5.27.2013

Gestational Diabetes

I still do not meet with my Doctor until next week so I am trying to learn all I can about gestational diabetes/diabetes in general on my own. Luckily, I belong to a pregnancy board for other August moms and there are a few women also with a GD diagnosis that have been helping. Since I do not have a glucometer yet, I really have no idea what different foods are affecting my blood sugar levels. However, I do know approximately how many carbs I should be eating at each meal and snack. I know that my snacks should have both a protein and carb. I know that I need to be walking at least 30 minutes every day.

I am avoiding all sweets until I know if my body can handle them at all. There are women on my board who eat a pudding at night and it doesn't affect their morning fasting numbers, but I am too scared to do that yet. I did make frozen yogurt pops today though that only have 3.5 g of carbs, 1.3 grams of protein, and 4.5 g of sugar. I pureed 8 small strawberries, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, and 1 packet of Truvia to make 5 frozen yogurt pops. I am kind of excited about trying one later!

I have been logging all my food, water intake, and exercise in both a paper journal and on my phone. I use the LoseIt! app on my phone because it figures out all the nutritional information of my food. The paper journal is so it is easier to look back at my foods once I get my glucometer to see what I should be eating less of, more of, etc... I will say that eating smaller meals and snacks every 2-3 hours really isn't as bad as I was anticipating. It actually keeps me from ever being starving. My snacks are getting a little boring already, but I am hoping a nutritionist can help me get some more variety into my diet. Here is a sampling of what I have eating lately.

Breakfast

  • scrambled egg with salsa and avocado
  • scrambled egg with spinach, tomato, onion, and bell peppers
  • 1/2 whole grain English muffin with 1 T peanut putter and a veggie sausage
Lunch
  • Sandwich Wrap using Flatout Flatbread (high protein, low carb, awesome!)
    • faux chicken salad with cashews and I load on the veggies
    • veggie salami with spinach, avocado, tomato, cucumber, onion, and a little Italian dressing.
  • Spinach salad with lots of veggies, pumpkin seeds, goat cheese and Italian dressing. This is great since our garden is starting to produce baby spinach. 
Dinner
  • Crustless Quiche - I didn't have egg substitute so I used 2 whole eggs and 2 vegan "eggs" (2 T flax meal in 6 T hot water). The quiche was a little watery so I will use the egg substitute next time. Flavor was good though. This was served with a side of cumin beets.
  • Fresh Tomato Sandwich with Roasted Cauliflower and white beans
  • Quinoa with Broccoli and Tofu Stir Fry
Snacks
  • Cottage cheese with fruit
  • Nuts and string cheese
  • Small fruit and some pretzels
  • Veggie salami with goat cheese and tortilla chips
  • Plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon and berries
Crustless Quiche

Like I said, I am still only a few days in so I am hoping after the next week or so I can learn more, get more snack ideas, and become better adept and knowing what I can and should not eat. I am also hoping that when I meet with my Doctor my levels will look good and she will think that I am on the right track. Thanks for bearing with me on this new journey of diabetic living. I know it is only temporary, however, if I do not continue eating better and exercising after this baby is born, I have a 40-60% chance of getting diabetes within 5-15 years. If I do continue then I only have a 25% chance and I like those odds a lot better. Granted, I have seen the percentages vary depending on what study and website and read, but the idea is the same. Stay healthy, stay active, deliver a healthy baby, stay healthy, stay active, stay diabetes free. Sounds like a good plan to me!


5.24.2013

It's been a long couple of days.

I received the results of my 3 hour glucose test yesterday and they were not great. I have gestational diabetes. Luckily they are confident that it can be controlled by diet, but it is a lot of information to process and it needs to be taken seriously. I am confused, sad, scared, determined, researching, and trying to stay positive. My next appointment isn't for over a week so I a feel like I will just be treading water until then. We already don't keep any white/processed grains in the house and haven't for at least 2 years. I only buy whole grain/whole wheat bread, pasta, flour, rice, etc... We eat quinoa, put flax in everything, use nutritional yeast, cook with beans and tofu, and it takes us almost 6-8 months to use what little sugar I buy. I am just not sure how I am supposed to eat now since it seems like I am already doing the right things. Hopefully I can get an appointment with a dietitian b/c this is a daunting task to take on by myself. The risk of me getting diabetes later in life just increased too so I want to see what long term changes I can make so that doesn't happen.

I had to laugh talking with the nurse on the phone last night. She told me no juice, which we never keep in the  house until earlier this week. I was told to take my iron pill with orange juice and now I am being told to stop drinking orange juice and instead take my iron pill with a vitamin C pill. It was just the cherry on top of a long, difficult week.

