You can't have your cake and eat it too!

Last night I ate a piece of cake.  Birthday cake.  Chocolate cake.  Tastes like "I want LOTS MORE" cake.  It was DELICIOUS.  Award-worthy.  And even after servings were passed out to friends, there was much left to enjoy in the days to come.  JACKPOT!  Or a temporary one.  Because then the phone rang.

It was the doctor.  She called to give me the results of my blood work from Saturday morning.  Funny thing is, I joked with our company that I shouldn't eat a piece of cake because I'd probably end up getting a phone call from the doctor immediately after - informing me that my blood sugar is on the NOT-GOOD side of things.  Well......did I call that or what?!  She told me that I have high blood sugar and low hemoglobin - both of which can be dangerous to Baby P if they aren't taken care of soon. 

Naturally (or not naturally?) I broke into tears and pictured worst case scenarios in my mind.  I also thought of every sugary thing I ate during pregnancy (including that PIECE OF CAKE!) and made myself even more upset through the blame and guilt of it all.  I couldn't really bare the thought of inflicting harm on our wee babe.......and I was non-stop replaying all of my bad food choices in the past few weeks.  Luckily, I had many wonderful people to give me hugs and reassure me that everything would be okay (THANK YOU TO THOSE VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE!). 

After the tears, I decided to settle in with my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book to read up on gestational diabetes (which the doctor suspects I have).  Believe it or not, it was de-stressing to learn more about it!  Apparently my body INTENDS to have more glucose in the bloodstream (especially during the second trimester!) to keep lots available for our growing baby girl.  However, this "perfect" plan that the body has does not always work out so "perfectly".  Some women just can't counteract this anti-insulin effect and end up with TOO, TOO much sugar running through their system.  The authors said to FEAR NOT - it is treatable with diet and exercise in most cases (HIP, HIP!)!  I have an appointment with the dietician tomorrow evening and my obstetrician will be repeating my glucose test in two weeks to see if the dietary changes are helping.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!!!

On a more happy note, while we were laying in bed last night I felt Baby P kick for the first time!  I quickly told Phil to put his hand on my belly to feel it too but he said he only "sorta" felt it.  Well, I wasn't very happy with a "sorta".  I told Baby P that her daddy was a P.E. teacher and she needed to show him that she knew her sports!  I asked her to show Daddy what soccer players do and SURE ENOUGH...........she gave a BIG KICK!!!!  It was MAGICAL.  And weird-feeling.  And awesome.  It's like she knew we were upset and was giving a kick to say "HEY!  I'm OKAY, MOM AND DAD!!!!" (Well, THAT, or she was saying "HUH?!  NO MORE CAKE?!!!")  Haha. 

I'm hoping to feel her sweet little feet again tonight!  Ohhhhhh I LOVE HER!!!!  I'll de-sugar and un-sweeten all day long if it means a healthy and happy little lady :)

HELLO OCTOBER!!!

Wowee KA-ZOW-EEE!!!!!  Is it REALLY, TRULY October already?  The month of September FLEW BY and I can't believe that I signed out at work by selecting the month of "OCTOBER" this afternoon.  Alas, it is here and we shall welcome it!  Here's what's up (and AWESOME!) this month:

*  A Canadian Thanksgiving gathering on October 19th!  Yes, it's a little belated - but it really is better late than never!  Phil, Emily, and I will be hosting the affair :)

*  Eid holiday (October 25-29)!  And our trip with Steve and Emily to OMAN!!!!!  Yahoo!

*  AMAZON MAIL!  For BABY P!  Just wait until you see what we've purchased for her :)

*  Halloween.  DUH! 

*  Cooler, more walkable, more hang-out-outside-able temperatures in Kuwait!  I crave a nice long walk along the corniche!

*  Gossip girl returns on October 9th!  It's been a long while without our buddies Serena, Nate, Chuck, Blair, etc...

*  Taylor Swift's newest album "Red" will be released on October 22nd!!!

Looks pretty SWELL, eh?! Sweet October, consider yourself EMBRACED :)

WORD SEARCHES.

Kids LOVE 'EM!  And so should teachers.  Because when you need FIVE MINUTES of peace to regain your sanity, these simple puzzles do the trick!

Tonight's agenda?  Tidy up the house, workout, make dinner, do the dishes and plan Thanksgiving dinner with Emily!  

