28 weeks, 0 days - Third trimester?! Bring it on!!

Holy moses.  Third trimester.  Wha wha what?  When did that happen?  After next week's dr. appt, we'll be going in every two weeks.  I'm not thrilled about that -- and Holly said she didn't have to do that -- but if it's what me doctor wants, it's what me doctor gets.  With this next appointment, I start seeing a different doctor in the practice in case Dr. Lawson isn't "on" when I go into labor.

It's kind of funny, now that we're getting so much closer to our due date, I'm starting to think more practically about logistics and how things are going to work out.  I was going to request that everyone just stay home until we have the baby, i.e. Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't be sitting in the hospital waiting.  But now that we're getting closer, I'm beginning to realize that Grandma or Grandpa may be there by default because I can't drive myself to the hospital!  Ideally, I'd go into labor while Matt is home but how likely is that really?  No idea.  Also, we're going to need to determine who will watch Henry.  I'm assuming it will be Aunt Amy, but I probably should ask her.  Especially if Grandma or Grandpa has to take me to the hospital.  Maybe it will be Uncle Dave.  Who knows?  It's just funny that I hadn't thought for a second about it until now.  With Henry, it was my biggest fear and worry so I spent countless hours thinking about it and worrying about it and trying to figure out the best thing.  With this baby, I just kind of forgot about it.  I mean, worst case scenario, Matt could come home and get me but he works an hour away from our house and our hospital is an hour away from our house so that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.  Hopefully, labor won't come on SUPER fast and we'll be able to recognize what's going on and then take our time getting to the hospital.

I have no idea how much of what happened last time is likely to happen again.  Labor with Henry, though, went from zero to fully dilated SUPER fast after they swept my membranes and gave me Cervadil.  I don't know if just natural labor and contractions would move me along as quickly.  I guess we'll find out in a few short months!  So wild.

Really not looking forward to next week's appointment.  Will be nice to hear Baby's heart beat but I don't want to have yet another blood test.  Oh well.  Focus on the positive.  I'll take a belly pic tonight and post asap.

27 weeks, 5 days - Big boy is growing up

Well, little baby, your big brother is growing up.  We moved him into a new room this weekend in order to make room for you.  I know you're not going to be here for awhile, but we wanted him well established in his new room before you came so that he never, at any moment, felt displaced by you.  So that he only has feelings of love for you and has no room for resentment.  We'll see how that pans out.

Henry did great in his first nights in his new room.  We didn't finish painting the bed yet but decided to put the mattress in there on the floor as a bit of a transition for him.  We put the bed rails on the mattress, even though it's only 6 inches off the floor, just so he can get used to it.  He did great.  The move was really a lot harder on us than it was on him.  He woke up on the first night crying pretty hard, but stopped almost immediately when we went in to calm him down.  I asked him if he was a little scared and he shook his head yes so we turned on a night light and his aquarium and laid with him for a bit while he readjusted to where he was.  He knows the room pretty well and seems to really love it.  He was excited to sleep in there the first night.  I don't know how it will continue going forward (Megan told me that her son asked to sleep in his crib again about 2 weeks after she moved him) but so far, so good.  We'll put the bed in there as soon as it's ready -- which should be this coming weeekend -- but in the mean time, I do think it's worked out well that we have him in there using just the mattress.

He's also doing great with potty training.  I have no idea when you say that a kid is actually potty trained but he doesn't seem to have accidents at home anymore.  He did have one at Grandma's the other day and I don't know about Aunt Amy's, but at home, the only problem we have is when he gets excited and jumps up to show us before he's done.  He's still in a diaper for naps and over night and he's using the potty instead of the toilet.  I guess you don't really call him potty trained until he's using the toilet but he's doing really great and doesn't even seem to be having accidents when we go out.  Very exciting.  We've still been doing the bare bum thing at home but he'll be in training pants at Grandma's and Aunt Amy's house.  I'll be interested to see how it goes over there.  He gets so excited that I think it's harder for him to take out time to go.  But we'll see.  I guess the next thing for us to do is get him going on the potty.  And I have zero ideas on how to get the sleeping thing to work.  I kind of think that's something you just have to let happen on its own.  Maybe switch him to an over night pull up so he can get up and go to the potty when/if he needs to?  I'm not sure how to tackle that one.  Nor the switch to a toilet.  But we're in pretty good shape, I think.

