35 Weeks

I'm now 35 weeks pregnant. I feel pretty okay, just REALLY tired. I've had some bad swelling in my legs and hands so staying in bed makes me feel a lot better. Since school got out I have been so bored. Time is moving so slowly!  I go in to the OB at least twice weekly for stress testing on the baby. Right now we are planning an induction date of July 8th, a little less than 4 weeks away. Time to panic!  Seriously though, I'm terrified. 

Scott took a few maternity pics of me a few weeks ago to display at my shower which I will post about later. 

31 weeks

Well...I'm still pregnant and feeling HUGE!  I had an ultrasound today and the little guy's head is measuring 3 weeks bigger than his body. Definitely a Ballam baby!

Things have been crazy and exciting. I've been feeling major kicks all day everyday. This week I've been able to feel baby hiccups almost everyday as well!

John's mom and sister hosted the cutest little shower for me last weekend at a place called Dear Lizzie. So fun!

John is growing as impatient as I am. We can't wait for him to arrive!  6 more days of school!!!

Baby B's Nursery

Since we found out we are having a boy, we have been really excited to set up our nursery!  After a few minor setbacks with ordering furniture from Walmart (never again), we were able to get things going.  John's parents came up to Logan to help paint the room before we had our new carpet installed.  After all of the furniture arrived the fun began!  I must give credit where credit is due; John did most of the work.  He was surprisingly excited and opinionated about everything.  He also didn't want me posting any pictures until it was done...so hopefully this is done enough! First let me apologize for the green tint to all of the pictures.  We just got a new camera and I have no idea how to use it.  The walls are actually a medium grey color

The crib is one of my favorite parts.  We got a screamin' deal on buybuybaby.com.  I wanted a dreamcatcher for above the bed but after pricing them out on etsy (about $60) I opted to make my own and only ended up spending about $10 :) 

John put together the bookshelf which we bought at Walmart.  As you can see we were very excited to also set up the carseat and stroller :)

I already had the faux taxidermy deer head.  I got it last summer and it has been hanging in our bathroom but we moved it into the baby room.  I miss it every time I take a bath!

This picture shows the actual wall color.  John was a champ and spent 2 hours putting this dresser together.  It weighs a ton but we love it.  The little drawers came from Hobby Lobby and of course, our baby already has his mini Jordans.

This toy chest might be my favorite part of the room.  It came from Kohls and has a special apparatus that makes it stay open and not slam shut on tiny baby fingers.  John's Detroit Lions logo fit nicely above the mirror :)

And of course, we can't be in the baby's room without this little one.  I'm not sure if she is super excited for a little brother, or if she thinks we made this new, special room for her.  Either way, she's a cutie!

 That's it!  P.S. John says I didn't use flash.  I guess that's the problem...

This is CRAZY!

Alright, I know I haven't posted in FOREVER, but I thought I'd better update this thing before it shrivels up and dies :)

December 8th was the CRAZIEST day!  But, let me back up.  This summer I had my second surgery for Endometriosis.  I had been MISERABLE for months and decided to have the doc go in and clean things out...again.  There was a bunch of nasty stuff to remove, including a cyst, but the doctor was happy about how things went.  He also mentioned that I would be at my "most fertile" state for the next year.  So...John and I decided it would be a good time to start trying for a baby :).  I was really worried, since endometriosis often causes infertility, but I went off the pill.  Sometime in October I thought maybe I'd take a pregnancy test because I hadn't had a period since my surgery (June).  I took one, and it came back negative so I didn't think much of it.  After that I started feeling really nauseated and thought I must have some sort of bug.  Since that test, and every other test I had ever taken, came back negative, I forgot about pregnancy until December.

December 8th I woke up nauseated for the umpteenth time.  As I was brushing my teeth I had to stop and dry heave a few times.  The thought of pregnancy popped into my head and I casually took another test before I headed off to work.  Seeing those two pink lines stopped me in my tracks!  I walked into the bedroom and turned on the light.  John was sleeping, but immediately woke up.  "Honey..." I said.  That was it.  He looked at me and panicked thinking I had low blood sugar and was about to pass out or something.  I sat on the bed and said "look at this".   Once he realized what it was he said "REALLY?"  I said I didn't know but I didn't have any more tests!  He said "I hope so!" and kissed me as I left for school.  What a rough day!  I had already been at school for a month feeling horrible, but knowing that I might be pregnant only elevated that!   After school I sped to Maceys and got another test.  Another positive.  John and I immediately went to the doctor's office to take a more accurate test.  Positive.  The nurse was so excited for us and said "Let's calculate your due date!  When was your last period".  Uh....June?!  I laughed and told her that things had been kind of.... strange since my surgery.  She said "Well...guess we will find out at your ultrasound!"

