Darr Family Blog

Weekly Happenings: This past week was pretty average with most of the stuff happening towards the end. Joseph had Red Ribbon Week at school so he got to dress up for various themes. He also participated in a “fun run” at school (what we would have called a “jog-a-thon” when I was in school). They basically had a “track” set up on the field at their school which the kids jogged around. It was a fundraiser, so donors could either donate a flat amount or a per/lap amount. We donated a flat amount of $10, which was good because he ended up running 31 laps. Each lap was 1/16th of a mile, so he essentially ran 2 miles. He slept really well that night. 😀 Yesterday was really a fun-packed day. In the morning we drove out to Medina (about an hour away) to Love Creek Orchard to visit the pumpkin patch. After that, we grabbed a bite to eat, and ran to Lowe’s for a couple of things. While there, we discovered a huge event that Bexar County Fire was sponsoring. There was a bounce house, different booths, fire trucks, and ambulances…even an emergency helicopter. It was pretty cool. After that, we went home, painted a few of the small pumpkins we have, and then headed out to the ward trunk-or-treat. Paul made some really good chili (which I was able to eat, along with a small piece of cornbread, without my blood sugar going crazy!), and Joseph had a blast with friends and going to each car. It was a really fun night.

The Weekly Weather: We’ve pretty much kept with the cool mornings and warm afternoons. It hasn’t been too bad, really.

What Paul’s Been Up To: Pretty much his normal routine of work, school, Scouts, and house maintenance (with a few extra bits here and there as he continues to get his outside office ready).

What Sarah’s Been Up To: Pretty much my same routine of keeping Joseph going, piano teaching, and doctors’ appointments. My perinatologist and nutritionist are happy with where my blood sugar numbers are and my OB says that Abigail is still measuring great and that fluid levels are also right where they are supposed to be {insert big sigh of relief}. We’ve got about 8.5 weeks left before my due date, so we’re just going to keep plugging along.

What Joseph’s Been Up To: I’ve already mentioned most of what he’s been doing, but there is one cute story: he was in the bath, singing to himself (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat):” G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N, I can spe-ell gree-ee-een, G-R-E-E-N. ” I asked him where he had heard it and he told me that they sing it at school. The stuff they’ve come up with to help our kids have fun while learning is just awesome.

This Week in Pictures (a large amount to make up for the kind of sparse posts previous to this one) 😉 :

Weekly Happenings: This past week was the type where one day just followed another with us just going along for the ride. On Monday, I met with my gestational diabetes doctor and a nutritionist. They did another ultrasound of baby girl, who is weighing in at just over three pounds. The doctor said that as long as she continues to grow at a steady rate, she’ll probably be around the same weight as Joseph was at birth (so between seven and eight pounds). Everything else looks good as well. The nutritionist gave me a basic meal plan and taught me how to test my blood sugar (which I have to do first thing in the morning and then two hours after each meal). I’m sure grateful for my watch that lets me set a timer so that I don’t have to rely on my brain to remember! I’ve been learning what types of food work better at certain times of day (it really is an experiment). Only roughly nine more weeks to go! Wednesday, an electrician came, ran electricity, and installed outlets and a breaker box in the shed/office/man cave. He finished up on Thursday, which was also the day that our sprinkler guy came out to move one of our sprinklers a bit so that it waters the grass and not the shed. Wednesday night I hosted book club at our house. We read Dracula (perfect for this time of year) and had a good discussion (not to mention a great time hanging out). Friday, we went out to eat (I’m good as long as I eat a lot of protein, a little bit of starches, and a lot of veggies…avoiding too much fat or sugar) and then walked around La Cantera (an outdoor mall) because it’s good for my blood sugar to do some brief exercise after each meal. Yesterday, Paul worked really hard on his shed/office project. He cut a hole in the side of the shed so that he could install a window AC, using 2X4s to secure it in place, added more sand and gravel around the shed to help with drainage, used concrete blocks to make some steps (he also put a chunk of 2X4 under the doorway to strengthen it a bit), and probably some other stuff that I missed. Now all that’s left is to run internet to it, insulate it, and cover the insulation with sheets of plywood (all things Paul is capable of doing). Before we know it, it’s going to be done and ready for him to move stuff in!

