Des Moines Trip Number 432

Since my mom moved to Dubuque, we go to Des Moines several times a year to meet her in the middle.  We always have a good time and have done everything from the Botantical Gardens to the Science Center to the Blank Park Zoo, but I usually don't take my "nice" camera with us.

This trip, I knew we were going to Living History Farms and anticipated some good photo ops, so I packed it along.

And holy crap am I glad I did, because OMG BABY PIGS.

But before I go on a baby-pig-splosion, I'll backtrack and start from the beginning. Reading it will be worth it because there will be MORE AND MORE AND MORE BABY PIGS. And then you'll die.

We rented a wagon (just $4!) for the day and Carys was thrilled. We have a wagon but don't get it out nearly enough.  She loved laying down in it and pretending to sleep.

And yes, I did dress her for the part in this coral (not pink! I swear!) dress and little ankle boots. 

To do the full tour of the farms, you take a tractor-pulled cart up to the beginning of a trail. Along the trail, you get to experience three different working farms from three different eras - an Ioway Indian farm the early 1700s, a log cabin pioneer farm from the 1850s, and a horse-powered farm from the early 1900s.  You then end in a town from 1875, with a number of stores, a schoolhouse, and a mansion.

We started on the trail, and she was SO excited to see the farms - when the first farm wasn't immediately visible after getting off the cart she almost cried with disappointment. We had to keep telling her, "It's right up here! Just around this corner!"

Watching the person playing the Native American hand-weave a belt. 

The "tool shop" at the Native American site - a pile of bones that they would use for various tools. Carys is getting a lesson in anatomy from her Nana in these pictures. What a good Nana. If Carys is smart, it will be completely because of this woman.

These are probably my favorite pictures EVER. She saw the bench along the trail, said, "Take my picture!" and ran up to it. She smiled nicely for the first one, but then went into a series of faces and labeled each one. 

Happy. Angry.

 REALLY HAPPY! Silly.

Then she was just plain cute.

I wish I'd gotten more pictures of the environment and actual set-up of the farms, but whenever I pulled out the camera I was focused on the cuteness that is the child. This is the 1800s farm, and this is the pig sty at the farm. 

While we were looking at the pigs, the farmer (who Carys became totally infatuated with) came over and gave her a couple turnips to throw to the pigs. 

They had a flock of sheep that roamed free most of the time. When we arrived (we were the first people there) the farmer called the sheep over to their pen, where we got to hand-feed them grains. I don't have any pictures of this because I was holding Carys (and maybe feeding the sheep myself) but I assume it was adorable.  Listening to the sheep respond both individually to their names and as a flock was pretty interesting. To me. Am I a nerd?

Watching the farm wife cook the dinner (lunch) meal.

The farm wife also gave us a bowl of slop (leftovers/garbage) to take out to the pigs to feed. They really let you participate at this particular farm site - so fantastic. 

Immediately after the above pictures, that pig "kissed" Carys on the cheek and left a giant muddy snout print on her cheek. However, it scared the ever-loving CRAP out of her, so being the good parent that I am I only tried for a minute to get a picture of  it before I moved onto comforting her. So no picture exists of the pig kiss. Sadly.

I bribed her back to happiness with an apple freshly plucked from an apple tree.

My sister took over the camera for a little bit on the trail when Carys pulled a "2-Year-Old" and would only let me pull the wagon.

You can only kind of tell I'm almost 8 months pregnant from the back!

Pulling up to the 1900 farm.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME PIGS? I promised you more baby pigs.

There was a whole herd (?) of baby pigs just running around. She chased them for a bit, then decided she wanted to show them her dress and sticker.

"Come here, pigs! Here pigs!" while patting her leg and making a clicking sound like you'd use to call a cat or dog. Have I mentioned she uses that same method to call me sometimes? 

 

"Look at my dress!" (Yes, that is literally what she was saying.)

"Look at my sticker!"

Inside the farmhouse. 

 Obligatory blurry mirror self-portrait.

We were all surprised when this phone had a dial tone. 

These have nothing to do with anything but how pretty are the spiderwebs with the light shining through them?

We ended in the town, where we visited the schoolhouse, the mansion, and attended a Victorian funeral.

Rocking the baby cradle and checking out the toys that would have been available to kids of the 1900s.

The Victorian funeral.

