School's Next Week!

Yesterday, Molly found out who her teacher would be. We happy to see that it was the one teacher we have been praying she would get. Mr. Risko. She also has one of her good friends in her class. She is thrilled, although disapointed that her best friend is not in there with her. We are so looking forward to this school year. I have heard he is energetic and enthusiastic and that he is excellent with the kids. Yeah! So thanks to everyone who has been praying along with us.

POLL RESULTS IN!!!!

The poll results are in! After 2 weeks at the polls people seem to think that Mandy will be between 7 lbs 9 oz to 8 lbs. Bless you all that voted for that! He he! 44% voted that way, and second was 7 lbs to 7lbs 8 oz at 33% and in last place, thank goodness was at 22% of voters was 8 lbs to 9lbs. Thanks for voting but I think I will pray with the 44%!

What is going on with some people????

Okay, as much as I love my OB office sometimes I wonder what communication is going on there. Today was the first time I saw my doctor since I found out I have gest. diabetes. She asked me why my endocrinologist tested me for what they usually test full fledge diabetics. I told her because they said I had diabetes cuz that is what the nurse told me from the OB office. She said, "no...you are just intollerant, only 1 out of your 3 tests came back abnormal! She went on to say that they were just cautious now with people that are borderline and I needed to test every 4 hours and watch my diet. Ultimately she said she wasn't overly concerned and my numbers looked good. I am very relieved but I am irritated that the nurse at the OB said I was diabetic, and I specifically asked. Hmmm? What was she thinking?

I Have Proof!

You know the saying, when a husband comes home and says, "Honey I caught a BIG one!" and the wife replies, "Sure honey, that's nice." Meanwhile thinking that men always exagerate on size! Anyway, Mark, his brother and father went fishing on Houghton Lake and Mark was lucky and caught a big 19 inch bass. Here is proudly pictured with his new friend. Unfortunitely in the same trip his sliced his had after catching the fish and had to have 12 stiches so there was no time for gutting and fileting the fish so we weren't able to eat it. Bummer!

I FEEL OLD

Yesterday, I felt so old. I felt like I had a 55 year medical history when I only have a 33. I didn't realize how much medically I had been through in my short life until I went to a new endocronologist and laid out my history in detail. Wow! It makes you think eh? I also went to the dietian and nurse regarding my gestational diabetes and that was "fun." I love poking my finger! It's a little nerve racking and I am worried that I will end up with either a ceseran or having to be induced, both of which I have been praying not to have to do. But...I just want Mandy to be healthy that's the most important thing, not how she comes out. The good news is that my blood sugar came back great all day, except for the McDonalds I had to get on the way inbetween appointments. Just a word of advice, McDonalds really shoots up your blood sugar!!!! Wow! All of you should see the documentary on HBO called, "Super Sized." It is very true! And I just had what the dietian said I could did not have a big meal!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOMMY AND DADDY!

Today was Mark and my anniversary! Molly and Katie made a surprise for us. They decorated the coffee table with paperplates, homemade napkin holders, and umbrella drinks. The main course was Fiber One and for desert, marshmellows! It was all put neatly into coffee filters and we were asked to make a picture with the cereal and the marshmellows on the paperplate. We had a party and watched Scooby Doo! They were very inventive, unfortunitely Katie ate Marks meal! :(

Here we go....

Okay so I pretty much knew that life was going pretty smoothly when, "boom," a little bump in the road. After my 3 hour glucose tolerance test they called me 2 days later and told me that I in fact had gestational diabetes! Oh joy! In the whole grand scheme of things, it really isn't bad. The baby is safe and I am borderline so I don't have to be on insulin at this point. I am going to meet with a nurse and a dietitian on Monday the 20th and I should have some clear answers on how to deal with this. I am concerned because the Mandy is already fairly big for her age....but I am sure it will be controlled and she won't grow too excessively.

On a good note, Mark's last day is tomorrow and he will be starting his new job on the 20th. We are all really excited to be getting back into a normal schedule (8-5) instead of night shifts, day shifts etc... Life will start to get a little calmer at least until Mandy arrives!

