28 weeks!

Happy belated Thanksgiving! We had a really nice meal and visit with Eric, Melissa, Ruby, & Mable on Thursday! I made it a vow to eat whatever I wanted on Thanksgiving and not allow my diabetic diet to ruin the festivities. I'll admit, I was a little nervous about how high my blood sugar would shoot up after eating dressing, corn casserole, and sweet potatoes. But, much to my surprise, my sugar level was only 111 just two hours after eating! I was shocked!! It just goes to show that sometimes, in pregnancy, your blood sugar can be more affected by what your hormones are doing that day than by what you eat. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and went back to my diabetic diet the next morning, like a good borderline-GD mommy-to-be.

I must note that, the night before, I had a few kitchen mishaps which I blame entirely on pregnancy fatigue. I had decided that I would make the ambrosia salad and cranberry salad the night before, since they needed to set up in the fridge for several hours. Mishap #1: While cooking the cherry jello on the stove, I walked away for 10 seconds and it completely boiled over -- gelatin and all. Needless to say, we had a yucky, red, gelatinous mess all over the stove top. Shawn quickly came to my rescue and cleaned it all up. Mishap #2: While preparing the ingredients for the ambrosia salad, I dropped the glass pyrex measuring cup on the floor and it shattered in 5 million pieces on the floor. We found glass all over the kitchen, in the dining room, in the living room... it was everywhere. So Shawn sent me outside with the dogs to get some fresh air while he cleaned it all up. He's my hero. The food turned out great in the end, but I was extremely exhausted. I guess growing a small human will do that to ya. ;-)

How I’m Changing

Total weight gain: 13 lbs (0 lb gain this week)

Maternity clothes? yes

Stretch marks? no

Sleep: pretty solid (and I'll enjoy it as long as I can!)

Best moment this week: making it to the 3rd trimester!

Miss Anything? my old eating habits :-(

Movement: lots of flips and turns throughout the day & night

Food cravings: not really, just miss bread & sugar a little
Anything making you queasy or sick: no

Gender: girl

Symptoms: swollen feet & ankles

Belly Button in or out? in, just barely

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: grouch

Looking forward to: my mom coming to help decorate for Christmas and set up the nursery next weekend!

Blake Alexis Kirby Week 28 Update:

Your baby's the size of an eggplant! Putting on layers of fat, your baby now weighs in around 1.5 to 2.5 pounds and measures about 13.6 to 14.8 inches. She's starting to develop more fat, so her wrinkly skin will start to get smoother. Her lungs are mature enough that she'd probably survive if she was born now. Wow!

27 weeks! & 3D/4D Ultrasound

Today was our 3D/4D ultrasound! We got to see our little princess the way we will see her in 3 months or less! It made everything so much more real. Unfortunately, she was being a little stubborn and wouldn't let us see her very well. First of all, she was laying in a transverse position, which made it a little harder for the sonographer to capture her face. The rest of the time, she was either chewing on her umbilical cord, putting her arm behind her head, or flailing her legs and feet up by her face. All of this silliness really made it hard to get good photos. But she was cute. We even saw her yawn! At one point, we thought she might even be a boy! But then we realized that there were still 3 lines and that maybe her little girl parts were slightly swollen, which is common. The important part is, she's still a girl! Our sonographer told us to come back in 3 weeks for a complimentary scan so we can try to see her little face better. I was pretty excited about that. Who knows how much she will grow & fill out by then! Until then, here are some 3D images of Miss Blake Alexis...

Showing the world that she's a girl... ha!

Both feet up by her face!

How I’m Changing

Total weight gain: 13 lbs (1 lb gain this week)

Maternity clothes? yes

Stretch marks? nope

Sleep: most nights, pretty good. i have been tired lately!

Best moment this week: 3D/4D scan

Miss Anything? no

Movement: our little gymnast moves a lot, especially at night and early in the morning

Food cravings: not really
Anything making you queasy or sick: no

Gender: girl

Symptoms: swollen feet & ankles, but the cooler weather helps a little

Belly Button in or out? in, but it's getting more shallow

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: pretty irritable some days

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving this week with Eric, Melissa, Ruby, & Mable!

Blake Alexis Kirby Week 27 Update:

Your baby's the size of a rutabaga! At 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, she's not just getting bigger, she's getting smarter. She's practicing inhaling and exhaling with her rapidly developing lungs. It's official: Baby's showing brain activity! And her brain will keep on getting more complex.

Glucose Testing

Last week was my 1-hour glucose screening. I had to drink a bottle of glucola at work and go in to my OB office 1 hour later for a blood draw. The next day, I received a call from the nurse telling me that I just barely failed the test. They like to see a patient's blood sugar to be no more than 140, and mine was 155. So, that meant that I would need to do the 3-hour glucose tolerance test a few days later. Boo. :-(

I took off Friday morning from work to go in for the 3-hour testing. When I arrived at the OB office, I had to do a fasting blood draw and then drink a much sweeter glucola drink than the 1-hour test. Then I had to wait 1 hour and take another blood draw, wait 1 more hour and another blood draw, and then wait a 3rd hour and a final blood draw. After the 1st hour, I was really starting to feel hot and shaky sitting out in the waiting room. I mentioned it to the lab tech, and I'm so glad that I did. She found a cool, quiet room with a recliner for me to sit in for the duration of the test. It made all the difference in the world! While I was sitting there (bored to tears), I decided to text my friend/co-worker Karen a pic of how yucky I felt:

haha! pitiful!

