My entire life I’ve heard of diabetes.  My father has to monitor his blood sugar with home testing, my uncle has a severe case of it, and a handful of other people I know have it in varying stages of degree.  While I have heard of it, I’ve never paid much attention to it…because, hey, I’m only 25 years old.  I’m young.  Nothing to worry about, right?

I am currently 26 weeks pregnant, getting ready to start my 7th month in my journey to having our first child.  So far, outside of low blood pressure, consistant tiredness, and baby-judo style kicks to my intestines, I’ve had what I would consider a perfect pregnancy.  Nausea and vomiting, so common amongst pregnant women, never even knocked at my door.

Until now.

Between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy, doctors test women for what is known as Gestational Diabetes

Gestational: Referring to the period of pregnancy from conception to birth

Diabetes: A disease in which the body does not properly control the amount of sugar in the blood. As a result, the level of sugar in the blood is too high.

What is means:  Sugar is needed for energy.  The body’s cells use glucose (sugar) in the blood to produce energy for the body to operate.  Insulin is needed in order to break glucose down into energy.  When there is not enough insulin in the body, the glucose does not get broken down - and thus piles up in high quantities in the blood, producing what is known as “high blood sugar”. 

Gestational diabetes is a special type of diabetes that 5% of pregnant women develop, somewhere between the 20th and 24th week of pregnancy.  Although it is not the same disease as regular type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it involves much of the same symptoms - and puts post-pregnant women at a higher risk of developing type 2 later in life. 

Because it is “gestational” only pregnant women develop this type of diabetes, and it usually disappears after the placenta is delivered during the last stage of labor.  If uncontrolled, gestational diabetes can put the woman and unborn baby at severe risk - from unhealthy fetal weight gain (a “too large baby”) to preeclampsia (where the mother’s blood pressure shoots too high and early delivery is the only cure).

Last Thursday, I had my first one hour glucose tolerance test - and failed with a blood sugar count of 144.   I needed to be under 140.  (You can read about the testing experience here).  It is not uncommon for a woman to fail this first test, and for the 2nd test -the long 3 hour one- they do just fine.  In fact, statistics show that only 1/3rd of those who take the 3 hour test fail it.  The 3 hour test involves the same routine as the first one hour test - except it’s done in a more comprehensive manner (you’re give a higher sugar dose, and blood is checked multiple times over the 3 hour period).

I took my 3 hour test today.

And failed it.

My appointment was at 8 am this morning at the OBGYN.   Thankfully I had my mom with me, because I was extremely nervous about the whole ordeal!  

I arrived at 8:04, checked in, and sat in the waiting room for about 15 minutes before the nurse came in to take me back for my first “fasting” blood test.  After a quick finger prick, I was given the all clear.  My blood sugar at fasting was 77.  It is recommended to be below 99 (or…95 according to the booklet I was given).

This time, I was given a choice of flavor - orange (again) or red fruit punch.  I asked which one she recommended, and she laughed and said she’d never drank it.  (Great.)  I went with the orange because I had liked it last week - and it was “comfortable” knowing what it was going to taste like.  In hindsight, I’m glad I chose the orange color.

I was told I had 5 minutes to drink it, and I went back to the waiting with mom to start guzzling.  Today’s 10 fluid ounce bottle looked exactly the same as last week, with the same directions / caustions / ingredients as I reported on for the first glucose test….with the exception that this label had a green color label trim where last week’s had an orange color label trim.

And it had 100 grams of Dextrose (glucose / sugar) in it.

Last week there were only 50 grams of Dextrose in the same 10 fluid ounces.

For reference, my mom and I calculated from a bag of Dixie Crystal Brand Sugar how many teaspoons of sugar that equals.  In one teaspoon of Dixie Crystals sugar, you’ll find 4 grams.   That means there were 25 teaspoons for sugar in that one 10 oz. bottle!  Or, for more emphasis, that equals 4 oz of sugar (a half of cup).

With the first swig I knew this orange drink was much different than last week.  The taste was disgusting and I had a hard time getting this one down within the allotted 5 minutes.  Finally, after finishing the bottle off, I went back up and picked up my 60 minute timer.  Then I went back to the waiting room couch and started reading a baby magazine. 

