28 week appt

Well, it was actually my 29 week appointment. Today was the dreaded glucose test for gestational diabetes. My doctor recommended to drink the solution chilled and from a nice glass. I pulled out the toasting flute that hasn't been used since our wedding for the ocassion. The taste wasn't really all that bad, but it's a lot to drink in a five minute period. The drawback to using the flute was that I had to refill it 3 times in order to drink the full dose.

Other than the bloodwork, my appointment was routine, which is something I still don't take for granted. This is one time in my life when normal is a very good thing.

From now until 36 weeks my appointments will be every 2 weeks. I'm wondering if it will seem like time is going by more quickly now that I'll be marking my time in 2 weeks intervals instead of the monthly appointments I've been having.

Fetal echocardiogram

Yesterday I had my appointment for the fetal echocardiogram. The good news is that the Bean was in great position for the test, and his heart looked completely normal. I've learned that a developing baby's heart is not divided into separate chambers, that there are holes between where the chambers will be that allow the blood to swish around within the heart. It's not until later that the chambers seal off and become distinct. So, while we saw holes inside the Bean's heart, this is totally normal.

The test was amazing. We saw the heart larger than life, and using color mapping like rain bands on a weather doppler, we could even see how the blood was moving through the heart.

The only tough part about the appointment was my insurance. I was told I needed a referral in order to have the test, and I had one from my ob/gyn. But when I got there, I learned I also needed a referral from my primary care physician (who for the record I have never even seen!). So, I called the pcp's office, and was told they would call the insurance company for an approval, but that I couldn't have the procedure done until I heard back from them otherwise my insurance wouldn't cover it--meaning we would have to pay $1,200. We waited as patiently as possible, but the cardiologist's office was getting ready to close for lunch, so I called again to check the status. A new person answered the phone and told me that it would take 7-10 days to process the paperwork! I stood my ground, and she put me on hold. Less than a minute later, the cardiologist's office received the faxed approval. Insurance can be such an ordeal.

Hey, look...

Tony and I have a silly game we play where we'll say, "Hey look. It's [insert name of familiar person here]" when we see someone who vaguely resembles them. For instance, he thinks my friend Elaine looks like Dora the Explorer, and he'll always say "Look. It's Elaine!" everytime we see an image/representation of Dora. It's silly, I know.

On Saturday, Tony was flipping through the cable channels when he announced "Look. It's Dr. Sweeney." Dr. Sweeney is my ob/gyn. I laughed without looking at first, but then he said it again. It WAS Dr. Sweeney! She was in an episode of Birthday on the Discovery Health Channel. We caught only a few seconds of her on camera during the last few minutes of the show.

I've liked my Dr. since the very beginning, and I can't wait to kid her about her celebrity status.

Knitting update

Last night, I finished the first skein of yarn for the bean blanket, which is now 11 inches long. I was overly amibitious when I cast on, so this is one wide blanket. Another beginner mistake I can learn from is that I could be knitting much quicker if I'd chosen a looser gauge. Oh well, the blanket's looking good and I'll certainly remember the work I've put into it.

reflux...ugh

My doctor's appointment went well last night. Bean's heartbeat was very strong and a bit fast because he had been moving around so much. The kicks have suddenly become a lot stronger. Not only can they be seen on the outside of my belly, but sometimes they're powerful enough to wake me up out of a sound sleep.

My weight gain is on the low end of the charts, and my blood pressure is good. At the next appointment I'll be tested for gestational diabetes. I have to drink a bottle of something orange and then they'll take blood an hour later. After this appointment, I'll start going every 2 weeks for check ups. The second trimester is flying by.

Bean's still measuring big, so my estimated due date may be changed to 10/7. In any case, the good doctors are going to keep a close eye on me as October draws nearer.

The acid reflux has been really tough lately, but I told the doctor I've been managing it with Tums. She said that was fine, but when I asked her how many is too many Tums, she said I shouldn't be taking more than 3 a day. I don't think I've taken less than a 3 day in months! The Tums don't pose any risk to the baby, but she thinks they increase my chances of gall bladder problems. The vitamin I take already has a lot of calcium in it so the Tums could overdo it and cause stones...oh joy

So, I've got to reserve my Tums for when I want to sleep and just buck up during the day. The doctor recommended in addition to the soda which I've already eliminated, to limit my citrus, fruit juice, tomato, and fried food intake. This will definitely help limit my weight gain too!

The way we were

While going through some old photos, Tony and I found these 2 gems. No doubt, the Bean's going to have a round little face, dark hair and eyes...and will probably be a packrat like both his parents.

I haven't been updating as often as I would like to lately. I've been busy with work and preparing the apartment for our new roommate. Since there isn't a separate room to focus my nesting on, I've been tackling the whole apartment at once--cleaning out clutter and trying to make the most of the space.

Over the weekend, we brought a car load down to Goodwill which felt really good. I've read that one perk to clearing out old things and fighting the packrat tendency is that then you can really enjoy the things you have and like better...since they're not buried. It's true, but it's not easy. I come from a long line of packrats. My grandmother keeps stuffed animals and knick knacks, and my mom has almost every pair of jeans she's ever worn...and a few with the tags still on.

I see more trips to Goodwill in the my future.