When you’re snuggling the #babybump and you get kicked in the head, it’s pretty funny. Even if you’re a #dog 😊. #blogpost #chronicandpregnant #sillydog #preggers #pregnant #pregnancy #advancedmaternalage #pregnantbelly #pregnantat41 #fibroandpregnancy #goldenretriever #goldens #goldenlife #goldensofinstagram #goldenpuppy #goldenretrieversofinstagram #itsadogslife #lifesmoments

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Here is another #sign I made this past week. Our favorite #nursepractitioner from our pediatrician’s office just left the practice this week after helping to build the practice for 30 years. Sadly, she is not retiring, but moving on to another practice that is too far for us to travel to. We have been going here for 11 years (ever since our daughter was still in my belly). And this NP is a wonderful lady. She is kind, very knowledgeable, super smart, patient, and has a laid-back demeanor, which was very useful in balancing the paranoia of a first time momma. 😜 Most importantly though, we credit her with saving Miracle Man’s life. When he was four weeks old, we went in for a routine check up. He was so tiny, and being a #twin there was a lot of chaos going on in the room with both boys being examined and making noises. The NP was listening to Miracle Man’s heart and thought per chance she may have heard a slight murmur. She kept listening, and listening. Finally, she looked up at me and said, “I’ll be right back!” She literally ran to get another doctor to come listen to his heart, too, to confirm what she thought she heard. The other doctor came back and agreed that it sounded like a heart murmur and the wheels were set in motion. We had a #cardiologist appointment set up, and before we knew it our little munchkin had open heart surgery at seven weeks old. When all was said and done, the renowned #pediatric #cardiology #surgeon from our area told us that Miracle Man’s heart had been 87% blocked! And we literally had no idea anything this major was going on with him. All of the symptoms he had been experiencing were also typical of late #preterm babies, which he was. So I am eternally #grateful to this NP and I wanted to wish her well on her new journey. To do so, I made this sign for her, and wrote a special note to her on the back. I had been hoping to give it to her at my daughter’s physical the other day, but the NP had already left. ☹️ Luckily, I still have contact with her and she will receive it soon, I’m sure. It will probably just be after #Thanksgiving .🤷🏼‍♀️ #blogpost #painting

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Some friends of ours had a baby boy recently and I wanted to give them something special for their nursery, so after a #Pinterest perusal and some stealth Facebook stalking of their #nursery photos, I came up with this sign. I like it so much, I’m going to make something similar for my #baby when I get the chance. 😊 It wasn’t too hard to make! I used a piece of scrap wood, which I painted gray and let dry. Then on the top surface, I painted a layer of navy. When that dried, I sanded over the top and sides to give it the rustic, worn look. Next, I designed and cut out of #vinyl the saying and owl on my #cricut . I used the negative part of the cuts to make stencils, which were placed down on the wood and painted over in gray. It took two coats to get the gray to look the way I wanted it to. And on the second coat, I lifted up the vinyl #stencils while the paint was still wet. The owl was a three step process. It required two stencils, the base of the owl being the first one in white. The second stencil went on top of the white paint after it dried so that I could add the gray details. Then when that dried, I painted the beak and talons in yellowish orange and the eyelids and lashes in navy. It was a fun #diyproject . and our friends really liked it when I gave it to them yesterday! 😊 #painting #baby #newborn #crafts #craftymom #diy #giftideas #gifts #sign #welcomebaby #babyboy #paintingismytherapy #blogpost

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This is how I am feeling today. I haven’t been sleeping well this week. My #glucose numbers aren’t so great even though I am working super hard on controlling them with my diet. And I’ve been so alone throughout my whole pregnancy (well, with the exception of my three screaming meemies 😜). It’s very hard. I am having a difficult time getting excited about this baby. I know that in the end, I will love and adore her just as much as my other three. But with everything I’ve been going through, alone, it’s just.so.hard. Of course I know how this makes me sound. And I know how desperate other women are to have children, so there is enormous guilt associated with my admission and my feelings. And I really do believe she is a gift. I’m just being real. This is where I am at. Alone. Frightened. Worried. Sad. Angry. Exhausted. #truth #pregnancy #pregnant #advancedmaternalage #pregnantat41 #gestationaldiabetes #emotional #chronicandpregnant #fibroandpregnant #chronicillness #fibromyalgia #scleroderma #ibs #fml #depression #anxiety #blogpost #momlife #momoffour #canirunaway #wouldanyonemissme

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This is my go-to #breakfast most mornings... 2 eggs Diced onion (usually red) Spinach 4 diced kalamata olives 3 slices of Roma tomato diced Sometimes I add a smidgen of cheese with it, too. Today wasn’t one of those days, though. 😜 This dish is so low-carb I don’t even bother to count the #carbs anymore. It’s literally probably three carbs, maybe? It definitely comes in way below my targeted 🎯 range. #gestationaldiabetes #manageyourglucose #pregnant #pregnancy #chronicandpregnant #fibroandpregnancy #advancedmaternalage #chronicillness #liveneggsup #newlifestyle #eatinghealthy #spoonie #mealplanning #lowcarblifestyle #lowcarb #eatyourveggies #eatyourgreens #yummmm #blogpost