5 minutes later I begun to feel a bit light headed and nauseated.  Within 13 minutes of drinking the last sip, I was becoming hot & clamy, and was so nauseated that I could not longer sit up.  After tossing the magazine down and laying down sideways on the couch, my mom began to worry.

“Should I get the nurse??” she asked.

I tried to refrain from bothering anyone.  I truly did.  But the sickness was coming on so strong that I knew I needed help so mom went back to the front and grabbed the nurse - and she came running.  When she reached me she asked what was wrong.  Dizzyness, light-headedness, nausea, clamminess, and all over sickness were my thoughts, but I’m not sure how much of it I spoke aloud.  “Let’s get you outside for fresh air” she said.  

We made it as far as the hall way when I knew the direction I needed to take was strait to the restroom.   She half carried, half ran me there - and I barely made it to the toilet before the entire drink came back up.   It was my first vomiting experience of this entire pregnancy, and I did a great job of it.  And the whole time, all I could think was that my head was 2 inches away from where scores upon scores of unknown women pee in cups.  Lemmetellyou, that made the puking all the worse!

Not only did I feel terrible bodily, but I also felt so bad that I had “ruined” the test.  I felt even worse sitting on that cold bathroom floor thinking that I’d have to come another day and go through all of this again.    “Where do we go from here??”  I asked the nurse that was helping me.

“We stop the test…and we now consider you a gestational diabetic.”

After laying down in a back room with a cold rag and my mom for company for 20 minutes, she gave me the clear to go home.  She also gave me a large “Managing Your Gestational Diabetes” book and a 2 week menu plan that includes advice (and complete menus) for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for each day of the week.

Mom drove when we left and we arrived at her house by 9:15 am.   That was definately the shortest 3 hour test I’d ever taken!

It took me about 2 hours to wander through the whole book and disect the menu plan.  All in all, it’s not too bad, but it feels weird now having to read labels all the time and “think” about my sugar intake daily.   I didn’t realize that 8 oz. of fat free store brand milk has 12 grams of sugar in it!  I suppose it’s to make up for the fat-taste loss?? 

Words such as “fat-free”, “low-fat”, “sugar-free”, and “whole grain” are now emblazened in my mind so deep that I’ll probably be dreaming about them tonight.  Probably some fat-free cow will be chasing me through a wheat field.  Or I’ll get lost in a sugar cane field somewhere.  Great.

 So that’s my experience.  I should have known there was no such thing as a perfect pregnancy!

I’m off to my 3 hour glucose test.  *shudders*

When I return my fingers will be full of holes so I’m not sure how much I can type today.  Nor am I sure how I’ll feel after a 3 hour sugar rush with repeat blood loss.  bleh.

I’ll report back later!

Here are my normal Thursday activities!

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THURSDAY’S CHECKLIST

Morning Routine

Water Plants

Run Errands / Mail Items

Deep Clean Our Room

Check on Status of Paid Bills

Scoop Napoleon’s Cage

Cook Dinner

De-clutter something

Evening Routine

DATE NIGHT!

ENJOY YOUR HUSBAND!

My own pregnancy took us by surprise.  Having never been pregnant before, I expected the typical morning-barf-in-a-toilet scenario to alert me of a new baby.  That never came.  Instead, I had to rely on something else that never came - my period. 

The pregnancy of Little Jack was confirmed when I was 4 weeks LMP and 1 week late.  Outside of the growingly tender partsundermytshirt, I felt perfectly fine.  In fact, for my entire first trimester (when most symtoms are acutely experienced), tenderness and tiredness were my only true pregnancy reminders (and the tenderness even dissappeared by my 12th week).  No nausea, no vomiting…nothing.  It wasn’t until my 4th month that I started picking up the more common symptoms of food cravings and light-headedness.

During this time, I read everything possible to try to convince myself that I wasn’t delusional, and that ”Why yes, Lisa, there is a baby”.  All I discovered was the many symptoms of pregnancy that I was not having.  Of course, it’s true that every woman is different - some experience a few symptoms, others experience a lot - and there really is no “normal” pregnancy…..so I knew mentally that I didn’t have anything to really worry about.  But emotionally, I often wished for more normal pregnancy signs.  Thankfully, a lack of these symptoms had no bearing on the health of my baby.