In other news, Archie had his PreK evaluation today. They gave us the worksheet that they used to test them and it was pretty spot on to his strengths and weaknesses. Dave said that he got really sad when he had to leave. Less than 3 months though and he will be going 5 days/week. While they were at the evaluation, Fletcher and I took a walk. This diabetes diagnoses has me more serious about taking walks at least 5 days/week now. We went to the open space down the street and saw ducks and birds. All the prairie dogs were hiding though. I took Archie to this same park after his swimming class last week and he called them "fairy dogs". I almost loathed to correct him because it was so cute hearing him call them by that name. We did learn that prairie dogs make sounds like birds which was interesting.





 28 weeks

5.20.2013

1 hour glucose test = fail

The dreaded 1 hour glucose test given around the 28th week of pregnancy came and went last week. There is nothing like breaking a 12 hour fast by drinking 50 grams of glucose, sitting in a Dr's office for an hour, and then getting your blood drawn. That is, until you fail that test and you go back in to drink double the amount of glucose and get your blood drawn 4 times over the course of 3 hours. I failed my 1 hour when I was pregnant with Fletcher and passed the 3 hour. Looks like I failed the 1 hour yet again and am going back tomorrow for the 3 hour test. It is rare that I get 3 hours to myself and I would much rather spend that time eating a leisurely lunch, shopping the bulk foods section without yelling at kids to keep their grubby hands off the food, or even reading a book in bed while the kids are out with Dad. Instead, my 3 hours will be spent fighting nausea, the shakes, headaches, and trying to get comfortable in a waiting room chair.

I am one of those people that actually enjoys pregnancy. Yes I get morning sickness in the first trimester, heartburn, hemorrhoids (sorry if you didn't want to know that), round ligament pain, nerve pains, PUPPS rash, heat rash, and all those other glamorous side effects of pregnancy. However, I love the kicks, rolls, hiccups, knowledge and where and what my kid is up to all the time, the weekly belly pictures, pants with belly panels, and body pillows. I even love the middle of the night panic when your water breaks and you realize you are about to have a baby. One thing I really hate though, are all the tests done during pregnancy. I get why they are done and I am not one to eschew modern medicine, but sometimes I feel like they add more stress as opposed to give piece of mind.

The word  fail implies that you aren't good enough. I know that I cannot help how my body processes sugar during pregnancy. That is the logical half. The other part though is berating myself and wonders what I could have done differently. Also, a diagnosis of gestational diabetes means that both me and my baby would be at higher risk for developing diabetes later on in life. Add that knowledge onto my already fragile hormonal reactions and it makes for quite the disappointment. Luckily Dave is super supportive and has a job that is very flexible. There is no way I could take this test with my kids in tow.

They also found out that I am anemic so I get to take iron supplements on top of my prenatal and DHA pills. They also suggested I stock up on colace because of the undesirable side effects of extra iron intake. Some days I want time to slow down before this baby arrives. Days like today, however, I am looking forward to the next 10-12 weeks flying by! That was nice to get off my chest.


5.18.2013

Sprinklers and Sandwiches

I love Saturday! I especially love Saturday when I get to sleep in under my new ceiling fan. We had a nice leisurely day around here. The boys received a package from Aunt Becky M. and played with it most of the day. I got to go shopping at the mall by myself and Dave went to Home Depot solo. Not at the same time obviously, but it is nice that we each got some "me" time. The only real difference in our day is that he will get to end it with a nice, cold beer while I will have to settle for strawberry sparkling water. Maybe I'll jazz it up a bit with fresh sliced strawberries and mint from our garden. I'm living on the wild side!



It wasn't as hot as yesterday, but in the sun it was still warm so Dave set up the sprinkler and let the kids play. Fletcher did not like getting wet as much as Archie did, but he loves playing with hose so fun was had by all. I got some incredibly cute pictures too. Fletcher still stands still long enough for me to get plenty of pictures of him. Archie, however, cannot be bothered with things like his Mom trying to capture the memories he it too busy making. Oh well!





I spent some time chopping up and freezing vegetables while making dinner. Dinner was grilled portobello sandwiches for me and Dave, faux corn dogs for the kids, and sweet potato puff for everyone. Since the kids haven't snacked much today they ate everything on their plate, even the reheated peas from the other night. I was tempted to get some food at the mall earlier today, but I resisted and ate when I got home. The allure of feeding a family of 4 for about $10/day was enough to dissuade me. We have plenty of great food here for a fraction of the price. I am turning into such a cheapskate.

My sandwich is sticking its tongue out at you!