At that point we looked at the clock, realized it was naptime, and booked it out of there. That afternoon, we were supposed to go on a train ride, which was a TOTAL and complete disaster. For some reason, we thought that the train station was a half hour from the hotel, so we left around 45 minutes before we needed to be there, figuring we were giving ourselves plenty of cushion time. Well, we (fine, I) realized I left the car keys in the other bag, so my sister ran back to get them, but didn't have a key for my parent's room where the bag was, so she had to get a key as well. That cut us down to about 35 or 40 minutes to get there, but we still had plenty of time. We thought. 

We got on the road, pulled the directions up on GPS, and had heart attacks when it said it was going to take an hour to get to the train station. There was no way we'd make it in time, but we tried anyway, driving at breakneck speeds trying desperately to get there, since we'd been talking about the train ride all day and Carys was SO excited. 

We didn't make it. By less than 10 minutes. (My parents just BARELY made it and begged them to hold the train for us, but they couldn't.)

This was as close to a train ride as Carys got.  She was happy, but still. Sadness. Also crap, because I'm out $30 for the damn ride that we missed and their season ends at the end of October, so chances are we won't be able to re-use them.  Also crap, because we wasted 100 miles worth of gas. In a Chevy Tahoe. So that equals like 5,000 miles of gas in a regular car.

Oh, well. (Grumble)

Before we left to come home the next morning, we also stopped by the Pappajohn Sculpture Park to walk around a bit. We mostly stuck by this particular sculpture because it apparently was the perfect climbing structure (note: we looked around carefully for signs saying 'do not climb' or 'do not touch' and there weren't any, so we let her go crazy).

Note the Thomas she's holding in the last picture - that was part two of her consolation prizes for missing the train ride. She LOVES Thomas but hasn't ever had any toys associated with the show, so this was a Really. Big. Deal. for her. 

Despite the train ride being a complete and total bust, Living History Farms totally made the trip worth it. If we lived in the area I'd probably be trying to live on the farms and they'd have to keep kicking me out.  I asked Chris if I could at least get a baby pig and he just looked at me like I was insane. He clearly is missing something in his brain that appreciates cute.

18-24+ Month Toddler Gear Guide

Note: Some links are Amazon referral links if that's where I bought the product.

To start, we are still using some things from previous guides. Rather than listing them again here, 

I'll just make note of what is still useful: 

What are we still using from the Newborn Gear Guide at 2 years old? 
Portable night light (not nearly as much, though)
Diaper bags (stopped when she potty trained at 26 months)
Cloth diapers (stopped when she potty trained at 26 months)
Beco Gemini baby carrier (though she mostly walks now, we've used it several times with a 2+ year old)
Nosefrida (although she's finally figuring out how to blow her nose, so not much longer!)
Sprout towels
Graco Blossom high chair (we now use the booster seat portion rather than the high chair)

What are we still using from the Six Month Gear Guide at 2 years old? (Some are listed above and here because I didn't think to cross-reference the guides when I first did them.) 
Britax B-Agile stroller 
Graco Blossom high chair (booster part only)
Smock/sleeved bib
Table protector 
Splat mat 
Travel high chair
Books (OMG THE BOOKS. We read for hours every day, literally)
B Zany activity cube (not nearly as much, but still some use)
Munchkin Caterpillar (this is used more with the water table than the bathtub)
Stacking Blocks (though we've moved onto mostly wood ones or Legos)
Breathable Bumper 
Sprout towel 
Britax Boulevard/Evenflo Triumph car seats (still rear-facing!)

What are we still using from the 9-12 Month Gear Guide at 2 years old?
Wallet
Dump Truck
Weebles
Foam shapes
Snack cup
Sunscreen
Slide

What are we still using from the 12-18 Month Gear Guide at 2 years old?
Dolls (more the plastic ones than Stella)
Meowsic
Art supplies (so. many. art. supplies)
Scooter
Anywhere Chair
Sassy Grow Up Cups
Water Table 
Cozy Coupe


OLDER TODDLER GEAR GUIDE
This will be a pretty short list, because, as with the previous gear guide, she's much more into DOING things than PLAYING WITH things, but there are a few items she's particularly enjoying right now. As always, I try to stay away from battery-operated things (though there are some) and "girl"-specific toys in favor of imagination-driven toys that any child could enjoy.

