The Belly Pic

Here it is, Heather. My oldest thought it was pretty funny that someone wanted to see my big ol' belly
;)  She thought I should be wearing a different shirt because it makes my belly look more pregnant. I quickly convinced her that *every* shirt I wear makes it pretty obvious I have a very pregnant belly. ;)

35 weeks 4 days
18 pounds gained so far
Measuring 37 weeks
Feeling completely exhausted from a very long day working on renovations at the house.

Insulin Free!

Well, after a week of skipping my insulin at night, my fasting numbers are better than ever. They are as low as they were while I was taking the insulin and def lower than I was seeing a few months ago. I'm not sure if it was the meter I was using or my body has just made some adjustments, but I'm so thankful!

I spoke with the OB last Friday. She was supportive but also a little unsure how the rest of the team is going to take a patient taking themself off of the insulin.  I hope I'm not making too many wave. Thinking for myself may not be what they were hoping for. ;)  The biggest change, at this point, with dropping the insulin is the potential for me to go down to 1 appointment a week instead of the 2 I'm doing now. One NST and another with NST and OB.  With an hour drive one way to the clinic, I'm praying they'll agree to let me go down to being seen once weekly.

The scale is staying steady right now, but I'm up 18 pounds for the whole pregnancy. I know that isn't much afa averages go, but it's a lot for my normal.  Part of me wants to be sad because I'm seeing the same number on the scale that I started at when I was losing weight last year. It was my *highest* number and I never wanted to see it again.  I know it's only a short time before I can start working to get that number down again.  And, of course, it's more than worth the sacrifice.  It's just hard to think of how hard I worked to lose those measely 20 pounds and now they're back again.  Pity party..wah...wah...wah.

This week is going to be super busy. We are pushing hard to get moved in by the end of the week. Our list to do so is L.O.N.G.  Please pray we have the energy, stamina, and help we need to accomplish the work the Lord intends for us to do.  I know we could be pushing for more than He's wanting right now, so I'm asking that we would work hard, yet be focused on honoring Him in our efforts.

I'm ending my days with aching feet and back. I've noticed a bit of swelling in my fingers and now my legs, ankles, and feet. I need to up my water, but I'm praying that's all it is. I definitely don't want to create more health issues to deal with at this point.

Every day is a new adventure right now. I don't know where I'll be or what we'll be doing from one day to the next, so any kind of routine or planning is out the window right now.  It's kind of fun for a season, but I think we're all ready for it to be over very soon. Moving in to the house won't end the work, but it will alleviate the stress of living in two different places. That is a welcome change.

Quickly...

Doing well.

Baby is great.

My numbers are better than ever. Even when I've skipped my insulin, I'm golden.

Hoping to get in touch with my GD counselor to change my status from "insulin-dependent".  It may not do much at this stage. But, I could at least drop the twice weekly NSTs.  That would be lovely.

My husband starts a week and a half off of work tomorrow. We are thrilled to have him around and be working together.  At the house working nearly every day.

Celebrating another girlie birthday tomorrow as well.

Mostly feeling slow and I wear out easily. However, I'm not uncomfortable enough to be begging for labor to begin yet, so I'm good for a while. ;)

Hope you are all doing well. Miss you!!

Slowing Down

Our new schedule for working at the house is to meet my husband there at 4:30pm for dinner, devotions, and then we work. I love this and am so glad he's implementing this time to keep us grounded.

Last night, however, I was wiped by 7pm. Honestly, I could barely move. My arms felt heavy, my back was aching, and I was about to drop.  I felt like such a heel because all I did was vacuum rooms and take out ceiling tiles. Easy work compared to the back-breaking bending he and the bigs were doing caulking all the cracks in the wood floors to prep for painting. (it took a whole case of caulk for one bedroom. Yikes!)  Bless his heart, though. He keeps making "special" lists for me to make sure I don't have to do the hard stuff. <3

But, I have to resign myself to the fact that I am wearing out fast these days. I had one little sick yesterday, so maybe there's a bug I'm fighting that's working against me. I don't know, but I am moving so slowly it's embarrassing.

Here's a secret: I decreased my insulin last night to 9 instead of 10. I'm getting close to the end of the bottle and I don't want to have to buy another before baby comes. My fasting number was 76 this morning. That's one of my lowest. I may go down to 8 tonight and stick there. I haven't heard from my GD counselor for a month or so. Wondering if she forgot about me or what. Not that I mind. ;)

I hope you are all doing well. I'm definitely feeling my hormones swing in a big way. This week, I'm struggling with motivaiton and joyfulness. I think a big part of that is that the progress we are making on the house this week seems incremental. It's all good and will be wonderful when it's done, but the big changes are way more exciting. :)