Expect Net Game

I just wanted to let you all know we have an on-line game started to see who can guess the most about Baby Carlson before he arrives. Click on the orange box to the right of our countdown ticker to access it! Have fun!

It's Update Time!

Hello friends! I haven't posted since my bummer post a while back, so figured I should get back on to redeem myself. I'm doing pretty well with the diabetes stuff. I have to count my carbs and check my blood sugar two times a day, and so far things are going well. I've only had high numbers 2 times since I've been monitoring it, so that's good. I'm also finding that I have a lot more appreciation for my dad, who has type-2 diabetes. I can totally understand his frustration and trouble with staying on a diet. I only have to endure this for roughly 6 weeks, and he's not got an end in sight. Tough stuff...

Anyhow, we had our weekly check up appointment today. Things are fairly normal. We had our normal ultrasound, and our little guy continues to follow his growth curve. He's still on the small side, but that is just fine by me! Also, the tech we had today really worked hard to try to see the left hand. We still only saw 3 fingers, but he was moving and bending them, which is a great sign that they will function normally. The tech also managed to get some new shots of his face, which are looking more like a baby face, and less like a scary skull. :) So overall, a great appointment.

Thanks again for your continued prayers and support! We love you all! Oh, and watch for future pics and a post about my "Top Secret Project" (which many of you already know about).

A funny thing happened...

So, if you hadn't heard yet, I failed my first glucose test just before Christmas (which was given later than normal, but that's what happens when you switch care providers I guess). This meant I had the supreme pleasure of taking a longer 3-hour version of the same test on Wednesday this week. For this test they gave me an IV line, drew blood, and then made me drink somewhere around 12 oz. of a super sweet, slightly-thicker-than-soda liquid. Then over the next 3 hours they drew blood once per hour. It was WAY fun! :P I actually didn't care that much, except that I really don't like needles much at all. Before I left they told me that unless something was wrong they wouldn't call me about the test.

Fast forward to yesterday. I get a call at work-- it's the Mayo nurse line-- uh-oh. Yup! You guessed it- I have gestational diabetes! Isn't that fabulous? Can't you just hear the sarcasm dripping from my mouth? OK, so I'm trying to stay positive, but... So, now I have to test my blood sugar levels twice a day, and I'm on a diet to watch my carbs. They're having me back next week to check over everything, and now I will officially begin going to see my Dr. every week.

The only thing I can think is thank goodness this was all discovered AFTER Christmas, and at least I don't have too much longer to deal with it (in the grand scheme of things). I know it will be fine, but this is my moment of frustration. I'm glad I have a place to vent. :)

Bella

I wanted to take a minute to tell you all that Bella is a great movie! It's not playing in every theater, and The Chateau in Rochester is the only one playing it, but only for a limited time. It was only supposed to play through yesterday, but I just checked out their website and they currently have it scheduled for another week. Anyhow, this movie is a great film with an excellent message. Apparently the people behind making it are involved in a grassroots effort to promote good cinema. I really don't know much about the background, but I do know the theater was packed, and it was excellent! If you have some time and it's playing nearby, I highly recommend it. :)

Sarah's Favorite Things...

I've been thinking that I want to share my favorite things, so here goes. Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens... :)

