The Crib Fiasco

Nothing in life is ever easy..... and neither was getting Madalyn's crib. I had been looking pretty much ever since I knew I was pregnant for the "perfect crib". I am picky... so it was no easy feat to say the least. Especially since I was running into the problem of having two different colors... white and antique white. White is white... antique white is more of a vanilla color. Very pretty, but very different colors when you put them next to each other. FINALLY I found THE CRIB at JCPenney, in the regular white. Grandma Hill ordered it for me as a gift and we had it shipped to the JCPenney store in Gainesville. She had done the same with Jenna's crib last year but in Ocala.

So yesterday I called to see if the crib was in Gainesville, so I could coordinate with Carey and Zach how we would pick it up using their truck. They told me it was showing in the computer but noone had checked the boxes for sure, so they would call me back. I asked if I would be able to pick it up today if it was indeed there and they said yes, just bring ID and the credit card used to purchase the crib. Here began the problem.

Mom bought the crib and lives almost 4 hours away. I explained this to them, and they said they would need her to come up here and show the car so they could "get paid" for the crib. This made me irate as the purchase had already been charged to the card 2 days ago. I explained this to the woman, who said she couldnt help me, so I asked to speak to her manager. The manager was a not very nice woman who basically told me that Mom had to come here for us to get the crib. I told her this was not an option as we had already been charged for the crib. She said we should have said it was gift when we purchased it. I told her that there wasnt an option online to do this. She still was refusing to help me and as a hormonal pregnant woman I was not having it. I told her that I know that it is possible for us to get the crib because Jenna had gotten hers from JCPenney. At this point she told me I must be mistaken because JCPenney would never have released the crib to her without the credit card. I told her that it must just be that the employees in Ocala were far less bitchy than those in Gainesville. Finally she agreed to give us the crib if mom would fax her credit card and her drivers license to the store so they could verify it. Mom wasnt pleased with this as it is illegal to ask for both. So SHE called the store and spent 40 minutes arguing with that manager and then the store manager.

Long story short, she faxed what I needed to work, and I went by there to get the fax, then went to JCPenney and dealt with some incredibly incompetent people to get the crib and mattress. Finally after about 40 minutes we got the package just as Zach and Carey arrived and we loaded everything up to go home.

We get home, and unpack the crib... and turns out what was advertised as "white" should have been advertised as "antique white"! Wrong color crib! By that point in time I was so exhausted by the entire thing that I just said screw it.... Madalyn will never notice the difference in the two colors.... and even if she did there are way more important things to worry about. Plus the crib is beautiful, even if it is the wrong color. We put the sheets and the bumper on it and they look absolutely adorable!

So now all we need is the chair and baby's room is complete except for the little things....

Let It Go

To say the very least this inspired me. In light of they way things have been going lately, I found this to be so comforting.

Let it go for 2007..

By T. D. Jakes

There are people who can walk away from you.

And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.

The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]

People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay.

Let them go.

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead. You've got to know when it's dead.

You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay.

Let them go!!

If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to......

LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains ......

LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth. ....

LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you .

LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge......

LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction......

LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents.......

LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude.......

LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better......

LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him......

LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship.......

LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help
themselves......

LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed .........

LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handl ing
yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to......

LET IT GO!!!

Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for 2007!!!

LET IT GO!!!

Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then...

LET IT GO!!!

I could have eaten jelly beans!

Well Friday I had my last Glucose tolerance test... should find out the results tomorrow or Tuesday. I am so greatful not to have to taste that stuff again for a long time! Plus they had to stick me 7 times for the 4 tubes of blood that they needed, so my poor arms and hands are all bruised. And as Im sitting there (this time they were nice enough to let me come to the back and sit in a recliner instead of the hard chairs in the waiting room!) and reading my "What to Expect" book they are talking about how for the glucose test you can eat a certain number of jelly beans instead of drinking the crappy stuff. Why didnt my doctor tell me that?! I wouldnt have minded eating jelly beans that many times!

After my test I treated myself to a maternity massage and it was wonderful. So relaxing! Then yesterday i had my hair cut and highlighted/lowlighted.... so I am feeling much better!

