Wow, I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I've been really busy with my other work and with this tiny bundle of smelly (some good, some bad) joy. I'm taking care of the itty baby during the day and working at night, while Amy works during the day and takes the baby shift in evenings. It's been wearing me out some, but I'm getting the hang of it on most levels.

I just really need to make blogging & posting here an almost daily event, or this just isn't going to get done. Just today, I had Amy put out a call for help on the issue of swaddling a 4+ month-old during naps, & got a fantastic set of replies! She's got some great friends.

On my end, if I asked my network of people, I'd get something more like: "what's a swaddle?" or "do you want to play Halo later tonight?" These are not useful responses, to say the least.

Well, just wanted to touch base here real quick. I need to do some work on this site soon and get Amy posting too. We'll see what we can do. I have a lot of stuff to post, but just not the time to get it done.

... sleep has come in tiny bits & pieces around here lately. *sigh*

Baby is healthy & happy most of the time, so things are good over here. Thanks for asking. :)

--Paul

Well, I'm not sure if I should apologize or not, but it seems like it. We're sorry to say that our lives have been swamped with both work and our now-born baby. It's been freakin' crazy around here with little sleep in general and many stresses of our new lives with a child in the house.

We had a healthy baby girl in late October and have been helping her grow out of one size of diaper after another. It is becoming clear that she will not even get a chance to wear many of the clothes friends/family have handed down to us. She is growing pretty fast. We're very fortunate.

However, it has really put some things (like this web site!) on the back burner as we try to sort out the rest of our world(s).

We'll work on getting posts here since we have amassed a plethora of articles and entries that should be able to help out a lot of parents out there. It would be great info to get out to the world... if only it didn't take so much time.

Anyway, thank you VERY much for visiting and we'll do our best to get our butts in gear and post around here.

Thanks!
Paul

Wellll... you may have guessed from how long it's been since our last posts that we've had the baby by now! Gah. We're very sorry to have put off posting so much -- things got very busy for both of us with work & life and we just flat missed this part of our chores.

Sorry about that... I know many people were following our progress and really wanted to know how we were doing. Suffice it to say we're pretty decent in general.

I just wanted to say we've had our baby and we'll try to get a ton of the stuff we want to share with people online as soon as we can. I'm just posting something to say we're still around and to acknowledge how lame we are. :P

Please feel free to share the address to MyBabyFAQ.com and we'll sincerely work on getting some posts done. We've very, very tired right now with all the new baby feeding and confusions, so bear with us if we're still a little slow.

Thanks for dropping by!
--Paul

[update: Fixed this issue (I hope).. read below this post for more info.]

Hi folks. I'm hoping there weren't (aren't) too many people having trouble with this, but I have many reports that there is a problem with the new account creation page. I've heard several times that people can't seem to read the image on the page under the section called "CAPTCHA". This is something I have to put in to stop the spammers (jerks!) from automatically creating dozens of accounts with their automated programs. If they get through unattended, there will be tons of spam all over in the comments and such... not pretty.

So, I've finally seen some of the difficulties myself so I actually know what's going on now! Yes, I believed all of you who complained, but without actually seeing the problem for myself, it's awful hard to pinpoint the problem sometimes.

Anyway, if you've been having trouble creating new accounts and getting past the security guard, help is on the way! I'll get a solution found shortly and I'll post again when it's fixed.

Sorry!

--------------
Update:
Well, that was quick, I guess. I changed the way the system works, so you should be able to see a very clear string of characters to type in when the site wants to be sure you're a human. It's currently set up so you only have to enter the code once each time you log in (I think). This is another improvement on the old system, which would ask you in several places to enter a code.

I hope this greatly simplifies the usage of our site! Please try again to sign up and/or post comments if you've had trouble in the past!

Thanks!
Paul

Gestational Diabetes: When carefully controlled, this disorder poses little risk to you and your baby.

What it is: Gestational diabetes — a form of diabetes that appears only during pregnancy — occurs when the body does not produce adequate amounts of insulin (the hormone that lets the body turn blood sugar into energy) to deal with the increased blood sugar of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes usually begins between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy (which explains why you'll have a glucose screening test at around 28 weeks).

How common is it? Gestational diabetes is fairly common, affecting four to seven percent of expectant women.

Who is most at risk? Older moms-to-be are more at risk of developing gestational diabetes, as are obese women. Women who have a history of diabetes or those who had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy are also at greater risk.

What are the symptoms? Most women with gestational diabetes have no symptoms, though a few may experience extreme thirst, very frequent and very copious urination, or fatigue. You'll also have sugar in the urine (detected at a routine practitioner visit). Your practitioner will probably screen you for gestational diabetes around week 28 of pregnancy. You'll drink a sugary liquid and then take a blood test an hour later. If your blood sugar level is high, you'll take a three-hour glucose tolerance test to determine whether you have gestational diabetes.

Should you be concerned? There's little reason for concern if your gestational diabetes is well controlled. Your pregnancy will progress normally and your baby will suffer no ill effects. But if gestational diabetes is left untreated, your baby will receive too much blood sugar and grow too large, making delivery more difficult for you. It could also lead to potential problems for your baby after birth, such as jaundice, breathing difficulties, and low blood sugar levels. Later in life your child will be at an increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. And though gestational diabetes goes away after delivery, you are also at an increased risk of developing diabetes later in life if you've had gestational diabetes.

What you can do: Keeping an eye on your weight gain (both before and during pregnancy) can help prevent gestational diabetes. So too can good diet habits and regular exercise. If you're diagnosed with gestational diabetes, scrupulous control of blood sugar levels will mitigate the potential risks associated with the condition. Your practitioner will likely put you on a special diet (similar to the Pregnancy Diet) and will suggest simple exercises to keep your gestational diabetes under control.