1. Doll Cradle, doll clothes, doll accessories 
Lifespan: Used from 18 Months +

  

I had the Stella Doll in the last Gear guide, and to this one I'm adding a cradle and accessories. She's put the baby to sleep for a long time (just lying them on the floor and covering with a blanket while patting their back), but we recently added a real doll cradle to her stash of toys, and she loves putting the babies in there, covering them, rocking them, patting them, singing to them, giving them a bottle, etc. (It was a hand-me-down from a relative, so no recommendation on brand here - I love our very plain, gender-neutral one.) The babies' nighttime routine is more complicated than her real one!  We also inherited a box of baby doll clothes, and she loves dressing and undressing them (with help in some cases).

2. Reusable sticker books
Lifespan: Used from about 18 months +

We have a number of reusable sticker pads, and they are a HUGE hit. Great for car traveling, and great fun to stick on windows and other surfaces as well. The Melissa and Doug ones are huge, size-wise - we have the one pictured (link here) and she loves naming the animals and making sounds for them.  We also have a much smaller one that is perfect for traveling that has stickers of household objects that you can use to make faces Clingzooka Faces by Artzooka. I think it will be a hit for a LONG time to come. Heck, *I* like to play with it!   I just realized by searching for it on Amazon that they have a Robots and an Animals one as well - I totally just added both to her Amazon WishList.  Note: the Clingzooka ones do have VERY small clings included and say 5+ - so use with supervision. Obviously. 

3. Travel Magnadoodle
Lifespan: Used from about 12 months +

I love this version because it's SMALL. It's perfect for car rides, and even not in the car, it's perfectly sized for her to handle completely on her own. The string on the pen is long enough to reach the entire board, and the eraser slide is easy enough for her to do it on her own.  I can't say the same for any of that with larger versions that we've seen or tried. This could realistically have gone in the 12-18 month gear guide too - she's been using it and loving it for a while. 

4. Play Kitchen and Food
Lifespan: Used from about 18+ months

This was her big birthday present this year. I got this one because I liked the way it was realistic and gender-neutral - and sure enough, we've found little boys love playing with it too.  It's a good height as well, so hopefully it will last a while (some of the others we looked at by the same company were a good 6 inches shorter, so might not be as comfortable for older kids).  With the kitchen, we got a number of accessories: a toaster, play food, cookware, and felt pizza. We use our own silverware and cups/bowls (just cheap dollar store options). Some people prefer to get wooden or plastic cookware and silverware, but she really enjoys the "real" versions that are linked above. I don't find them too loud, but if your kid is a banger, you might feel differently! Note: I couldn't find one after months of searching on Craigslist, but I know lots of people who have been successful, so I definitely recommend checking Craigslist for used versions.

5. Easel
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months 

We got this used off of Craigslist, so I highly recommend checking there before buying new. I love this specific one because the height is adjustable, and it gets very low for small toddlers.  I also love that it's wooden and not chunky plastic.  It's a chalkboard on one side and a dry-erase board on the other side, with the option of adding a roll of paper for painting or coloring.  I have found that regular dry-erase markers STAIN CLOTHES, so be sure to get the washable ones. But then I also found that Crayola makes dry-erase crayons (YAY!) so we use those instead of the markers most of the time. They also make dry-erase colored pencils, but those don't work as well as the crayons. We use it with these paint cups, these brushes and this paper.

6.  Dress-up Clothes and Accessories
Lifespan: Used from about 18+ months

I got a big storage bucket (from Target of course) and put it in a corner of the playroom, and hung a low hook unit just above it. The trunk and hooks hold masks (zebra, monkey), wands (star, ribbon), flags (pirate), wings (butterly, fairy), hats (cowboy, hard hats, pirate, knit winter, baseball), old clothes, shoes, necklaces, scarves and anything else I see while out and about, or even just cleaning out my closet, that I think she might enjoy. I mean, it even has old lanyards of my husband's from work that she loves wearing around. These do not have to be fancy things. There are a few things purchased from the Dollar Store or Target's Dollar aisle, but most things were found.  I've found she definitely prefers "real" items than "play" items - so she'll use my old purse every day, but won't touch the toy/toddler purse.  Real things are usually cheaper and more readily available, yay!  If you're rich and lazy (I'm jealous) you can always buy a pre-packed bin like this one.


7. Toddler Backpack
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

These are SO DAMN CUTE. We have the owl (and the matching lunch bag, which I also recommend) but I want more! The giraffe! The fox (plaid ears ARE YOU KIDDING ME)! They are the perfect size for her to carry all by herself and fit a few toys perfectly. We use them regularly, but I always stock them up with activities for our frequent trips car trips to visit Nana. She loves putting stuff in the backpack and "going to work" just like her dad does.

