Ups & Downs at Week 26

Oh wow, where to start with the week 26 update. This is really one of those blogs where I could truly break it down in a Good, Bad, and Fabulous. So much to say. So lets just jump right in with the update on Eli and some pictures. Well, we got to have an ultrasound on Monday where we got to see our wonderful little man again Always so exciting! If you will remember one of his little kidney’s was kind of full at the anatomy scan so they scheduled this ultrasound to get a 2nd look at it. AND I am happy to report that Eli’s kidney was just fine! PRAISE THE LORD! Now what I am sure most of you have been waiting for . . .Eli pictures!

Little Eli hanging out! He was actually pretty active at this ultrasound according to the tech. He also opened and closed his mouth the whole time. Nick said “Oh no he is talking already!”

And yes we got a few 3d images this time In this one he has his little eye open! How sweet is that!?

It was so good to see that Eli was doing well! Such a blessing!

Now here comes the beginning of the bad. At this appointment my Dr. also asked me to go ahead and complete my one hour glucose test. I had no idea this was coming at this appointment! I knew it would be done soon, but I thought they would schedule another day for me to come in and drink the icky stuff and do the blood draw. We were finishing up the appointment when the Dr comes back in and asks if I had an hour to do the test, and I figured “Why not, I am already here!” Time to take on the dreaded gestational diabetes test! So I chugged the orange drink on the advice of the nurse. Nick cheered me on the whole time. The drink was actually not too bad going down- it tasted like Sunkist without the fizz, just very syrupy. Then came the anxious hour wait. For those of you who do not know I am a known fainter/passer outer when it comes to just about anything to do with blood, and blood draws are one of my biggest challenges. Luckily, I had Nick with me and he talked to me during the draw part and I survived. The worst of the whole experience was feeling like I could just throw that orange stuff up while I was sitting in the lobby. So we left the office and I thought, Hey I have got this behind me! We are all good. WELL that was not so much the case! Yesterday right before lunch I got a call from the Doctor’s office informing me that I had failed the 1 hour test. They like for your glucose to be at 130 and mine was 157. So now I have been scheduled for the dreaded THREE HOUR TEST! For those of you unfamiliar with that, this time I get to drink the icky drink once an hour for 3 hours and have my blood drawn once an hour for three hours! Needless to say when I found this out I just kind of lost it. I called Nick crying telling him what we had to do and how worried I was that I could indeed have gestational diabetes. He of course assured me that everything was going to be okay and he said he would go with me to the test, which I was very thankful for. I won’t bore you with all the crying details of my day yesterday, lets just say I was an emotional bag that had to go to bed early. I would like to say it was not just the test that I was upset, but the possibility of failing this test as well and having to deal with gestational diabetes. I of course spent way to much time on Google yesterday (this did not help my emotional state), but GD can be very dangerous for me and the baby if not treated correctly. I spent most of the day thinking “What could I have done wrong?” All that being said I actually have had several good friends fail the 1 hour test and have to go for the 3 hour test,  where they passed. I know this is not the worst thing in the world that could happen to me, and it will all be okay. It took me a day to get to this state of mind, but I am finally there. The Lord has blessed me with this wonderful baby and I am just going to have to lean on my faith to get me through. That being said I am asking for your prayers. I am going for the 3 hour test next Wednesday and I am praying that I pass and Eli and I continue to be healthy.

Okay if you are still reading at this point we are moving to the actual update . . .

Week 26

Size:  Still and Eggplant baby! 13.6 in to 14.8 in, weighing 1.5 to 2.2 lbs.

Physical Features & Development: Eli’s eyes are forming and soon he will be practicing his blinking. According to our 3d ultrasound it looks like he is doing that. Also Baby Eli is flexing some of his feeding muscles this week, including a very strong sucking muscle. Maybe this is why he was opening and closing his mouth so much at the ultrasound? We actually did see him kind of lick/suck on his hand. So exciting how much is going on in there!

Baby Movement:  Eli is still on the move! Like our ultrasound tech said . . .He sure is active. And yes he is! He never does anything overly painful but he is not shy about letting me know he is there. Nick also gets to feel him quite often, which is very sweet.

What I Miss: Unsure right now . . .

Cravings: I honestly had been wanting a Peach milkshake from Chick-fil-a. They are so good! BUT I will now be waiting for the outcome of my gestational diabetes test before I have one.

Overall feelings: Well, besides being somewhat of an emotional/hormonal mess yesterday (Big thanks to everyone for dealing with me on that.) I am feeling good. I actually had a great massage on Saturday that was wonderful and I do believe Eli enjoyed it as well. I honestly have no complaints, at this moment I just feel blessed.

Appointments & Coming Events: Prayers for the 3 hour glucose test on Wednesday, July 20th. We also have another appointment scheduled for August 15th where they will be doing an ultrasound for growth. Plenty coming up to look forward to!

And I will leave you with the weekly bump pic

Here we are at Week 26! Just keep us in your prayers!