Happy Turkey Week!

I should probably not be posting at this time... I've got a few more work deadlines to meet today and I should probably get cracking, but there's so much to write about! Lots to be thankful for--especially on this holiday week.

First, a little update... I went to my 3-hour GDM class (see, I'm all educated now, I know the acronym for gestational diabetes) last Thursday and learned a ton. The first part of the class was learning what GDM was and what happens to you and the baby if not treated, etc. etc. The second part of class was taught by a nutritionist. She had all kinds of fake foods in one serving portions (read: portions so small you hardly think it worth your time) that she used throughout the class to show different combinations of food to eat together.

The coolest thing I learned in the first half of class was that getting poked is no big deal. I had brought my glucose meter, lancets, and test strips with me. They were prescribed by my doc, and I have to mention that I got my glucose meter for free because I had a coupon! Woo hoo! Anyway, the meter came with a case and a pretty sophisticated gadget designed to poke you at different strengths of your choosing. (A little dial on the top end goes from not-so-hard to very hard.) They taught me how to open bottom end of the gadget in order to insert the lancet, twist off the nob hiding the needle, then replace the twist-on cap to the gadget. Then you're supposed to put the end of that gadget right on your finger and press the button that sends the needle into your finger. And I hesitated... and I said, "I don't know if I can do this." And the two teachers chimed in that it's not that big of a deal because they teach a lot of ladies and find that this is a common revelation among them. So I just did it! And I couldn't even see where it hit me until I squeezed my finger to get the blood out, and sure enough... a little droplet formed on my finger. And that was enough for the test strip to absorb and for the meter to analyze how much glucose is in my blood.

Being that I failed my previous glucose tests at the lab, and I'm never good at failing tests of any kind, I am happy to report that my numbers have been within range for the last five days except for one. We had Taco Bell on Saturday and my glucose was 121 mg/dL which is one point out of range. I can be between 70-90 in the morning and 70-120 in the afternoons and evenings. I was starting to doubt if I had GDM at all. Maybe the diet is working.

My meal plan is laid out in servings. First, they teach you that a serving is not necessarily what is on the nutritional info on the box, but in grams of carbs or protein. A serving of carbs is between 15-20 grams and a serving of protein is 7 grams. Second, they teach you what that amount of grams looks like (hence the table laden with plastic food). The biggest thing is to eat protein with carbs in order to stabilize your blood sugar. So breakfast for me is 1 starch, 1 meat, 1 milk, and 2 added fat. I get a snack between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner which is 1 starch or 1 fruit and 1 meat. Then lunch and dinner is 2 starch, 1 fruit, 1 milk, 2 nonstarchy vegetables, 3 meat and 2 added fat. Oh, and then a bedtime snack is 1 starch and 1 meat and my starch can be a half cup of ice cream as long as I eat the meat/protein, too.

My favorite meal so far involves chicken wings. It started at the hospital after my class. I ate 5 chicken wings, 1 dinner roll, a cup of cukes and carrots, and water to drink. Technically, it was a snack, but I found that when it was time to eat lunch, I wasn't hungry. And since then, I'm finding that if I eat every single item in each category, it's actually a lot of food. Or maybe the baby taking up valuable tummy space is helping me feel full. It's hard work remembering to eat and test your blood on a schedule. I find that in my regular routine, I skip a lot and wait hours before eating and then just grab whatever is handy that most likely consists of high carbos and no protein. I'm supposed to eat every 2 hours and not more than 5 hours between meals. At any rate, I'm doing OK on this meal plan. She said before Thanksgiving came.

The kids have two days of school this week and then they're off. We're going to drive up to the Dallas area to see Josh's ex-boss. This ex-boss is responsible for hiring Josh at his first Houston job, recommending him to his second and current job, and moving us up to the Atascocita area to buy a house. Then they up and left us for New York City, but now they're back in Plano, TX about four hours away. Josh's ex-boss is with a company that gets season tickets to the Cowboys games and he invited Josh to go watch the one on Thanksgiving. Talk about a historical family moment in the life of a family dedicated and loyal to the Dallas Cowboys football team and to no other. Needless to say, Josh is very excited. (They won against the Redskins yesterday -- Go Cowboys! See, I'm a fan by marriage... I have no choice in the matter.)

The kids and I are going to hang out with Lana and Riley (wife and son of said ex-boss). We won't be gone the entire rest of the week, but it should be a nice break. I hope that I can handle the drive in my condition. I'm uncomfortable a lot of the time. It's hard to find a position that works, but when it does, I try not to move. Last night I found myself reclined in the recliner, with my legs hanging over the sides and my big belly blubbering around with baby's moments. I sat there for as long as it was comfortable and asked Sarah to get me this or that. She's an excellent helper. All the kids are. They help me out a lot -- or maybe they do it for Zoe, I dunno, but it sure is nice to have my own brood of minions.