While my trip to the mall to find maternity shorts was a huge bust, I stumbled across a Fresh Produce Warehouse sale. I had no idea what Fresh Produce was, but I figured "what the hey". They actually had a lot of cute dresses, tops, and skirts. Being pregnant I didn't want to buy things that might not fit after the baby is born, but I did find a great dress that works as a maternity dress. I also got a scarf. So no maternity shorts, but cute dress. I'll take it! Here is the style of the dress, but it is in a brownish color and pattern.

Well that is all I've got for now. I hope your Saturday has been as enjoyable, or at least not super stressful (that one is for you Marlene).

5.17.2013

Mid May Roundup

So we are officially into our second cycle of meal planning and already we are seeing the benefits. I spent less money on the 2nd shopping trip of the month. Dave said he saw a difference in the amount we had leftover from the previous paycheck. The best improvement for me, however, has been cooking one meal that we all eat together as a family. My kids are getting better at eating what I put in front of them and the food I am giving them is nutritious, healthy, and hopefully not terrible tasting. Yesterday they ate their entire dinner which consisted of peas and lentil pancakes. Fletcher got seconds! The lentil pancakes were courtesy of an old issue of Vegetarian Times. Following is just the copied and pasted recipe for Jack Burgers, which was a reader submitted recipe.


Makes 10 patties  |  30 minutes or fewer
“Working with children and youth is my calling, so most of my cooking experiments are kid-friendly,” says Mary Jane Wagner. “My husband and I have five children of our own (three grown, two teenagers), plus two teenage boys from Ghana live with us. I make these for my family, and four teenagers can eat quite a lot! They enjoy them with ketchup or barbecue sauce.”
1 15-oz. can Eden Foods lentils with onion & bay leaf, rinsed and drained
1/2 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, shredded (1 cup)
3/4 cup prepared marinara sauce
3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free pancake mix
1  Tbs. Bob’s Red Mill nutritional yeast
1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
2. Spray large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Scoop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto hot skillet, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until bottoms of patties have browned. Flip, cover pan, and cook 5 to 7 minutes more, or until browned on both sides and vegetables have softened.


I couldn't find the Eden Lentils so I used Eden Brown Rice and Lentils instead. We put a little mustard on them when they are done and called it a meal. They ended up making more than 10 patties though so I have leftovers to give the kids for lunch. I added this one to our tried and true recipes spreadsheet. I also started a Meal Planning Binder, but cannot get much further on it until we get more ink for our printer. I plan on printing out my spreadsheets, scanning some recipes from cookbooks, and printing our more used recipes off of Pinterest and Keep Recipes

In other news, I have officially hit the 3rd trimester of this 3rd pregnancy. Scary to think that in less than 3 months we will have newborn around these parts. He/she still moves around all the time and those kicks are powerful! However, this is my favorite part of pregnancy. I love feeling that little one and knowing they are safely growing inside of me. It is once they are born that I have far less control! The nursery is finally cleared out and ready to get painted. I chose Behr Dolphin Fin Grey for the walls b/c I feel it is a color that handle a lot of different styles as our children grow. For right now, I plan on decorating in oranges, blues, and greens to match the Skip Hop Treetop Friends bedding I bought.

Treetop Friends Complete Sheet™ bumper-free crib bedding
Skip Hop Treetop Friends

The nursery in progress

I am slowly going through the 6-8 bins of clothing and purging what they boys haven't really worn too much. It only took having two kids to realize that they really don't need massive amounts of clothing especially with the amount of laundry that I end up doing on an almost daily basis. If this baby is a girl, I will probably get rid of a lot more since we are pretty much content with having 3 kids. Having less space for storage also makes it easier for me to get rid of things.

Mother's Day was this past weekend and it was quite a nice day. I got to sleep in, the boys gave me picture frames that they made at a Lowe's Build and Grow clinic, and we went to out for breakfast at one of my favorite places. The boys were pretty well behaved and we took them a park afterwards.  All good things must end though and Fletcher ended up getting croup again and then Archie got it a few days later. At least the weather has been lovely so we can play in the backyard while they are sick. The last time we were sick  we were cooped up inside and it was cold and snowy. 

Me and my boys on Mother's Day

Well I am going to straighten up before the handyman gets here to fix a pipe and install a fan. With all this money we are saving meal planning we can finally get someone in here to get a lot of our odds and ends sorted out!

Also, I am going to try and keep this blog updated more often from now on. My lovely sister and brother-in-law will be moving to Japan soon and I want to be able to keep her updated as often as possible. Living away from family hard, but thankfully with blogs, social networking, VOIP, etc.. it can be a little easier. 