Work today has been boring as usual. Just trying to pass the time until dinner and bed, then have to go to physical therapy before I can make it home for the day. We start our childbirth classes tomorrow night so that should be fun!

This weekend we got to spend a lot of time with our friends.... Friday we had about 15 people or so over for a seafood fest... oysters on the grill, shrimp and crab legs. The Saturday Shawn watched Kaia in the morning and then had the boys over in the afternoon to watch the game. Last night we just hung around the house and listened to music and relaxed and enjoyed each others company. It was a great night.

I ordered the crib today and it should be at the store within a week.... Carey is going to let us use her truck to go get it so hopefully by this time next week I will have pictures of that to put up on here! :)

Reflections

As I was laying wide awake last night in bed because Madalyn has decided that late nights are her playtime, I had a lot of quiet time to think about all of the changes that have happened in my life over the past year. So much has happened, both good and bad... but looking back at everything I can only say how much stronger of a person that I have become because of it all.

A year ago I was single and absolutely loving life. If you had told me then I would be happily settled down now I would have laughed in your face. I was petrified to open up to anyone and to trust them with anything at all... then along came Shawn. Because we were friends first, I found myself able to share things with him that I hadnt been able to tell people before. We had fun together. It was easy to spend time with him, and there never was any drama... just this incredibly comfortable feeling. After a few months of casually dating we ended up one night at Los Margaritas... and that was the last time I was officially single.

That dinner changed everything. We both sat there and commented on how ridiculous it was that it had taken us so long to get to the point where were were ready to settle down. We laughed and shared our dreams and our hopes for the future... and while I had felt myself falling for him for some time, it was the first time that I was able to admit to myself that I loved him. It truly was one of the best nights of my life... and one I know I will never forget. From that point on I dont think we have spent a night apart that I wasnt at work.

Having a baby with him has been the greatest gift I have ever been given. I think that being pregnant with our daughter has saved my life. It has made me reevaluate my priorities and see what is important in life, and this pregnancy has challenged me in so many ways. Not only have I had to start learning what it will take to be a mother, I have had to adjust to my body not necessarily accepting all of the pregnancy hormones. For the first time in my life I am not always healthy and active and more often than not feel exhausted and sick. But every time she moves (even when she keeps me up all night long!) I am reminded that in just 12 weeks or less I will be able to hold our daughter and she will be here for real.

Being pregnant has changed who I am to everyone else as well. No longer am I the party Jaime that always plans the nights out or the dinners or the parties... but I am still the person that cares about those in my life. This experience has taught me that it is not quantity of friends that surround you that is whats important, but the quality. People whom I have always assumed would be there for me have dissappeared, but in their place have been people who have become more dear to me than anything. I never in my life expected so much would change for me once I became "settled down", but it really has. I think I had always assumed that the people in my life would just be there in a different way than a drinking buddy or party friend... and it has been hard to accept that in most cases this has not been true. But once the sadness cleared, I see all of these people who want to be a part of our lives, and who love Shawn and I and our daughter... and we are truly blessed to have that.

I had never pictured having to take time off of working on the road, and it was hard for me to admit that I had to see someone for my knee, knowing that it was probably the last day I would work on the road until after Madalyn was born. But maybe that was God's way of protecting me and my daughter... and if I had ignored it there is no telling what might have happened to either one of us due to me being too stubborn to admit it was safer to go on light duty. Having the possibility of knee surgery hanging over my head is not a comforting feeling... but it is much better than knowing that my stupid determination hurt myself or the baby.

I think of my life and all that I have, and I truly thank God for granting me the opportunity to become a wife and a mother. While there is some sadness as I remember the fun times that I used to have, there is no greater joy in the world then laying in bed with Shawn and him having his hand on my stomach and us being able to feel our daughter move inside of me. Nothing has ever made me happier than hearing him ask me to be his wife, or seeing the look on his face when we first saw our baby on ultrasound and learned that we were having a little girl. These are the moments that define our lives, and I am greatful for every second that I am allowed to live *this* life.

