Trying to Beat Diabetes

I realize that this disease affects so many people, but I am just not yet willing to accept how much it is affecting me. I have followed my meal plan exactly (which leaves me feeling constantly hungry by the way) and increased my exercise level four times over. And yet, I have failed half of my blood tests. It is a very frustrating situation to be in, and now I get so nervous every time I have to test that it is probably making it worse! Stress is a major factor in increasing glucose levels. Stressed? Me? What, with a baby on the way, diabetes staring me down, a must-pass-or-will-lose-teaching-credential test next weekend, no job to speak of for next year, and all the day to day work and personal issues? Hmmm ... Did I mention that I had a week long hives outbreak too? Ok, enough of my ranting. Just had to get those feelings out to someone other than my poor husband. At least you don't have to see me crying all the time ...

Snow Day

Today is April 19th, and for the first time in my life I'm having a snow day in Spring! That's right it snowed big flakes that stuck at my house for the hour between 6 and 7 am. Erin and I jumped into the car and drove ourselves to the YMCA for a little bit of poolside excercise.

-Later in the day-

Now it's hailing!

I Got Da Beat

Diabetes that is! After taking the standard pregnancy glucose test last week, it was determined that my glucose levels are off the charts high and I have what is called gestational diabetes. Apparently 3% of pregnant women develop this condition which goes away as soon as the baby is born. Tomorrow I get to go learn how this will really impact my life for the next 8 or so weeks (Can you believe that is all that is left before the baby arrives????). Some of the big bummers that came with this diagnosis include: Not being eligible to deliver at the Birthing Center we had chosen with a midwife and no drugs; having a high risk for C-Section due to diabetic babies having extremely large heads; having a higher risk of a premature baby and all the complications that could follow; having to stick my finger with a needle every day to test my blood. SO... I would much appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby, a complication-free delivery, and peace about the whole situation.

Galloping Gertie

I was online today and found a great video displaying how our first Narrows Bridge collapsed back in 1940. It was designed by an arrogant architect named Joseph B. Strauss, who didn't take into consideration the high winds and insisted on constructing a ribbon-like span across the Tacoma Narrows.




Today there are two bridges containing a total of 9 lanes of traffic. A far cry from only two-lanes of the first bridge. The newest bridge (which opened only last year) was designed to hold a second deck for more traffic or mass transit depending on which demands the most need in the years to come.

The original Narrows Bridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, even though it is sitting at the bottom of Puget Sound. It acts as an artificial reef for bottom dwelling sea creaures to live. Octopus' love it's dark and private crevases. In fact one of the largest ones ever found (if not the largest) was in the old Narrows Bridge.

What I Hate About Washington

I hate that my family is not here! How cute is my nephew Caleb? In this first picture he is laughing and smiling with me. We had so much fun hanging out together while everyone else buzzed around us getting ready for the shower. I will post shower pictures separately. :)













Here he is helping his mommy by holding her purse. We went to see Caleb's first movie - Horton Hears a Who. He had a fun time sitting on my lap and jumping up and down.




For Jackie's birthday we all went to dinner at Mimi's. Oh to be 22 again ... We had a wonderful dinner followed by an amazing dessert of Bananas Foster and Bread Pudding. We ordered two desserts for the six of us and still brought home leftovers! For the grand finale of the trip, Jackie, Jennille, Caleb and I headed to the Long Beach Aquarium. We had a great time watching the sea life and feeling some too. I'll post some pictures of our underwater friends separately.