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Today I am trying a new smoothie for breakfast that has a combination of vanilla protein powder, strawberries, almonds and almond milk, and spinach. It’s not bad. It tastes a little bit sweeter than I thought it would. But the carbs are still pretty low....close to 26 (the goal is to be below 30 for breakfasts and snacks). But this #smoothie has a lot of protein in it, too, so that helps combat or balance the effects of any carbs that are in it. For those interested, here is the #smoothierecipe : 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 1/4 cup almonds 1 cup frozen strawberries 1/4 vanilla protein powder Handful of spinach Fill the rest of a single serve blending cup with water That’s it. Super simple and easy, but tasty and filling. So, my endocrinologist is wondering if I may actually have #type1diabetes (which, I am learning, is different than #type2diabetes in that it is an autoimmune diabetes). Typically, this is the type of diabetes that children are diagnosed with. However, it can, according to the endocrinologist, remain dormant in your system until it is triggered and then can be a diagnosed as late as even 60 years of age. Once all is said and done and the baby is born, they usually test a patient with gestational diabetes for two months after the pregnancy to see if the blood sugars return to normal. So I will be doing all of that, but once that postpartum period is over, she is going to look into whether or not I have type one diabetes, as well. Long story short: I might as well embrace this as a new lifestyle, rather than just a temporary change. 🤷🏼‍♀️ #chronicillness #chronicandpregnant #diabetesawareness #diabetesawarenessmonth #diabetesawarenessday #gestationaldiabetes #pregnancy #pregnancyproblems #advancedmaternalage #fibroandpregnancy #fibromyalgia #momlife #spoonie #blogpost #momof4 #pregnantat41

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Today’s breakfast (brought to you on a Christmas kitty plate), consists of 1/2 of a whole wheat sandwich thin, 1 tablespoon or all natural peanut butter, and 1/2 of an avocado. Coming in at around 20g of carbohydrates, but with plenty of protein and healthy fats to satisfy the appetite, this breakfast is an interesting combination. The avocado actually helps cleanse the palate a smidgen in between bites of the peanut butter, but I long for a fresh glass of orange juice. But whaddya gonna do? 🤷🏼‍♀️ It turns out that the #gestationaldiabetes diet didn’t work too well for me, so I am now on the #insulin shots. But the diet remains in place . I’m getting a little bit bored of my regular meals, so I’m starting to switch it up a bit, trying new recipes and combinations of foods...measuring and counting every #carbohydrate along the way. The finger pricking is going alright...it’s starting to feel a bit more painful than it initially did (probably due to the frequency of irritation on my fingers??). I do test different fingers each time, and never stick myself in the same spots. So I wonder if the #fibromyalgia is causing the sensitivity, or if it’s just the way it is. Does anyone have any insight on that? TIA I hope you all have a great day! 🌞 #blogpost #preggers #pregnant #pregnantat41 #advancedmaternalage #fibroandpregnancy #fibrosucks #diabetesawareness #diabetesawarenessmonth #manageyoursugar #momlife #chronicandpregnant #chronicillness

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Hoping to walk out that door in the next few minutes. It was a rough day of too many #preterm contractions. It didn’t matter what I did to ease them, cuz they just kept coming! I made a “quick” trip to the hospital to get everything checked out and since everything looks good, I will be on may way soon. Once they finish the paperwork, of course! 🙄 Oh the joys of #pregnancy 🤷🏼‍♀️!! #blogpost #preggers #contractions #advancedmaternalage #pregnantat41 #pregnant #pregnancyproblems #pregnantlife #pregnancyjourney #chronicandpregnant #fibroandpregnancy #sotirednow

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Gestational Diabetes Monitoring Tutorial

Gestational Diabetes Monitoring Tutorial Monitoring your blood sugar when you have gestational diabetes.

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Yesterday was my first full day of monitoring my blood sugar levels as a momma with #gestationaldiabetes . So here’s the breakdown in how it works. First thing in the morning, before I have any breakfast, I test my blood sugar level and log it on a recording sheet. To prep for that test, all I have to do is make sure my hands are clean and that I have inserted a new lancet in the finger pricker. I can then have breakfast, and from the moment any food touches my mouth, I have to set a timer so that I can take another test exactly 1 hour after the start of eating. I’m learning a lot about controlling the carb intake at various times throughout the day. For those of you who have never gone through this or any other type of diabetes, it’s interesting to note that, although you have to be aware of your carb intake throughout the day, morning time is of the upmost importance. My diabetes educator explained to me that at breakfast time, I can have between 15 and 30 g of carbs (but no more than that). That basically eliminates any type of cereal (due to the carb count in the cereal, as well as the milk). It also eliminates traditional pancakes, French toast, bagels...pretty much everything most Americans have for breakfast (except for eggs). The focus during breakfast, she explained it to me, should be to have a lot of protein. Yesterday morning, rather than cook up an egg, I opted for half of a 100% whole wheat sandwich thin With 1 tablespoon of all natural peanut butter. I also had a quarter of a cup of cottage cheese, and approximately 1 ounce of Colby Jack cheese. For that breakfast my carb count was around 17 1/2 g. I was aiming to... #blogpost

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When you are dared to get wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy. 😜 #truthordare #familyfun #mommylife #momlife #blogpost #lovemyfamily #lovemykids #goodsport #silly #family #familyofsix #gamenight #gamenightfun #halloween #painting

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I never got around to sharing a picture of the #sugarcookies I made for my #twins for their #cowboy themed #birthday party. These are just some of the ones I made...and I know they could’ve been better, but at the time I was very strapped for time and the weather with the humidity was making it extremely challenging to get the perfect consistency for the Royal icing. Either way, for better or worse, here they are!! 😜 #blogpost #twinmom #birthdaycookies #westerntheme #giddyup #rodeo #wildwest #momlife #mommylife #celebrate #toomuchsugar #familyfun #lovemyfamily #twinlife #painting

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