Good News

Today, I had a doctor's appointment later in the day, so Joey and I went by my school first. I was able to see my kids and read them a story. Boy have I missed them! They are such a sweet group. Of course I got lots of hugs and stories to fill me in on what I have missed. :)

After leaving the school we went to the appointment. I've been worried about my sugar levels because they've been slightly elevated since the weekend and I'm not quite sure why; but my doctor says they're fine. We listened to the heartbeat (still my most favorite sound in the world!) and he measured my belly. He was able to tell me that she's in the normal range (YAY!). I've been slightly worried about that because last week I'd lost 8 pounds compliments of my "new diet." SO...if you're ever looking to lose weight quickly, eat absolutely NO CARBS! It'll drop right off of you. He's not concerned by the weight loss though so I'll try not to be as well.

Then, he examined me and found that my cervix is thicker!! This is GREAT news!!! The doctor says that he is more than pleased with the progress and will see me in 2 weeks! Woo-hoo!!! 2 weeks will be our 34 week mark :) Can't wait to see what we'll find out then.

Thank you all for your faithful prayers and of course, please keep them coming!

I Have the BEST Co-Workers

I've always known how incredibly blessed I am to work at the school I work. My favorite part about it is that everyone is like a family and pulls together for anyone in need. It's a true blessing! Well, today I was on the receiving end of this.

Sam emailed me and told me that she'd be coming over to drop something off at 2:30. Check out the pictures of what she brought:




How amazing is that?!?! If you can't tell, the poster says, "We are going crazy without Miss Kelly" and all of my sweet kids signed it. They took a picture making silly faces. Oh man do I miss them!!! I couldn't figure out how to turn the picture so it would show correctly :(

The basket included tons of goodies: sweet cards, books (encouragement and fiction), magazines, gift cards, home cooked dinner coupons, scrapbooking supplies, puzzles, a nail kit, stress relieving lotion, word searches, and more!

Needless to say, this definitely put a smile on my face!

Doctor Visit

Yesterday's appointment went rather well. YAY! :) Overall, my doctor is very pleased with all of my sugar levels...whoo-hoo. I told him that I am rather miserable not being able to eat any carbs and he said that since I'm doing such a great job I can introduce a few here and there...YES! ANNNNDDD, to top it off, I only have to test my sugar 2x a day instead of 4 :)

Of course I had my trusty list of questions and he answered them all graciously. My measurements are normal but her head is still down and will most likely stay that way. This means, sweet little Karaline is still ready to come. So now instead of telling Karaline we can't wait to meet her, we tell her she has to stay in for a while longer :) Ideally, I'd love for her to come on or close to her actual due date (Nov. 25) but my doctor won't answer any of those questions yet...get through these next few weeks he says.

Again, thank you all for your prayers!!! They are working :)

Morning Thoughts

Since I've been home for one week today, I have added many items to my "while I'm home to-do-list." One of the things I've added is reading my Bible each day. At the beginning of this year, our church did a read the Bible in 90 days Bible study and it had an amazing impact on my life.

Today in my reading, I read Psalm 3:3-4: "But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill."

This verse was what I needed today. I love how God uses His word to speak directly to me and knows just what I need to hear. I go back to the doctor and am feeling slightly anxious. However, I know that God's plans are perfect in every way and while I may not always understand His plans for me right away, I will one day look back and say, "Ohhh...now I get it."

Look for another post after my appointment. :)

Romans 5:3 & 4

Romans 5:3 & 4 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that... suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

This verse has helped me to get through the last four days. Last Thursday I went to the doctor. I was having a few issues so they told me to come in. I told my director, Sam, Joey, and my mom there was no need in coming with me because I was prepared to hear, "Oh, you're overreacting. Everything is fine. This is normal,". However, this is NOT what I heard.

Before I received any news, my doctor told me that with my diabetes that I am not allowed to have ANY, I repeat, ANY carbs. This is much different from the dietitian I saw on Tuesday. He ordered a "cardboard diet" - meat and vegetables. Okay, I tell myself...we can do this...no biggie. WRONG....I'm really struggling with this!

Then he examines. He finds that Karaline's head is too low for being 30 weeks. Thankfully, everything is intact, she's just low. He said if we were at 34 weeks, he wouldn't be worried at all; but since we're still early on, we need to take precautions.