So that's baby's big brother.  Baby, on the other hand, is doing just fine.  Moving moving moving.  I felt hiccups for the first time the other day.  I don't remember when they started with Henry, but I remember them being much stronger.  I guess that will come.  This baby is only 6.5 months gestational age so there's lots of time left for hiccups.  I remember having Grandma feel Henry's hiccups after our baby moon and that was at 7 months.  Don't remember how much we'd been feeling them at that point, though.  I've got my follow up diabetes test next week on Wednesday.  Not looking forward to that one.  At all.  In fact, I get a little sad when I think about it.  But it'll be fine, whatever.  Whatever the outcome, it will be fine.  We have prenatal care and are very lucky to have it to make sure our baby is healthy.  I could be walking around in a state of blissful ignorance, having no idea that I'm at higher risk for that and letting baby suffer.  That would not be better.

Third trimester starts in two days!  So so crazy.

27 weeks, 0 days - Waking up?

Are you waking up in there, Baby?  You've been MUCH more active lately.  I'm not sure if it's because you're bigger so I can feel more of your movements now or if it's because you really are that much more active but my goodness!  I could hardly believe how much moving and shaking you were doing yesterday!  Mommy was so exhausted that she cried on her way into work so it was kind of funny to see how dancy you were feeling.  It gave me back some much needed energy.  Guess I was feeding a bit off of you.

27 weeks.  Third trimester starts next week.  Cannot believe that we're so far already.  I need to take a belly pic tonight because all of a sudden, I'm feeling like my belly is huge.  It's really out there.  I think we've officially surpassed how large I got with Henry.  Maybe not and I guess I won't know for sure until I see the pic comparison but it's looking pretty big to me these days.  People still comment on how small I am, but it looks pretty huge to me.  We'll see.  I'm still comfortable and everything, no problems laying on my back or tummy yet.  Just kind of surprised every time I look in the mirror.

In other news, Nana sent me a bunch of super cute maternity work clothes.  They really are super cute and I feel really good in them.  Amy and Dave have been great about telling me how cute I am (thank you for that, by the way) but the other day when I was there picking up Henry, little Brooklyn furrowed her brow, looked at me very sternly and asked, "Aun Manna, how come you're wearing so much pretty dresses?"  I smiled at her and told her that I wear pretty dresses to work.  That seemed ok to her so she went about her business merrily.  Then two days ago, I came in wearing this SUPER cute fitted one.  It's one of those that really flatters and accentuates your figure but also highlights your belly.  Ruched sides but otherwise, figure fitted and flattering.  Anyway, I came in to get Henry and Brookie ran over to me and said, "Aun Manna, you look absolutely marvelous today!"  It was just the funniest thing to hear those big words coming out of that little mouth.  I thanked her and gave her a big hug.  Talk about making my day!  Yeesh.  What a cutie.

26 weeks, 6 days - Glucose Tolerance Test Results

Well, I got the results back.  I didn't fail but I didn't exactly pass, either.  Apparently, I failed the second blood draw, which is the one taken an hour after drinking the sugar solution.  But I passed all the others.  To me, that means that my body works right, it just works more slowly than expected.  Which could explain why I have that terrible crash an hour or so after the last blood draw.  They didn't tell me what my actual results in numbers were, but here's what it says on BabyCenter about the test:

If one of the readings is abnormal, you may have to take another test later in your pregnancy. Or your practitioner may ask you to make some changes in your diet and exercise routine.

If two or more of your readings are abnormal, you'll be diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Your practitioner will talk to you about a treatment plan.

This chart shows the levels that the American Diabetes Association considers abnormal at each interval of the test:

Interval	Abnormal reading
Fasting	95 mg/dl or higher
1 hour	180 mg/dl or higher
2 hours	155 mg/dl or higher
3 hours	140 mg/dl or higher

I have to think this is about what happened last time and that's why Dr. Elliot put me on the diet.  This time, they want to test me again at my next appointment (which is on July 2).  I guess I'm supposed to eat a normal meal two hours before my appointment and they'll do a finger stick at that point.  