8. Balance Bike 
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

She's still trying to figure this out, and right now still prefers her Cozy Coupe, but she's starting to get it and is so proud of herself when she does. It's definitely a toy that takes practice and not something most kids will be able to take off on right away (even to just scoot their feet, they have to balance the bike).  It's going to be put away for winter soon, but I really think it'll be a big hit next spring and summer.

9. Tool Kit
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months 

She loves to build and fix things using "found" tools - i.e. using a pen as a screwdriver - so I was excited when she got this for her birthday. I put this one on her wishlist specifically because the drill actually "drills" and makes a fairly realistic drilling sound. Sure enough, she takes the drill around and fixes things all over the house, and "helped" our neighbor when he was building our deck. The drill is really nice and realistic - I wish they'd taken the same care with the hammer. But overall it's a great tool set!

10. Doctor Kit (check Target stores for this one if the link doesn't work)
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

The only reason this is marked 24+ months is because I didn't get it for her until she was after 2 years old, but she probably would have loved it before that. It is used DAILY, and I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that. She alternates being the doctor and the patient and is very exact on how the treatment must go. 

11. Beads and Pipe Cleaners/Colander
Lifespan: Used from about 18+ months

Get some large beads. Get some pipe cleaners. Get a large metal, round colander (yes, like for spaghetti). YOU'RE DONE. Lacing, making bracelets, sticking pipe cleaners in the colander and topping them with beads, building...what they can do with these three simple items is endless.  We also have these jumbo beads and laces (another alternate here) that we use with the pipe cleaners too.

12. Building Toys
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

We have a variety of building toys, including ZoLo (set one, set two), B. Toys Stackadoos, wooden blocks, and Sprig Blocks (note on the Sprig blocks: We have found that some don't stick together well as indicated in the reviews, but it hasn't been a HUGE issue). She equally loves all of them, but I'd say the classic wooden blocks are her absolute favorite if I had to choose just one.  However, she loves mixing and matching the sets and pulling pieces from the different sets in order to create new masterpieces.  (Note: The ZoLo toys were from Zulily; we probably paid that for both sets together, so it might be worth watching for them to come up there again - I wouldn't pay almost $30 per set. They are fun, but not THAT fun!)

13. Magnetic Dress-Up Toys
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

I got this on a whim from Zulily one day on a whim. I put it away to be used for a rainy day or forgotten holiday or prize for some amazing behavior, but she found it, pulled it out, and was completely hooked. I didn't think she'd pick up on the idea right away - I thought she was a bit too young - but it's quickly become one of her favorite toys. Bonus - the pieces all can be packed away in the bag it comes in. Can I just talk about how much I love self-contained toys? YES. Melissa and Doug, are you listening?!?! I love your toys, but too many of them have pieces that don't store together, or have wooden storage boxes without lids.  Not cool.

14. Waterbeads
Lifespan:  Used from about 18+ months

These MUST be used under CLOSE supervision, but they are a really fun sensory activity that she enjoys a lot. You do NOT want these to be swallowed, though, so please please please watch your child closely when playing with them, or stay away from them if your kid is known to put everything his mouth!  I fill up a glass dish with the beads and some water, we watch them grow throughout the day, then spend the next several days playing with them - sorting them, squishing them, bouncing them, etc. 

15. Owl "OK to Wake" Nightlight
Lifespan: Used from about 24+ months

This is like the "grown up" version of the ever-popular Soothing Seahorse. It has the same light and sound, but kids can press the tummy to hear either, "Go back to sleep!" or "It's time to wake up!"  If it's still in the bedtime hours (as determined by you) the tummy glows orange; if it's okay for them to wake up, the tummy glows green.  We got this during a bout of 5am wake-ups...whether it was the owl that helped her get back to 7am or just a coincidence I couldn't tell you, but she did start sleeping in later!

16. WeePod, Pourty Potty, Stool
Lifespan: Introduced at 18 months, used regularly at 26+ months

We started getting potty training supplies when she was around 18 months old.  We really like this potty seat (that goes on top of the big potty) - one piece, soft, comfy, cheap, easy to clean (no grooves or separate pieces), WIN.  We use the Pourty as a travel potty in the back of the car because it's tiny and also insanely easy to clean (all one piece again). We opted for the seat that goes on the big toilet as opposed to a stand-alone potty seat as the main option because we'd heard that some kids have a hard time transitioning from the small seat to the "adult" one, and so far that plan has totally worked.  For the stool, we went with a nice-looking wooden one that will be able to be used in many other situations and looks nice sitting out in the bathroom.  You can read more about the potty-training process and supplies here.