I LOVE flat orange soda

The glucola test tastes like flat orange soda... but not Sunkist orange soda... more like some yucky cheap brand. It really is pretty disgusting. I should know this because I have had quite a bit of experience with this over the past month. Lets see.... took the one hour test, failed it with a 152 of 130. The took the 3 hour test and passed with perfectly normal results. On Friday took the 1 hour test again... and failed with a 137. So guess what? I get to take the 3 hour test again... which means getting stuck 4 more times. And while my hematocrit has come up somewhat from my last test it is still low... which means I get to take a second iron pill each day. :) I think while I personally like being pregnant, my body definitely has other plans!

We had our 27 week appointment on Thursday, and an ultrasound. Miss Madalyn is actually measuring big for her age and looks to be about a week ahead of where "normal" is, but the tech thinks it may have been because she just had a growth spurt. The amniotic band that they were worried about is pushed way up against my uterus so it doesnt even show on ultrasound anymore. I think that was probably my last ultrasound until she is born. Its getting harder to actually see all of her because she is big... what a difference from her 10 weeks ago! She was nestled up in the back of my uterus and was cuddling with my spinal cord, which explains all of the sciatic nerve pain I have been experiencing! Everything looked great with her and we got to see her heart up close... all 4 chambers, which was really neat to see it beating. The doctor was happy with everything he saw as far as weight and blood pressure... so everthing looks good. (Except for me hating the glucola drink!)

This weekend we got to see my mom who came to Crystal River for a dog show. She brought us a Pack and Play which actually came in handy on Sunday night when our friend Zach's daughter spent the night with us. Kaia is 2 years old and absolutely adorable... not to mention a handful. She was good for us though... I gave her a bath while the boys hung out, then combed her hair and got her all tucked in. Allie kept trying to go in that room and check on her... it was so cute. Shawn actually watched her for some of the morning today. Its so cute to see him play "Daddy" with her... we definitely cant wait until our own little bundle is here!

Our party went well... we had lots of our friends around and the Mexican food was a hit! It was fun to have our friends over and to be able to see them since it has been awhile since we have gone out and done a whole lot socially. It meant a lot to us to have the people that came to share in our excitement, especially those who made a trip from out of town to spend time with us. It was really special to us to have them all around. Allie had a blast playing with the kids that were over here... though her left hind leg has been bothering her a little bit and at one point I had to put her in her crate just so she would stop running around because she would run then start limping! I think she may have just pulled a muscle while she was outside terrorizing our lawn with her heavy footing!

I started PT today... the guy was very nice, and seemed very positive that while he suspects my lateral meniscus or my LCL are torn therapy will help a lot, if not prevent surgery. And if I DO have surgery, at least my accessory muscles are prepared to recover more quickly. He said my knee is definitely swollen compared to the other one, and it appears my thigh has atrophied slightly from using different muscles to correct it, both of which indicate that there is something going on. So I will see him or this other lady twice a week for awhile, and I see the ortho doctor on Thursday so I should know something more then. Its shaping up to be a busy week!

GATORS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Here are my belly pictures... finally! 26 weeks, 4 days pregnant decked out in some Gator Gear! (Non- maternity shirts... dont think they will fit for much longer!

CONGRATS to the Gators... 2006 National Champions for football and basketball!

We went to our friend Zeke and Chris's house to watch the game, which was a lot of fun. They have 3 little girls and 4th baby on the way in July so there were lots of little ones running around. It was great to get together with everyone and to be socializing. It was like a middle school dance though- boys outside with the bonfire and girls inside watching the game and talking weddings and babies. We had been planning to leave at halftime but ended up staying the whole game. I was absolutely exhausted this morning though when I tried to get up for work!

Back to the doctor this morning... saw yet a different doctor, one who used to work at AGH in the ER so I had a little bit more faith in him. He also believes it may be a torn meniscus or ligament. He wanted me to do physical therapy and wasnt sure why they havent set it up yet... and he finally was the one to refer me to an orthopedist. So at least now I can see someone who deals with just knee injuries and not a general practitioner.