Today, they called me with the results. I passed... but just barely. My final blood sugar draw after 3 hours was 136. But, since it was so borderline, my OB has decided to treat me for gestational diabetes anyway -- just to be safe. So, this Saturday, a home healthcare nurse will be coming to my house to show me how to take my blood sugar and talk about starting a diabetic diet. Needless to say, I am less than thrilled. However, I always like to try to find the silver lining in yucky situations. I think being on a new diet will help me to maintain my weight throughout the rest of my pregnancy. So far, I have been eating pretty much whatever I want. And I have been lucky that I haven't really gained much up to this point. But I know that will only last so long -- especially in the 3rd trimester. Also, I need to do whatever it takes to make sure that Blake is as safe and healthy as possible. So, if a modified diet is what it takes, then consider it done! Bring it on!

26 weeks! & Woodlands Shower

Today was my shower in The Woodlands! Shawn's grandma and sister came into town yesterday just for the occasion. This shower was hosted by my "2nd momma" Sue Franklin and sweet sister-in-law Melissa -- love them both so much! My parents traveled down for the weekend as well, despite my mom having a really bad eye infection -- she's my hero! Due to the busy time of year, unfortunately many of my friends were out of town this weekend and unable to attend the shower. But the few who were able to come really showed me what true friendship really means! Each one of them came from all over Houston and traveled at least an hour to be there. I appreciate each person who was there today to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Blake Alexis. My heart was so touched today! Here are some pics from the weekend... Enjoy!

Friday night at Grimaldi's

Grammy and her girls

Sisters-in-Law!

Ruby helping Aunt Jen open gifts

It's a teddy bear from Papa & Grammy!

Hostess Sue & sis-in-law Megan

The wonderful food spread!

Ruby & Mable opening gifts!

R&M with their "cake-cakes" (aka cupcakes)

Grandma Neva, Steph, & Jenny

The gracious mom-to-be

Outfits for Blake! from Mel & the girls

More outfits, including the going-home dress

Pretty, pink dress from Momma Sue

Miss Ruby smiling pretty at Tommy Bahamas

How I’m Changing

Total weight gain: 12 lbs (no gain this week)

Maternity clothes? yes

Stretch marks? not 1 so far! (knock on wood)

Sleep: good

Best moment this week: Woodlands shower!

Miss Anything? not really

Movement: yes!

Food cravings: nothing new or unusual
Anything making you queasy or sick: no

Gender: girl

Symptoms: swollen feet & ankles

Belly Button in or out? in, but it's getting more shallow

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: depends

Looking forward to: 3D/4D scan next weekend!

Blake Alexis Kirby Week 26 Update:

Your baby's the size of a head of lettuce! She's still growing in the 13.6- to 14.8-inch and 1.5- to 2.5-pound range, and developing her senses, features and talents!  Her eyes are forming, and his eyes will soon start to open. And her eyelashes are now grown, too.She's getting her immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up your antibodies.She's taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.

25w4d Ultrasound

Today we had a followup ultrasound with Dr. Earhart, our Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist. There were a few things on the 20-week anatomy scan that she was unable to see due to the baby's position. So she wanted us to come back in to re-check everything. Thankfully, everything appeared to be normal and on track. Blake measured at around 25w1d, which is a few days behind but still within range. And she weighs 1 pound 13 ounces. Unfortunately, the images they got on paper weren't the best (below). Blake kept changing positions and didn't cooperate very well. But the pictures will still go in the baby book. Dr. Earhart wants to see us back in 5 weeks (at 30w5d), just to make sure everything is still going well. She likes to follow IVF patients closely, as there can sometimes be complications. Although, in our case, she is just being precautious. So far, this pregnancy is going as well as can be expected. Thanks be to God! :-)

Face

Profile (take 1)

Profile (take 2)

25 weeks! & Tyler Shower

Today was our Tyler baby shower! So many wonderful women showed up to celebrate Miss Blake's upcoming arrival. We are so blessed. Most of the women I grew up with in church and had not seen since high school! It was so good to see everyone. Blake received lots of nice gifts. She is a very lucky little girl! The majority of the day was spent hearing everyone tell me to lay down and put my feet up. Haha! I guess they didn't like seeing my huge, swollen feet! It was also nice to spend some time with my family, as always. Here are a few pics from the shower:

Mom & Me

Game Time

Mable & Nana

How I’m Changing

Total weight gain: 12 lbs (no gain this week)

Maternity clothes? of course

Stretch marks? not yet...

Sleep: pretty good, when I'm not struggling to breathe from chest or nose congestion

Best moment this week: Tyler shower!

Miss Anything? small feet :-(

Movement: oh yes! and ready for shawn to feel it all the time.

Food cravings: i'll let you guess...
Anything making you queasy or sick: no

Gender: girl

Symptoms: swollen feet & ankles

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: depends

Looking forward to: The Woodlands shower next weekend!

Baby Kirby Week 25 Update:

Your baby's the size of a cauliflower!

During month six, the average fetus measures about 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. She's enjoying her new sense of equilibrium -- she now knows which way is up and which is down. She's growing more fat and more hair too!

Josie Duggar was born at 25 weeks... tiny!