Sugar and Spice

We had another appointment with our midwife today. Usually Joel comes with me to all of my appointments, but Isabel came down with a really bad flu this week and Joel had to stay home with her today. We were all disappointed. Joel loves coming to our appointments so he can hear and see our baby and this was going to be Isabel's first time to see the baby on the ultrasound. The good news is that my mom was able to come with me instead. She was able to meet the midwife and see and hear the baby! Now she knows what this midwife thing is all about!! We were hoping to find out the gender of the baby today, but since Joel and Isabel weren't there we'll have to wait another 3 weeks until my next appointment. Another big disappointment ... we are so anxious to know what the baby is so we can start planning!! We went ahead and had a brief ultrasound so that Grannie could see the new baby. Merrie was very careful to stay in the head and chest region so we didn't "accidentally" see something we didn't want to see! We were able to see the baby's skeleton really well this time. We could clearly see the spine and ribs and we were able to count 5 fingers on one hand! Once again the baby was moving around a ton in there. At one point it looked like the baby was sucking its thumb. The baby is measuring right on as is my uterus!! Merrie said that the heartbeat sounds like a girl this time. Although I did have a dream a few nights ago that it was a boy. I'm dying to know!!!! Everything looked great! We got my lab results back and everything looks perfect except that I appear to have low blood sugar which actually explains A LOT!! Merrie said that it just means that I need to eat often and I need to make sure I eat protein snacks instead of a lot of sugar. Not eating often enough could cause me to feel nauseous and icky. Apparently when my blood sugar drops really low, my pancreas has to shoot out a bunch of insulin to bring it back up and that causes my blood sugar to spike, but then it drops really low again and that's when I don't feel well. Also, my kidneys don't seem to be able to handle the extra insulin and it spills out into my urine. All very scientific!! This would explain why I have had some days where I appeared to not feel good for no reason, and why ,after I ate a meal, I felt better for awhile. I'm glad there was an explanation and it is fixable! Merrie assured me that it is nothing to worry about, I just need to monitor my eating schedule! So, that is the scoop for the week! Tune in next week for more exciting baby news!
Also, Isabel is potty training this week and is doing marvelously. She had been wearing her big-girl panties full time for a couple of days until she got sick. We are taking a hiatus from the potty training while she recovers, but will pick up again once she is feeling better. We are hoping she doesn't digress since she has been wearing diapers again. She was doing so well, it would be a shame if we had to start over :( We'll hope for the best! Wish us luck!!!

Here is how the baby is growing ... At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.