Almost 28 Week Checkup

Just a few days shy of 28 weeks, I headed to the Dr. for our monthly check-up! Lucky me it was time for the glucose testing to check for gestational diabetes.

Before I get to this month's update, here is some review:

3 weeks in review:

• Acid Reflux has been kicking my butt - I guess I should take it easy on the salsa; Doc also said no dairy 4 hours before bed, so that has helped too. Thankfully no heartburn along with it yet, but jeepers, some days are terrible. Jon says tight clothes contribute to it, too, so I will be looking for some maternity pants and saying goodbye to my regular jeans at some point in the near future!
• I got the flu, or at least whatever closely resembled it, on Monday, February 27. Jon and I had just got back from our weekend at Birdrunner, and because of the incredibly strong winds on Saturday night there, I hadn't slept too well. I headed to bed Sunday evening around 10 or so, and woke up at 1:00 am not feeling well. I proceeded to hug the toilet about every hour until 7am, when my body finally gave me a break! It was a rough 16 or so hours, but after only two more visits to the restroom around lunch and dinner, my stomach finally decided it could retain the fluids and a very small amount of solids. No fever, thankfully, and by Tuesday morning, though a bit queasy and quite tired, I was headed to work and fully recovered by Wednesday. Thanks largely to J's kind, incredible serving in that time, I quickly got back on my feet! By the way, even though my doc insisted I get the flu shot, I have no regrets that I didn't get it!!! :)
• We took a weekend away for some R&R at Birdrunner Feb 24-26 - check out the post dedicated to that!

Baby VK Update:

Dr. Appointment was at 9:00am, so drank my 5 oz. of Glucola at 7:15am & blood drawn at 8:15am before heading to the appointment. So far, no call and no news is good news with this!! The test is to determine if I have gestational diabetes which can lead to bigger babies among other health concerns. I wasn't too sure about the glucola, but just chugged it down and found it tastes a lot like orange soda! whew! Jon had an appointment in Hays the same morning, so he got to hear the baby's heartbeat again!! Love it!

Belly is measuring at - I forgot to ask!! But must be right on track because the nurse didn't have any concerns!;

Baby's heart rate is 140 beats/min;

Baby VK is moving all the time!! It is so amazing to feel the movement all day while at work and to get to share that with Jon in the evenings! From the most subtle movement to the obvious, feeling and seeing the baby moves is one of the most incredible gifts!

According to the What to Expect app:

• baby is about 15 inches long;
• weighs a bit over 2lbs (double from just 4 weeks ago)
• can hear more and more all the time
• baby has very developed taste buds, more developed than he/she will ever have outside of the womb, and can taste the difference in the amniotic fluid

Next week is the start of my third trimester!! Bring it on :)

Birdrunner

Every year I try to think of something special to try to surprise Jon with on his birthday, so this year would be no different! He's getting a BABY!! :) Since Baby VK is set to join us on June 4 and Jon rings in his 31st on June 3, not much can really top birthing his first child! :) So, I decided I wouldn't try to outdo myself, but still wanted to think of something that Jon and I could enjoy together. Through some research, I came across Birdrunner Wildlife Refuge. Located near Manhatten, this privately owned 150 acres is set in the Flint Hills and offers a beautiful combination of rocky hills, woods and prairies. We weren't sure what to expect on our weekend getaway, but fell in love with the place when we rolled in about 9:30 Friday night, Feb 24. We could tell right away that this was the perfect getaway spot.

We had a small cabin located down a winding path in the middle of nowhere! Immediately surrounded by woods and a view overlooking the rocky hills and prairie, we were loving it!! We really couldn't have asked for a better location or a better weekend full of R&R!! The weather was beautiful, though windy, but that is a daily occurrence as of late. With no cell phone service and no access to the internet, we spent the evenings and days reading the Bible, praying, talking, catchin some rays, observing wildlife, taking short walks, owling, reading by the fire, stargazing and just having fun! Jon even FINALLY beat me at Yahtzee thanks to his double YAHTZEE - he rarely wins so it was good for his ego ;)

I must say, it's been a long time since I've heard so many coyotes, and it's creepy being out in the woods in the dark trying to call owls, hearing the coyotes in the distance and having Gracie running around being the natural explorer she is! Maybe it was my motherly instinct already kicking in or, more likely, I'm a big chicken, but I didn't last long! Gracie and I let Jon finish his search for Barred Owls solo while we relaxed safely indoors :)

It was a beautiful weekend, and we will definitely be going back to Birdrunner in the future...hopefully sooner rather than later! We didn't get many shots of the area, but here are a few snapshots of the cabin and a couple of Grace loving her old stompin grounds (she lived in that area prior to joining our family).