Bringing the pregnant belly to fancy events

OK, I admit it- I am not one of those happy-to-be-pregnant ladies. On a typical day I feel fat and sluggish. Getting to dress up in clothes that fit helps, and I have had the opportunity to do so lately! I also got a haircut yesterday (it is not pictured here) and I'm feeling much better. Any how, pictured here is my six month belly all dressed up to go to the orchestra. My friend Heather is the Concert Mistress for the Gig Harbor Community Orchestra and we had the chance to hear her talents.
	Speaking of Heather, here we are at the Lighthouse Christian School Auction. The theme was "Sea you in Paradise", hence the leis. By the way, I found both of my dresses at the Goodwill for about $5 each. :) This one still had the original tags on it - they must get the rejects from Target. Works for me!
	The auction was a blast and the school made somewhere around $300,000. My favorite part was listening to the auctioneer - it sounded like some kind of rap song most of the night! This was the project my class "made". When I say made, I mean one of the moms came and helped us put our fingerprints on the tiles. Then she made the pictures (yes, I am the Queen Bee) and had a friend make the table. It turned out to be really cute! I wish I had one for my house.

How do people do it?

Lately I have been wondering how people live on one income. After analyzing our budget, we have found that we don't have much room to budge, and that's on two incomes. With baby coming soon and decisions being made for next school year, we are wondering how we can possibly make it on half (or less) of my income. I am wondering too how I could possibly make it working full time and being mommy full time. I think I would fall apart! I wish there was an easy solution, but there isn't. Thankfully, I know that whatever happens, God will provide for our family one way or another.
That's all... just getting my frustrations out there for all the world to see.

Garfield the Cat

As a kid my favorite comic strip was Garfield. It was better than it is today. I had garfield books, pillowcases, wallpaper, stickers, clothing, shoe lace clips, and alarm clocks. Today I discovered a new adventure in Garfield, one that is without him. It stars only Jon Arbucle, Garfield's owner. They have removed the fat cat and his thought clouds. What's left is just Jon looking like a lunatic that just talks to himself. Quite amusing, and interesting concept, it's not like Garfield could talk back anyway. It makes me think of all the times I have conversations with my own fat cat, the Six. (if you want to see a picture of our cat, do a Google image search for "Cat in Dryer", he's usually the second or third picture)

http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/

We are a couple of lucky ducks!

Those of you loyal blog readers may remember a while back when we missed the opportunity to buy an awesome glider from Costco. Well, we went out to lunch after church with a friend who had never been to Costco. Lunch for a buck 50 can't be beat, so hot dogs it was. While meandering the aisles I told her about our disappointment with the chair. After we finished exploring, we back tracked to find Joshua. Low and behold, there on the end of an aisle all boxed up was one and only one of the very glider we loved! And better yet, it was $60 less than the last time we saw it!!! I sat on the box so nobody could sneak away with it while Joshua got a cart. Wahoo! Getting it into the car was not such a lucky story. It just wouldn't fit. But, Heather offered the use of her minivan to transport it. A fair pay back for the $1.50 lunch I think. :) So now I am home sitting in the living room with chair parts all around me waiting for Joshua to get home and get it assembled. I'm so excited to try it out!

We spent all day Saturday painting the baby's room. We decided to use a pale green on three walls and yellow on the wall with the window. Now all we need is a crib, sheets, car seat, stroller, diapers, .... you get the idea. :)

Babymoon!

It's Valentines weekend and after reading and hearing about this new popular trend called a babymoon, we wanted to try it. First the thought was to do another big road trip, but that would take too much time and a lot of expense. So we decided to stay more local, as there are already so many great things to see in this beautiful state of Washington.

We chose Leavenworth as our destination of choice. It is a small Bavarian village nestled behind the jagged peaks of the Cascade mountains. During the 1960's when the major railroad stopped passing through their town, the residents had to find a way to keep their community from becoming a ghost town. "Let's make it a German village and expand tourism." Everyone agreed and so became the town.

From the inception of the trip, I wanted to find a place that felt like home and had a place where people could gather at the end of the day and play games; like a bed & breakfast but bigger. The Enzian Inn fit all the criteria and more.