Eeeeeeee!!!!!

Here he is - SIR CHARMING SEAN - the NEXT BACHELOR!!!!!

Hurry up January!  We want this man to find TRUE L-O-V-E!!!!!!!!

Baby P Photoshoot!!!!

This morning we spent a long while at the doctor's office for my glucose test and anomaly scan.  I was pretty tired from our party with the Huffho's on Thursday night, so I fell asleep early last night and slept right through until 8:20 a.m. today!  It was AWESOME - especially since I was supposed to be fasting.  We left the house at 8:45 and although my stomach was growling already, I was hopeful that I'd get to eat shortly after 9.

NOTTA!

They informed me upon arrival that I couldn't end my fast until after all three blood tests had been taken!  YEESH!  That meant I had to wait until lunch time!  (I half rolled my eyes and thought, "YA RIGHT!")

Anyways, after we did blood test number one they gave me a really disgusting orange juice syrup to drink.  The bottle said "75g of glucose" and "not to be consumed without medical supervision".  ICK!  That stuff was horrid.  But I managed to get it down my throat quickly, as we had to head over to the ultrasound room.

In the ultrasound room, I had a specialist perform something called an anomaly scan on Baby P.  Basically, it was a glorified photoshoot! He took pictures of all her "perfect" parts - her four-chambered heart, kidneys, bladder, spinal cord, etc.  He also commented on how "peaceful" she was - not moving at all during the entire procedure!  This is the first we had ever heard such feedback about our baby girl.  Usually, the doctor is telling us how active she is!  I explained to the doctor that she was most likely in a SUGAR COMA! 

In other ultrasound news, the due date has been changed YET AGAIN to February 16th!  Baby P is one week younger than we thought - making tomorrow her 20 week milestone :)  I wonder how many more birthday's we will hear between now and the REAL DEAL!

After the scan, we had to go speak to our obstetrician about getting a medical note for the business office at school.  Who knew that you needed medical PROOF to confirm a pregnancy?!  Alas, we did.  She wrote us a note quickly and said she'd see us in two weeks.

With time to kill before the next blood test, we went for a nice walk around the clinic - stopping at McDonald's for Phillip to pick up some breakfast (I told him that he wasn't the one fasting and NEEDED TO EAT!) and to browse some shops.  Then it was back to the clinic for blood test #2.

With yet another hour to spare, we returned to the shops and ended up in a store called Mothercare.  I got a really adorable new shirt with pink and white stripes that reads "I LOVE MY BUMP!"  Phil also decided a pregnancy pillow would help me sleep so we picked up one of those as well.  It was really fun browsing all the girly baby clothes - something we haven't done since finding out the gender a few weeks ago!

Ah - back at the clinic we did blood test #3 and then hurried home as fast as possible!  I ate TWO LUNCHES upon arrival and then we laid in bed and watched "What to Expect When You're Expecting" together.  (My hubs is the BEST, right?!)

Now I'm STILL laying in bed.....perhaps in a "sugar coma"....feeling pretty BLAH with a bad headache.  Luckily, we have ZERO plans for the afternoon (besides marking!) and I can lay here comfortably with my new body-length pillow!

The doctor is calling us later this evening with our bloodwork results.  Inshallah, everything will be A-OKAY!

HAPPY SATURDAY TO ALL OF YOU!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR (DECAF) TEA.

* Last night the Huffho's came over and we were awake until MIDNIGHT (yep, you DID in fact read that correctly)!!!!  I haven't seen that Cinderella hour too many times in the past few months, but sometimes.....like THIS TIME....it really is necessary.  Those Huffho's have been busy folks and a catch-up session was definitely REQUIRED :)

*  Choosing a baby name is tough business.  I once made fun of a couple on Pregnant in Heels for hiring a "focus group" of highly educated people to assist them on their baby-naming task.  In retrospect, perhaps I need one of those groups too!  This week, some grade 7's suggested the names "Lily" and "Holly".  And although the latter is Christmas-related, I'm just NOT feeling it!

*  If you eat too many Mini Wheats......will you turn into one?  

