Can everyone please get on the same page?

(DAD-- in case it's hard to tell, that is a profile shot of your grandson. He's looking up, and there's an arrow pointing to his mouth.)

I had my first appointment this morning with a perinatologist. Because I'm considered high risk, the perinatologist is yet another doctor that I see on a regular basis. The main thing they do are in-depth ultrasounds throughout my pregnancy to make sure the baby is growing healthy and at a normal rate. Corban's dad was in Provo and was able to watch Pepper so Corban could come with me. Trying to keep her out of all the cupboards and medical waste bins isn't quite as fun as it sounds.

The baby looks great. This is the 3rd ultrasound we've had confirming that it's a boy. (So if anyone was waiting to buy baby boy stuff just in case it wasn't really a boy--well, it really is a boy!) He is healthy and growing at a normal rate. Fetuses that grow too big, too fast are a common complication of diabetics who don't have good control of their blood sugars. This was not a problem in my pregnancy with Pepper, and so far isn't a problem this time around. The perinatologist told us about some recent developments within the medical field that are changing the way diabetic pregnancies are viewed and treated. She said that the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology now recognizes that not all diabetic pregnancies are the same, and recommends that they should be looked at on an individual basis instead of automatically being grouped together. The perinatologist said that since the ACOG released these new recommendations, the other doctors in her practice as well as the hospital she works in have adjusted their procedural guidelines accordingly. In an ideal world, the malpractice insurance carrier for my OB office would know this and adjust their (stupid) rules also. But I know that is a lot to expect--because it's a recent development, I know it will take time for the rest of the medical world to catch up. I don't expect anything different with this pregnancy, but maybe further down the road things will change.

I know that most women do whatever they can to ensure a healthy pregnancy, and I'm sure this is the case with many pregnant diabetics... but every time I see one of my doctors, they almost seem surprised to see a patient with good blood sugar control as well as a low A1C. I know I mentioned this recently, but it really does make my day when I get positive recognition for my low A1C from a health professional. Nerdy, I know.

On a very different topic: for some reason I thought that toddlers sticking things up their noses was something boys did, not girls. I was wrong. Over the past couple months Pepper has developed a fondness for sticking her finger up her nose, and in the last few days has discovered that rice and Cheerios will also fit up there. Yikes. Where in the world did she pick that up from??

Yummy Yummy Yum

I just wanted to share some new recipes I tried last night. We had sesame chicken over brown rice with a side of roasted asparagus. I halved both the chicken and brown rice, but we did eat a pound of asparagus all by ourselves because asparagus is healthy and deeeeeeeeeeelicious! This is the first time I've done anything besides steam asparagus, and we both really liked the result. It took maybe 20 mins extra to prep the asparagus (including peeling the ends) so I don't think I'll do it this way everytime... but it was yummy and I'm sure we'll eat it again. I used fresh ginger in the chicken and it really stood out--mmm yum! We have some left over chicken and sauce, and if (by some miracle) I make it to the store today I'll pick up a bag of stir fry veggies to add in. But it's snowing pretty hard right now... so... fat chance of that happening:) Maybe next time!

Oh, one other recipe--earlier this week I made mashed cauliflower. I've heard and read so many times that it closely resembles mashed potatoes, which we love, but is healthier... it turned out yummy, slightly runny, but still good. (I think I put too much sour cream.) I'm sure I'll be making it again. It was SO much better than plain old steamed cauliflower.

Why today is AWESOME

1. I have an amazing husband.
2. Who is happy and willing to watch Pepper.
3. For 4 days.
4. By himself.
5. So I can go to Vegas for some girl time.
6. And to meet this little guy...

7. Quick trip to Kid2Kid this morning got me TWO amazing deals!! A pair of Motherhood Maternity jeans AND a pair of MM capris for only $7 each! I often covet MM jeans when we walk by their store, but I can't bring myself to pay $45 for jeans that I will only wear for 4-5 months. My other maternity jeans are still too big, but my regular jeans don't fit either... MM jeans are amazing and I was beyond happy to find these for so cheap!
8. Less than 4 months until our little guy will be here. Can't wait!
9. Corban is taking me to Pei Wei on our way to the airport tonight. He realllllllllly must love me:)
10. I used promo code TENE3628 at diapers.com to get 30% off my diaper purchase (now and for the next THREE MONTHS). I also got free shipping (ordered them yesterday, they just arrived)... plus there was an automatic $3 off Huggies manufacturer coupon. ALSO, I found out that I can mail my own manufacterer coupons to diapers.com to get an even better deal in the future. I don't think I'll continue using diapers.com after the 30% off expires in 3 months, but for now it's a good deal. I think we'll even stock up on some lil diapers for the new baby.

Passing the torch

If you know of a married couple in Provo who would be interested in becoming resident apartment managers, please send them a link to this entry. Thanks! :)

When we found out that I was pregnant with Pepper, I was the main bread winner. I didn't want someone else to raise my child, but I didn't see how we could possibly afford to live if I quit my job. I spent a lot of my pregnancy worrying and wondering how we would make it. We prayed and fasted that we would know what we could do, and prayed especially that the answer would not involve us going into debt (living off of student loans). We heard about this job opening, sent a resume, had an interview, and got the job. Being resident managers was the answer to our prayers. It has been a huge blessing to us, and because of this job we are going to graduate debt free. Wahooo!! We're moving to St. Louis this August and are looking for a couple who would take over after we leave.

Job description is as follows:

We are seeking to hire a married couple to replace us as resident managers. You will receive free rent of an unfurnished 1 bedroom apartment in exchange for management and basic maintenance of 16 apartments. There is no monetary compensation. The only utility you pay is electric; everything else is covered.

As managers you can come and go as you need to, but the owner prefers that one spouse be home most of the day. To achieve this, the owner has always hired couples who are either pregnant or have a child. He fully intends to do so again. Living in a 1 bedroom with a baby/toddler is not convenient, but it is worth it. The owner will hire a couple who will commit to managing the complex at least through April 2013 (18-24 month commitment required!). Some of the things you'll be responsible for are:

* basic maintenance such as plunging drains & toilets, changing furnace filters, swamp cooler maintenance, etc.
* shoveling snow, raking leaves, mowing and watering the lawn
* showing apartments and selling contracts to prospective tenants—making sure the complex is always full is a TOP priority
* monthly cleaning checks
* wireless internet & router maintenance
* website updates and maintenance
* rent collection

You will be trained on everything you'll need to do. As far as the time line goes, the current managers will remain at the complex until mid-August. The replacement couple will move into the complex around May 1st and will do some training over the summer. Your rent will be $430/month during training, and then you will take over full time in August.

You can see pictures of the complex at www.allredapartments.com. If you are interested in the position, please send two resumes (one for each spouse) along with a cover letter to allredapartments at gmail.com. The cover letter should be an introduction of your family as well as an explanation of why you are a good fit for the position. We are hoping to start the interview process in a month or so.

A little of this, a little of that

I've never eaten much cauliflower in my life, but have been trying to incorporate it into more of our meals. We don't have anything against cauliflower, but it can just be so .... blah. I tried a new recipe last week (Roasted Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower) and it was AMAZING. So easy, so simple, super healthy, and DELICIOUS! I have a new found love for this vegetable. I didn't have any parmesan cheese on hand, but it was delicious (and healthier) without it! When I told Corban the recipe called for parm, his eyes glazed over a little and he frothed at the mouth slightly... but he still ate a lot of the non-parm recipe. Hooray for yummy new recipes!

I had an ultrasound last week and the baby looks healthy and is doing very well. We're still having a boy:) My dad was in town and came to the ultrasound with us. Even though my dad has 6 kids, he's never been to an ultrasound before... they weren't standard procedure back in the day. The baby has started moving around a lot--my favorite part about pregnancy:)

Pepper had a great time bonding with my dad over the last week. She's friendly to everyone, strangers and all, but I've never seen her take to someone like she has to my dad. She loves her grandpa! Pepper is trying hard to talk... she jibber-jabbers all day long:) Sometimes she pauses in the middle of her jabbering, looks at me really intently, and says, "Ummm..." like she's trying to think of what to say next. She also says hi, bye, outside, some, ow, night-night, duckie, no, hot, wow, and daddy.

Pepper has a fascination with putting things (toys, blocks, pens, etc) down her shirt... where they usually get stuck because she wears a onesie most days. A few nights ago, it was almost time for Pepper to go to bed. She was playing by herself, then all of a sudden she started limping and fussing like something was wrong with her foot. I took her PJs off and found she had put Corban's flash drive in her PJs, and it had traveled all the way down to her foot.

When Corban calls me to say he's on his way home, I tell Pepper, "Daddy's coming home!" and she hurriedly climbs up the couch, stands on the top/back of it while holding onto the window sill, watches out the window until she sees him come around the corner, then knocks on the glass and says, "Hi! Hi!" until he comes inside. She is fascinated by everything new and says "OoooOOOoooOO!" a LOT. She makes me laugh a lot:)

Corban has started studying for the CPA exam, and he'll take the first part in April. We're counting down the time until he finishes grad school (9 weeks and 3 days till graduation!!). He's worked hard, sacrificed a lot, and we are SO excited to be done with school (and with Provo, for that matter). Also, he made me breakfast in bed this morning. Yeah, he's pretty much amazing.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Rantings of a pregnant diabetic

I've been going to an specific OB office so that I could have my pregnancy co-managed by the midwives and doctors there. The OB who delivered Pepper was awful, and I've had my heart set on going through this pregnancy and delivery with a midwife. Due to my Type 1 Diabetes, my pregnancy is automatically considered high risk, and midwives aren't certified to be primary care givers in high risk pregnancies... but I asked and was assured numerous times that they could co-manage my pregnancy with the OBs in their office, and that yes, the baby could be delivered by a midwife (as long as there weren't any major complications).