Madalyn's Room 1/2007

This is a picture of the angel that Gene and Megan gave us for Madalyn's room, and of her stuffed puppy Allie. Also her completed changing table and her closet full of pink clothes!

Western Vacation pictures

Here are pictures from our vacation out West in September....


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Last week of the second trimester

I am now almost halfway through the last week of my second trimester... I cant believe it! On Thursday we will start the 13 week countdown until our little baby is here. April seems so far away, but thinking of it in terms of weeks makes it seem like such a short time until we get to meet our daughter. On Thursday we have our 27 week appointment and ultrasound, so I will have some pictures of Miss Madalyn to post. It really seems like just yesterday I was seeing her heartbeat at 6 weeks!

Shawn and I are already practicing for those sleepless nights! I have become quite the insomniac these days, which means he is up as well. Every time I lay down I feel like I cant breathe, and when I move to get her to shift to a different part of my uterus, she always chooses my bladder area, so then there are the umpteen million bathroom trips all night. Poor Allie (who gets up to check on me every time I get up to go to the bathroom) doesnt get any sleep either! Last night I tried sleeping in the guest room for a little bit, but I couldnt sleep in there either and figured at least my own bed was more comfortable to toss and turn in! I think I need to learn to sleep sitting up... time to go rocking chair shopping!

Grandma Swanson bought some more pink stuff for the baby... this time a cute little plate with pink piggies on it... I think she is finally beginning to believe she may get a granddaughter after all!

This week we officially picked a wedding date and site... we will be getting married October 20th at Eventfuls in Newberry. Thats the day after my parents wedding anniversary, and Im pretty certain Shawn's parents got married in October as well. We are trying to get as much of the "big" wedding stuff taken care of before Madalyn joins us, so we arent juggling too much with the baby and wedding all at once. I only want to have to do the fun stuff after she is here... none of the hard work and coordinating!

We HAVE to take come belly pictures and get them on here... I am ashamed of myself that I havent taken any as of yet. At least now I look pregnant and not just like I have a big beer belly! And those prenatal vitamins are finally starting to make a difference... my hair and nails grow so fast! I am going to try to take advantage of it while I can.

Work update... still on light duty, and looks like this will be it for the long haul, even though I despise office work! I talked to the risk management lady and she seems to think that until I can be properly evaluated I will be unable to return to duty, and I cant be properly evaluated without an MRI and I cant have one of those until the baby is born. So... looks like this will be my home until she is here.... which sucks, but it safer for her and I have to keep reminding myself of that. But I really DO miss running calls and being at my own station with my own partner and all. But I go back to the doctor sometime this week and we will see what he has to say... then we will know for sure what I will be doing.

Happy New Years Eve

I cant believe this is the last day of 2006... what a ride it has been to say the very least!

We had a great past few days... after the unplanned trip to the doctor and day off of my feet I felt a lot better. Dont want to have to rehydrate with that much Gatorade again anytime soon though! Friday night we had our friends Carey and Zach with his little girl Kya, Mike, Gene and Megan over to hang out. It was a great time... we just sat around and watched football and caught up since it had been awhile since the last time we had seen most of them. Megan and Gene brought us this beautiful angel statue for the baby's room... we have it sitting on her bookshelf right now. It was so nice of them to bring it for us. Allie had a great time running around playing with Kya until it was her bedtime.. then she kept going into the guest room to check on her! It was so cute... she is going to be such a great big sister for Madalyn (once she gets over the original shock of not being the only baby in the house anymore!)

Yesterday we got to have a lazy day where we did basically nothing all day... it was the first time in awhile that we have had one of those. Later in the afternoon we went out to Publix and bought some crab legs and oysters and came back to the house and had Shawn's brother and his friend over for dinner and more football watching. It was great... perfect weather to fire up the grill and cook outside. I even particpated in eating some of the seafood...

Hope everyone has a happy and safe new years eve!