Here is a listing of what I learned during that verylonglong first trimester of pregnancy:

Top 25 Signs of Pregnancy

1. Missing Cycle Flow
2. Implantation Bleeding
3. Swollen / Tender Breasts
4. Tiredness / Unusual Fatigue
5. Lower Backaches
6. Chronic Headaches
7. Vomiting
8. Nausea
9. Food Aversions
10. Food Cravings
11. Constipation
12. Darkening Nipples
13. Mood Swings
14. Constipation
15. Light-headedness
16. Dizzyness
17. Higher Basal Body Temperature
18. Heartburn
19. Nasal Problems
20. High Vaginal Discharge & Infections
21. Changes in Taste
22. Changes in Smell
23. Food / Smell Sensitivity
24. Bloating
25. “Mask of Pregnancy” (aka.  Melasma or Chloasma)

…of course, though, the best sign is a positive pregnancy test.  I outta know - I took 3! :) 

It is interesting to note that although a missed period, although the most popular symptom, does not always mean a pregnancy.  Many of these symptoms above can also be indicators of a more serious condition (more serious than being pregnant!) so if you’re experiencing a combination of these - or if you do suspect you are pregnant - you should get thyself to thy doctor immediately!  Early pre-natal care is the best way to show your future child that you truly care about him or her.

Mornin’!  We’re halfway through the week already.  I can’t believe how fast it’s going.  A lot of fun things have been going on online this week as well.  This past Monday, the bloggy giveaways carnival started (head over to www.bloggygiveaways.com for some great contests!).  For our giveaway, we’re offering a free Binkie Basket Pacifier Holder courtesy of BinkieBaskets.com (my sister-in-law’s home based business).  The winner will be announced Sunday night. :)  To top it all off, last night my mother cooked a wonderful turkey dinner for us all as a surprise.

So, without further ado, here is the latest entry to the FlyLady Routines series.  It’s what I’ll be focusing on today in my home maintenance.  Ahh…a clean home is wonderful, isn’t it? 

(Oh, by the way, Petrie is our Quaker parrot.)

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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKLIST

Morning Routine

Wipe Down All Blinds

Wipe Mirrors & Windows

Deep Clean Guest Room & Porches

Wipe Down Petrie’s Cage

Cook Dinner

De-clutter something

Get Trash Up for Collection

Evening Routine

ENJOY YOUR FAMILY!

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Works for Me Wednesday” (hosted by Shannon, from Rocks in My Dryer) here at Little Jack’s Corner.

Ok.  Imagine this.  It’s 12 pm Saturday, the kids are screaming, lunch is burning, hubby is snoring, and the door bell rings.  And?  It’s one of your uppity-up friends aquaintences and her snooty teenage daughter.   You know, the one who walks around with a sneer on her face and runs her pointer finger over any spottable dust?   The one who just so happens to be the church gossip?  They were passing by and…unfortunately…had to stop for a potty break because, uh, like, you know, like they like, soooo would not be caught dead in a public restroom, ya know?

Would your bathroom be ready for such a challenge?

Well, at one time mine wouldn’t have.  I would have begged for any excuse to not let them in!  Anything from “the roof caved in from the shower steam” to “our toilet is broke…darn water snakes…sorry!”   The first year of marriage, it was a hard challenge for me to re-learn life…and the fact that toilets do not stay clean by flushing alone.

Can we say, EW?

For emphasis, here is a photo I took sometime during that first year:

Yes, that is a mushroom you see there.  And no, we were not inventing a new way for cultivating stir-fry.  That photo was taken in our master bathroom, and the following week that carpet was ripped up (of course). 

So anyway.  Thanks to the help of FlyLady.net, this past fall (2 months after our 1 year anniversary) I began creating a workable solution to maintaining a clean house.  And after modifying her theory of the “swish and swipe” to suite my own tastes, that’s when I knew I struck gold.  Even though they are in use every day, my bathrooms are now the pristine of clean.  And I’m going to show you how I do it!  (After this post, everyone will also know that showing my toilet to the public doesn’t embarrass me in the slightest.  Either that, or they’ll realize I’m bonkers :))


Welcome to my Bathroom!