In the mean time, I guess I'll try to be a little more cognizant of what's going into my mouth.  Thus far, I haven't been too fussed when I wanted chocolate or ice cream or french fries.  I haven't gorged on them but I haven't deprived myself of them either.  I think I may start watching how much fruit I eat, cutting out the chocolate/sweets, and paying a bit closer attention to how much pasta I'm eating.  Again, not cutting out carbs  per se, but just being aware of what I'm eating.  Oh, and I may switch from sweetened yogurt to plain.  Blerg.  When I used to eat plain yogurt, I'd either put fruit in it or sweeten it with sugar free jam.  So... maybe I'll just switch to cottage cheese.  I don't know.  We'll see.  Anyway, all is not lost!

Also, in unrelated news, I was talking to my boss yesterday, and he was venting a bit about this sub contractor I manage who is just a nasty, kind of disgusting person.  She's one of these people who is relatively attractive most of the time, but whose face just contorts into this seething, malicious, nasty, viscous just awful look when something she's unhappy with happens.  Picture Sarah Palin when she was talking about the Gabby Giffords shooting.  Ugh, she's just a gross person.  Anyway, Bob was complaining about her when I chimed in with the whole, "yeah, she told me that my face was fat the other day."  Absolutely agog, he said, "Why on earth would she say that?  She's so gross.  I think your face looks a lot better now."  Hahahahahahahaha!  I know he meant it in such a nice way, but it just came out so funny.  "I think your face looks a lot better now."  As in... it looked pretty rough there for awhile?  I know that's a stereotypical "woman" response but I just couldn't help but laugh when he said it.  Oh Bob.  :)

26 weeks, 2 days - Glucose Tolerance Test

Arrival – Fasting

So, I’m here at my doctor’s office for the 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test.  8:30 am.  I need to stop scheduling appointments at this time because, while it gets me in and out good and early, I have to battle down town rush hour to get here.  When I go to work this late, I always take the perimeter and bypass most of the traffic.  Well, I should say I sometimes bypass traffic.  It seems like I get stuck in it about as often as not.

Anyway, I arrived at 8:15 for my 8:30 appointment.  They drew my blood first thing after fasting for at least 12 hours.  I can’t remember when I ate last, but I’m sure it wasn’t past 8:30 so I should be fine.  Then I had to drink a sugar drink.  Blech.  I don’t think the one for the initial screen is too bad (kind of tastes like Tang or that “orange drink” they used to give at soccer games or birthday parties sponsored by McDonald’s).  This one, however, is awful.  Just awful.  I choked a bit getting it down and then I thought I was going to throw up.  I already had a bit of a funny tummy because anymore, I really need to eat breakfast otherwise I’m nauseous and adding that stuff on top of a funny tummy did not do me well.  But I didn’t throw up and now I actually feel a little better.  I assume I get the funny tummy from not eating because of low blood sugar. And I certainly no longer have that!  My goodness.  People complain so much about that first screen; if they didn’t like that juice, how on earth could they handle the second level one?

Anyway, I’m here and just waiting now.  I’ll go back at 9:40 to get my blood drawn again and then twice more after that.  They told me I’d be here for four hours.  I wonder what the fourth hour is?  As far as I can see, I only need to be here for three hours.  Maybe they just meant that I’d get my blood drawn four time and got confused.  Regardless, it’s fine.  I’m prepared so it’ll be fine.  Just wish I didn’t have to take this stupid test.  Really hope I don’t have it.  I feel weird and stupid for failing that first screen.  Defective.  There are three other women here getting tested for the same thing and they’re all HUGE.  Not obese huge but HUGELY pregnant.  I can’t believe we’re at the same point.  The original screen happens between 24 and 28 weeks so everyone here for the follow up should be about at the same point I am.  I just can’t believe how big they are.  And THAT makes sense to me that they’d be in danger of GD.  I know you don’t necessarily have to be overweight to have type ii or GD, but that’s what the stereotype is and it’s hard for me to get that out of my head.  Overall, I eat pretty well (though I do eat a lot of fruit and sweetened yogurt), my weight isn’t outside the healthy range, and I get exercise.  I could certainly get more but… it just makes me sad.  Oh well, we’ll know before too long.

