Week 126

Jul 27-Aug 2

We are in the home stretch! We have been super busy getting everything ready for the big move coming up next week! :) I am sooooo excited I can't stand it! I finished up my last week at work which was definitely bittersweet. When I made the transition from pediatrics to the ER last summer everything was so different than it is now. We had tons of staff and everyone was happy to work there. One of the things I liked the most was that everyone was a family and took care of each other. Many of us would go on play dates outside of work and invite each other to the kids' birthday parties. It was nice.

Suddenly in the past 6 months or so things have gone downhill. The new company made lots of cuts to staff. People started to get stressed out and quit. Now we have lost the majority of the staff and it's no longer enjoyable to go to work. There are a few people left and that is what made it bittersweet. I didn't want to leave them stranded. I'm sure by the end of this year they will all move on to bigger and better things. I wish everyone the best. I am sad to leave, but excited at the same time to get back into pediatrics. Everyone was so sweet on my last day. They got a cake and the sweetest card. I will miss all of my coworkers!!!

On another note I had what seemed like a million appointments this week. OB/GYN which went very well and everything is right on track. Endocrinologist. You all know how I feel about the endocrinologist. She was very nice and said I was doing everything right, following my diet, blah, blah...but she wants my morning sugars to be below 90 and they were running 92-96. She put me on an insulin called Lantus (a very low dose) at night to get my morning sugars down. Now I get to stick my fingers 8+ times a day and then shoot up my side with insulin at night. Not pleasant.

I really hate the whole gestational diabetes thing. I think this is a large part of why I hate being pregnant. It feels like when you are pregnant you already give up everything "fun" like drinking or working out. I can't tell you how much I want a cold beer and to be able to go running or do an Insanity workout. So the only thing that is left is an occasional splurge with your food. I can't even do that. I constantly worry about my sugars and everything that goes into my mouth. I wonder if I'm going to pay for it. I think a pregnant lady should be able to eat a slice of pie or a doughnut every once in awhile. I can't. At least without consequences and severe guilt.

This past week even when I was eating the correct diet my sugars were still running high because I got a cold from Jack and it made everything go even more out of whack. It is so frustrating. There is lots of pressure because the more uncontrolled my sugars are, the higher the likelihood of the baby's sugar "bottoming out" at birth like Jack's did. As most of you know this resulted in a 4 day NICU stay and an IV in his head. The whole "birth experience" sucked ass for me. It was the most stressful time of my life and I feel like if I can't control my sugars and the same thing happens to this baby then it is all my fault. It sucks. I just want the next few weeks to fly by and I can only pray that everything with my delivery goes smoothly.

The other appointment I had this week was the dentist for a cleaning. Jack also got to get his teeth checked out. One of his favorite shows is called "Peppa Pig" and we had recorded an episode where they went to the dentist. We watched it that afternoon before going and he was very excited to meet the dentist. They were super sweet and let him sit in the chair. He got to have his teeth counted and checked out by Dr Calderon. They gave him toothpaste, stickers, a new tooth brush, and even let him pick a prize out of the treasure chest. He was pretty stoked about the whole thing. Hopefully he will remember this when we take him to the dentist for his first real cleaning. Super cute!

Week 125

July 20-26

Now that we are nearing our big departure from the lovely state of Florida we have suddenly become very busy! Pretty much everything is arranged as far as packers, movers, cleaners, inspection. As you know the new house is pretty much set up. My lovely brother Will graciously painted some of the bedrooms for me. I'm not usually super picky with paint colors, but the previous owners had big rainbow murals on the bedroom walls. I don't really think that will match Jack's future fire fighter themed room. Luckily I have a single brother with lots of time and who doesn't mind making some bonus cash while helping out his preggo sister. He said he would do it for free but I didn't mind paying him because painting is a pain in the ***.

The kids eating at their tiny table!

So anyways we are getting things ready and also trying to fit in last minute fun with our friends here. We are also trying to eat at all of our favorite restaurants one last time. There are so many unique places in our area that are not chains and we may never eat at again. :( I'm sure we will find new cuisine in Columbia.

Jack's favorite teachers!