17. Hold-on Handle
Lifespan:  Used from about 18+ months

This has proven to be a great transitional piece between the stroller and full-time walking.  You hold one end, they hold the other, and off you go. This is just the "add on" piece, but you don't really need the full one if you have one of those "Mommy Hooks" (which I got for my shower but hadn't found a perfect use for until this) or another large carabiner you can throw on there. I've thrown it on shopping carts, too, and it works great there if they don't want to ride in the cart but have a tendency to run off. HOW it works, I don't know - clearly they can just let go and take off. But for some reason the allure of holding something usually overcomes the desire to run off.  Not always, but usually.

DUH, THANKS FOR NOTHING:

In the "No Shit, Sherlock" category are these things, which you PROBABLY have but just in case they slipped your mind for some reason - or if you're a grandparent or aunt/uncle looking for gift ideas, you can't go wrong with these (and you can never have too many of any of these because they go through them quickly!).

1. Sidewalk chalk
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

This could have actually been added to any number of our gear lists, since she's been enjoying it for probably a year now, and I'm sure it's a "no kidding" addition to the list for you. I think every parent has sidewalk chalk. But just in case it hasn't crossed your mind, we have it, we love it, it's a go-to activity on a warm day. 

2. Bubbles
Lifespan: Used from about 6+ months

Like the chalk, bubbles are a "no kidding" item and we've been using them and enjoying them for well over a year. For the last six or so months, though, she's been blowing them herself and still gets super giggly and excited whenever there are bubbles around. We get at least an hour out of them each time we bring them out. Not bad for a little soap and water, eh?  We stock up any time I see them for sale. Hint: Gymboree bubble solution is THE BOMB.  It's silicone based and the bubbles last way longer! You can leave the solution out for a couple hours and they'll float even better and last even longer.  We're also a big fan of the Fubbles no-spill containers. 

3. Playdough
Lifespan: Used from about 12+ months

I use the recipe from the blog pictured above - found here. While there's something to be said for that nostalgic smell of commercial play dough (and I don't think anything in it has ever been found to be toxic or reason for worry), I absolutely love home-made play dough. I love making it, I love the texture, I love the smell. I've made it three times now and it's so easy and lasts forever. You can also get fancy and use Kool-Aid or Jell-O in the recipe to give it a sweet smell (and some pretty pastel colors) as seen here.  

4. Puzzles
Lifespan: Used from about 9+ months 

Obviously, she's been using puzzles of different difficulties since she was about nine months old, so this isn't anything new. She's always enjoyed them, but has REALLY been enjoying the more complicated and difficult ones lately, and has been spending a lot of time pulling them out to play with.  Among others, she loves this magnetic one and this fish color one.  She also loves any alphabet or number puzzles.

WANT: 

There are a couple things I'm looking to get her, and if I do, I'll let you know what I think of them!

1. Prince Wheely Bug 

Yes, this is still on the list. So impractical, but I still want it. 

2. Kitchen Helper Stool

She absolutely loves helping me in the kitchen, and right now either sits on the counter next to me (which makes it difficult for her to actually help) or pulls up a chair (which isn't very steady). I'd love this to use in the kitchen.

ON THE FENCE: 

Got these items, but haven't used it enough yet to be able to give a recommendation.

***None at this time***

NOTE: Some links are Amazon referral links.

Baby Squish : 30 Weeks. And also Carrots.

Other than the gestational diabetes diagnosis, not much has been happening still.* Getting bigger, still feeling really good, had a totally freaky experience when I could basically feel her entire foot through my belly button. Things are juuuuuust starting to get a bit squished in there. I feel huge, but I know there is SO MUCH MORE HUGENESS to come, so I'm focusing on feeling small.

*So I totally jinxed myself by starting this post on Sunday morning, because then Sunday afternoon I had a bit of a bleeding scare.  Had to go into L&D for some monitoring, but all seems to be fine and just taking it easy. 

Helloooooooo belly button.

With ten weeks and just over two months left, we still have no name and no nursery. But I'm less freaked out about either of those things now then I was earlier. Whatever, right? I assume she'll eventually have a name and we have a good six months to get her a room assuming all goes well and she sleeps okay in the Rock 'n Play like her big sister did.

