15 weeks

We had our 15 week appointment today, and everything is fine with the baby…heart rate was 151.  I, however, had high blood pressure 134/89 {UGH!}  the doctor told me I need to treat my blood pressure (he called it pre-clempsia) like gestational diabetes patients do.  He explained further…women who have gestational diabetes have to watch their sugar intake and keep their weight down…you need to watch your salt intake and keep your weight down. He added that he would bet I have a family history of high blood pressure and he would also bet I will be on meds for it in 10 years, IF I don't change my lifestyle to a low sodium one.  So eat low sodium and exercise….easy fix right!?

Well, we just got a gym membership, so I am excited about that!
But the sodium intake is another story, let me break that down for you.   The recommended daily intake of sodium is around 2000mg…my face and hands start to swell after about 250 mg of sodium.  I had a salad last night for dinner, here's what was on it:

2 cups ice berg lettuce- 9 mg sodium 14 cal
2 eggs- 170mg sodium     79cal
1 cheese stick (cubed)- 210mg sodium   70cal
1/2 tomato- 10mg sodium     15cal
5 whole wheat crackers-120mg sodium    70cal
2 tbps ranch-260mg sodium    140cal
carrots-20 mg sodium    30cal
__________________
total=
Calories= 418
Sodium=799mg

Needless to say, I was not feeling great this morning and thus why my blood pressure was so high at the appointment.  My daily count of sodium yesterday was well over 3000mg while my calories were more like 1800.  Even low sodium foods are not low enough for me, so we are really going to have to be creative.

Negative Nancy: Hungry…please feed me!  the sodium is the worst.

Positive Polly:  I am passed all the drama of the 1st trimester, but now I battle the sodium.  

Waistline: regular jeans that rest below the baby bump. Gained a couple pounds…more or less depending on my sodium intake

Cravings: whatever doesn't gross me out, it's a daily struggle

What I miss:  A sane mind and energy…pizza

What I am looking foreword to: finding out the sex!!!!!  next appointment!

Ryan:  swears he will do the low sodium diet with me, but I know I will catch him in the kitchen sneaking peanut butter! 

Riley and Tate- at bedtime, I noticed riley had a much rounder belly than usual.  I said…"buddy whats in your belly?"  Riley responded " A baby!  I have a baby in my belly too mommy!"  I replied "oh!  what are you going to have"  Riley pulled the object from under his shirt and said  " A GOAT!"  Sure enough, it was.

Tater: 10 Months

Our little Sweet Po-Tater is 10 months already…and boy oh boy is personality showing.  Tate is always up to something and he stops to look to see if anyone is going to tell him no...Riley even calls him a little turd. He climbs our stairs in 30 seconds, he turns the TV off and on, he pulls down the DVD player, he splashes in the dog bowl, he a complete mess at every meal…the list is endless.  He really keeps me on my toes! He is cruising more and took a single step, but he was unaware of what he was doing.  He stands momentarily for up to 30 seconds, but again he doesn't know he is doing it and gets distracted easily.  This kid can pack the food away…he eats anything you put in front of him.  He did start his taste testing phase, he sticks his tongue out first to test the new food before he eats.  Some of his favorites are: baked beans, cheese, tomatoes, pea and carrots, but he really seems to love food in general.  Tater is full of smiles and is so curious and rambunctious.
-He is still a good sleeper- 7pm till 8am with a 2 hour morning nap and 2 hour afternoon nap.
-He eat 3 meals a day with an 8oz bottle in between.
-Depending on the brand of clothes he wear 12-24 month and size 4 diapers.  -He has 4 teeth on the bottom and 2 on top, with 2 more poking through.
-He says dog and duck, but other than that he doesn't do any other cool tricks :)

13 Weeks

"Oh Crap, that's right, we're pregnant!"  seems to be the quote of the week.  We feel bad, but quite frankly…we don't have time to focus completely on this pregnancy.  Of coarse I am reminded daily that I am "with child"  but the whole-having a 3rd baby soon- has not sunk in.  Don't plan on me posting belly pictures often, for several reasons:  -I never wear makeup anymore, lets not even start with my hair and I may end up on peopleofwalmart.com for my attire of yoga pants and baggy shirts, stained with yesterdays spit up and boogers…I think you get the point.

I have decided this pregnancy…being our last (really!)  I am going to try and enjoy it as much as possible.  I loved being pregnant with Riley because I ate like pac man…anything in my path.  Of coarse I paid the price with the aftermath of access "giggle".  I did not like being pregnant with Tate because I monitored every bit of food and sodium that went in my mouth…I was either desperately hungry or horrible swollen.  However lost all my weight in no time.

For this pregnancy I am going to try and get the best of both worlds.  I want to enjoy the next 6 months.  I want to take advantage of this time…when else can you get away with a "10pm  french fry and McFlurry run" (the answer is, no other time is this expectable)  I also want to soak up my time with Riley and Tate…I don't want to forget these times because of "pregnancy brain" which I suffer from in the worst way.  For those of you who don't know or haven't experienced pregnancy brain, here are some symptoms: brewing your K-Cup without putting the coffee cup under to catch the coffee,  not remembering the last time you took a shower, losing your 9 month old in the house, to find out he was in the highchair the whole time and finally seeing a stain on your shirt and not knowing whether it's an old stain, new stain or permanent stain…and not caring either way.


Finally here's the run down

• Negative Nancy: hungry for all the bad things and tired…I could sleep for days!  The sodium is totally worse than the other pregnancies.  And I can tell my blood pressure is out of whack…I am freezing cold one minute and sweating bullets the next.  
• Positive Polly:  I am not nauseous anymore thanks to the unisom and B6
• Waistline: regular jeans that rest below the baby bump. Gained a couple pounds…more or less depending on my sodium intake
• Cravings: French Fries (that I can't have) 
• What I miss:  A sane mind and energy
• What I am looking foreword to: finding out the sex 
• Ryan:  ...is hanging in there and extremely patient 
• Riley and Tate-  Question #1…"Riley what do you think of the baby in mommy's belly?"  Answer #2…"Baby? NO THANK YOU MOMMY! I kung Fu Panda a baby"  Questions #2 "what if the baby is like a baby Ava or baby Caleigh…?"  Answer #2... " Oh Yes!  I like baby EVA and baby CAWEEE!!!"  So there you have, the verdict is in (and hopefully God has taken the hint for the safety of this baby)  that we will have a girl, according to Riley.  Tater obviously has no idea whats going on.

Tate and Cornbread

Listen in the background as Ryan bargains with Riley to eat something, yet here I am fighting for my corn bread with a baby!

A Million Dollar Smile...

Hey, it worked for Michael Strahan….