We have 2 in our home.  The one is the hall is considered “mine” since it has the tub and best storage.  Our master BR is my hubby’s.  This also doubles as the guest BR.  It’s pretty tiny, but it fits our needs.  A toilet, tub/shower, sink…what more could one want?  It’s kinda cozy too when you think about it.

Each morning before I leave from in there (doesn’t everyone go there first thing??), I do a quick swish & swipe of the bathroom.  My toilet bowl gets a quick swish with the brush (which is all ready to go in its own pinesol-filled container) and everything else (basin, sink, tub edge, light switches, door knobs) gets a quick run over with a clorox wipe (or 2…or 3..).

Here are my daily helpers…

…Clorox wipes, Orange Pine-Sol, a cute-in-its-own-container Toilet Brush… and my pig (we blame all smells on him; he’s been in my family for 20 years!).  Personally, I prefer lemon-smell pine-sol, but after trying for a month to use the bright yellow liquid for this routine, I gave it up since it’s not too visually appealing in a bathroom.

Meet the Potty

….he’s been a good guy to us.  Takes a lotta junk from everyone, but just keepsa runnin’.  See how shiny he is?  This, ladies, is a 20 year old toilet.  You know the gunk that piles up in the bottom back and sides of the toilets thatnoonementionsandalwayslooksawayfrom?

Well…not this one.  This one stays nice and tidy at all times.  And it’s amazing (and embarrassing) at how fast the bottom of your toilet can become in just a short amount of neglected time.

Getting Down and Dirty

(Close your eyes if you get squeemish)

No rust, no streaks, just pure clean porcelain! And it looks like that every day. Can you tell I’m proud? (Ohh the wonderful life of a newlywed!)

Ok. For my toilet cleaner, all I use is my handy toilet brush and half water / half pine-sol solution. Every two weeks or so I refill the little toilet bowl brush container halfway with hot water, and fill the rest up with orange pine-sol (again, I just can’t stomach the yellow pine-sol…for shouldbeobvious reasons). I keep him in the corner behind the toilet. For safety’s sake, please don’t keep your own out in the open if you have (nosey) pets or kids around.  Just store it in a cabinet or closet.

The Swish Effect 

To keep your potty spotless, all it takes is 60 seconds one to two times daily of swishing with this pine-sol solution soaked brush:

….be sure to rinse off your brush before returning it to it’s container!  I typically let the running water from the flush wash over it, then swish it in the clean toilet water after the flush.  Every few days or so I pop it under some hot running water from the tub.  The brush and pine-sol always stay really clean looking. 

Wipe Away! 

Next, just grab a chlorox wipe (or wipe of your choice…wet rag also works just fine for the frugal among us) and -quickly- wipe down the seat (top & bottom), back and entire basin (including the oft forgotten back regions near the floor). Done daily, this isn’t as disgusting as it sounds and takes no more than 60 seconds. Use as many wipes as needed (usually just 1 or 2 for me). When finished with the toilet, quickly sweep around the room with one more wipe and quickly wipe down the sink bowl, counter top, tub edge & side, and light switches. This also takes no more than 60 seconds.

…and you’re done! Light a linen scented candle, flick out the lights, and enjoy your guest-ready bathroom.

My less-then-3-minutes-per-day (I have gotten through the whole process in 1.5 minutes before) routine lets me live with the relief that I will never again spend 3 hours cleaning up a most disgusting bathroom. (I have long hair, as well as indoor pets…so you can imagine what problems that can cause in itself!) And… best of all… my bathroom is relaxing and always ready for guests.

Now, we do have (inherited) carpet in this bathroom - but we don’t in our master bath (due to the tendency for mushroom growth). The only different thing I do in there is a quick sweep (30 seconds, tops) to get the hair up.

So that’s my WFMW for this week. All of you ol’ timers who’ve been married forever might laugh at me, but this was a huge hurdle for me to cross in marriage (keeping a clean bathroom). And I finally did it… hehe.

I just received my “Happy 26th Week” email from my friend Lucy.

And I can’t stop laughing!

Here is what she had to report this week -

…He’s 1 2/3 pounds and about 14 inches long (they compared this to an English hot house cucumber)….

A cucumber???  Methinks that is a lot more funnier than a rutabega.  And I definately can relate better to a stretched out cucumber right now the way he’s been moving.