I'm not a tyrant... just a little reluctant to move... my older brother used to do the same thing to me when we were in grade school, but since he wasn't pregnant, I just called it lazy. He turned 38 yesterday. I got to talk to him on the phone and hear what Nana 'Nita made for his birthday dinner. He got Guamanian Corn Soup (my favorite, the bum) and Short Ribs Adobo. I think I was missing the food more than him, and I would probably continue to fail my blood tests if we lived anywhere near Nana 'Nita's cooking... I'll eat whatever she puts out without restraint. So I guess it's a good thing that there are two states separating us. Sigh.

Josh's parents are almost ready to move into their new house. It's like a twin of his grandparents' house, so very big and very nice, and right next door -- so our kids have grandparents and great-grandparents they can visit within walking distance... like ten steps, eleven tops. Josh's parents are putting in the yards and waiting for the plumbers and electricians to finish up on the inside. They'll be moved in by Christmas probably. That will be nice for them to have that project done. The kids can't wait to go for a visit which will probably be more likely to happen during Spring Break.

Seth is at home with me today. He had a cough all weekend that started on Friday. He didn't get to go to the temple with us on Saturday for a Primary activity and he stayed home from church with Daddy yesterday. Now he's not coughing, but he slept in until 9:30am, so I just let him. He could technically go in before 10am and not be counted absent, but he doesn't want to go. I think he just wants a chance to play the new game we got on Saturday.

Super Mario Galaxy came out sometime last week. It's the next game after Super Mario Sunshine, so it's my game! The kids sacrificed a few Game Cube Games so that we could get this game. At GameStop they will give you an extra 20% towards store credit. So no more Godzilla or Brain Academy for Wii... that last one was actually a game I won from Wendy's back before we had a Wii. We already have it for the Nintendo DS, and it's fun, but no one really plays it on the Wii. And Galaxy is so worth it!

I've already opened up the first two galaxies with the kids all watching, of course. It's a family affair. I get to hold the controller and do it, but they give input on where to go and what to do. (Zack comes up with some genius ideas on how to get through some obstacles.) And then they all get a chance to play if I die doing a puzzle or something. Whenever it's Josh's turn to do a puzzle, he gets it on the first try. He is good at the action, but hasn't much patience for the reading of the story and the slower pace of progression. He acknowledges that I rule the Mario games, though. And I give him props for being the Guitar Hero III master and the god of all Super Monkey Ball games. Luckily, the kids like to watch both of us in our respective elements. When the novelty dies down, they'll get to have their own saved games, but it will be the Mommy who actually finishes all the levels and saves Princess Peach (and the world).

So there's plenty to be thankful for this week! Everyone is healthy (or on the mend). There are family and friends to be thankful for and to visit. There's the Cowboys, the thought of turkey and stuffing come Thursday, and all I have to do is make Betty's rolls for Tony and Lana. I made it during Hurricane Rita at their house and they never forgot it. What else? There's good blood sugar levels for me, and I don't have to give up ice cream altogether. There's a big order that I have to fill with the promise of it becoming an annual thing. There's the new chore chart that the kids are doing in order to keep the house clean and help the sanity of my "reluctant to move" self... it includes them doing laundry and dishes. I'm thankful for peaceful, holy places like the Houston Texas Temple that reminds me of what is important in life. There's the missionaries who came by on Saturday to challenge us to read Preach My Gospel and prepare the first lesson for them. That's a nice approach and should be good for the family. There's a new baby on the way that will change the definition of a Haley six-pack (which has always meant a family of 5). There's other friends and family who have made additions to or will soon make additions to their families. There's stickers and paper and a brand new set of markers or paints to be thankful for. There's computers and blogs and the blessing of getting jobs done over the internet (while wearing pajamas and eating one serving each of starch, meat and milk--I exchange the milk out for chocolate sometimes... just kidding, Susie, gosh!). And of course, there's coupons. What was life like before them?

There's more, but I really gotta get to work. Hope you all enjoy this reading and my sacrifice (Kristen) and forgive me for not posting preggie pictures yet... I haven't downloaded the temple pics yet, but I'll get to it! Lots of love and hugs go out to all of you whom I count as blessings on this week and every week.

No Solicitors, Please

Do you ever get a telemarketing call where they ask to speak to your mom or dad? I love these kind of calls because then I can just say no and hang up. I don't feel bad doing this when they think I'm just some young punk. I guess my voice makes me sound young... or maybe it's the way I say my s's (or should that be spelled ses or s-es or s-ez?).