In the mornings, a full buffet breakfast was provided for all guests, with a live performance of the Alpenhorn on outside deck. Afternoons could be spent Cross Country Skiing at any of the six surrounding trails with skis provided by the Enzian. In the summer they offer rounds of golf at their Championship Putting course. At night in the main lobby, which was opened up to the two floors above, they played piano music. Also provided were indoor and outdoor pools with hot tub, excercise gym, and a racketball court.

For our room, we chose the bridal suite; actually it chose us as it was the only room left when we booked our stay. But we couldn't have asked for anything better. His & her sinks, double headded shower, whirlpool tub, wood burning fireplace, balcony, and a king sized canopy bed.

When we arrived, Erin was tired from the three hour drive and wanted a nap before perusing the town. As soon as the front desk handed us the keys, she took her's and bolted to the room while I was left to get our luggage. It took me a while to move the car around the parking lot, find a dolly, and wait for the elevator. Meanwhile, Erin get's to the room, but the bed is on stilts. At 5'2" she's not that tall, and being pregnant, she's not that agile, and being tired, she isn't thinking clearly about how to get into the bed. When she finally does achieve success in climbing into the bed, I arrive at the door and cannot figure out how to unlock it. She reluctantly falls out of bed again and helps me in, and we laughed about the situation.

In town, the shops are fairly unique with original items from the area or imported from Germany and other mountainous regions of Europe. For dining, I really enjoyed King Ludwigs, as they had authentic German fare and had a live polka band with dance floor. Erin's favorite was the Gingerbread Factory, where they made some delicious sandwiches and, of course, fantastic gingerbread cookies.

The evenings were my favorite part of the trip, everyone gathered around the fireplace, listening to piano music, drinking coffee, and playing games or puzzles. We noticed several times that they would be playing modern Christian worship songs. It certainly felt like home to us, and I'm sure we'll be going there again in the future.

The picture below shows Erin smiling because she knows she's just about to whoop me at dominoes.

Click on the images below to see them larger.

How to use a Macy's gift card to buy shoes from Marshalls: a lesson in customer service.

We set off today to find a new pair of brown shoes for Erin's growing feet. Erin was given a Macy's gift card for Christmas and this seemed to be the perfect way to use it, since Macy's doesn't have a maternity department. We arrive at the Tacoma Mall Macy's and go through their selection of shoes, only to find a pair that almost works. We make the purchase anyway, exceeding our $50 gift card by $37. Knowing that we may get a better deal, we headed to the Super Mall Outlets. There at Marshalls, Erin found her favorite shoes, by Born, in the size, color, and comfort that she was looking for. The price tag? $50. Excited by this great find, but bummed for making the initial purchase, Erin was feeling anxious about her shoe buying adventure. I told her it was okay, we could go back to Macy's and get a refund on the first shoes. As we drove back, we wondered how they would perform the refund. Our question was answered when the clerk asked, "You want this all back on the credit card then?" Without pause, "Yes." came simultaneously from our lips. And that is how you use a $50 Macy's gift card to buy shoes from Marshalls.

 

In other objectives for the day: Erin's fingers aren't a slim size 5 any longer and her wedding and engagement rings don't want to fit as they once did. Since the sight of a bare finger is too much and sometimes leads to near tears, she wanted a temporary replacement ring. We searched several stores including Wal-Mart for a $15 CZ ring that would still give the appearance that she was still married. Side note: did you know that Wal-Mart keeps their CZ rings behind the glass counter for a sales representative to show you? Wierd. I thought that the ring should be a little different from her real one and perhaps have some colored stones just to be fun, but she was set on having one that looks similar to her real ring. We didn't purchase any because the options are either too "blingy" or of the incorrect size. However, a girl at Macy's said that they could resize it for us for $20.