Now watch, the rest of this week I’m going to be picturing a yummy, crisp, green cucumber tumbling inside me.

(Great, and there goes my cravings).

Last week was a pretty terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad week for me as far as being pregnant goes.  Not only did I have the joys of the baby kicking the bazookers out of my poor intestines for the first time, but I also failed my first 1 hour gestational diabetes glucose tolerance test.

Now, while the statistics say that only about 1/3 of the women who have to take the 3 hour glucose test will fail it, my hormonally induced fear factor devil keeps trying to whisper “You’re gonna faiiilll..nah nah na boo boo” into my sugar coated ears.  Yes, everyone has tried to comfort me with statistics and “You’ll be fine!” pats on the backs.  Yet, while I truly do appreciate their love and support, right now every glass of sweet tea, every can of pepsi, and every 3rd helping of creamy mashed potatoes I’ve had since becoming pregnant flashes through my eyes whenever my tummy tries to tell me I’m hungry.  I just can’t help being a tad overwhelmingly worried.

For the first few days I was so worried that I barely ate anything.  Now I know that is not such a great idea to do, but I was scared.  Truly.  I don’t want to have this gestational diabetes.  My cousin, who’s dad is a bad diabetic, says that having diabetes during pregnancy also highly increases your chances of developing it when you are older.  Furthermore, if not controlled well enough, the baby can be harmed as well as pack on tons of fatty tissue while in the womb, creating a 12 pound baby at birth…and emergency C-Section birth.

So, for the first time in my life, I have begun to read nutrition labels. 

Did you know that one can of pepsi has 41 grams of sugar in it?  A can of CocaCola has 39 grams.  Before I was pregnant I rarely ever drank cola (pop, soda..whatever you call it), but somewhere along in my 3rd month I started craving them.  And what did my silly self do?  I gave in!  Over the past few months I remember chunking down 3 at a time sometimes.  And I prefer Pepsi cans.  That’s 123 grams of sugar right there.  No wonder I failed this test, huh?

Ok, so those are out.  Kaput…in a no-more-shall-I-partake-of-them-while-pregnant kinda way. 

I also learned from Aunt Mae and my cousin Carrie that these foods are also off limits when it comes to controling high levels of sugar:

• White / Bleached / Enriched Flour
• French Bread
• Pasta / Speghetti
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Orange Juice
• White Bread
• White Potatoes
• Mayonaise
• Most Candy
• Saltine Crackers
• Sugary Fruit Juices
• Regular Soda
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Whole Milk

….it may not look like a lot, but when it boils down to it those are things I typically eat every day without thinking about it.  Homemade french bread is one of our favorite foods in our home - it’s made from white flour.  Mashed Potatoes?  Check.  We love ‘em.  Pasta?  Speghetti?  Macaroni?  Check, Check, Check.  All foods that are easiest to cook for new housewifes.  White bread?  Nothing beats a good sandwhich.  Orange Juice?  I could drink a gallon in 20 minutes.  I love the stuff!  Saltine crackers?  Who doesn’t put crackers in their soup??

So I’ve had to rearrange my whole way of thinking about foods for the past few days. 

I have learned that whole wheat bread is fine.  But I have yet to tackle making whole wheat bread in my little bread machine.  It just seems too daunting.  Whole wheat pasta, bare-bones salads, and most fruits and vegetables are A-OK too.  But where does that leave my Taco Bell cravings?  I have yet to see a whole wheat cheesy bean burrito.  *sigh*

On a slightly better note, my husband came in the other day with a fabulous find.  Grinning at me, he whips out this amazing looking, tall, cold bottle of new-never-before-seen-by-my-eyes Jazz “Black Cherry & Vanilla” Diet Coke.

DIET? I hate diet drinks!  They all taste like stale, month old crackers to me.

“Just taste it” he says.  So I tentively took a sip.  Yummy!  This stuff tasted knockyoursocksofffabulouso!

The best part came when I read the nutrition label - 0 grams of sugar.  Yes, folks, I said zero.  I had no clue that diet drinks are zero sugar because…well.. I hate diet drinks.  All the other fanciful information on the nutrition label looked great too.  Plus, no high fructose corn syrup either. 

