Friday Happies

Happy Friday friends! First of all, thank you for all of your supportive comments, texts, emails etc over the last few days. This week handed me a lot in the emotions department, and then add in pregnancy hormones and you've got a perfect storm. I'm feeling a bit better and brighter today with so many things to look forward to.

So, instead of dwelling in the negatives and the tough stuff, I'm choosing to look at the happy things.

~Tomorrow is my birthday~

After 30, celebrating my birthday hasn't been a big deal to me--and last year's was pretty tough emotionally, but this one is super special because I've already got some of the greatest gifts I could ask for: a sweet baby girl growing happily inside me, a supportive and amazingly patient husband who I appreciate more and more every day, a best friend who's driving up from VA beach to throw me a baby shower this weekend (and is always a support when I need to call and vent), and my mom who's shown me what a great mom looks like and feels like. 

Who needs presents when you have all of that?

~Baby Shower this weekend~

My baby shower is tomorrow which happens to be on my birthday. With weekends filling up in March, it was one of the only options which was fine with me. Having a bunch of my friends in one place to celebrate Baby G is a great birthday to me! Plus my Mother-in-law and my one sister-in-law (whose birthday is today--Happy birthday, Annie!!!) and our 3 youngest nieces are coming down, too! The house is definitely going to be jam packed with fun and love!

Plus, my best friend is coming in this afternoon and I can't wait!!!

~Birthday brownies~

MG, bless his soul, went in search of diabetic friendly desserts so that I can enjoy my birthday with a sweet treat and not feel deprived. He ordered a diabetic brownie mix on Amazon for some ridiculous price and they arrived yesterday. Can I just say that I love that man? :)

~Work win~

I have  a student who, at the beginning of the year, was SO hard to teach. He was willing, but he just couldn't process the information very well or very quickly. After months of working together, I had to give him an assessment for an upcoming meeting and I'm happy to report that all of the things we've worked on this year translated into his testing all on his own. This job is tough, and sometimes makes you want to beat your head against a wall, but these gains and moments of WOOHOO are why I do what I do. I don't get paid the big bucks (Lord knows I wish I made more money), but these moments are worth their weight in gold.

Thank you all for your super sweet support these past few days. It's been a rough week, but the support has been really amazing.
Hoping your weekend is happy and warm!

One Year Gone

Dear Dad,

It's almost unfathomable to me that it's been a year since you've been gone. March snuck up on me this year, and with that, the realization that it's been a year kind of hit me over the head this week. That doesn't mean that I don't miss you and think about you every day, this is just another one of those mile markers we're getting to in this journey of grieving.

I've had several moments in the last month where I remember that this time last year was when I was going back and forth visiting you in the hospital, hoping that you'd make a recovery and be able to go back home. I still replay the last words you ever said to me in my head, and hearing your voice. I still remember what it felt like holding your hand and telling you that everything would be ok and letting you know that I love you. 

I wish you were here so I could give you a hug and tell you again how much I love you and how thankful I am to have you for my dad. Never once in my life did I ever doubt that you love me, and I think because of you I found a man who makes it so that I never have to wonder about that either. 

I wish you were here to see me pregnant. Kind of a strange thing to say, I know, but even in the midst of everything you were dealing with last year, you still always asked how we were doing with our baby journey. I know the day we have our baby girl will be one of the happiest of my life, but like with every stage of this, it's tinged with a little bit of sadness because you aren't physically here to be a part of it, and hold your granddaughter. You weren't a crier, but I know you would have teared up immediately once you saw her and held her.

Like I always tell you, I take solace in knowing that you're still watching over us. It's not the same as if you were here, but it's comforting when I know that you can't be.  Please keep watching over us, and make sure that mom is ok, especially. 

Before I go, because right now I can barely see the keys through my tears, I just wanted to tell you this: I love you. From the bottom of my heart I love you and miss you so much. I'm so grateful that you're my dad. I had such an amazing role model for a man when growing up and I have lots of incredible things to tell our little girl about her grandpa when she gets here, even though I'm pretty sure you two have already met up there. Know that you're always in my heart. 

I hope we can meet in my dreams again sometime soon. I miss seeing you there.

Love you for always,

Jenn

WHW {#83}: In a Rut

Today's What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday is gonna be short and sweet.

I'm in a rut this week, for many reasons. I don't have the energy to write a post about what I'm up to because what I'm up to is trying to dig myself out of the rut I'm in. 

I know I've got lots and lots of things to be thankful for (healthy baby, amazing husband), and excited about (birthday, baby shower), but I'm just in a funk right now and I need a sec to get out of it. 

So don't mind me while I take a little break today, but please still feel free to link up with Jessi and I to share what's hap-"pinning" with you--it may just turn my frown upside down :)

What Eating Looks Like with Gestational Diabetes

I know the topic on the blog here has been centered around my GD diagnosis the last week or so, and that's mainly because that's what's consuming a lot of my days right now--trying to get into a slightly different routine with eating.