Hour 1 – Highest level

Once I’m back in a place that has internet, I’ll grab the table that shows what your sugar levels should be in order to not have GD.  As a reminder, I passed with Henry, but I guess my numbers were still abnormal so my doctor wanted me to follow a special diet anyway.  I never asked what my numbers were, though.  I know this time, with the initial screen, it was at 182 or something like that and it’s supposed to be below 139.  So that was a bit disappointing.  And it was after I’d fasted.  Which they didn’t tell me I needed to do.  I wonder what it would have been if I hadn’t fasted.  Blerg.

Anyway, I just got my blood drawn again and the phlebotomist asked how I was feeling.  I told her I was a little nauseous but I thought that was kind of to be expected.  She shook her head yes and then said, “along with dizziness, vomiting, heart palpitations…” I was stunned.  That’s EXACTLY how I felt last time but NOBODY, at any point, warned me or told me that I might feel that way.  Why the heck not?  It’s not like this test is some sort of big secret.  Why didn’t my docs at the last place or my docs this time tell me that might happen and to maybe have a ride?  Why didn’t I see it on any of the sites when I looked up GD and the various screens for it?  So bizarre.  Maybe it’s a really uncommon side-effect, but based on how I’m feeling now, I think maybe it will be much like last time.  Hopefully, once I get something on my tummy, things will be a lot better but I’m beginning to get worried that I’m going to be as sick as I was before.  Ugh.

UPDATE:  I did end up getting really sick and shaky after the test, but it wasn't until I was back in Newnan and having lunch with Matt.  I got a weird hot flash, started feeling dizzy and sweaty, my pulse started racing, and I got crazy nauseous.  Matt got me some sweet tea and I continued eating (we were at a Mexican place, so I ate tortillia chips until I felt like I'd burst) and after about 15 minutes, I started feeling better.  When I got home, I looked up side effects from that test and here's what I found:

You will be monitored throughout the test to make sure that your blood glucose level does not drop too low. You may experience weakness, sweating, anxiety, hunger, or other symptoms if this happens. 

So there it is.  According to one of the sites I visited, it's pretty unusual for that to happen which may explain why they don't tell you about it before hand.  But I'm apparently one of the "some women" it happens to, so I guess it's just one of those things.  Anyway, at least this time I knew about it and knew what to do.  It wasn't nearly as bad as last time and I was already eating and was able to get my sugar back up to normal before I got too sick.  So there you have it.  Supposed to get results sometime mid-this week.  Really nervous.  Really hope I don't have GD.  :(

26 weeks, 1 day - Be careful what you wish for...

If you've had any interaction with me at all during this pregnancy -- in real life or electronically -- you'll know that I've been concerned about my weight gain.  I gained more than strictly called for during my first trimester and up until my last doctor's appointment, I was worried that I was placing myself into an unhealthy category.  My doctor reassured me at my last appointment and I stopped worrying.  Then, of course, I weighed myself this morning to find I've lost four lbs since my last doctor's appointment.  What the...?  Yes, I've been a little sick.  But with a cold not a stomach thing.  So maybe I was bloated and retaining water when I was there last week.  Or maybe I'm severely dehydrated today but egads, that's  not what's supposed to be happening.  I'm not worried about it because I'm confident it's not real weight loss, that either it was off last week or it's off today but still.  It's just not what I'd expected after worrying about how quickly I was gaining for so long.

Glucose test tomorrow.  Not looking forward to it for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I want noodles for dinner tonight but feel like it's probably not a good idea.

26 weeks, 0 days - How big's the baby? So big!