Classroom!

Jack has continued to go to school. He goes about two to three times a week for 3 hours in the morning. He LOVES it! As soon as he hears he is going to school that day he wants to get dressed the minute he wakes up. I got to take some pictures of his cute little classroom. They are so organized and everything is labeled (and clean!). He will miss his friends and also his teachers Miss Lis and Miss Vivian! We are so lucky to have drop in child care for the wonderful price of $3/hr including meals. That is one perk I will miss in the military. Next year I guess I will sign Jack up for official preschool.

Pool time!!

We had a play date with Jack's buddy Madilynn. As most of you remember her mom (Andrea) is pregnant too, we are due around the same time. It's fun to hang out because we completely relate to each other having a small child and being very pregnant in the hot FL summer. We met up with them one afternoon at the base pool. Oh how I will miss that pool because it is so kid friendly I can just plop down in the water and let Jack run around freely to play. The day we went it was super busy, but Jack and Madilynn didn't seem to care. They played for quite awhile and were worn out by the time we left.

The adventures of Jack and Madilynn!

They actually did a pretty good job at taking turns.

Love this towel! So convenient!

This past weekend was my work baby shower thrown by the lovely Diane. At work everyone is pregnant it seems...but Jamie and I are due the same day!!! Diane invited all of the ER crew and graciously hosted a double baby shower for Jamie and I. As you can tell from the pictures Jamie is having a baby girl. I thought it was funny because we both kind of wore the same thing. Apparently the proper attire for an 8 month pregnant woman is a sundress in the appropriate color of the gender of the expectant child (white for me since I don't know) and sandals. Haha!

Yum! Compliments of Angelina!

It was so fun to see everyone outside of the hectic Emergency Room craziness! We had plenty of food, drinks, and CAKE! Angelina brought the most beautiful, delicious Publix (my FAVORITE) cake!!!!! Even some of the fire medics stopped by with their truck to hang out. For those of you who aren't familiar with what a fire medic is I will fill you in.

Our Fire Medics!

In FL at some fire stations the fire fighters are required to also become certified paramedics. Many 911 calls are more medically related, even the fire calls. So these guys/girls have certain days they are assigned to the fire truck and other days assigned to an ambulance. This is how we know so many fire fighters in the ER, they drop off patients to us. We really appreciate their hard work and we love them for what they do. Many states will probably soon adapt to this model of emergency services since they really do seem to overlap most of the time. Even Will (my brother the fire fighter) says he goes on tons of medical calls. If the fire truck is the first to respond, they have to secure the scene and stabilize any patients until an ambulance arrives. It saves lots of time when the fire fighters can do the things a paramedic would do. Ed has said he would love to go to paramedic school. I hope he does it because it is all very interesting stuff!!

Presents! :)

Okay I got off the subject....the BABY SHOWER was awesome. We played some fun games like measure a string and guess how big it needs to be to fit around the pregnant woman's belly. We got so many nice gifts from everyone. Stella the Great got me a Victoria's Secret Gift Card. I hope it does not have an expiration date because I am not even walking into that store until after the baby comes and I lose 50 pounds!!!! Hahaha!! Nice thought though. :) Everyone was like, "oh that gift is to be used to start on the next baby." I don't think so. We will have more kids, but not right away!

The Preggos!

The whole shower was a wonderful afternoon. Diane has the nicest house. Her little puppy dogs (Charlie and Carley) were also nice hosts. I have a million thank you notes to write, but it was all worth it! I'm going to be sad to leave all my friends. That is one nice thing about finally moving home...I don't have to leave everyone I have formed bonds with. I am very lucky that in my job there are many people my age with young kids. We hang out all the time outside of work to go on play dates, birthday parties, etc. I have been very fortunate!!!!

The lovely Diane. Awesome nurse and retired fire fighter!!!!

I remember when I first started in the ER I was soooo scared!!! It has been an amazing experience and I have learned so much about nursing. There are some VERY SMART, VERY DEDICATED nurses at the Wu ER. It is sad that they are getting treated so poorly with crappy insurance and low pay. It is a shame. I love you guys and I hope we keep in touch!!!!