A little scare

Well we had a little scare today... last evening I started having some cramps and was really uncomfortable. I figured it wasn't anything to worry about, so I went to bed. But when I woke up this morning I still didnt feel right, so I called Shawn's mother. She said I might be dehydrated and that can trigger preterm labor, which was probably what all the cramping was related to. So she recommended I head over to the doctors office. I went over there and they were able to fit me in right away, so we could check everything out. I wasn't dilated at all but my cervix was a little soft, so they put me on the fetal monitor to see if I was having any contractions. I got to lay there for about half an hour and listen to her heartbeating... no real contractions, so he said I was fine to go home and drink LOTS of Gatorade because he thinks I am probably a little dehydrated. So Im on bed rest for the day... sitting on the couch being bored. But he seems to think everything will be fine once I get my electrolytes back to normal.

So it was a little scare... but I feel MUCH better knowing that she is fine! I hate to feel like I was worried for nothing, but I would hate it even more if I ignored what my body was trying to tell me and put her into danger!

While I was there they called and checked on my Glucola test, and my sugars came back okay! My doctor still wants me to watch my carb intake but at least I wont have to check my sugars 4 times a day!

Glucola screening, take two!

This morning I had my second glucola screening, which meant nothing to eat after 7 last night. Normally I wouldnt even eat after that anyways, but something about not being allowed to eat makes you hungry! I planned to get up at 7 am today and head to the lab... but didnt actually make it there until 10 am. Big mistake. I knew I would be starving by 1, which I was. They drew my blood 4 times... and almost forgot the last one (it should have been done at 1:25) so I had to remind them... and they drew it at 1:45. Not such a big deal to them, but pregnant ladies arent meant to fast for that long. I think I could have eaten paper by the time I left there. I should have brought some food to have in the car, but wasnt that smart! Now I have to wait until Friday to get the results back. I actually got a LOT accomplished while I waited for my blood to be drawn... updated my whole address book and make a bunch of wedding related phone calls, so it really was a productive day when it came down to it.

Apparently October is a popular wedding month here.... so its been hard coordinating everything on the date we want! Luckily I am up for the challenge right now, with not much else going on in my life (the calm before the storm!)

Yesterday we went to visit Brian and Kristi in the hospital... Kristi is another female firefighter who works for the city of Newberry and she just had a baby boy Kole Roberts on Christmas Eve. He is so adorable! She had lots of advice for me, which is really nice... and the best thing about Kristi is that she doesnt sugar coat things and can tell me how bad contractions really hurt! She ended up having an emergency C Section after his heartrate started dropping.... but she said that as fearful as she was about having a C section, she would do it again in a heartbeat because its way less painful than labor! At least it eased my C section fears a little bit! I think seeing Kole actually here made it all the more realistic that soon we are going to have a little one of our own! Kristi was 14 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy... so its hard to believe than in 14 or 15 weeks Madalyn will be here! 3 and a half months seems so far, but when you think of the weeks it isnt far at all!

I am very quickly coming to the end of my second trimester, which really is the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy. I can already see where the third becomes more uncomfortable. My belly is getting HUGE (I will post belly pics soon... I PROMISE!) and its hard to get comfortable at night. I cant wait until we find our rocking chair... because then I can go sit in her room on all those sleepless nights and remind myself that it will all be worth it in the end! :)

Merry Christmas 2006

Our Christmas has been so wonderful! Since I had to work today we ended up doing most of the celebrating on Saturday and Sunday. The best part of the weekend was early Saturday morning when we first woke up and Madalyn was kicking me... finally hard enough for Shawn to feel. He felt her kick several times, and then could see in my belly where she would make it move when she kicked! It was so amazing to be able to share it with him after all these weeks of him not being able to feel her.

What a whirlwind weekend we had! Saturday morning my parents came and spent the day with Shawn and I. Mom took me shopping (we havent done that in ages!) and we left the men at home watching movies. While we were gone Shawn and Dad finished the hutch for the changing table and put it up... what a great surprise! When we came home we watched the basketball game for awhile, then Jenna, Brad and Savannah came over for presents. It was wonderful getting to see my neice open all of her presents... she loved the play money piggy bank we bought her and she kept banging all of the plastic coins together. She has grown up so much in the last month since i saw her!