26 weeks.  Can't believe it.  My Lilypie ticker says that baby is 14.5 inches and 2 lbs.  Baby Center says he/she is 14" and 1.66 lbs.  So they're pretty close to aligned.  Super exciting!  What's also exciting is that they say Baby's hearing is good enough now that he/she may recognize our voices, which is so crazy to me.  It still seems so early for any of that.  Two pounds.  That just sounds so... normal.  I'd be very worried if we gave birth to a 2 lb baby but it just doesn't feel like we're far enough along to have one that big already.  So awesome and wild.  Below is a pic of what BabyCenter thinks babe looks like these days:

Pretty squishy as he/she runs out of room.  I bet he/she isn't sprawled out like he/she was at our 20 week ultrasound anymore.  :D

25 weeks, 6 days - "Yeah, I noticed your face getting fatter..."

Beautiful quote, no?  Ha!  I was getting ready for a meeting this morning and there were two folks in there whom I don't see very often.  After chatting with them for a few minutes, I realized that they wouldn't have been in any of the meetings where I told people that I'm pregnant.  I had noticed one of them looking at my belly when I walked in today, so I figured I should probably tell them and save them the embarrassment of wondering how to ask.  When I told them, the woman said -- and this is no exaggeration, either -- "you know, I thought so!  I could tell because your face is getting so much fatter."  Hahahaha!  What was she thinking?!  I mean, it's one thing to point out the growing belly or the baby bump or whatever you want to call it but to call out my double chins?  Seriously.  Of course, having said that, I'm sure my face is indeed fatter.  I've gained nearly 20 lbs so it would be absolutely shocking if my face wasn't fatter but even so.  Ha!  What a butt.

In funner news, a person I hadn't told spotted my bump yesterday and asked.  Well, sort of.  She was very cute about it and shy and nervous.  As one would be when asking someone if they're pregnant.  She said she had to ask me something and it's only because she heard someone congratulate me in the hall and she didn't want to ask because she didn't want me to take it the wrong way and... then I cut her off and said, "Yes, Candace, I am."  She looked so relieved after that.  Ha, poor thing.  She's the receptionist so I walk past her like 30 times a day.  I really should have told her because I'm sure she's been trying to figure out a delicate way to ask that wouldn't hurt my feelings if I'm not but it was kind of inconsiderate of me not to mention it to her.  I told my coworkers but it just kind of slipped my mind to tell her.  Anyway, she was super cute and flattering and lovely and acted shocked when I told her I was 6 months along.  6 months!  Can you believe it?  I can't.  Two weeks until I'm in my third trimester.  So crazy.  Baby's going to be here before we know it!!!

25 weeks, 4 days - Potty training

We've officially started potty training Mr. Henry boy.  It's exhausting.  It's going better than I'd expected but not as well as I'd hoped, if that makes any sense.

When he's down for a nap, we're working on the furniture for his big boy room so that we can move him in there ASAP.  Then baby's room will be ready for his/her glorious arrival.  Hooray!  There's not much to do as far as that room goes to get ready for a new baby, save pull out newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  We'll need to pull the bassinet out of the basement and wash up a few things for that but otherwise, just getting Henry ready for his new room is what we mostly need to do in preparation for the baby.  Oh, and get those chairs reupholstered.  I'm going to feel a lot better when that's taken care of.  The big check offs on my list for pre-baby are move Henry into his big boy room, get him potty trained, and get those chairs done.  I'm going to need them for night time nursing.  When we were at the townhouse, I used the couch that was in our bedroom, but I don't want that in our room here.  Amy is giving us her glider and I'm going to put that in Henry's room for us to read him stories in.  I was going to just read to him in his bed but I don't see why we shouldn't read to him in a chair.  I was thinking about putting that in our bedroom temporarily but I really liked having the couch at night and I think those chairs are going to work just fine.  I cannot believe we're going to have a new baby in 3 months.  Three months!!

I'm still super tired.  More so today than I've been because I've been trying to watch Henry like a hawk on the potty training, trying to use up the obscene amount of greens we've got from our CSA, and trying to get his furniture taken care of so we can move him.  I'd like to have him moved in and comfortable in his new room before Nana and Aunt Stevie come to visit for the fourth of July.  That really means he should be moved within the next couple of weeks.  I think that's feasible.  We've got at least one coat of primer on most of the pieces.  That leaves another coat of primer and two coats of paint.  Once we get that taken care of, we can pretty much move him in.  I ordered sheets and mattress pads and curtains so really, once that furniture is ready, we should be able to put him in.  There may be some after he moves in things that still need to be handled but those should be relatively limited.