• I love singing and being a part of the worship team at church. I was able to do that this weekend again, and it was such a joy! It was a choir weekend, which is even more spectacular and fun, and I just kept thinking that it felt like worship the way it was meant to be-- a total PARTY!
• I love my cat. This has come as such an unexpected surprise. I never cared that much for animals, but getting Blazer has been so entertaining, and he really is a sweetie!
• I love Sunday afternoon naps! John and I will often fall asleep on Sunday afternoons with the football game on, and there just is nothing more relaxing and comforting. (We did get a short one in this past Sunday- yeah!)
• I love reading! Students in my class will occassionally be rewarded with "Read and Relax" times. It's kind of a sneaky way to get kids to read and be excited about it, but it is so fun. I've planned one for tomorrow. I tell them the key word of the day is "Read," but to feel free to bring a pillow, blanket, slippers, snack, and/or beverage to help them relax. They really get excited about it- and it's not even a true "party." They just come and read for a straight 45 min. to an hour! It's fabulous. As an aside, my favorite way to read is of course on a beach or curled up by the fireplace on a snowy day.
• I love laughing! John and I totally got the giggles tonight while at our birthing class. It was completely embarrassing because it was while we were supposed to be quiet and practicing breathing, but just when one of us would calm down the other would start up again. I was crying I was laughing so hard!
• I love Thanksgiving! It is one of my favorite holidays- all of the food and family time is fabulous. Plus my birthday is always nearby, which is an added bonus. This year it is on Friday, and I get a real kick out of telling my students that we get that day off especially for me. I tell them that I arrange it every year with the Superintendent. It's pretty funny because they're not quite sure what to think.
• I love dates with my husband. This weekend I got 2! First, we went to a local "Ice Hawks" hockey game on Saturday night after church. We met up with the Jones' from church, and had a great time. Then on Sunday we saw the movie Bella, which I highly recommend, by the way. This Friday for my Birthday we are going to a MN Wild hockey game. I am pretty pumped about that, too. This week should be a blast.

Okay, I suppose that's enough favorite things for now! I'm sure I'll think of more later, and I can have a "Part 2" post sometime. :)

The Latest

Well, I'm not really sure where to start tonight. I guess I should begin by saying that we had our ultrasound at Mayo on Friday afternoon. This baby wasn't being terribly cooperative, so now we have some areas that require further examination. Namely, his left hand and his heart. He wasn't positioned well, and he also kept wiggling around so much they couldn't tell for sure that everything is as it should be with his heart, and they never caught sight of all five fingers on his left hand, so that is a bit of a question mark as well. So, all of this to say that we've been referred to a Mayo cardiologist now, and we will be going in for another (that's 6, if you're keeping score) ultrasound to see if they can't rule some potential problems out. This, of course, was not quite what we had anticipated prior to our visit. However, we know that this is not out of God's hands or plan, so we're feeling pretty peaceful about the whole thing. Our next visit at Mayo will happen a week from Monday on 11/5. We'd appreciate any prayers for our developing little guy, as well as that he would cooperate and be positioned well for the next ultrasound. Thanks! Oh! And Ebby- there's still only ONE in there!

An unexpected weekend!

OK- so the weekend itself was expected, but how it turned out was unexpected. We had planned to be in AZ over the "MEA" weekend, but as seems standard for us now, it didn't quite work out. Our flight got delayed, which would have resulted in us missing our connection in Denver. John figured all of this out before we even left the house (but not before we packed and loaded the car). John spoke with the airline, and there was literally no way of getting there on Wednesday anymore, and we wouldn't have been able to get to AZ until about 11am Thursday. We talked it over and decided it was a bust, so we opted for a refund.

We ended up going to dinner at the Macaroni Grill (YUM!), and just spending some good quality time together. It was wonderful! We both got some work done around the house, slept in, and we even got to go up to visit my sister Kristi and her husband Chris north of the Cities on Saturday/ Sunday! What fun! By the way, for the Carlsons who read this-- we did miss you! It was just great to take advantage of some time off. Oh! And my key to the school wouldn't work this weekend, so I literally couldn't do schoolwork- fabulous! :)

In other news... we had another Dr.'s appt. this morning. It was great to hear the little guy's heartbeat. We did get referred to Mayo for a level 2 ultrasound, though, which was unexpected. Apparently because they were unable to clearly see the heart and because they noticed there is only one artery in the umbilical cord (or something like that) they want us to get a closer check on how baby looks and is developing. I don't think it's anything to worry about-- I'm thinking it's more like a precaution. As our friend Jennifer J. said- they refer us there because they CAN. ;)