I had a couple of people ask me to post about what a GD diet entails, etc and since I was searching high and low for information when I got my diagnosis, I thought I'd do a post on it. If you're not interested, feel free to X out now--I understand.

Eating

The first thing you need to know about a GD diet is that it's going to be customized for you based on your weight and what nutrients you need in order to stay healthy for you and baby. So my plan is likely going to be different than your plan.

The GD diet is all about carb counting, and how many carb counts you can get for each meal and snack throughout the day. Each carb count=15 g of carbs (give or take). My meal plan looks like this:

I was told that if I have a lighter carb lunch or dinner, I can have a higher carb snack in the afternoons and evenings.

One of the things I didn't realize at my class was that I HAVE to eat this many carbs a day. It's not a "you can have up to this many" thing. 12 carb choices is the lowest plan they give. If I don't have this many carbs in a day, my body starts breaking down fat which produces ketones in my urine, and ketones are bad for baby, signaling that both of us aren't getting enough nutrients. So I'm definitely walking a tightrope in this thing. Too much--sugars go high and baby gets extra insulin. Too low--I get ketones and baby is lacking nutrients (See why I've been stressed?!?!)

A lot of my normal dinners (which then become lunches the next day) already fall within the 3 carb choices, or 41-50g of carbs. For instance, the Mexican quinoa I make falls in that because of the beans, corn, and the quinoa (and the serving sizes).

I can also have a burrito bowl from Chipotle with chicken, rice, beans, the tomato salsa, cheese, sour cream and lettuce--but I can only have HALF at a time (which is fine because that's how much I normally eat for a meal anyway). No chips, though, which is a bummer.

If I have my broccoli cheddar soup, I have to eat it with two slices of toast to get at least 2 carb counts in, since this meal doesn't have enough carbs in it to count as a carb count (and then I can have a full Klondike bar for my evening snack! woohoo!)

I was surprised that 1/2 C of quinoa is 1 carb choice because everything you hear about quinoa is that it's good for you, full of protein, etc. But I still have to limit that. I was also surprised to find out the corn and peas are the more "carby" vegetables, along with potatoes which I already knew were carb busters.

A snack for me now that has 1 carb count is a small apple and a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. The apple holds most of the carbs. Another good sweet treat are the Outshine Fruit bars which are 1 carb count. 1 Cup of blueberries, strawberries or raspberries is 1 count, also.

I can snack on things that have no carbs whenever I want, so if I'm hungry, I can have some veggies, or some cheese, or a tablespoon of peanut butter. But for the most part, I'm not really hungry between snacks and meals since I'm eating so frequently throughout the day.

Testing

I have to test when I first wake up before I've had anything to eat (fasting), and then 2 hours after breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don't have to test after snacks, thankfully.

Pricking my finger with the little pricker thingy I have isn't bad. Does it feel good? Well, no...but it's seriously not bad and totally manageable. Hell, after IVF this is a walk in the park! Testing as a whole takes me about 15 seconds to get the testing strip out, in the machine, prick my finger and then get it on the testing strip, and writing down my number.

The Hard Stuff

The hardest part for me is eating out. I will follow the guidelines they set and try to order within those parameters, but the tricky thing about eating out is that you don't know how something was made, all of the ingredients, the size of things, etc. Without nutrition labels, it's a guessing game (one in which my numbers are usually higher).

The good news is I've been able to control this without medication so far (and hopefully that continues). I also have very good fasting numbers which is usually more difficult for people. I just can't grab that handful of potato chips like I want, or a couple of things of chocolate because I'm craving it. It has to be factored into my snacking (chocolate) or not at all (potato chips). 

I'm not sure if that answers all of the questions that were out there, but hopefully it at least helps to explain the process, especially to someone who has been newly diagnosed and hasn't taken the class yet.

Weekend Update

I didn't take one picture this weekend, and there isn't a ton to tell about the weekend. I've struggled this weekend with the gestational diabetes--eating out and following the guidelines I've been given just never seems to work since everything seems to have more sugars or carbs than normal items, and my numbers went up twice this weekend. I've been discouraged to say the least and feel like I'm limited to eating at home, or just eating starchy veggies when I'm out to get my carb counts in without going over. I'm figuring it out, and it's only been a week and a half, but there have been many tears shed during this process.

The good part of the weekend was that we took our birthing/newborn class on Saturday (6 hours of learning!) and MG and I both learned a ton. Instead of being excited and nervous, now I feel more educated, excited and nervous haha.

I also got to spend some time with my friend Bree yesterday and finally got to see her and her husband's new house which is close to ours. It was nice to unwind with a friend (and one who is also pregnant). 