"SOOOOOO," I ask, "What does this mean?"
Dr: "It means that you are on bed rest."
Me: Totally shocked and completely overwhelmed, I begin to cry...not a controllable cry, but an embarrassing, can't quite pull it together cry. "What do you mean? Everything has been going so well. I mean, the diabetes has been the worst thing." {Poor guy}

He proceeds to explain to me that I am on bed rest beginning immediately. I pull myself together the best I can and we schedule an appointment for the following week. On my drive back to school, I call Joey (who left work but missed the appointment-he's not a great listener :) ) and my mom. I try and pull myself together as I get back to school. Thankfully, Sam met me outside and gave me the "get it together" look that she's good at when I need it. After telling my director and speaking with the principal and secretary who arranges leave, I was ready to tell my kids. It was rough for me because I hadn't even begun to prepare them for my leave. I also didn't have time to show my assistant, who is stepping up in my spot, everything I wanted. BUT, I know she is going to be just fine. She's an awesome teacher and I couldn't ask for a better person to take over.

I am not going to lie...this has been very difficult for me to swallow. I have not been at my finest most days. However, I have been completely overwhelmed by family and friends. Of course, Sam has been over or taken me to her place each day. My mom has come down twice- once with my dad and the next time with my sister. Joey has been trying hard but as usual, he's been my punching bag :( I'm working on being nicer to him and not losing my patience so quickly! I've received countless calls, emails, and tons of prayers. I know I wouldn't make it through without my support system.

On a positive note, Sunday my mom and sister came down. They brought some yummy no carb food. Even better than that, we got the baby's crib and changer!!! YAY! Joey and our friend Chris put it together. It looks great :) Now we need to get a mattress and dresser, finish cleaning the closet out, and we'll be ready!

Also, my friends Janine and Sam hired a cleaning lady to come over. We're waiting on her now. I'm super excited for this!!! I'm hoping this will help us to keep our house clean longer than .0001 seconds :)

Gestational WHAT...

So 2 weeks ago I went for my first gestational diabetes test. I received a call later that afternoon that I had failed. I was not expecting this! Since I failed, I was scheduled to go the following week for another more extensive test. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to this test because not only would I have to drink the yucky drink again (I almost got sick the first time), but I would also have to take more time off work, be at the lab for longer, and endure more needles...ugh!

The following week, I showed up for my appointment at 7:15 and was not seen until 8:15. By this time, I was very, very impatient. Thankfully I was able to be polite to the lab techs, power through the yucky drink once again, and did fine with the blood draw and finger prick. Once I came out of my first lab, Joey was waiting for me in the waiting room. Having someone to talk to helped the time to go by a little more quickly. Now, we had to sit and wait 1 hour for my next blood draw. This would continue for the next 3 hours. Of course there are many boring details in between, but by the last blood draw I was not only STARVING but my left arm felt like it was going to fall off (because they drew out of the same arm each time except one) and I was more than over sitting in the same waiting room!

After the labs, I went back to work and while my kids were at PE, I received a call from my doctor...UH-0H! I knew this could not be good. When I answered, I heard the words I was not looking forward to- "You failed all 4 of your tests." Me: "WHAT?! You have got to be kidding me!!! I have been feeling fine, not swelling, staying busy, eating well...on and on... Now what?!!" Poor nurse! She said, "Well, this means you have gestational diabetes and will need to go and see a diabetic counselor." Upon gaining my composure and mind once again, I realized that this is the worst thing that has happened to me during this pregnancy so I need to suck it up. Eating a diabetic diet is good for everyone so this could just be a life changing experience...yada yada...I'm trying to think positively!

I go on Tuesday to see a diabetic counselor and am really looking forward to finding out more about what I can and cannot eat. I'll also receive a meter which I'll use to check my blood several times a day. My doctor will monitor my numbers. Since last week, I've struggled with what to eat. The first few days I didn't want to eat any carbs or sugar and had a hard time knowing what to eat. I spent many hours online to find some things that I could eat. Please pray that I will have perseverance and willingness to eat the foods that I should! Also, please pray that I will be able to manage the diabetes through diet and exercise.

On a brighter note, Karaline is growing and growing (I know some of you are saying, "duh", but it still amazes me how each day she is so different). Currently, I have the joy of feeling her in my ribs pretty much all of the time...oh wow! I have never loved and hated something so much :) She is also moving more and more. You can feel her body when you touch my belly and she is beginning to respond back to taps on the belly! We are loving her more and more each and every day! 11 weeks and counting!!!