The Beetus and What in the HELL was that?

So I'll get the crappy news out of the way first - I failed my one-hour gestational diabetes test. My highest allowed score was a 130 and I got a153. Extra credit is not good in this situation, so now I'm slightly freaked out. Tuesday is my next appointment which will include a 3-hour test. Draw blood, drink super sugary flat Sunkist, draw blood again several times over the next 3 hours to see how my blood processes sugar over time. Fun and exciting, I simply cannot wait.

If I do end up having gestational diabetes, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I've done well with controlling my portions, staying active even when I don't feel like it and generally just trying to be healthier. Both of my grandmothers had the beetus later in life so it very well could be genetics that are working against me, not my occasional bad habits. Either way, it will be a pain to deal with poking myself for the next few months if I come back positive, but I can handle it. And maybe my change in diet will get Joshua to change his less-than-healthy eating habits too. I should know my fate by the end of next week.

And now the coolest thing ever.

Last night we had an Ordeal of the IKEA Variety. We (and by "we" I mean Joshua and David while I was at a baby shower for my dear friend Carol) bought an amazing entertainment center that bolts to the wall and has doors to hide stuff and also doesn't look like it's about to topple over onto small children. All these things are a massive bonus given our impending arrival and the already very active toddlers we have in our life. Hooray for no more of my hovering next to the TV.

Of course if you've ever purchased something from IKEA you know it's not always quite as easy as it sounds, or looks. Creepy illustrations of safety dos and don'ts complement the pages upon pages of steps instructing you, the sucker consumer, where to insert small pegs and hand-screw oddly-shaped bolts. Ingenious designs, but totally a pain in the ass.

This is where it gets cool.

Into hour 4 of our IKEA Ordeal, way past my bedtime especially given the amount of socializing I had done for the day, I'm in a foul mood and coming down off what is surely my 18th wind while laying on the couch, half-watching Joshua affix the doors to the shelving units. Shirt up to give the belly some air, resting my hand where Squirrel usually hangs out, not really wanting or hoping for anything extraordinary to happen because surely she's is just as tired and uncomfortable and pissed off as I am.

And then, my belly hits a 9 on the Richter scale. The symbiote is having an incredible rock concert that shakes my entire stomach and as suddenly as it started, it stops... and a tiny appendage pokes up, makes its way across about 3 inches of stomach, and disappears.

Peter, Paul and Mary what in the HELL was that??

It was like Shark Week... a single fin emerging from the mysterious deep, narrated by Jacques Cousteau in my delirious brain. I'd been given a live, non-electronically-assisted glimpse of something human inside me and my only verbal response was some combination of "whooooaaaa" and "oh WOW that was weird". I begged her to do it again. I even called her by her full name in true mom-style, hoping to strike fear into her precious little heart to perform for me one more time. No luck. And I have yet to feel another knee... or elbow.

Her performance did thrust me into my 19th wind, and we did end up finishing the entire 3 pieces of the entertainment center and shelving that we purchased, albeit not completely finalized nor bolted to the wall. A kick, nudge, fin from her is all it took to get me back into a productive, happier mood. Looking forward to much more of that sort of unconditional, innocent encouragement outside of the womb from you, Squirrel.

The mostly finished product of our IKEA Ordeal. Doors and drawers make me happy in the mommy pants.

It's a squirrel!

TP measurement for today is 11.75 squares... but that's not at all the biggest news of the day.

We're having a sweet baby squirrel... I mean girl and I couldn't be more thrilled!!

I'd gotten to the point of quitting trying to decide what I felt like "it was" and just let it be. Not like I could change anything, nor could anyone else who may have wanted things one way or another. So, with that attitude, despite all my trepidation and whining about surprises, we were off to the land of 30 minute ultrasounds.

The found the placenta and Head measurement first, looked great. The technician said there was a good-looking brain in there, like her mom. Then onto arms, hands, spine, stomach, kidneys, legs, feet, heart, arteries and those "3 lines" they always look for when they don't see a twig and berries. Her legs were crossed during the ultrasound, which if I remember correctly from my mom, my legs were also crossed at my ultrasound. We're ladies.

At one point the tech had her foot in full view. The tech was pushing and prodding around still, and baby girl did NOT like that at all and kicked away from the wand. I can't wait until Joshua and I can really feel her kick and punch. We got to see her face too. She was just chillin' and grinning.

Two of our friends also found out the sexes of their little ones today... a girl and a boy. Out little jellybean will surely have her pick of all the boys in our group of friends.

I have to say, calling her "she" instead of "the baby" or "symbiote" or "it" feels a lot better. We got a video and pictures, albeit only a few pictures. Once I get them online I'll add them to the blog.

Check up, check in

I was a little disappointed that there was no ultrasound with my most recent appointment on May 13. I was hoping to see more baby acrobatics! That's ok though, everything was great, 150 bmp heartbeat and baby was very low.

In the days since the appointment I've started feeling for baby. We've borrowed a stethoscope and have had a little luck hearing baby's heartbeat and movements. I'm starting to tell the difference between what's just digestion and what's baby jiggles. It's a different kind of bubbly feeling.

As I'm typing this, baby's doing something..... I really can't wait to be used as a punching and kicking bag in a few weeks!!

Speaking of a few weeks, June 14 we find out if we're having a Male Symbiotic Jellybean or a Female Symbiotic Jellybean. Exciting!

A lot of women I talk with wanted their docs to do ultrasounds early to try and figure out the sex. At week 12 or 13 some trained technicians can tell, apparently. But it's funny... For the first time in my life I'm ok with waiting for something. I was the kid who knew where the Christmas presents were and peeked at them all (sorry Mom!) but this is one little present that I don't mind waiting for.

Jumping jellybean

Well, I left this quite alone for a while... but it's ok, because honestly, the last few weeks have been really, really boring. No morning sickness, no more really weird out-of-the-ordinary smells (though I can still smell for miles), no growing to speak of...

But today the baby jumped. During my second appointment and a really quick ultrasound, I saw and heard the heartbeat again. I couldn't really make out the shape of the little symbiot, although I know now it looks much more human. It was very still for a bit and then BLOOP! It jumped! My doctor and I both laughed, it was great to see.

I'm knocking on the door to the second trimester... and I am SO SO ready!

First Ultrasound

First ultrasound today! I was so surprised to see AND hear the heartbeat. We saw a very small sour patch kid who looks like it's blowing a bubble of gum. That's the yolk sac, which will be the baby's sustenance until the placenta is formed. My doctor moved the due date back a week to November 3, based on the size of the baby.

Pics!!