Other than those things, and normal weekend errands, we cleaned the house for my shower next weekend, dropped things off at Goodwill, and watched Hacksaw Ridge. Overall it wasn't a bad weekend, the gestational diabetes stuff just got the better of me this weekend, but I'm working through it.

Hoping your weekend was filled with pizza, candy, ice cream and girl scout cookies :)

Randomness and some Gif's

Another round of random thoughts floating around inside my head! :)

~It sucks to get diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It sucks even more to get said diagnosis during Girl Scout Cookie season #gimmecookies

{via}

~When you know your coworker isn't going to do the things she says she will, and it will later be something that impacts you, it's freaking annoying. I have a teacher who made goals for a kid, and I know they won't be implemented how they should be, and I know a year from now (or less) when the kid doesn't make progress, I can't say "well _____ didn't implement those goals correctly". They will just say "now you do it." #no

{via}

~I've been trying my best to get ahead of things for the end of the school year so I'm not leaving a ton for the people who cover my maternity leave. But every time I finish testing a kid and writing their report, I seem to get 2-3 more referrals. GIVE ME A BREAK PLEASE! #igiveup

~I'm nervous that once I have our baby, I won't have any time to read anymore #booknerdproblems

{via}

~How I felt when the my OB said "well you're all bump and super tiny everywhere else..." at my recent appointment

{via}

~I was asking a Kindergarten student if he'd gotten a haircut recently and he said yes, and then the other boy in our group piped up and said "I'm short in the head too!" lol

~When I learned about all of the carbs I have to limit (and all of the things I was eating that unknowingly had carbs) and then they told us we can have cheese, but to limit it because of the fat, I literally scoffed. You're gonna take away carbs and sweets and then limit a preggo on her cheese? Ohhhhhhh no you're not! Baby needs calcium anyway

{via}

Ok, so apparently most of the thoughts in my head are related to pregnancy (shocker, I know), but I tried to sprinkle in some other thoughts too so you're not bored of my preggo talk! :)
Happy Thursday!

WHW {#82}: Bumpdate

Can you believe it's already the first day of March???
And it's Wednesday, which means it's time for another edition of What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday, and another bump-date!

How Far Along: 30 weeks! How did that happen??

Size of Baby: A zucchini or a cabbage depending on what app you look at (although these two seem rather different in sizes). She's about 15.5 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds!

Gender: A girl--at least as far as we know that hasn't changed haha

Weight Gain: about 18 pounds; I think my weight gain stopped with the gestational diabetes diagnosis, because I haven't been enjoying as many snacks (or not great nutritionally) as I did before.

Food Cravings: again, now that I have GD, I crave sweets even more now than I did before. I try and make my snack choices good ones, but dammit sometimes a girl needs her Klondike bar (or in my case, HALF a Klondike bar)

Food Aversions: None really. I made MG cook pesto salmon at home on Monday because I still can't stomach touching it, but I was getting bored of eating chicken all the time as my protein.

Movement: YEP! She is a wiggly, kicking machine, especially at night when I lay on my side. Sunday night she was doing karate kicks in there and moving ALL around--that was also coincidentally the night I had my 1/2 Klondike bar so baby girl was probably like "Finally, SUGAR!!!!!" haha

Sleep: Has been good, thankfully. Still sleeping through the night and haven't had trouble falling asleep. Knock on wood that continues!

Clothing: Maternity clothes all day errrrrryday. Luckily my maternity dress from Old Navy came in handy and looked good this weekend at the wedding, and an old Loft dress that was just a smidge too big (but I kept anyway) fit like a maternity dress, too.

Other Pregnancy Symptoms: occasionally at night I get cramps in my hips, or if we go for a walk, the muscles above my butt bone/lower back start to tense up a bit. And apparently I've been having some Braxton Hicks contractions which I didn't know until the doc told me that the tightness in my stomach from time to time was that. Who knew! haha

What I Miss: I'm betting you can guess this one: eating whatever I'd like whenever I want (and not having to log it) and not having to prick my finger to take my blood sugar levels 4 times a day/carry around my tester.

And also having a week without a doctor and/or nutritionist appointment--they are eating away at my maternity leave!

Best Moment: We got our stroller and our crib this week and the crib is all set up, the stroller is all put together, and holy moly this is getting real!

 

I'll add one more "best moment" from this weekend, which is seeing how much MG has gravitated towards kids now, especially babies. He's all about them, and getting to watch him with our friends' little boy this weekend just got me. I just know he's going to be the best dad to our little girl and it makes me smile from the inside out!

Looking Forward To: my baby shower in Virginia next weekend. And sort of looking forward to (for preparedness) our birthing class this weekend that we're taking with my friend who is pregnant and due a week before me. Also a little nervous about the class, too.

Now it's your turn to link up with Jessi and I to share what's hap-"pinning" with you!