Random Friday

Since I can't remember which day is the "random" day for blog posting, I'm doing it on Friday. As I've never bothered to do an "eye-candy" post on a Friday, I'm not breaking any of my own traditions. Besides, I have a lot on my mind.

Enter the Mouse.
Ask The Yarn Sniffer what he wants to be when he grows up and he'll give you a one-word answer followed by a single caveat: "Steve. But I don't want to get stabbed in the heart by a stingray." TYS has a ferocious love of animals fueled by intense emotion that is incredibly endearing. I could tell you multiple stories about it -- how he cried when he released a lightning bug because he was happy the bug would be returning to his family, about "Erik Taylor" the snake, Sammy the hermit crab, etc. So I'm in a quandary. This morning, I was sitting in the bathroom when a mouse came in through the crack on the hing-side of the door. He saw me and fled -- he had an easier time getting in than getting out, and it was comical to watch. I now have to figure out how to deal with this mouse humanely and, if possible, without alerting the Sniffer. A regular trap won't do (ew!) and a sticky trap would make TYS quite upset. Please chime in.

Supreme Court Integration Decision
Forty years ago, race was a huge issue in the United States. It still is, though I often feel that basing certain decisions on race (i.e. affirmative action) are being outgrown and outdated. In my own opinion (and it's my own, remember this is my blog and my opinions and I'm not trying to piss anyone off here, just making statements), some of these practices have let folks to make decisions for specious reasons. I'd be very interested in a social scientist's opinion on this, as well as seeing some data on racial breakdowns vs. full socioeconomic breakdowns for the school districts in question. Integration and affirmative action are true milestones in civil rights, but few people seem to have addressed the full socioeconomic profile as an alternative. It doesn't matter whether you're white, black, yellow, brown or purple -- kids are kids and deserve equal opportunities. I suspect the results could be quite interesting if you look at it this way.

Life's Catastrophe
Over the past month, it's been one crisis after another at Chez Spinneas. The non-baby related crises have resolved so far, and all that remains are baby issues. It started with a bad protein level in a urine dip that resulted in a bad 24-hour urine test (that was a blast, let me tell you). Then a failed one-hour glucose tolerance test turned into a failed three-hour glucose tolerance test that has resulted in a "we're going to treat you like a gestational diabetic" approach to my pregnancy. Factor in the fact that I tend to have five-pound infants (this is actually quite normal in my family), and the fact that I am with a new OBGYN practice this time around who does not feel a need to review my past records, and all of a sudden, I'm a high-risk pregnancy even though I feel quite fine, thank you very much. The only thing different about this pregnancy is that I'm older this time around, I have a higher-stress job, and I feel like my uterus has worse suspension than a pair of worn out truck shocks.

So what does this mean? Well, it means I've been checking my sugar levels with a glucometer for the past week (first with a cheap-o that I picked up to make myself feel like I was in control over the weekend, now with a OneTouch Ultra that insurance paid for that seems to be giving me more accurate numbers), eating three meals a day plus snacks (as opposed to the five or six smaller meals that make me feel better and more consistent), and freaking myself out on a regular basis. Having gestational diabetes does not scare me. Pricking my finger constantly doesn't bother me. What does bother me is the fact that this "official" meal pattern is driving L'il I nuts. For the first four days (while I was using the cheap-o monitor), I was doing as much as I could to keep my sugars in line and probably over-tested myself. Problem was, every time I felt like I was starving and needed to eat, it showed a high glucose level that indicated that I needed to exercise and bring it down. I'd go take a walk and then be even more hungry with a high level. The baby got very quiet, too. Once I got the OneTouch on Wednesday, the numbers seem to be more in line with how my body feels ... when I'm starving, it's low, when I'm ready to curl up and sleep, they're high. Makes more sense to me, so I'm tossing out those other numbers (not just for this reason, but for the fact that I tested the same blood sample on both meters on Wednesday and found that the OneTouch was FIFTY points lower than the other. No wonder I felt like I've been starving myself. It's been much easier since -- and I hope that the dietician I have to see on Tuesday will concur!

Today I head out for an appointment at a perinatal center, where I will undergo a level III ultrasound of L'il I because of the urine dip issue (keep in mind that I dipped clear at my last OB appointment, and my own personal feeling is that they should have checked levels further before initiating this referral -- especially since I have sought opinions of three urologists who tell me that the numbers are only slightly elevated and worth observation, not necessarily intervention). Good news is that I get to see L'il I today -- pictures are always great and as long as nothing is wrong, I hope to post one this weekend so everyone can see him.