5.05.2013

Meal Planning

Dinner time had become somewhat of a challenge around here. 5:30 pm would roll around and I would be looking in the pantry thinking, "What can we have for dinner? What am I going to make the boys for dinner? Will they even eat that?" etc.. and so forth. We were having a lot of easy microwave items and the boys would always get something different that they most likely would pick at anyway. With a 3rd kid arriving in 3 months, something had to change. Lots of things had to change actually.

I would end up either going to the grocery store 3 times/week and buying $100 worth of crap or going once every 3 weeks and still buying a cart full of randomness. I started to do a little research on meal planning. I didn't want to be a crazy coupon lady, but saving money on groceries and saving time and headache at meal times seemed like a good idea. There are numerous blogs and articles out in Internet land on the subject. I also turned to the trusted women in my Moms Group on-line. Between them and Internet land I was ready to start. I grabbed a notebook that the boys haven't yet managed to draw all over and started a list of meals that I have made in the past with success. I also got about 4 of my cookbooks and jotted down recipes that seemed easy enough, but still nutritious.

I guess I should list some goals I am hoping to achieve with this new experiment into meal planning.

  • Save money on groceries. If I only buy what I need and use what I buy then I should ultimately save. 
  • Make fewer shopping trips throughout the month. With a meal plan I hope to have 2 major grocery shopping trips per month with maybe 2-3 small trips to get what I may have forgotten or ran out of too soon. 
  • Get the boys away from filling up on processed snacks in between meals. I have stopped buying cereal bars, protein bars, and processed sugar filled snacks. If they are not in the house, then the boys cannot eat them. Instead, I have found recipes to make my own granola bars, cereal bars, and other healthier snacks
  • Not having to stress about what to make for dinner. I have a calendar on the fridge that has all our meals planned out for 1/2 the month. No guesswork come dinnertime.
  • I want to make one meal for the whole family. No more short order cook. Sometimes the boys don't like what is on their plate, however, with less snacking in between meals they have been more inclined to try what is on their plate. Archie gets a timer set as well b/c he lollygags at meal time. What he doesn't eat in that allotted time he just doesn't get. However, he also only gets his dinner leftovers if he complains about being hungry later. Basically, if he doesn't eat his dinner then he doesn't get anything else before bedtime. 
  • Buy more fresh fruits, veggies, and bulk items and less prepackaged, processed foods. 
So far I have been working in this experiment for 1 week. I spent around $240 between 2 stores for 15 days worth of meals. I do not plan what we will have for breakfast or lunch, but I was sure to include some of the usuals on our shopping list so we would have enough for 3 meals/day. My lunch usually consists of leftovers, sandwiches, salads, and soups. The boys will also get some leftovers, but they typically get soy dogs, yogurt, cheese, mac 'n cheese, quesadillas, etc.. with fruit and veggies. 

I found this great template online of an easy way to create a menu plan calendar for the month. You can actually edit it before you print, but I chose to hand write our meals. I prefer pen and paper. I am hoping that I get into a good meal planning routine before #3 arrives. 


cereal bars

a lunch I made with leftover quinoa

So this is what's it's like having two small kids.

Where does the time go? In the 7 months since my last post, which feels like last week by the way, we have done a whole lot although it doesn't really seem like much. The days sometimes seem to drag on and on, however, the weeks fly by in the blink of an eye. My boys are 7 months older, I am 6 months pregnant with our third child, and we have lived in our new house for over 7 months. We love our new town! Dave and I will still drive around and think how lucky we are that we live here and get to raise our children in such a great environment. I always hear that things will work themselves out and yet I am always surprised when they actually do work out.

You may have caught the 6 months pregnant statement above. Baby R. #3 is scheduled to arrive in August. We are leaving the gender a surprise mainly because I want to pretend for a little longer that we won't have 3 boys in 3 months! I will say though, that my boys are the cuddliest, sweetest Momma's boys ever! Both boys like to feel the baby move and will say hi to my belly. It is so much fun being pregnant with kids that are old enough to kind of understand what is going on.

25 weeks

 Archie is going to be starting preschool in the fall! He is so ready to start school, but I am not sure how ready his Mom is going to be though. How did he get so big, and smart, and old? He is writing letters, numbers, and drawing shapes. Just this week he has begun to sound out letters into words. His vocabulary is astounding too. Not a day goes by that I have to remind myself he is still just a 3 year old boy.


Very seriously reading the map at the zoo.

Fletcher, who recently turned 2, is also changing by leaps and bounds. He is speaking in sentences, colors really well, has great coordination, and definitely has a mind of his own. He is fiercely independent and want to do everything by himself. He won't be starting any sort of school until fall of 2014, but it will be nice to have some time with him and the new baby while Archie is at school this year. Hopefully, having that time as the oldest in the house will help him forge some new paths for himself.

Enjoying his birthday cupcake!