Fourth of July, Pregnancy Update, and Life Around Here

Happy Fourth of July (a few days ago!). We had a really fun, family-filled weekend at the Ready's pool. Isla loves the water and could spend all day in the pool if we let her. We had good food, lots of relaxation, and family fun. I remember watching the fireworks with Michael a year and a half into our infertility. I said I wished so badly that we had a baby to spend holidays with. Being his hopeful self, he said, "next fourth of July, will be different!". He was right! We were pregnant the next year. I remember thinking that the following year would be so fun with our new baby. Isla was 9 months old the next fourth of July and we were pregnant again (we found out a few days later that we had lost that baby). And now this year we are pregnant with the next baby and have our sweet almost-two-year-old. Each fourth of July is a day of remembrance and hope for me. Next year we'll have two kiddos celebrating and I jokingly told Michael maybe we'll be pregnant again. He said no (haha). 

Pregnancy Update: 
I was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I felt very nervous and overwhelmed at first, but after meeting with the nutritionist it seems much easier to manage. So far, I've been able to keep my numbers in check and really didn't need to make that many changes to my diet. Because of the diabetes, I have to go in every week for a sonogram and doctor's appointment. The fear with GD is that baby will grow too big. This often leads to early induction of labor, complications with baby, potential for stillbirth, and sometimes c-sections. 
Yesterday was our first appointment of our weekly ones. Baby is measuring in the 19th percentile, which is rather small. He had great movements and my fluid looked good too. The doctor was pleased with my sugar levels and we discussed possible induction at 39 weeks (there is a risk of stillbirth the closer you get to 40 weeks if you have crazy blood sugar). 
We also spent time discussing my latest issue- preterm labor. Last week I started having some really bad cramps and lower back pain. A few days before that, I had signs that the baby had dropped. So they asked that I come in for a stress test. The test showed I was having contractions and that there was some "uterine irritability". They did a cervical check and a test called a fetal fibronectin test, which can detect amniotic fluid proteins around the cervix. The test came back positive, which means I have a high risk of preterm labor. Because I am only 32 weeks along, this was a little scary. They ordered that I go on bedrest and slowly integrate into normal activities over the weekend. So when we met with our doctor this week, we discussed what this means. I have some signs to watch for in the coming days (contractions, intense pain, bloody show, etc.) and she wants me to rest whenever I feel like my body needs it. It's hard to decipher what to do with this positive FFN test because false positives are really common. The biggest concern with giving birth this early is that baby's lungs don't finish developing until almost 40 weeks. They often give steroids to mamas that show signs of preterm labor in order to bulk baby's lungs up. Unfortunately, with gestational diabetes the steroids can be dangerous for baby because it skyrockets baby's sugar levels. He already is receiving high doses of sugar because of me, so we have to really weigh our options with the steroids. We are hoping enough rest and precautions in place will allow him to keep cooking so we don't have to deal with that. 
If you think of us, we would appreciate your prayers. Baby is measuring really well and I seem healthy overall, but we definitely think baby will be earlier than full term. We are praying for a safe delivery, no complications, and a healthy mom and baby. We have some other decisions to make regarding the birth and procedures that might need to happen. We would appreciate prayers for clarity and wisdom too. 
I am definitely feeling the third trimester. I am sore, hot, tired, and achy all the time. But it still amazes me that my body can make a baby, so for that I'm grateful. 
(picture of me getting my stress test done while in a mask)

And here are some recent pictures:

Isla has her big girl room finished and she LOVES it. The only thing we need to change is her crib. This is going to be Bubba's crib and she's supposed to get a new one. We ordered her new crib back in April and STILL don't have it. We are hoping it gets here before Bubba needs it!

She sits in her tent and reads with me all day. She loves her bird poster too. Birds are some of her favorite things :) 


We did a little water and oil experiment and this kept her pretty entertained. She kept saying "ohhh" with such excitement. By the end of this, she was able to suck the water into her pipette and then squeeze it out onto the oil all by herself. Talk about fine motor work! 

I froze a block of ice with some toys inside and then handed her a bunch of tools to get the toys out. She worked with the mallet, hammer, and shovel for a little bit, but then ended up dumping warm water over the block to melt it. She loved this! Her little creative brain amazes me. 



We've started a new morning routine called our "morning basket". We lay our blanket down, have a snack/coffee, and do our basket. It involves a devotional, some poetry, a read-aloud (Beatrix Potter currently), and a hymn to sing together. She loves this time and really sits there and pays attention for the whole time. It's impressive! 

We were able to visit with some friends last week. Isla loves the swing and her little friend loves to pull her with the rope. It works out nicely for us moms because we get to sit and watch! 



Always finding new ideas for our sensory bin. This one was a hit! 

I hope everyone is staying cool! 

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