My hubby is just the greatest man in the universe. 

Ok…here it is - the serious, thoughtful, fun (and perhaps downright goofy at times) list of activities for all of you other stay at home’ers out there! 

In no particular order or organized frame of mind.. they are:

1. Begin a “Read your Bible through in a year” program
2. Better yet, subscribe to an audio version of a 1 year Bible program!
3. Develop a daily routine based on FlyLady advice
4. Learn how to make homemade greeting cards
5. Take an obedience class with your dog
6. Read a good book about the type of animal you own
7. Learn how to create your own website
8. Start a free blog about your home life (Wordpress.com, Blogger.com)
9. Start a free blog about things you are passionate about
10. Get a library card and actually go visit!
11. Volunteer to read to children’s groups at your local library
12. Create an excercise routine using library videos
13. Check out free investment videos from the library and learn to save
14. Join SavingAdvice.com forums for great money advice
15. Bone up on your stock market knowledge
16. Start a Keepers at Home program with your little girl…
17. …or a Contender of the Faith program with your son
18. Learn something new from the humerous folks at SoYouWanna.com 
19. Make your family a homemade Wendy’s style Frosty
20. Participate in the many blog giveaways on the internet
21. Get creative and rearrange your furniture
22. Deep clean your entire home…room by room
23. Reinvest in the art of snail-mail with birthday and anniversary cards
24. Get creative and sell your wares on Etsy.com
25. Upload your original artwork to Cafepress and sell your own products to the public!
26. Join a mommy group or women’s club in your area
27. Seek out a Bible study in your local town
28. Learn how to cook something new
29. De-clutter your home, room by room
30. Create a “how to be debt free” plan (DaveRamsey.com is a good start)
31. Make it goal to learn about a certain topic each week
32. Organize your family’s closets so everything is neat and easy to find
33. Volunteer to do your husband’s chores once a week (he’ll thank you!)
34. Make sure you look presentable when your husband arrives home
35. Always greet your husband with a smile!  Your attitude creates the evening atmosphere!
36. Turn up the radio and dance…naked, if you’re alone.
37. Learn how to garden and grow herbs, tomatoes and strawberries
38. Start your own consulting business on topics you’re advanced at
39. Start a grocery delivery business in your area
40. Pet-sit (for money!) in your home or theirs
41. Run an in-home daycare
42. Hold a weekly play group for moms in your town
43. Start your own local book club or reading group
44. Join MySpace or Facebook to connect with old friends (if you’re under 35!)
45. Consider homeschooling your children
46. Visit a local nursing home and bring homemade goodies
47. Keep a daily written journal of your thoughts
48. Write poetry (no one has to see!)
49. Research your family tree through many generations
50. Take up photography
51. Invest in your prayer life
52. Join ChristianMomsForum.com
53. Get Paint Shop Pro and learn how to create cute graphics
54. Begin building a library of children’s books for your child (or a young relative)
55. Wash them dirty windows!
56. Hold a clothes swap with women in your neighborhood
57. Sell your old items on Ebay.com
58. Sell your old items locally on Craigslist.com!
59. Become a freelance journalist for a local news paper or weekly publication
60. Write a novel and self-publish it through Cafepress
61. Start a memory journal to capture all of those funny things your family does
62. Learn how to sew
63. Learn how to crochet
64. Make a plastic grocery bag rug
65. Go Frugal! Check out the TightWad Gazette book from your library

Good mornin’!   Tuesday is a semi-fun cleanin’ day for me.  I’ve always loved to vaccuum.  (I know, I’m weird).  Ever since I was a little girl I remember being so proud at watching the floor come clean.  Plus, something about vaccuum streaks in carpets just gets to me.  I use to beg my mom to let me vaccuum….uh…up until I was a teenager, that is.  Afterall, back then I had a messy-kid reputation to uphold.

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TUESDAY’S CHECKLIST

Morning Routine

Dust & Vacuum All Rooms

Water Plants

Deep Clean Bathrooms & Kitchen

Ensure All Laundry is Put Away

Visit Grocery Store / Run Errands

Scoop Napoleon’s Cage

Cook Dinner

De-clutter something

Evening Routine

ENJOY YOUR DAY!