Typical Day

8:00am - Wake up so I can check my blood sugar (ouch!), give myself two different insulin shots and eat a diabetic approved breakfast.

8:30am - Drop off Ryan's car at the shop for what will surely be an expensive repair.

10:00am - Sit on the couch to rest after taking a shower, feel lightheaded and weird.

10:30am - Check blood sugar (ouch!) and see that it's surprisingly low. No wonder I feel lightheaded and weird.

10:31am - Eat a diabetic approved morning snack.

10:35am - Drive downtown for appointment with specialist.

11:15am - Check in and wait while listening to the extremely loud staff talk about their lunch choices.

11:30am - Ultrasound. Harry is perfect and adorable. See him wiggle and practice breathing and move his lips. See his heart beating. Ask him politely to COME OUT ALREADY.

11:50am - Move to exam room and wait for doctor.

12:10pm - Wait.

12:20pm - Wait. Hope doctor hurries as blood sugar drops.

12:30pm - Wait.

12:40pm - Nurse says there's a problem with another patient and the doctor may be a while. Decide to leave as lunch is way past due.

12:45pm - Listen to voicemail from company HR department letting me know I will not be getting a paycheck on Friday if the insurance drama is not worked out quickly.

12:46pm - Freak out.

1:10pm - Check blood sugar (ouch!) and freak out again as it's WAY too low.

1:11pm - Chug milk and shove diabetic approved food in my mouth so I don't pass out. Talk to Ryan about what we should do about the insurance situation.

1:40pm - Call specialist to work out insurance. Find out specialist cannot recommend time off, it must come from OB. Sigh loudly as OB hasn't been involved in the time off discussion, only the specialist. Think about car bill and hospital bill and feel yet another freak out approaching.

1:50pm - Drive down the interstate discussing money/time off options when suddenly an SUV slams into the back of another SUV three feet from us. Ryan slams on the breaks. Car behind us swerves and a semi-truck comes within inches of our car. And us. And our baby.

1:50pm - FREAK. OUT.

Rest of the Day: Doesn't matter as I'm wrapped in a cloud of "we almost died" and "the baby!!" and "OHMYWORD".

And yes, this is how I spend my "stress free" days off from work so that my baby will be ok.

Call Your Doctor

Disclaimer: This post is not to say that I don't love and respect the medical community because I do appreciate all the help I've received lately, just that sometimes their methods make me Real Housewives of New York crazy. Ramona, specifically. Please read as such.

These days, I see a minimum of four medical professionals a week. That may not sound like a lot so let me break it down for you. Once a week I go to my OBGYN office where I will see one of six doctors and their specific nurse. I have questions every week and and every week I see someone different or new. Sometimes I wonder if they ever talk to each other. I'm starting to suspect they do not. Also, once a week I go to the specialist and see one of three ultrasound techs and one of three doctors. I also have loads of questions for them and they also all say something different. I'm thinking of introducing them to each other. One doctor will totally stress me out with worse case news and the next will act as if my condition is so fine it's laughable. As if I'm not on a roller coaster of emotions already. "The Sugars are DANGEROUSLY HIGH!!! SOUND THE ALARM!!!" or "The Sugars aren't so bad, I've seen way worse. You're fine." Well which is it?

And ok, they all give (generally) sound advice that (generally) matches up with what the other ones say. But. I have been pregnant for 103 weeks and I have LOTS of questions about how this is all gonna go down and some of them say "it'll be fine" and some of them say "this could be serious" and some of them say "don't be silly" and some of them say "wait, you're having a baby?" And I haven't even mentioned all the advice/info I got from nurses in the hospital. I should have kept tape recordings of every doctor visit so I could compare and contrast. Also so my head could explode.

From what I can currently deduce from all the info we've gotten thus far, Harry is doing splendid and should be making an arrival soon. But we have an appointment with the specialist tomorrow so that could all change depending on who we see and what mood they are in. Wheeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

The Count Would Love This Post

6 - Number of times a day Minnie asks for a belly scratch
3,602 - Number of times per day you will hear the word "space" on HGTV
11 - Number of times per day I stick myself with some sort of needle
35.5 - Number of weeks Baby Harry has been growing
40 - Number of pounds of peanut butter I've been required to eat in the last few weeks
41 - Number of gallons of milk I've been required to drink in the last few weeks
0 - Number of teams I'm pulling for in the Amazing Race finale
2 - Number of flower deliveries I've received this week
17 - Number of six packs of Activia yogurt lady at Target bought today while telling the clerk and anyone within earshot about her digestive issues. Also, she doesn't live off the government thankyouverymuch
16 - Number of pounds I've gained with this pregnancy
1,350 - Number of diaper wipes in Harry's room

Clorox for Scale

I didn't even know Walgreens Pharmacy HAD bags so big. Yet another point for you, Gestational Diabetes.

In other news, after six long days I'm finally free!!! Illingworth Manor never looked so good.

Another Dramatic Chapter

I'm in the hospital. Here's what's happening:

-I'm allowed to have Diet Coke!
-The toilet paper sucks.
-I don't have an IV!
-The Sugars keep dropping to dramatically low levels that make me feel as if I'm going to die and make the nurses FREAK OUT.
-I don't have to wear a hospital gown!
-I was supposed to be here 24 hours - I have now been here four days and counting thanks to The Sugars.
-I don't have to think about what to eat - they just bring it!
-Sometimes they give me Buttermilk instead of Skim milk and I don't realize it until I've taken a massive gulp. OF BUTTERMILK.
-Some of the nurses are awesome!
-Some of the nurses forget my scheduled snacks until I've wasted away into a puddle of gestationally diabetic patheticness.
-Harry is doing great!
-I worry constantly about Harry.
-One of my doctors is awesome and sweet and answers all of my questions with kindness and concern!
-One of my doctors is blunt and likes to throw around the word (and mental picture of) "stillbirth" like it's some sort of Jelly Bean Flavor that's not favorable. (sugar free of course)
-Most of the nurses have told me he's "crazy - don't worry about it"
-I still do. How could you hear stillbirth and NOT worry about it?
-So far my hospital stay hasn't been TOO terrible - lots of friends have visited and the time doesn't always drag on.
-I'm in a hospital downtown instead of the hospital near our house which means Ryan has to drive 45 minutes to see me, drive home to take care of Minnie, drive to work......he's really been putting in the miles.
-I now have to give myself a shot three times a day. With a syringe. And a needle. I was quite nervous about it but have found that I'm now a pro at driving needles into my flesh - although I don't think this is a marketable skill for anyone other than a heroin addict.