MARK GOT THE JOB!!!

Mark just signed his offer agreement with the property management company downtown. What a blessing so far! They seem to be a fair and a professional company. Today I arrived home to find a man knocking on my door with a gift basket of goodies from the company! The card stated: "Changing jobs can be difficult, we are glad you chose us! Welcome!" I couldn't believe the amount of respect and generosity has shown us already. Most companies wouldn't ever send a gift to welcome you. We are thrilled, Mark has needed this for a long time. He is excited about starting his new job and working downtown. We have been very blessed!

SILLY MOLLY

Molly asked me, of course at 11pm how she was different than Katie, other than brown eyes and brown hair. Why do those in depth conversations always occur when it is hours past their bedtime? As tiered as I was last night I unfortunately didn't take the opportunity to tell her how special she was and uniquely different and told her we would talk about it tomorrow. It made me think after I left the room just how different she is. Molly is a type of kid that has to understand the world. The world needs to be fair and if it is not she wants to change it either by voicing her ideas to change it or protesting that it shouldn't be that way. Molly is kind. When a friend is hurting she will feel for them and try to comfort them. Molly is determined with certain friends to help them understand who Jesus is and sticks to it even if she doesn't mention it to them anymore by asking them to VBS or church. Molly is in tuned with who God is and why He is important, an envy of every adult, she has a childlike faith. My biggest prayer for Molly is that people see her through God's eyes and sees the uniquely beautiful little lady He is beginning to form and that she will always keep her faith. How is she different than Katie? It is hard to say since Katie has not formed her personality completely yet being so much younger than her. Molly has a lot more energy than Katie, she is very outgoing while Katie takes a different approach. Katie has more of a quiet demeanor while Molly is very much in the front of everyone and isn't afraid to show herself. Molly is sensitive but doesn't take on others feelings where as Katie does. All these unique qualities will hopefully make her a strong person and feel good about herself. I have heard more experienced moms say that you love your children all differently and I never realized that until recently. I love them both equally, but definitely differently. They are both joys.

SILLY KATIE

My newest pursuit to earn some money, while having fun is painting growth charts. Yes, my friend Sally has me "almost" convinced to sell my charts on ebay. We'll see. They are fun to make though I must say. So, while I was taking a picture of one of my growth charts of course Katie had to take a picture and she really hammed it up! Katie has been so hilarious lately, she has been such a joy to be around. Everything is silly and exciting and she beams her winning smile for no other reason but because you may have looked her direction. Last week, Katie slipped on the bottom step and hit her head on the corner of the wall. 1 trip to the ER and 1 staple later, she proved herself to be a trooper. She barely cried and even though she was scared to death of the CAT scan, she pretended she was a astronaut on a spaceship. This last Friday she had her staple removed and cried very little. What strong little lady she is becoming.

Baby Face.....Mandy's Latest

Mandy is showing her face! At almost 29 weeks I went for my ultrasound today. Mandy looked like a little baby! It is amazing the difference 10 weeks make. In the picture to the left the tech got a great face shot. You can almost see her chubby cheeks. Mandy is not lacking in growth. At 29 weeks she is estimated to weigh 3.5 pounds! Lord help me, she will be a big baby! They checked my placenta and praise the Lord it has moved to safe position! There is no problem with the position, I can have a normal delivery. Molly and Katie were there to see the ultrasound and they thought it was so great! When I asked Katie what she liked she said she liked the "bump, bump" (the heart and the heartbeat) and her head. Molly thought her face was soooo cute and she can't wait to be a big sister for the 2nd time. Katie is intrigued that she will not only be a little sister but a big sister too. We did double check and there is no doubt she is definitely a Mandy (girl). It was pretty obvious. Sorry Mark! Nah, Mark is thrilled to have 3 beautiful daughters. Life has been pretty blessed lately for our family. New job prospects for Mark, and a unbelievable healthy, uneventful pregnancy! We couldn't ask for anything more.