After dinner my parents and I headed to Cabana Cove for dinner, then came home and opened our presents. My parents bought me a photo printer... so now I can overwhelm everyone with baby pictures just as soon as I take them! :) They bought Shawn a new tool chest which he absolutely LOVED, and a remote control so we could eliminate having 5 remotes just to operate the TV!! It is really nice and programmable.... right up his alley. He loved them so much... and my Dad had a great time picking out little trinkets for Shawn's toolbox. It is so special to me to have a family that has welcomed Shawn and his family as they have.

The next morning we had Shawn's parents over for breakfast and opened presents with them and we got a DVD video camera! So we can make lots of home movies of the baby... it was so exciting! We had planned to go to Orlando that afternoon, but our plans changed so my parents went home to meet Brad and Jenna and we had Shawn's family over for dinner and a movie last night. It was a great Christmas Eve.... and so wonderful to spend time with our families. Shawn's mother even bought something pink for the baby... guess she is finally starting to believe she is going to have a granddaughter!

Allie had a great time opening her presents and got lots of toys to play with. I think her sheep is her new favorite....

Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

A MAYONNAISE JAR AND 2 CUPS OF COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much too
handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty
mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked
the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and
poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the
golf balls. He then asked the students again if the
jar was full they agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up
everything else. He asked once more if the jar was
full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that this jar represents
your life. The golf ball s are the important things-
your God, family, your children, your health, your
friends, and your favorite passions--things that if
everything else was lost and only they remained your
life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
and your car.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life. If you spend all your time
and energy on the small stuff, you will never have
room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to ..nyour
happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get
medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18. There will always be time to clean
the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that
rea lly matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just
sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just
goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's
always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Glucola Screening

So this morning as I sit at my deck (I hate saying my desk! I hate light duty!) I get a call from my doctors office saying that I failed my Glucola test and that my sugar was 152 and 130 is the highest they can accept as "normal." So next week I have to go in for the 3 hour test.... which means sitting there and drinking that nasty stuff again and constantly getting my blood redrawn. The nurse said its not too much to worry about because I hadnt fasted before the first test.... but I HAD fasted, so I would get a more accurate result. So that makes it a little more worrisome...

And on top of that Im anemic! I expected to be, because I have been exhausted lately and doing small things wipes me out. So Im not at all surprised I have to start taking iron supplements.... just one more pill for me to have to swallow. They have to be taken 2 hours after a meal, and I need to make sure Im getting enough Vitamin C to help me absorb the iron.

Im honestly not really stressed about if I have gestational diabetes... just frustrated because i try to eat healthy and for the first time in my life I feel like my body is turning on me (probably because of dealing with my knee on top of all this!) If I have it, I have it... it just means I have to be even more careful about what I eat... and that really is not a big deal. It just means better meal planning and packing food when I come to work. I know it wont hurt her, and my doctor wont let me deliver vaginally if there is a chance it wont be safe for me or for her.... just my biggest pregnancy fear is having a C section and if I have GD it will increase the likelihood that I may need one. I think thats the biggest worry that I have.

I think I will go for the test next week. I wanted to go Tuesday because at least then Shawn could keep me company, but unfortunately they are closed so I will be sitting there by myself for 3 hours. Maybe I can bring a pillow and a blanket and take a nap!

Madalyn Jean's room

The baby's room is coming along! When we see Grandma and Grandpa Hill this weekend they are bringing the hutch to go on top of her changing table, and we will be ordering the crib shortly after Christmas. Now we are on the hunt for the perfect chair! I cant wait to get the hutch all put up because then we can start putting her books and her stuffed animals away. Tonight Shawn and I put up the wallpaper border.... no easy task, let me tell you! I know if he didnt love me so much he would have said "screw it" halfway through because it was such a pain! But its all finished now and looks great!

And he is out back putting up even MORE Christmas lights... though these are blue icicles that hang from the fence that I think we will leave up all year because they look so good!

