August Adventures Part I

Doesn't it always seem like August is our busiest time of year? Whether you have kids going back to school, parties to plan and attend, or just some last minute summer vacations...It's like we're always taking a deep breath at the end.

We had some company come and stay with us at the beginning of the month. Auntie Melissa and cousin Emma came to town for a girls night. Emma is 19 months, so her and Liv play pretty well together (most of the time). We chatted, went out to Steve's mom's for supper, and had a bit of a photo shoot as well.














We've also been able to hit up the Cedar Rapids Farmer's Market this year. They have so many vendors it's pretty much impossible to see all they have to offer, but it was a lot of fun to try!



The first weekend in August was the Start! Heart Walk for Linn Co. We joined Ellie's team again this year and had a blast! Gram Gram even got to join us this year.













The next day was Miss Ellie's 3rd Birthday...Can you believe how big these girls are getting? We helped her celebrate and had another fantastic day together.



The following Monday I had my 2nd ultrasound. Things looked good.



Baby boy was 3 lb 13oz at 29 4/7 weeks. He's in the 73rd percentile right now overall. I was a little relieved to hear this since I've heard babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are large and sometimes require a c-section. Speaking of that, things have been going well (as long as I don't even look at anything sweet). It has taken some getting used to, that's for sure. I have to check my blood sugar 5 times a day (which has made my fingers very sore) as well as check my urine for Ketones first thing in the morning.


What are ketones you ask?
'Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for energy or fuel. They are also produced when you lose weight or if there is not enough insulin to help your body use sugar for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. Since the body is unable to use glucose for energy, it breaks down fat instead. When this occurs, ketones form in the blood and spill into the urine. These ketones can make you very sick.' If I have a high amount of ketones for more than 2 days in a row I have to call in right away. This Thursday I have another appointment with the dietitian to see how things are going.

Honestly, I was planning on doing this big, long update with tons of pictures and all of Olivia's cute little sayings...but I'm just not feeling too well. The bronchitis Olivia and I both had a few weeks back has seemed to reappear. I went to the doctor today and he gave me an antibiotic. Steve is sick too, which has been hard on him since he's been busy trying to finish up some home projects. I also took Liv to see Dr. Rick today. He said what she has could be a virus, but with her cardiac history he's worried it could be turning into a walking pneumonia. He put her on a pretty aggressive antibiotic. Hopefully we'll all be feeling better soon and I can update you all on the rest of our fun we've had this month.

Take Care