The Weekly Weather: This past week was mostly warm, but the last couple of days have been cooler (especially in the mornings). Fall is coming!

What Paul’s Been Up To: Work, school, Scouts, and his building project in the backyard. Even with all that on his plate, he’s done a great job of being an attentive husband and daddy. I sure married a great guy!

What Sarah’s Been Up To: Mainly getting used to my eating and testing schedule. I’m still teaching piano (I hope to be able to keep going until Christmas break). I’m also fitting in more doctors’ appointments as we’re getting closer to little miss’s arrival (especially with two doctors to go to now: my OB and my gestational diabetes doctor).

What Joseph’s Been Up To: School, homework, playing…the works. I’m so lucky that he’s such an easy-going kid.

This Week in Pictures:

Weekly Happenings: This past week was a pretty low-key one. I had a doctor’s appointment where I found out that I have gestational diabetes. I was a little overwhelmed immediately after getting my diagnosis, but Heavenly Father has sent me a lot of comfort and Paul has been a great support as well. I think knowing that it isn’t permanent (since it has to do with the placenta instead of the pancreas, it should go away as soon as she’s born, which is only roughly 2.5 more months) and knowing there’s a way to treat it (with diet and, if needed, medication) has kept me pretty level-headed about the whole thing. Besides, why fuss about something that I can’t change? It is what it is. Tomorrow I will meet with the dietitian who will tell me exactly what type of foods I can eat and how much, will determine if I need insulin or medication, and teach me how to check my blood sugar levels. The only other thing of note that happened this past week happened on Friday. We had some guys come and build a shed in our backyard so that Paul can have a dedicated office space after Abigail arrives (right now his office is in the spare room which will be turned into her room). We still need to have an electrician come out to run electricity to it. Then Paul will put in a light, cut a hole for and install a window AC, run internet to it, and insulate it. Wahoo!

The Weekly Weather: Still warm…still humid…but the mornings have been on the cool side, which is nice.

What Paul’s Been Up To: In addition to work, school, and Scouts, Paul tasked himself with clearing the area for the shed to go in. We had previously had a couple of raised garden beds in that exact spot. It was a pretty big job to carefully pull out the plants, move the planters over, and then replant the plants. We’ll see if they take (it might have been too big of a move for them). If not, we can always replant. 🙂 He also had to cap a couple of sprinkler heads and move the drip lines for the plants. One more sprinkler needs to be moved slightly so that the water from it doesn’t hit the shed, but we may just call the guy who installed our sprinklers and have him do it, just to decrease Paul’s workload a bit.

What Sarah’s Been Up To: Mainly trying to get a handle on this gestational diabetes thing. Since I knew it would be a week from diagnosis to meeting with the dietitian, I have tried to make little changes, mainly with my diet. I haven’t gone crazy, since I know that I need a plan made specifically for me, but I’ve cut out processed sweets (switching over to fruit in small doses instead), brought my carbs down a bit, and increased my protein. I also eat three smaller meals and have three snacks. Hopefully this is a good start to getting my numbers under control.

What Joseph’s Been Up To: He had a lot of fun at school this past week. They’ve been exploring things in nature (they did experiments with both apples and leaves). They also had a visit from the local fire fighters who talked to them about fire safety and let the kids check out their truck. We also had his parent-teacher conference. He’s excelling in most areas, especially reading. His teacher told me that there was an instance when she had a coughing fit while reading a story and just had him come up and finish reading the story while she got a drink of water. She’s impressed with the fact that not only can he read the words, but he can read them with expression as well. For the areas where he’s not exactly excelling, he’s right on par with where he ought to be. Good job, buddy! One entertaining story that gives a good glimpse into his funny personality: last night, I had to comfort him when he said he had the “baddest of bad dreams”. He dreamed that all of his candy got thrown away (Friday, he chose to toss a Dum-Dum so he could have some popcorn). Since it was apparently the last one, I promised him I would buy more Dum-Dums on Monday. He looked very relieved and willingly went back to bed. Poor kid! He’s also been fighting a cold on top of allergies. He developed a low-grade fever on Friday, so we spent yesterday at home. No fever this morning, but he’s still going to stay home from church with Paul (who luckily doesn’t have any responsibilities at church today) to get one more day of resting in so that hopefully he will be good to go to school on Monday.

This Week in Pictures: