~ 11 weeks ~

I was going to wait until week 12 to do my first belly shot (I like even numbers), but The Hereios, a group I'm in over at flickr, had "Reflected Restroom Selfie" as it's theme for today -- so I took it today instead!  The shirt I'm wearing is stretchy.  I'm going to try to wear it for as many of the belly shots as I can.  And, since I did this one in the restroom, I may try to do the others that way as well.  It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, and I'm hot happy with the actual photo, so maybe not!

I'm growing more quickly than my last pregnancy!  I'm sure this has much to do with the fact that I have no stomach muscles left -- from babies, the kidney donation, as well as the incisional hernia from my last pregnancy.  There's nothing left to hold it all in, so I popped quite quickly even though I've actually lost a little weight.  I think I'm going to have to break down and buy maternity clothes earlier rather than later.  Until then, I have the bellaband to help out (I would die without it).

The GD is still kicking my butt.  I continue to be over emotional and distracted by what to eat, when to eat and how to get exercise in.  Bleh.  But on Friday, I should get to hear the heartbeat!

What about craftiness, you ask?  What have I been up to in that area?  I'm not sure what I am thinking, but I ordered some PUL fabric and a book about how to make really cool cloth diapers.  I am not finding time to do anything crafty, I'm barely taking photos, and I'm not a person that sews.  I had to look up PUL fabric online so I would even know what it was.  So..uhh...what was I thinking?  I guess I wasn't.

I did get this awesome selection of doodle twine (doodlebug design inc.) in the mail the other day, and I cannot wait to use it!  It has been busy around here with birthdays and stuff, but I'm hoping that I'll find time this weekend to reacquaint myself with the scrapbook area!

But, not before I clean it up.....

My soul mate:  (hollering up the stairs) Uh, was B. downstairs by herself at all yesterday?
Me:  (as I'm walking down the stairs) Um, I'm not sure, I think she was recently, but I'm not sure....
My soul mate:  Look...

This is the floor!

At least she finished the task, right?  Her daddy says this means that she will probably finish college.

~ senior photos ~

Steve Jobs died.  A few hours before his death, I purchased an iPad 2.  I will never forget that.  The world has lost something special.


It's been busy 'round here.  Class, work, B., and family all taking up time.  But, unfortunately, most of my time is spent counting carbs, meal planning, grocery shopping and worrying!  Argh!  I wish I could get over the worrying part.  When I was pregnant with B. I had gestational diabetes.  I ended up having to be on insulin for most of the summer leading up to her birth in August.  Like typical GD, it went away as soon as she was born.  Also typical, I have to be watched carefully during this pregnancy because it will be back.  So, after my first visit to the GD doctor, she put me on the carb-counting diet (with 3 meals, 3 snacks a day) and I started checking my blood sugar before breakfast and after each meal.  It only took a week.  As soon as I sent them my numbers I was put on insulin in the evenings (before bed).  It's the long-lasting kind not the quick acting kind.  (I was on both before, and probably will be again, eventually)  The reason they started me so early is because my fasting blood sugars (right when I wake up, before breakfast) were a little high.  Another thing I learned, if I have to sit in meetings all day or something like that, my other blood sugars are higher than we'd like.  So, this means I'm counting my carbs carefully, eating every 3 hours (I set a timer on my phone), pricking my finger 4 times a day, injecting insulin at 9pm each night, and I walk about a mile after every meal.  It takes a lot of time to plan for all of that!  It's frustrating, time consuming, and takes up too much space in my brain.  And I really hate being on the insulin because then I sometimes have low blood sugars as a result, which make me feel dizzy and icky.  Bleh.  But in about 30 weeks or less, I will have a baby.

This weekend I took photos of my niece, Simonne.  She is a senior and needed some senior shots.  My one true love helped me immensely (AND is doing the photoshopping for me)!  He also gave me an early birthday present -- a new lens for my camera!!  (Can I get a woot woot)?  It was the perfect gift and just in time for the photo shoot (he planned it that way).  I took over 200 photos and we got a few that work.  Photoshop is our friend, especially since Simi got her wisdom teeth out the day before!  But she was a trooper.  We couldn't have had a better weekend -- beautiful, warm, with lovely fall colors all around us.  Here are a few....more on flickr.