Anyway, it's even more fun when you answer the door and they ask if your mom or dad is home. They can see me and they still think I'm some young punk. I just say no and close the door. They must not see upon first glance my graying hair or the three munchkins calling me mom or even the huge belly I'm sporting these days. It's usually kind of funny.

But I kind of scared myself last night when someone rang the door bell at almost 8 pm and Josh wasn't home yet. Who solicits at 8pm?! I thought it might be a neighbor or something even though I didn't recognize him through the peephole. Maybe it was because our windows were all wide open and he could hear that we were home that I decided to open the door. Once I opened the door, I really wished that I hadn't. A strong feeling came over me and I just wanted to shut the door. He asked if my mom or dad was home and I said, "No," and started to shut the door. He caught on... maybe it was the belly... and said, "Oh, are you the homeowner?" I said, "No," again and then shut the door fast.

I felt like I was being rude, but I didn't care that much. Except for the fact that he might kick the door down or spy on us through the windows... waiting for the right moment to jump through with the chainsaw and Halloween all of us. OK, I don't really watch horror movies, but I know there was one with a chainsaw and one called Halloween--probably not the same flick. My point is that I was really freaking myself out.

I gathered the kids in my room and we sat on the bed and had a little talk about how we should not open the door to strangers. I told them again about our rule to NOT go running to open the door without knowing who is on the other side. They always need our permission before opening the door.

I'm considering getting a NO SOLICITORS sign (even though it's already supposed to be illegal in our neighborhood) and I'm almost convinced that I should not open the door to strangers at all. Crazy stuff happens these days, and it's sad that it's like that now, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Right?

Third Grade Social Life

I was busy scolding my third grade son, Zack, for not having his cub scout uniform hung up because that's how you keep it from getting wrinkled. He was trying to tell me that he didn't know that it had been washed and that's why he didn't hang it up... what a lame excuse! He just doesn't remember the 500 times I asked him to put his clothes away. So I jumped into my "be responsible" lecture, but he stopped me in my tracks. He said, "Three girls at school like me."

I barely noticed the change in subject, and I tried to be nonchalant when I said, "Oh, are they in your class?" He said, "No, but they're all in the same class." I said, "Do they chase you at recess?" And he smiled and said, "Yes. And one time they played basketball with us." One of the girls also likes his friend Anthony. I asked if they liked Steven (his other friend), too. He rambled on about the color of everyone's skin and that he didn't think so, but that it was possible because my skin and Daddy's skin are different, so it's possible. I said that it didn't matter what the color of everyone's skin was and he said he knew. So then I said, "And is there a girl that you like? I know that Julia moved away." (I blogged about Julia last year... he claimed she was his girlfriend to one of his friends, and when I told him that he couldn't have a girlfriend until he was 16, he said, "I know, Mom, she's my future girlfriend.") He said shyly, "I like all the girls that like me."

Wow. What I really like about all this is that he didn't mind talking to me about it. He even climbed into my lap (what's left of it) and was very comfortable telling me about his social life. Sarah would die before she admitted to anything. I really like how Zack can talk about things. I hope that it doesn't change when he hits puberty and starts perfecting the art of rebellious teenager.

I already know that Sarah is going to make all my hair turn gray or even fall out when she hits puberty, but by then, it will be Daddy's turn to run point on child raising. My job won't be over, but it will take more of a father's touch when the teen years hit. Josh knows this... he's looking forward to it! Kind of. Not really.

My Dad Rocks

I just got off the phone with my dad and hearing his voice is like a balm to my soul. He does that without even knowing it probably. He just is. I like that I can count on him for just being my dad. He doesn't have to be perfect or make lots of money or have lots of toys. Just being there is good enough for me.

He doesn't need to send me anything, either, but it's nice that he'll send me some of his smoked salmon the next time he smokes some. He's also famous for sending the kids a box of chocolates. Sarah has a collection of Whitman's boxes in her room. It's just nice that we can attribute some great thing that he does to him and him only, but just knowing he loves us is enough.

It has a way of reminding me that we all have a Father in Heaven who loves us. I never question my dad's love for me and I think that's how Heavenly Father wants us to feel... he planned it that way. It's how he wants us to feel about our relationship with him. My dad said that the Lord is taking care of me, and even though I know that I sometimes forget. It's nice to be reminded by a person who knows by experience, a father's love.

My dad rocks because he said that I should eat candy. He said if I eat lots of sugar then my body will stop making it and I'll be fine. He thinks the medical profession is backwards and conspires to keep us all sick. When he goes off about it I have to laugh. He's my dad and I can count on him to be who he is.

Now excuse me while I go eat a bowl of Trix.... I've been dying for it since I got up and now that I have permission—my dad said so!—I'm all over it.