26 weeks

This week, I had to go back to the doctor to take the 3 hour glucose test. Basically, you drink the same size bottle of glucola but this one has twice the concentration of sugar... so 100g of glucola, which equals 400 calories of "stuff" that is disgusting and extra syrupy. They test your blood sugar levels at 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours following the time you finish the drink. My level after the 1st hour was 139, which is low enough to pass for all three hours (and ironically, was lower than my level of 141 after the initial glucose test, which only required drinking 50g of glucola). So, my advice to you is, when you schedule the glucose test, don't do it the morning after a 14 hour drive because the drive (and Dr. Pepper, milkshake, cookie, etc) will mess with your results and cause you to waste a bunch of time sitting around the hospital loaded up on glucola.

I'm still feeling good, though the last few days I have been a lot more tired and I even went to sleep before 9 a few times this week. My back has also started to get stiff, though thankfully this can be fixed by going to the gym. This is a really good motivator for me to work out nearly every morning. I've gained a few pounds in the past 2 weeks and I think my total is +3 (or really, +11 from my lowest point). I just looked back at my pictures from Elise and at 26 weeks with her, I was also +11 from my lowest point. For some reason, my heartburn has been virtually nonexistent for the last 2-3 weeks, which is amazing! Hopefully it won't return.

It is beautiful weather in Alabama today so we took Elise to the Montgomery Zoo. We got in for free because our pass from the zoo in Waco is still valid.

Jack at 26 weeks posing by the zebras

Elise at 26 weeks

I'm in the process of switching doctors and hospitals and I'm going for the initial appointment with a nurse at my new doctor's office on February 7. I'm excited because the birthing facilities at this new hospital are much nicer and I think the jacuzzi tub in the birthing suite will help a lot during labor. I've been thinking about the labor a lot lately and trying to figure out how to have a better experience this time around. I'm planning to go into it with an open mind again (regarding pain meds) and I am hoping to labor longer on my own before (if) I get the epidural so that it doesn't cause me to stall and have to labor even longer. I had a really long labor with Elise (36 hours) and the epidural was in for the last 12. It was definitely wearing off before she was done being born and I would love to avoid that this time. This is more info than you probably cared to know about 26 weeks. I have a feeling the last 14ish will fly by.