So.  That means by the beginning of July, we should be pretty ready for new baby.  We don't want you to come until September, though, little one.  You just stay put, keep up the dancing, and keep cooking.  We'll see you in September!

25 weeks, 2 days - Glucose Test Results and Belly Pic

Well, I got my results from the initial glucose screen.  I failed.  :(  I'm so disappointed.  It's not unexpected because Dr. Lawson said I'm at a higher risk of failing it since I did last time but I'm just so disappointed.  I feel like I did something wrong, like if I'd done something differently, I wouldn't have failed it.  I mean, it doesn't mean that I have gestational diabetes but I do have to go take the terrible Glucose Tolerance Test.  That's the one I passed last time.  If I fail that, then I'll likely see an endocrinologist to talk about a GD diet.  Oh man, I'm so disappointed.  Again, Henry is fine and I failed it with him but I just hate that my body doesn't work right.  Very very disappointing.  My next test is next week on Friday at 8:30 am.  I'll make sure to bring along something to eat because I remember how awful it was last time after my sugar crashed.  I felt like I was going to die or something.  So awful.  Shaking and sweating and nauseous.  We won't be suffering through that again, I assure you.  I'll stay put until I have something wholesome and nutritious and high in protein coursing back through my blood stream.  I just really really hope I don't have GD.  Like really really really.

In other news, I took a belly pic today.  It feels much huger than this picture shows.  Is it just me?  I've had a lot of people tell me how big I'm looking these days so I don't know.  Maybe the pictures are just funny.

That pic looks very pregnant to me but when I look at the comparison below, I don't think I look much bigger than I did last time at this point.  Rounder yes, but not much bigger.  I'm wearing a sports bra in today's pic vs last time's so that changes the accentuation but otherwise, it doesn't look a whole lot different to me.  Maybe I'm a bit thicker everywhere else?  Oh yeah.  Looking at it again, my legs and butt definitely look heavier in this pic than last time.  So maybe that's more what people are noticing.  I did talk to my doctor about my weight gain just to be sure she wasn't concerned.  She told me that she wants me to gain at least 25 lbs.  I laughed a bit and explained THAT was not what I was worried about, but that I was worried about gaining WAY too much.  She didn't seem to think that was going to be an issue.  Nice of her, but... well, we'll see.  Would really like to keep it at 35 or under.  

25 weeks, 1 day - Woah! Slow down there, baby!

This baby has gone completely mental!  Moving and grooving all day long, nearly every day.  He/she was driving me mad during meetings this morning because it's very distracting to have a fiesta going on in your tummy while you're trying to understand the pros and cons of switching from batch file transfers to an IPSIS system using LIS or CSV files.  That's hard enough to feign interest in under the best of circumstances, but when there's a full on party happening in your tummy, it's darn near impossible.  I haven't felt hiccups once yet, which is interesting.  I don't remember when he started getting them, but Henry had them nearly every day, multiple times a day.  They were super annoying but were kind of nice in a way because it was easy to predict when they'd come so I could have other people feel him in there.  This baby is all hit or miss.

Ugh, and I'm so frigging tired.  Still have no idea if it's pregnancy or the commute/work thing but I just want to take a nap.  :(  Can't believe I'm almost 6 months pregnant (according to Baby Center).  Not sure if I've posted this before or not, but here's the chart I use to determine how far along I am:

Just so crazy to think that I'm this far along.  

25 weeks, 0 days - Glucose test and Destin

25 weeks today!  Hooray!  So crazy that I'm creeping up on my third trimester.  So so crazy.  I had a doctor's appointment today and did the dreaded glucose test.  I chose fruit punch this time.  With Henry, I had to do it twice because they messed up or lost my results the first time.  So I got to try both flavors.  I think it tastes like the McDonald's orange drink we used to have at parties as a kid.  Sort of like Tang.  Anyway, Dr. Lawson said that we'd have results no later than Monday and that I am at higher risk of failing it since I failed last time.  She said that she's seen people not fail it the second time around, but that I'm more likely to need the 3 hour screen than an average person.  Boo.  At least this time I'll know to bring a snack with me to eat after the sugar crash.  Man, that was terrible.

Aside from that, all was fine.  Heart rate was 138, which if you've been paying attention, suggests a boy!  Of course, those old wives are known for telling batty tales, so there's really no telling from that.  But it's fun nonetheless.  My next appointment is on 7/2 and will be with a different doctor since I'll be 29 weeks along.  From my next appointment on, I'll see different doctors in the practice so that I can be familiar with them all in case Dr. Lawson isn't available when I go into labor.  Labor.  How crazy that we'll be doing that again.  She asked me about circumcision, epidurals, and something else today that has to do with the baby.  I can't remember what else.  But it felt weird to have it be so real.  I asked her about checking my amniotic fluid late in pregnancy because of what happened with Henry.  She said that they'd check it after 36 weeks.  So that made me feel better.  Oh, and I asked her about my weight because again, I'm about a pound over what I should have gained by this point.  She said she thinks it's fine.  So that's good.  I was a little nervous.

Anyway, we went on a Rehbein family beach vacation last weekend to Destin, FL.  It was lovely.  Unfortunately, Mel and Bernie didn't make it down but everyone else did.  We had a very very nice time.  I ended up choosing to wear a bikini, for better or for worse.  Not sure it was the right choice, but it's the choice I went with.  Below are a few of my favorite pics from the trip.  I think Henry is going to be a very good big brother.  :)

24 weeks, 6 days - No Acetemenophin

As anyone who knows me knows, I get headaches.  A lot.  Like a lot a lot.  Certainly, it's gotten significantly better since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease but even so, I get them way more often than I'd like to.  Of course, once a year is way more often than I'd like to but that's beside the point. The point is that I get headaches and my remedy of choice is Excedrin.  Since Excedrin is a mix of acetaminophen, caffeine, and aspirin, it is not recommended that pregnant women take it.  Up until recently, really the only thing that was recommended during pregnancy was acetaminophen (aka Tylenol).  So that's what I took.  I took it as sparingly as possible, but still, it was something I relied upon pretty heavily for those days when I'd get one that I just couldn't shake.  Please note the phrase "up until recently."  Waah :'(.  

According to a study published in October of 2013 in the International Journal of Epidemiology, taking too much acetaminophen during pregnancy can cause a number of issues including developmental problems that align with symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.  They state clearly that the topic needs further research, but it was enough to raise a few eyebrows.  More compelling, though, is a February 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, stating that "children whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant had up to a 40 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with ADHD..."  This study appears to have been on a large sample and to have been pretty conclulsive.  Now.  That's only an increase in risk but an increased risk factor of 40%?  Egads.  That's HUGE.  And more than enough to convince me that I should avoid it if at all possible.

So there went my only solace in the pregnancy fight against headaches. I've still taken it a couple of times when they've been particularly bad, figuring that a couple of times here and there won't make that much of a difference.  I hope.  But man. It's just so crazy how they change what they tell you.  When I was pregnant with Henry, it was perfectly fine to take Tylenol.  And my doctor tried to give me a prescription for Zofran (an anti-nausea medication) even though I wasn't sick.  This time, I'm not supposed to take Tylenol and my doctor was very hesitant to give me a Zofran prescription when I asked for it because there have been a few studies suggesting that it may not be as safe as originally thought.  I'm pretty sure that when my mom was pregnant with me, it was perfectly fine to have a few cigarettes and glasses of wine on any given day while you were pregnant to make sure you were good and relaxed.  And you certainly weren't supposed to exercise!  Goodness no!  It's enough to make your head spin and wonder if any of it actually matters because, of course, we all turned out fine in spite of all the horrible things our parents did when we were children.  I slept on my stomach when I was an infant.  Gasp!  Can you believe I survived?!  I drank from BPA laced water bottles and ate goodness only knows how many trans fats in my Christmas cookies and peanut butter sandwiches.  I guess we can only wonder how good we would have turned out if our parents were as brilliant as we are.  And, of course, I can't help but wonder what sorts of terrible things I'm doing to my babies that Henry will one day come to find out is a complete horror.  It's a wonder any of us survived.