 

Notables:

Distance between Tacoma Mall and Super Mall - 16 miles

CZ - cubic zirconia - a synthetic diamond simulant

What Joshua Wanted - Duck Shoes - Got 'em

Getting bigger

Tonight we're visiting my sister Mary's house. Our other sister, Debbie, called and wanted to see a current picture of Erin. So Here it is, at 4.5 months:

Little Flutters

Last night I felt a little flutter. I knew I would be feeling the baby moving sometime soon, but there is so much other stuff going on in my body, I wasn't quite sure if this was it. I put my hand under my shirt and sure enough, felt a little push! I told Joshua and he ran over, putting his hand on my stomach. Literally. I had to guide him to where the baby is actually located in my body. :) He tried for a while but felt nothing. He tried again after dinner, when I felt something, I asked if he did too. He didn't realize that was the baby. He said he thought his hand had a twitch. :) Next Friday is the ultrasound but don't expect any big news ... The gender will remain unknown until the baby is born.

You've Got to be Kidding!

Yesterday morning I was getting ready to leave for work as usual. Hmmm ... my car key was not on the key hook. Nor was it on the coat rack. Oh yeah, Joshua drove my car last night and cannot seem to get the key to either of these locations. He likes to put them in his pocket instead. I ran through the house while calling his cell searching every possible place it could have been left. Nothing. The only place left was his jacket pocket which was at that moment in a locker at the YMCA with his cell phone. Rats! Our closest family members were at the Y with him, so calling them would do no good. My other sister in law works close to my school, so I gave her a try. No answer. Then I tried Joshua's parents. My father in law is the best! I quickly explained the situation and he said, "Well, I guess I better come pick you up then." Just like that he was on his way. My hero! I made it to school before the kids did (although I missed the morning staff devotional). As we were arriving Joshua called. He informed me that the key was in fact in his pocket, but he was proud of me for being resourceful. Sounds silly, but any little thing can become a huge drama with these pregnancy hormones, so it was lucky that I held it together and didn't have a breakdown! What a morning!

Joshua's Reply:
I just want to say how proud I am of my wife. As a husband, I have a certain fear that my wife won't adapt to her new home very quickly. Especially when that home is near her in-laws (whom she's only known for the last 3+ years). She felt comfortable enough to call my family for help. I'm just glad they're more dependable than I am.

You snooze, you lose

While out at Costco last week, Joshua and I spotted a glider chair that would be perfect for a nursery. We sat in it, tried rocking, and remembered the price so we could comparison shop. Neither of us had a clue what a glider cost. Yesterday we went to a 10-acre furniture store that we had heard had great prices. The 3 or so gliders they had there were almost 3 times as much as the one we had seen and not nearly as nice looking. So, we enjoyed our free popcorn and hot cocoa, then headed back to Costco. What do you know, they were sold out. So we tried the other Costco. Sold out too. They looked it up for us and found one in Oregon and one in Idaho. Bummer! Trying to make the most of our evening and the van we had borrowed, we went to Target to pick up a stroller we had found last week. Once again, our plans were thwarted as they too were sold out. Needless o say, we learned our lesson. When you see something you need but aren't sure of the price, buy it then and return it later if need be. Anybody know of any good baby furniture stores?

Sweet tea and Hush Puppies with Butter

"Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit. Look who's here." This is the welcome sign to our new favorite guilty pleasure of a restaurant. Fat Rascal's Barbecue in Port Orchard offers wood smoked beef ribs, chicken, and pork that even the most discriminating North Carolinian would appreciate. We arrived with visions of sweet tea and racks of ribs in our heads. We were not disappointed. For starters we had hush puppies served with butter. Erin had a pulled pork sandwich, I had the Some of 'Dis and 'Dat Platter with Ribs, Beef Brisket, potato salad, baked beans, deep-fried corn-on-the-cob, and cornbread.

As we waited for our food to be prepared, which wasn't very long, we were able to play some of the table games provided. Much like the Cracker Barrel they had Golf Tee Solitaire, Yahtzee, and Trivial Pursuit questions. Perfect when you don't know what to talk about, as if having a baby doesn't create something to talk about. Our server was wonderful, obviously transplanted from the South herself.