*  Tomorrow morning we go for my glucose test and the full anatomy scan.  We are going to be at the clinic for an epic amount of time and I am dreading it completely.  The part that makes me VERY nervous is that I have to fast for 9 hours before we arrive - and we can't get the ball rolling until 9 a.m.!  I'm going to be SUPER STARVING!  Especially if I wake up at the crack of dawn.  Yesterday during third period I thought I was going to faint because I had just surpassed the "two hours since last eating" mark and my hands were a shaky mess.  I suppose I will have to load up on carbs and protein before bed!

*  I did yoga AGAIN on Tuesday night and the next session is......TONIGHT!  I'm extremely impressed that I've gone more than once.  Aren't you?!  

*  Last Saturday morning Phil represented TEAM CANADA for the very first time at a golf tournament!  He got all dressed up in Canada gear and enjoyed a 4:30 a.m. wake up before heading to the course to soak up the experience!  He tells me that he didn't play that well, but I'm pretty sure representing your nation would be a nerve-racking affair - one that would throw off your swing just a smidgen ;)

*  How much water must a pregnant lady drink?  REALLY!  I feel like I am drinking H20 NON-STOP and yet I ALWAYS feel dehydrated and swollen up!  Not just that, but I'm running to the washroom more often than my former tea-a-holic self!  I welcome any solutions you have to this problem :)

*  I cannot wait to watch shows with my hubby this weekend.  I'm not sure when we'll be getting around to that - but when we do, it will be PURE BLISS!  Private Practice is ready to go, and I'm hoping to secure a copy of Grey's Anatomy later today.  I hear that lots of Kleenex was involved in the viewing of one of them.....

*  Speaking of tv-induced tears:  PARENTHOOD.  Are there any other fans that felt emotionally DRAINED this week because of last week's episode?!  Gah.  iTunes has alerted me that the next episode is ready to watch and I might have to view it with my eyes half closed. 

*  Yesterday my students presented their lab safety creations.  We had posters, dioramas, game shows, musicals, videos, and skits!  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!!!  I love watching their creativity in action and I love hearing them say "Miss, can you please let us do this again some time?"  Ohhhhh I love grade 6!

Okee dokee.  Phil is heading outside to play catch and I'm going to hop on the treadmill for a brisk morning walk.  Then off to grocery shopping, basketball and tutoring we go!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

How Far Can I STRETCH It?

I'm talking ENERGY.

Today is THURSDAY - the WEEKEND!  But unlike previous Thursday evenings, I didn't want to come home and waste this night away!  Although the weeks go by fast, the weekends go by EVEN FASTER and I wanted to be AT LEAST a little bit productive so I didn't wake up tomorrow morning thinking, "OH NO!"

And so.....I tutored for one hour.  Did the dishes.  Tidied up the bedroom and living room.  Went on the treadmill.  Lifted some weights.  And now I'm cooking dinner....

I'm hoping my energy holds up a couple of more hours so I can add some marking to the list!  (And STAY AWAKE for tonight's edition of The X-Factor!)

Regardless, IT IS THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YIPPEE-YA-HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Let Them BE LITTLE.

Here's a little gem from the other day:

One of my ADORABLE (perhaps the MOST ADORABLE) students I have was holding onto her pink pencil case for dear life!  But that's not all, she was walking around the room, picking up different items, and sprinkling them on top of it.

Well.......of course I inquired!

And.......OF COURSE!!!!  I should have known that she was preparing her "baloney sandwich" for recess time!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Today she came in wearing the cutest wee bow in her hair. 

THIS DARLING GAL is my charming "sunny side up".  She likes her snacks.  JUST LIKE HER SCIENCE TEACHER!

Unflattering Mat-Wear? OR ME?!!!!

Today I was told that I've gotten fat all over.

Not once.

But twice.

And, yes, the critics didn't speak English as a first language.

And, yes, PERHAPS there was some sort of a miscommunication due to a language barrier.

And, YES, you can BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR that I was busting it on the treadmill after tutoring this evening.

Just ANOTHER Day in PARADISE :)

Here are some pictures of my day at work.  They are sure to leave a smile on your face!!!

Heaven help me if I end up like the last picture!  AHHHHHH!

"Miss I want to keep him as a pet in my locker but I don't think I would like for him to crawl all over my things!!!"

Even the little creature on his shoulder is afraid for progress reports this Thursday!

WIZARDS RULES......as do IMAGINATIONS!

Stephanie????  To this, I make no promises!