At my 20 week checkup last Friday, however, the OB I met with said that the OBs discussed my case and that the malpractice insurance they carry won't allow me to continue seeing midwives. Hearing that news was upsetting to say the least. I've done everything I could to make sure this labor and delivery is different (BETTER) than the last one. I've changed doctors, hospitals, insurance-- the most important decision to me has been who is going to deliver our little boy. Despite all of my planning, despite all of the constant care and attention I give this pregnancy and my diabetes, apparently I don't have the right or permission to choose the person I want to deliver my baby.

I've been meticulous about my blood sugars during this pregnancy, my #1 motivation being the health of the baby. My #2 motivation is that it bothers me that I'm automatically considered 'high risk' just because I'm diabetic. I know that may seem stupid or silly, but I take pride in the fact that I am not your average diabetic, and I don't like being automatically categorized as high risk when I am 100% capable of having a perfectly normal and healthy pregnancy. I proved that to be true during my pregnancy with Pepper, and am healthily on my way to doing it again. Since November 2008 I've kept my hemaglobin A1C under 6%, most recently being 5.4%--the same that someone without diabetes might have. I have a wonderful endocrinologist , Dr. Day, who I see every 3 weeks when I'm pregnant. He is a great doctor who I have a lot of respect for, and I actually like going to see him. He is one of the few people in my life who really understands the constant care it takes on my part to keep my A1C low. He is quick to give praise, and it makes my week to hear him say, "That's the lowest A1C I've seen all day!"

As much as I value Dr. Day's opinion and input, I am the one who lives with this disease and I make the decision everyday to take care of myself. The most caring, encouraging, wonderful endocrinologists can't make a bit of difference if the patient isn't committed to taking care of themselves. My low A1Cs are a result of my own very careful, daily management. In my mind, I thought it made sense that if my A1C was low enough my OB would see that and take that into consideration when deciding whether to allow me to see a midwife. It frustrates me to no end that despite taking care of myself so well that it's almost like I don't even have diabetes, I am still automatically high risk and am not allowed to see a midwife. I have no say in the matter. Because there's nothing I can do about it, I'll just have to get over it. I am very grateful to be as healthy as I am, and I recognize that the health of the baby is priority over everything.

Awesome deal!

When Pepper was born I sweet talked Corban into buying me a Moby Wrap. It was pricey, but it seemed like every mom in my ward had one... and I wanted one. I even saw a few dads wear them at church. I think I used it maybe 3-4 times, but I gave up because it ended up being one big hassle. First of all, it is HUGE. There's a LOT of material involved in a Moby Wrap... so much so that I really had to plan ahead if I was going to use it. It's not something I could throw in the diaper bag for a 'just in case' occasion. It takes up half my diaper bag! Putting the wrap on in public is a joke, there's no way to do it without parts of it dragging on the ground.. and without people wondering what in the world you are doing. Also, I got sweaty if I wore it for very long. Your body heat + the layers and extensive material of the Moby + your baby's body heat (the Moby keeps them VERY snug and tight against your body, so they are sweating too)= UGH.

Overall, I didn't care for it.

So I've been in the market for a VERY simple baby sling. And have been astounded to realize that businesses will charge (and customers will pay) upwards of $40 for a very simple sling. I've coveted some slings from Seven Slings, but no way was I going to pay full price. Today I ran across a blog that said Seven Slings currently has a promo code (familyboundmom) that gives you a FREE sling, all you have to pay is shipping ($11.95)!

So I bought one... and I am really excited! Little Boy Russell is going be carried in style:)

Reminiscing

Pepper loves to sit on my lap and watch home videos on our computer. I came across this one today, and it's an oldie but a goodie. This is Pepper, the day after she was born. We were still in the hospital and she had started this really funny sucking thing with her lips that we managed to get a few seconds of on film. She had been doing it for maybe 30 seconds before we wised up and got the video camera out. I wish we'd been quicker, but I'm glad we got what we did.

Also... I have a hard time remembering Pepper ever being this chubby... Those fabulous cheeks didn't stick around very long. It's weird to think this is the same child!

Look what I can do!

Pepper has recently learned that if she tugs and pulls at her diaper long enough, it will eventually come off. She would be naked all day long if we let her. Sometimes when it's mysteriously quiet we go looking for her (ok I'll be honest... we look around the room. Our apt is so tiny there's not really anywhere to "go" looking for her...) and we find her sans clothing and diaper.

I was secretly hoping this stage would never come, but it's provided some good laughs in the meantime.


I love that belly of hers!