So, if you're ever in the mood for some sweet tea and ribs, just let us know and we'll join you there. (don't forget the hush puppies)

Duh!

Today I was leaving for work at 0'dark thirty as usual. My windshield was just a bit fogged up and seemed damp on the outside, so I ran the wipers over a couple times. It helped a bit, so I drove off. Then it got really fogged up, so I did what I always do in such a situation: ran the wipers with a bit of wiper fluid. Duh Erin! It was 29 degrees outside! I couldn't see anything at this point, not even the side of the road to pull over, so I just stopped and put on the hazards. (Don't panic, I was still in my neighborhood on a very quiet street.) After scraping the ice I made off the windshield, things were looking up. One day I'll figure out this thing they call winter!

Just for laughs, here are some of the darling things my students have said regarding my pregnancy.

"Is the baby big enough that we can hear it yet?"
"If the baby is so small, how come you're getting so fat?"
"Do you have to eat baby food for the baby?"
"You haven't eaten for a while and the baby is probably hungry. Should I bring you a snack from your desk?"

Aren't they the sweetest?!

The Pregnancy Bump

As per the request of Michelle, here's the 16-week belly-shot showing my baby's baby. It's hard to tell with the outfit that she's wearing, but she has been seeing significant growth since Christmas.

At our last doctor's appointment we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat. We're only able to make out one heartbeat. (it's probably not triplets) Our next sonogram will be at the end of the month, where we won't be finding the gender.

I still think it's funny that we have all these tools to find out about the baby before he/she is born. Height, weight, sex, development process. And we just choose to not know the sex. What does it even matter to us to know the other things? If there's a severe problem, does it mean we'll abort the baby? No. Why do we need to know so much beforehand? I doubt it helps us to calculate the day the baby will be born. I still haven't seen a doctor predict that.

Well That's New

This morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow outside! There wasn't quite enough for a snow day, so out I went in the dark (cause the sun doesn't come up until like 9:00 around here) to go to school. I had to scrape all the snow off my windshield before driving. Feeling fairly proud of my accomplishment, I jumped in and took off. Next time I need to remember to scrape off the back window too ... I wanted so much to take a picture for you all to see, but Joshua has hidden the camera in some secret location. I called to ask him to reveal it to me, but he ignored my call! Imagine that. In other news, we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Today makes 16 weeks, so hopefully sometime soon I can feel normal again. I am still having days of nausea now with the added bonus of headaches all the while feeling totally exhausted. What fun being pregnant is!

Gingerbread Cathedral

This Christmas I wanted to make a Gingerbread House. For Thanksgiving our family in Washington got together to build the houses together. I, of course, built mine from scratch using a template I found online. (here)But either the templates were off or the recipe I had was off. The result was a poor example of a gingerbread house. (I'll upload the picture when I get back home.)

In California at Erin's Mom's house I knew I would have some time to find a good template and a good recipe to make a great gingerbread house. I tried another template from the site referenced above, but the pieces didn't even line up in the cutouts, and everyone else's templates were too simle. Four walls and an "A"-frame roof is too boring for me. I decided to make my own. With a pencil, paper, ruler and some foam board I started to create my masterpiece for this year.

Cathedrals have great shapes and are usually very ornate, so that made the perfect idea for my house. After designing the church (loosely based on St. Pauls Cathedral in London, England) I needed to find the right recipe. I lost the recipe that I used on last years gingerbread house After going through two not-so-good recipes, Erin's mom found a great one. I was a little discouraged that I wouldn't be able to make the house because it was taking so much time, but finally I was able to get it done.

The resulting structure stands at over 1 foot tall with the Point of the cross at 20½ inches. The footprint is 12in by 17in and consumed two full batches of dough. Next it needs to be decorated, probably by Erin's mom. And lit up. I cut out places in the bottom to install lighting.

For more pictures, visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/joshua.hardwick/GingerbreadCathedral