Even though I am high risk, and miscarriage is VERY prominent in my family, we couldn't wait to tell my family and John's parents.  It was crazy to think that the baby could be due any time between June and August!  My favorite reaction was that of my nephew Sebastian.  When I said "Sebastian, I'm going to have a baby"  He immediately responded with "*gasp*  Are you going to give it to us?!"  :)  Can you tell he is wanting a little sibling?

We had to wait a few weeks, but finally got in to see Dr. Kirkman on December 26th.  He explained to us that I was probably just a few weeks along, and that we would probably see the sack, that would eventually turn into the baby.  When he started the ultrasound he said "Well...there's a cute little baby in there!"  We were so pleased that I was far enough along that we could see the baby and even hear the heart beat :)  I measured at 10 1/2 weeks, due July 17th!

It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for us!  (Well...mostly me)  I am THRILLED and SCARED and HAPPY and NERVOUS!  We are mostly anxious to find out the gender so we can get the nursery ready.  There is SO MUCH to do!  I have been feeling miserable lately,  but hopefully that will pass as I get further along (I'm only 15 1/2 weeks now) :)

Diabetic Memories

Remember the time I was diagnosed with diabetes and when I was in the hospital my current boyfriend broke up with me?

Remember how the next date I was asked on cancelled because he "didn't think he could handle being with a diabetic?"

Remember when I went out with a boy (who would later become my husband) and he asked why I couldn't just lose weight and exercise to get rid of my diabetes?

Remember all of the times people stared when I got undressed in the dressingroom and they saw the black bruises all over my stomach?

Remember the time a lady stormed out of an ice cream parlor with her children when she saw me give myself an insulin injection?

Remember the two times I ended up in the emergency room because I accidentally gave the wrong kind of insulin?

Remember how I drop thousands of dollars every year on medical supplies (after insurance)?

Remember how I am at high risk for miscarriage, amputations, blindness etc?

Remember all of the needles, medicine, doctors visits, sleepless nights and sick days I have had in the past 5 years?

You don't remember those things?  Do you remember the time you saw a meme like this on FB and laughed or clicked "like"?  

I sure remember those posts. 

I do not have diabetes because I am fat. Sugar did not give me diabetes. I cannot fix myself by losing weight. I am diabetic because my pancreas is broken. 

  

Remember that before you hit "like" next time

Merry Christmas from The Blairs

The Blairs in 2013

This year has been full of excitement for us!  Here is a little update on each member of the family.

*John: After working for Thermo Fisher Scientific for 3 years, John decided to take a leap of faith and change his career path. He teamed up with his dad to run a cloud services company called AirDesk Solutions. He is very motivated and loves his job (especially since he can work in his pj's).  John has also taken up a new hobby: beard growing.  He is quite talented at it, and now feels like he fits in very well with the Israelsen side of Olivia's family.

*Olivia: This year has brought new career opportunities for Olivia as well. She was hired to teach 2nd grade at Woodruff Elementary and is loving it!  She has an awesome class of 20 students that keep her exhausted 5 days a week!  She hopes that someday she will be able to adopt a hobby other than napping, but in the meantime, she will enjoy any bit of shut-eye she can get!

*Izzy: Our little Izzy still has us wrapped around her little paws. This year she had a scary experience, having 5 abscessed teeth extracted at the vet. She was very brave. She has also become more sociable and has been able to accompany her family on numerous trips to strange places such as Grandma and Grandpa Blair's house. We are so proud of her and the wonderful example she is to her little sister, Luna. We can always count on her to grab some Kleenex out of the trashcan and bring it to the door to greet us when we get home!

*Luna: Luna celebrated her 2nd birthday this year and is becoming quite the little dictator. She loves her sister and constantly tries to give her kisses. However, she also has to be the center of attention and will go to great lengths to have all eyes on her. She is continually astonishing us with her amazing athletic abilities, especially her vertical jumping skills. She had her first haircut this year and seemed to like being pampered. She was also thrilled to make a new BFF in her new cousin Milo. Some of her favorite things to do include licking his face, sitting on his tummy and sitting on his face.

We are so blessed to have a warm home, plenty of food and Comcast. Happy Holidays!!

Love, John, Olivia, Isabel and Luna May


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Halloween

Halloween is a little more fun and a LOT more tiring when you are a teacher. Especially when it lands on a Thursday and you have to come back on Friday and teach 20 little sugar induced comatose children. 

Anyway, it was a fun day. I wanted the morning to be a normal day, since we have so much material to cover this year and little time to waste. Surprisingly we got through the morning with few distractions. My room mom put together a super adorable party for after lunch. My mom, brother and a few other parents came to help. The kids got to put on their costumes after lunch and wear them for the party. We did a rotation of two games and a craft. They also got to decorate cookies and listen to a "real witch" read stories. So fun!  After the party we had the school costume parade. I got a kick out of seeing everyone's costumes.  My cute mom and brother were good sports and dressed up to fit my Dr Seuss theme :)

I've never had a hangover, but I imagine it felt similar to the way I felt the next day.  After this year I think Halloween should always land on a Friday so teachers don't have to come back to school the next day!