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Saturday, July 28, 2007

30 weeks pregnant, read all about it. :o)

30 weeks pregnant, read all about it. :o)
Current mood: cheerful
Category: Life

Hi everyone. Had THREE appointments this week, so here's the run down.
Monday, I had a regular ob/gyn appt, where they weigh you, listen to the baby heartbeat, answer any questions. It was a different doctor, I meet a new one of 4 or 5 each time I go back, so they'll all be familiar with me when it comes time to bring little PJ into the world. The nice thing about this practice is, all the doctors are women.

I've lost almost 4 lbs since the gestational diabetes discovery, and on Thursday, when I went to see the specialist who is monitoring my sugar, I asked him which is worse, stay on the "diet", not get enough calories, (I just can't get down 2100 calories a day of all really really healthy stuff), and continue to lose weight, OR, carbo load once a day, keep my weight steady, and risk having my sugar spike? ( I kind of figured those were my only options), Well, he clearly doesn't want me losing any more weight, but didn't seem to think carbo loading was ok either. Basically, I'm to return to as normal as possible, and watch my sugars, if they spike, figure out what it was that did it, and try to eliminate/substitute that. - uhhh, ok. sure, Doc, I'll get right on that.

Today was a growth tracking ultrasound we got to watch little PJ grab his foot, do some practice breathing, and NEVER NEVER NEVER stop moving, not even for a second! Oh dear God. The ultrasound technician told me his estimated weight is 3 lbs 4 ounces, which I believe is slightly above the norm, but am not certain. And if so, is it due to the diabetes, or genetics?

Next week starts my twice a week monitoring, non stress test at the ob/gyn early in the week, then ultrasound late in the week at the specialist, to monitor growth, practice breathing, movement, etc. - Kind of makes me wish I was salaried and not hourly, you know?

Anyway, here's a pic of him today, I'm thinking it's daniel's nose, which is fine. We'll see.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

A mother's view of a word that wounds

I am not the original author, and don't usually blog someone else's writings, but this, I felt, was a great explanation of why the word "Retard" is just as hurtful and mean as a curse word.


A mother's view of a word that wounds: 'Retard'
By Theresa Howard

You are such a retard.

You've heard the expression. Sometimes it's preceded by an expletive, as in "you're such a f—-ing retard." Either way, with or without the curse word, it's a harsh statement. But one, it seems, that's become increasingly acceptable. So much so that in one recent week I kept track of how many times I heard it and who said it. I heard it daily — whether it was a colleague, a neighbor talking to his dog, an actor from a hit TV show during an interview with me, a top level advertising executive, young men playfully swapping insults or Tony Soprano to his son after a botched suicide attempt.

Last year, the r-word was in the title of a Two and a Half Men episode It's a word that, unlike "pimp" or the n-word, is always derogatory. For reasons that I can't understand, pimp has become synonymous with style. The n-word, for a handful of African-Americans, is a term of endearment — until someone outside the circle uses it. Then it becomes derogatory.

But no matter how or by whom the r-word is used, it's always in a negative context. You don't hear, "What a great idea, that's so retarded." You don't hear, "Awesome catch — what a retard move."

While some are advocating that the n-word be banished from America's lexicon, who is the voice for the 7.5 million Americans with intellectual disabilities who truly are mentally retarded? Who is defending their dignity while everyday folks — educated adults at that — take a term that clinically applies to the disabled and use it as an insult?

What's my fascination with the r-word? I take it very personally. And I'm not a person who is easily offended. I am, however, the mother of a 6-month-old daughter who was born with Down syndrome. Lydia Catherine is sweet. She's got a warm smile and very knowing blue eyes. She's got a subtle little dimple and a tiny tuft of strawberry blonde hair that swirls into one single swoop into the air.

When she looks at me, I feel like she can see all the fears, concerns, doubts and questions that swim around in my heart and my mind every day. Will she be smart enough to know when she hears people say the word "retard" that they are talking about her?

This is not new territory for me. I grew up the sibling of a Down syndrome sister. Catherine Anne was 41 when she passed away four years ago. She was born at a time when "mongolian idiot" was the operative term, and doctors suggested to my parents to leave her behind and she'd be taken care of. It really meant she would have been institutionalized. They didn't listen. Catherine lived with my parents until the day she died.

For as long as I can remember, I corrected people when they said the r-word. I flashed dirty looks to people who stared. I told parents to tell their child that it's not polite. Ever gregarious, Catherine would smile at strangers, many of whom would be so uncomfortable that they didn't know what to do. Even after Catherine passed away, I continued to correct people for a few years. Then I got tired. I no longer felt it was my battle.

Until Dec. 10, when Lydia was born. My journey has begun all over again, this time with me as the mother and my older daughter, Sofia, as the sibling. If I was protective of my sister, I am almost scared of how protective I will be for Lydia and her own sister. But as she grows up in a time when "retard" is a socially acceptable slur, professional organizations are trying to change the clinical term. Last November, the American Association on Mental Retardation changed its name to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The Special Olympics is advocating that "retarded" be dropped from the vernacular.

Fixing the terminology is only a start. The bigger issue is acceptance of people with disabilities.

Do your part. Don't stare. Say hello. Be inclusive. And when you want to insult someone's intelligence, remember to use a different word.

Theresa Howard is an advertising reporter for USA TODAY. She lives in Hoboken, N.J., with her husband, Peter Baracskai, and their two girls

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Gestational Diabetes

Sorry for being unclear. I was told yesterday that I have gestational diabetes, and the reason for my visit today, was because the specialist's office will be the one monitoring my blood sugar...

Ok, so on to the rest...

For this first week, I've been given a "diet" to follow, and the testing equipment, and must check my blood sugar upon waking, then 2 hours after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The diet consists of 2100 calories a day, so I for sure will not be hungry, It's just all stuff that's good for me, so I'll still be missing cake, pie, twinkies, stuff like that.

Hopefully, my blood sugar can be controlled by diet alone. If not, they'll start me on pills, and worst case scenario, insulin injections. So.

I can say this... today, after having a very light lunch, of chicken, green beans and yellow squash, I did not get sleepy. There've been days at work where I've had to just put my head down on my desk and power nap for 5-10 minutes because the sleepies had me BAAAAD. I was attributing it to pregnancy. Maybe I was wrong?

Monday, July 2, 2007

SWEET! (not)

Hello friends and family, we'll call this a mini-blog. My ob/gyn office called me to tell me that the 3 hour fasting glucose tolerance test I took last week? I failed. So, I have another appointment, tomorrow morning at the specialist's office, and then ANOTHER appt at the hospital near them for a nutrition class. Apparently the only thing my ob/gyn office does is deliver babies. Every time something "risk" related comes up, they shuffle me off to the specialist's office... which is fine, but I can't figure out why they wouldn't just want me to switch practices. Oh well, I'll ask again tomorrow, and try to get you a real detailed blog, tomorrow evening.

Love you!