Results are in…

We went to our monthly check up with Dr. Tracy and had my gestational diabetes/glucose test done. They take a blood draw, then you have to drink a sugar drink, which tasted exactly like Mountain Dew — reminded me of my caffeinated, 3+ hour marathon practice sessions at Northwestern — anyway, then they take another blood draw after one hour to see how your body processes the sugar.

Results: The baby is doing great! Very strong, solid heartbeat. She is head down already and Dr. Tracy says she will probably stay that way from here on out. Everything else looked really good. The lab results came back the very next day, if you can beleive it!?! I am not processing sugar very well. I am on the border of having gestational diabetes. She didn’t think I had it, and wants to do the "real" test which is fasting beforehand, is three hours long and with a supersize "mountain dew", plus blood draws every hour. She also said that I was a bit anemic (low red blood cell count). Not enough iron filled cheeseburgers, I guess. And actually, that makes so much sense now. I have not been craving anything and not really wanting to eat much in general (including chocolate or candy of any sort, if you can believe it!?!). I have also been super tired, but I thought I was supposed to be that way… So, we are going back in on Monday to meet with her to get other suggestions for supplements as well as other food choices.

So, that’s the story. Zoey is doing great at approx 29 weeks. Here’s what american baby.com says:

"For the past six weeks or so, your baby has been listening to your voice (along with the voices of your partner, older children, and anyone else who’s been talking to your belly). Speaking to your baby is not only a key part of prenatal bonding, but may also form the basis of language development. Babies who have been spoken to in utero recognize and turn to familiar voices immediately after birth. There may also be links between prenatal stimulation and the development of speech and IQ. Conversely, studies have shown that songbirds hatched from the nests of silent foster parents don’t sing."

And I would say that she is more like in week 30 now, but maybe she is just an over-acheiver:

"By this week, your baby’s senses are developed to the point where she can taste, touch, see, and hear what’s going on around her. She’ll also react to stimuli–for instance, if you poke your belly, she may kick or hit back at the spot you’ve touched. It’s exciting to interact with your baby even before she’s born. Try rubbing your belly and talking gently to her when she kicks–you may find that you’re already able to calm her down."

She is also doing some major tossing and turning around in there. Yesterday as I was just about to fall asleep, she moved/kicked really strongly and startled me! And then my reaction must have startled her because she didn’t move much after that. Ooops.

How is everyone else doing, you ask?

Daddy: Doing well. He thoroughly enjoyed a bento box plus a Spicy Tuna Tempura roll last night. It completely warms my heart to see another sushi — and really Japanese food in general — fan who once upon a time, would never touch it.

Murphee: She is doing very well especially when I make sure to take her out for her morning romp. It is only 30 minutes, but she is the mellowest doggy for the rest of the day — and we go at around 6am. Today, I decided that sleep was a bit more important and she is full of angst. We are most definitely going tomorrow morning.

So, you ask how the Aloo Gobi was after that wonderful wind up from my sweetie… well, we still haven’t made it yet. Sorry. Time just hasn’t permitted this week so far. We will let you know though, and if you make first, let us know how it turned out!

I am making pot roast in the crock pot for myself tonight (Evan won’t touch it). It has potatoes and carrots and onion soup mix — that’s it! And it smells wonderful! I am working on getting more iron inside me… there’s nothing like red meat for that. I was on a lentil kick for a while, but I think this is a faster and more direct route. After eating some teriyaki beef last night, I felt so much better!