Source: www.whattoexpect.com

At this next regular check up appointment, I will be tested for Gestational Diabetes. I've been told some horror stories on the solution to drink! Here's more on what it is:

Glucose Tolerance Test

Gestational diabetes sure ain't sweet — but it is manageable. Here are the details on glucose screening and diagnostic tests.

What it screens for: A one-hour glucose test screens for (but does not diagnose) gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). If your sugar levels seem high after a one-hour test, you'll have to come back for the three-hour version, which will give you a firm diagnosis. Gestational diabetes can usually be controlled with a special diet and exercise. (In rare cases, women need insulin to regulate their sugars during pregnancy.)

Who it's for: Most practitioners routinely screen all pregnant women for gestational diabetes. Some screen only women at higher risk for the disorder, including those who are obese or have a family history of diabetes.

How it's done: First, you drink a special glucose (aka sugar) mixture (think flat soda). Then you sit and wait (be sure to bring some reading!). Some practitioners may give you the mixture in advance of that particular appointment, so you arrive primed and ready to be pricked (just don't be late!). Exactly one hour later, your blood is drawn and tested for glucose. A high level of glucose at this point doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes; it just means you need the next test. For that tolerance test, you will be asked to fast overnight. Your blood will be drawn in the morning, and then you drink a different glucose mixture. Your blood will be drawn three more times, at one, two, and three hours later. (Triple the fun!)

Source: www.whattoexpect.com

I now have the "preggo head" full-on and can't remember much. I'm surprised I haven't screwed up royally at work or missed a mtg.

Here's the dates, so far, of all the regular doctor visits:

1) 3/27/08 - first, 'confirmation' visit. Internal Ultrasound at I think 10 weeks. My doc doesn't have you come in until around then, so that she can confirm the baby's heartbeat. Never did ask why, specifically, but I think it has to do w/ a lot of Nervous Nellies (I'm one of 'em) parading through her office too early to tell anything concrete. Smart doc; I'd have been in there way before, right after my home pregnancy test! Check weight and pee in a cup too. W/ the internal ultrasound, could hear the baby's heart beat. Paul took video/audio on his phone. I think it became a bit more concrete then.

2) 4/10 - Appt #2. Regular check up. Weight check up and pee in a cup. More info from doc; nurse tries to hear heartbeat w/ a 'doppler radar' or some such gadget but she couldn't get it. Doc came and in it took her awhile too, but she finally got it.

3) 4/11 - SPECIALIST APPT - referral to genetic counselor. Concerned about Down Syndrome because of my age; this doc does the testing. She sends all her patients who might need this to this guy. Very nice doc - been an OB/GYN for years and years, still has a faculty appointment at the University of Colorado Denver and teaches. Most of his time he does genetic testing.

4) 4/18 - SPECIALIST APPT - This is the 'nuchal translucency' testing w/ the blood work. A specialized ultrasound tech did this ultrasound - went over all the baby's parts to make sure they were there; looked for Down Syndrome markers (and apparently could not see any at this stage!) and went over how the whole test works.

5) 5/8 - Appt. #3 - Regular check up. Weight check and pee in a cup. Again listen to baby heart beat w/ hand-held doppler device. More news and what to expect.

6) 6/10 - Appt. #4 - ANATOMY ULTRASOUND!!! Looking good! Again Paul took video/audio w/ his phone. Got real pics at this one; pretty cool! Doc not in the office today, come back in two days for visit w/ her.

6a) 6/12 - Appt. #4a - Regular check up w/ doc cuz she wasn't in the office on 6/10. Everything tracking normal so far. Can't recall how many weeks here - you do the math from 3/27.

7) 6/27 - SPECIALIST APPT - the doc wanted me to get a 'fetal echogram' to be sure that baby's heart is developing A-OK at my 'advanced maternal age'. This is a DETAILED look at the baby's heart; again looking for markers for Down Syndrome and/or possible defects that are detectable at this stage. I think I was 19 weeks. Doc reviewed, and could not tell any DS markers nor defects at this time! Great news! Paul went to this one too; pretty darn cool to see that little one moving around in there!

8) 7/10 - Appt. #5 - Regular check up. Weight check and pee in a cup. Measured my belly again; I must be right on at this stage cuz she didn't mention a thing. I think 25 weeks. Did I say that someone figured out that the measurement of your uterus in cm is the same as the # of weeks along you should be. I should research that and post an article!

9) 8/7 - Coming up - Appt. #6 - Gestational Diabetes screening test. Drink a horrible glucose solution and then 1 hr later take a blood test. If I fail this one, based on the blood test results, then I go in for a longer, more intense testing appointment. If I pass, then I'm good to go; no further testing; keep watching what I eat!

10) and more: After 8/7 - doc says I need to go every two weeks. So, let's see.... that means Aug 21 or so....Sept 4 and 18....then 1 x per week up until delivery: Oct 2 or so, then every week in October. Yeah, can't wait. I'm a little tired of doctor visits already.

I KNOW - QUIT YER BELLYACHIN'!!! All for the safety of this kid!

Hiya folks. Sorry about the lack of updates around here, but we've been busy. I'm working on expanding and updating other web sites of ours, while trying to keep all the other ones updated (yes, there are even more sites than those three and this one -- ack!).

Anyway, to get on topic real quick, Amy's doing well with the incubation of our kid. She'll have to talk about things from her perspective (I'll bug her about it), but things have been pretty smooth in general. We had thought there would be another ultrasound appointment (and I really looked forward to it) but our Dr. doesn't do one at this stage unless there's a problematic reason to do so.

Well, I just needed to drop a note here. Again, we'll really try to get things rolling on here. We are swamped with work and such, but we need to get this thing going.

Thanks for visiting!
--Paul