's size napkins trying to get it under control.

I literally bled more than my puppy did while watching the surgery! The vet had a little stack of 2x2 gauze squares sitting there to dab the blood as she worked, and she may have gotten spots on about 5 of them. However, they were not soaked like my napkins were.

So, yea, surprisingly I bled more than my dog that day.

Today got off to an interesting start. I sat up in bed and felt the blood drip down my upper lip. This bloody nose thing is just WEIRD!!! Don't you normally get LOWER pressure from sitting up too quickly? Lower pressure shouldn't cause a nose bleed. Higher pressure does, right?

Oh, and for the record, my belly is officially getting hard. I used to be able to squish it a little still and thought I remembered people telling me pregnant bellies were hard, so wasn't sure what was up with that. I thought it was just my extra fat.

Well, it's hard now!

Also, I keep seeing a girl at work that is about as pregnant as I am but we haven't spoken yet. Since we haven't spoken yet, it's getting weird because we probably both know we're looking at each other's bellies all the time as we pass. hahaha! I should introduce myself, but maybe I'm a little shyer than I thought I was. I was sitting right next to her in the lunch room today and couldn't make myself turn around and say hi. It was a weird feeling for me to not be able to just start up a conversation. Maybe it's that thing they say expectant mothers do. Maybe I'm turning inward these days. Who knows?

My baby had hiccups last night! Tee hee! With all the hype in the pregnancy articles I've read, I thought they'd be more pronounced, but I barely noticed them. Maybe they get stronger later -- hence the irritation factor "they" refer to.

On another note, I slept on the toilet last night. Well, not all night -- not even close!!! I just had to get up to pee at about 3:30 am and I was so tired I shut my eyes for a bit. It was not much later when I realized I fell asleep there. hahaha!!!!

Nursery check: I was originally going to hang a shelf in the remaining corner of the nursery, but decided it's too close to the crib and I don't want the little bugger trying to grab things from it - or even grabbing the shelf itself. It just didn't seem safe.

So, I am painting cute little bugs and other creepy crawlies all over to fill the space since they can't fall off or be pulled into the crib. Marti said our kid is going to grow up an entomologist with all the bugs, but I was sure to point out there are reptiles (gecko) and amphibians (happy little frogs) also. Then you add in the birds in the tree and the various stuffed bears and mice around the room, and I think we have a pretty well rounded group of outdoorsy creatures.

Last night proved to be an interesting 4th of July! We didn't plan to watch the fireworks, but it turns out we couldn't miss them if we tried!

At 9pm I went downstairs to get a glass of water and Joey followed me.

BOOM!!! It sounded like someone lit a Roman Candle in our back yard! Needless to say, Joey panicked and didn't know what to make of that! I settled her down and went upstairs, just thinking it was some neighborhood kids getting into trouble.

Next thing I knew, they were going off like crazy! And I'm not talking the little fire cracker type that kids normally play with. I looked out the south facing window to see if I could see anything, as it's only houses to the north. I couldn't see a thing. It was as if they were directly over the house!

Obviously there was something going on, so I decided to look out the other side of the house, and sure enough, there they were! It turns out that I had a perfect view of them while sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery! So, if they do it again next year, we will have a perfect view of the fireworks from Baby's own window!

I wish I knew who put on the show. We could even hear the music when it was semi-quiet between booms. By counting the time between the visual and the audible on each firework, I determined they were about 2 miles away. That is, if the same holds true for thunder and fireworks. :)

Well, the last 2 days have been absolutely ridiculous! My baby is doing gymnastics in there ALL DAY LONG! Remember when I said she calmed down and I thought she wasn't moving around as much because maybe it was getting a little cramped in there? Not any more!

She's making up for lost belly jabs now! Seriously! Yesterday, not a half hour went by when I wasn't thinking "WHAT in the name of sweet Jesus is going on in there!?!!?!?!" Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration because I don't normally use "sweet Jesus" in conversation, but it seemed to fit in this case. Kind of like when I walked outside and was blasted by the furnace that was the first really hot day in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago. That was "sweet mother of God" day for certain! hahaha!

Blasphemy aside though, sometimes I am just shocked and amazed at how much movement can really be happening in there as well as the stamina of that little one! She's been at it for 2 days straight!

It all started with Diane feeding me some blueberries and whipped cream. Thanks a lot, Diane! hahaha!

If this is how she's going to be, and if you spoil this grandbaby, I'm feeding her blueberries and cream before sending her over to visit you when she grows up. That will show ya'! hahaha!

Ok, it's probably not a good idea to threaten the grandparents with hyper kids before the baby is even born. I take it back.

I know this is the time when Marti and I still know everything and have great confidence in ourselves, but come October, I know that gets torn out of us along with this baby and I hear our hearts forever! :) Nothing will ever be the same and we will need all the help we can get.

So Mom, Diane, and to all the rest of you around us that have been there and done that, get ready, because we're depending on you for guidance.

Can you tell I'm getting scared?

:)

The emotions are starting to kick in, as well. This morning as I was getting ready I saw Val try to play-bite Joey and all of a sudden Joey had this cute puppy face again instead of that rabid beast ready to attack look she usually has when she play-fights. It was so cute it brought a tear to my eye.

How pathetic is that?

Well, apparently not as pathetic as the crying that followed! Yup, I was bawling because my puppy had a split second of sweetness on her face.

I need to get a grip! Hahaha!!!!

I love three day weekends! I get one day to do something fun, another day to rest, and another day to get things done.

This weekend was kind of a mix between all 3, but I got to take my time knowing I could do it all.

We went to Mesa to go swimming with the doggies and it turns out that we have not just one water dog, but TWO! Joey jumps in the pool with almost the same reckless abandon that Sydney does! They even race to the ball when it's floating and you can visibly see them turn it up a notch in an effort to win.

That was the fun, then there was the rest. I had to take a few hours nap prior to going because I just didn't feel good. The rest did the trick and when I woke up, I was good as new and even swam a couple (really slow) laps in the pool when we got there.

And, we've been working on the nursery all weekend, too. Marti was very helpful in completing the shutters and the faux window project. We finished a couple of shutters that we'd made last year and then made a couple more from scratch for the faux window - and even had time to hang all four!

Next weekend I hope to make the curtain for the closet and hang it. When I picked up the thread, I got some cute flower and bug buttons to attach the tab tops with, and I want to see how that will look. I also got a curtain rod with leaf finials and hold-backs that should fit in well with the outdoorsy theme.

I'm almost done!!!!!!

All we need now is a little screaming, kicking bundle of joy and we'll be all set.

Oh my God! My hips hurt so bad these days! For the last week it's been building up, but now it's all the time when I sleep.

I have to sleep on my side, so it seems that the pressure on whichever hip I lay on is enough to make it hurt. Also, my elbows and shoulder hurt sometimes, too.

This sucks! I've never had a problem sleeping, but I can see this seriously cutting into my winks!

Just rolling over is enough to make me grumble in my sleep and then once I GET rolled over, I'm not actually sure it hurts any less. Kind of like when part of your body is asleep -- sometimes it hurts to get it out of that mode, but it's necessary.

I couldn't resist. I bought a different changing table yesterday for a smokin' price! I'm selling the other one.

I have heartburn every day now and can only take Tumms for it, which seems to make it worse!

I'm still getting bloody noses for no reason. Well, no other reason other than I'm pregnant and it's normal.

The doctor told me I have to do the diabetes test on our next visit and sent us home with a little bottle of orange stuff. I put it in the fridge for later. Marti and I both keep wanting to drink it because it looks like a little orange soda. :) I hear it's not that good though.

Oh, this test is routine, so nobody get worried. :) There's nothing wrong that makes them want to do the test, it's just part of the drill.

I can't believe I didn't write about our class on Monday night!!!! We took the "Sneak Peak" class and it was a lot of basics.

Since we don't have experience with babies, it was all good info, but I stepped aside for the diaper changing and swaddling so Marti could test his skills.

He did ok, but the nurse said the diapers need to be VERY tight across the top edge so that they don't leak all kinds of wonderful and colorful baby things all over us.

It would have been better if we had a more realistic plastic baby instead of the stuffed sack with hands, feet and a head. Our practice baby didn't bend realistically, so it was a little stiff and hard to manage for Marti, as well as all the other parents that were unlucky enough to get that model.

At least we didn't get the one with the sour look on its face.