Looks like more light duty

So today had my recheck at the doctors for my knee and he was much better than the first doctor that I saw. But he didnt have good news... He thinks I possibly have some torn cartilage, which basically means a torn meniscus... but wants an MRI to be sure. I would need surgery to fix it... but no surgeon will want to operate on me being pregnant. So... leave there with the idea that I am going for an MRI to figure out exactly what we are looking at... but then get a call back that the MRI place wont do one while I am pregnant. Long story short, still on light duty, and looks like for awhile because noone can do anything for until Madalyn is born, but cant come back to work until my knee is better. So this is my new home (scheduling) for now. It sucks... I want to be on the road so badly... and this is so boring. I am trying to see the bright side here... which I guess I feel better because the doctor said there was something wrong and Id rather think there is something wrong then think that Im feeling pain for no reason!

So anyways, light duty for me for the time being.

Allie has been a bad dog lately... she decided she wanted to sleep on a fluffy cloud bed and pulled all of the stuffing out of her bed while she was in her crate. So now she gets to sleep on the metal because Im not going to buy her another bed until she grows out of her destructive phase! She looked so guilty when she was caught...that it was almost cute. Almost. Then I remembered how much money her bed was! At nights we have been letting her sleep with the crate not locked and she always comes to sleep on the side of the bed that I am on until about midway through the night when she goes to the guest room and sleeps on that bed! in the mornings we find her all curled up with her head on a pillow.... she is so spoiled! Yesterday I was trying to wrap presents and I had a phone call while in the middle of wrapping hers (yes, I wrap dog presents!) and I came back to the room and she had decided she wanted to test out one of the presents and was standing there playing with it. I dont think she quite understood the concept of waiting until Christmas!

Cant believe how close Christmas is.... its right around the corner! My family is coming up Saturday and I think Saturday night we are going to have our exchange of presents... then brunch with Shawn's family and mine Sunday morning, then that afternoon we will head to Orlando to have dinner with Jeff, Casey and Josh Swanson... then back to Gainesville because both Shawn's mother and I have to work on Monday! It will be busy but it will be nice to be able to see the whole family in two days!

Guess I should head to bed (good thing about light duty... not wondering how many calls I will have tonight.... just have to be up at 0600 for scheduling...) I have to go get blood drawn for my first Glucola test in the morning... and all I have heard is horror stories about how nasty the stuff is!

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Another day, another dollar...

Well today is my first official day of light duty... and totally not baby related. According to the GENIUS workmans comp doc in a box I have a sprained left knee. Which he could tell without even looking at it... must be MRI vision or something. So I am on light duty today and will go back Tuesday for a recheck in the morning and see what they have to say.... fun huh? I am also going for my glucola screening Tuesday morning as well... will just get up early, drink the nasty looking stuff, go get blood drawn then head to the doctor. If he clears me for work then I get to go back on the road... if not, I get to head to HQ for some paperwork, then back to St 16 for scheduling again. FUN! My OB doc is still letting me work for now, so I feel like I am using up my last time on the road by being off for my knee which sucks!

I am amazed at how busy Miss Madalyn is these days! She is kicking up a storm... it is such a great feeling. Its like she is playing in there or something. Last evening before we went out I was laying on the bed and Shawn came over and kissed me on the stomach and as soon as he touched me she kicked him! It was so cute, like she was saying "hi" to her Daddy. He didnt feel it though, but every time he touched my stomach for like 15 minutes she would kick! I just know that she is going to be a Daddy's girl... and I know that he will spoil her rotten! One of these days I will scan the most recent ultrasound picture that I have and get it on here....

Tomorrow is Christmas shopping day... I think we are going to head out early to try to beat the crowds. Ha ha ha... Im sure they will already be there! I want more than anything to get all of the Christmas presents bought and wrapped tomorrow... I certainly hope that isnt too lofty of a goal!

Some of my girlfriends are planning to throw an engagement party for Shawn and I... plans are still early in the works, but we are probably going to have it January 14th.... so i am super excited about being able to get everyone together and celebrate all of the happy things going on in our lives!

Here's our stroller!

Well we finally found the stroller Monday after my doctors appointment, which has been no easy feat as the only pattern that I like is now discontinued.... but when we walked into Toys R Us to do some Christmas shopping I found a brand new pattern that I fell in love with... so we snatched it up. So we are now chair shopping because thats the last big purchase that we need to make...