Soooo I cheated and loved this outfit with the yellow sweater, but it's really like 29 weeks 3 days.  I was going to just fudge it but for unknown reasons felt guilty so I took a real 30 week picture today.

Speaking of her big sister...what I AM freaking out about is losing my one-on-one time with her.  Like to the point I start to cry when thinking about it. I know it's not gone forever, and I know that a sister is an amazing, amazing gift (please let them love each other!), but our quiet mornings where just the two of us snuggle and watch Sesame Street will not be the same after Squish arrives.  Nor will I be able to drop everything and read a book to her, or take a last-minute trip to the park, or even think about just her. Everything from December 17th on will need to take two kids into consideration.

(photo courtesy Darbi G Photography - this is just a screenshot of her screen, so excuse the quality)

I'm petrified of looking back at these last two months and feeling like I wasted them. I want to take off work for the next two months and fill our days with nothing but laughter and finger paint and cuddles. I want to quit all social media and break our TV and live in a world of books and wonder.  I want to take her to the zoo and the children's museum and Disneyworld and the moon.  I want to have her permanently attached to my side in a mom-first daughter love cocoon for ten weeks where I can just live in the pure joy and bliss* that is Carys.  She's such a unique, smart, silly, amazing little kid and I don't want to miss any of her, and I'm worried that splitting my attention between two kids will mean that happens. I know that will happen. I know there will be times when I have to sacrifice Carys time for Squish, and Squish time for Carys. I know that having two kids means that neither one will get my full attention as much as Carys did her first two years. I worry that I'll miss getting to know Squish like I did Carys, with two years of solid one-on-one time to get to know and love every little thing about her.

Seriously. THIS KID. 

AHHHH MOM GUILT EXPLOSION.

I need a brownie and a glass of wine. TWO THINGS WHICH I CANNOT HAVE, DAMMIT.

*Pure joy and bliss not guaranteed. She is two, after all.

Baby Squish Has Stolen My Ice Cream

So apparently, Squish is trying to ruin my life. Well, not Squish so much, but her (my?) placenta.

Like with Carys, I failed my one-hour gestational diabetes test by just a few points. Having been down that road once before, I wasn't entirely surprised to have failed it. However, I expected it to go similarly as it did last time: pass the three hour, no problem.   I actually felt BETTER this time, so I was sure I'd pass. Last time I felt faint and gross; this time I felt totally fine. Also, last time, Carys was measuring large the entire pregnancy; this time, the baby has been pretty average (I think 56th at the last growth scan?).  I think overall I've been eating healthier, too. I don't follow the BEST diet, by far, but it's not completely terrible.

But this time I didn't pass the three-hour. I failed. I FAILED AT A TEST THAT ALLOWS ME TO EAT ICE CREAM.  I FAILED A TEST THAT TAKES AWAY ALL THE GOODNESS JUST BEFORE HALLOWEEN AND THANKSGIVING. I am not a happy camper. Come Halloween, you'll be able to find me hiding from snack-size Reese's and M&Ms and Snickers under the bed. When Thanksgiving rolls around, I'll be spending the day in Canada, away from all the pumpkin and apple pies and, sob, whipped cream.

Of all the times to discover you have gestational diabetes, just before the holidays has to be the worst.

I had a two-year-old yelling in my ear when the doctor's office called with the results, but the gist of it appears to be that my pre-drink (fasting) blood sugar was fine. After the drink, they test your blood again at the 1 hour, 2 hour, and 3 hour mark. The blood sugar levels were too high the first two draws, but back to fine for the last draw.  It sounded like they were just barely too high, but I didn't get the numbers (see: screaming toddler). It didn't matter, though, failing two of the three blood draws equals a big, fat FAIL.

Now I'm waiting for the diabetes center to call me so I can take a class...or something...again the toddler distracted me with her urgent desire to "talk to doctor on the phone!" (she was very upset I went to the doctor without her that morning, so the fact that I was now TALKING to the doctor without her was just a complete backstab) so I didn't catch it all. Google/friends tell me that I will have to follow a special diet and test my blood sugars multiple times a day.  SO FUCKING AWESOME.

Not.

I know this is by far pretty much the least complicated of the myriad of complications you can have in pregnancy (as I well, well know) and tons of people fail and have to do all this, but it still bloody sucks.