Insulin

Okay... here's my drama from last week... My blood sugars were unusually high first thing in the morning almost every day last week. I couldn't make sense of it since I was still being really cautious about my meals so I called the Diabetes Center. They returned my call while I was with my class and informed me that I would have to be put on insulin. I guess my blood sugars through the night are being affected by my hormones, something that a meal plan can't really help with. In fact, as I near my due date, my hormones are probably going to require larger doses of insulin. Anyway, I broke down in tears at the news because I absolutely hate needles! Needles on top of everything that I already have to do! They insisted that I come into the center either that day (Thursday), or Friday. Waiting until the following week was not an option. So... after sharing the news with my principal, completely unable to do so without crying, he suggested that I take Friday off. Reluctantly, I did. My appointment the next morning was an hour long and the nurse taught me how to inject myself with insulin. I must've held the syringe for 10 minutes, unable to even look at it. It took a lot of coaching for me to finally do it. It feels like when I prick my finger- not painful, but I am definitely very aware that something is being put in my skin. I know it's completely psychological- I really have to work at building myself up to do it... When I went to pick up my supplies at Rite Aid, I was given something completely different due to my health insurance. That means that I spent an hour learning how to do something that I won't even be doing. I had to leave to head to Stockton, so it wasn't like I could go back to the center to learn how to use this new insulin pen. After the Josh Groban concert, my mother in law and sister in law both helped me in our hotel room. Jennifer read each direction (there are a lot of steps!) while my mother in law helped to make sure the insulin was completely injected. All of this has been incredibly overwhelming. I can't even begin to tell you how emotional I have been. I now have to inject insulin once a day, right before I go to bed so that the insulin can help lower the blood sugars by morning time. It has not gotten easier each night- it is definitely the worst past of my day!
One of the nurses mentioned that since my pregnancy is considered "high risk," my doctor will probably not allow for the pregnancy to be full term (40 weeks). Gestational diabetes causes babies to put on too much weight and because of that, usually are born at 38 weeks. That moves up our due date by two weeks!!! I'll find out for sure on Tuesday. My doctor has mentioned on several occasions how he'd like to have me induced. I think it's very likely that I'm going to be put on disability leave next week. Yesterday, I was given some news about my job that ended up leaving me feel so stressed out that I had 6 contractions last night, the longest one lasting 10 minutes long. For a short while, Jason and I wondered if I had gone into labor! Thankfully not, but that just reminds me how close we are to meeting our new baby! I'll share about my job news next post since this one's already too long.

Girls' Weekend

For my birthday present earlier this year, Jason got me tickets to see Josh Groban. I didn't get to see him when he was in Fresno a few months ago, but he had a concert date in Stockton (so random, I know) just this past Friday, so I got to go! In fact, I went with Jason's mom and sister, Jennifer. We made it a girls' weekend, probably my last hurrah for a while. We left Fresno on Friday afternoon and were able to have a nice dinner in Stockton before the concert. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my own to share- cameras weren't allowed. I will say though, that it was GREAT! His music really calms me and it was such a treat to hear him live. I also really enjoyed the fact that he was so personable and interactive. He has a great sense of humor, and talked as if he were talking to just a few people, not an entire arena. At one point during the concert, he even walked through the arena- he was right in front of us (3 rows) and it took a second before we realized that it was him. Thank you, Jason, for such a special night!
We spent the next day in Sacramento's IKEA. I'm actually serious when I say "the next day-" we were in IKEA for about 6 hours. And I ended up leaving with the most stuff! I love that store...
After a really emotional and overwhelming Thursday and Friday morning, I am grateful to have been able to enjoy a great weekend! (I'll try to blog about the other stuff later this week).

Life with Gestational Diabetes

Well, I'm 31 weeks along. Depending on who you talk to, I'm either going to "pop" any day now because I look so big, or that I look "just right." It's been a real adjustment, dealing with gestational diabetes and changing the way I eat. I now eat 3 meals and 3 snacks everyday, and I test my blood sugar by pricking my fingers 4 times a day. I have a pretty defined meal plan that states how many servings of different kinds of food I can eat at each meal/snack. Out of convenience, I pretty much eat peanut butter several times a day. It's been hard remembering to test my blood sugar when I'm at school- sometimes I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that I forget. A positive thing though, is that having this has forced me to leave school at an appropriate time to make sure that I have dinner at the right time. It's been hard to eat out so we really have to be intentional about what we eat. I LOVE fruit and now I can only eat it in really limited amounts. That's been disappointing... And, I haven't been able to have any slurpees or bubble teas for weeks now!!! AAGGH! I've never been crazy about desserts, but not being allowed to have any has made me really want to have it! When this is all over, I'm going to celebrate by going dessert-crazy. I'm thinking a dessert potluck or something. Who's with me!?

I have to carry these with me all the time- my nutrition journal, my blood monitoring journal, and my blood monitor kit (has the monitor, lancets (the things that prick my finger), and test strips).

When I was pregnant with Grace, I went out on disability leave from work at 33 weeks. I started having contractions and the doctor believed it was stress related (due to work). Well, this past week, I started getting cramps (it was the same with Grace). I don't want to call them contractions yet because the pain is still manageable, but if it's the same as with Grace, the pain is going to start to intensify. It makes me feel overwhelmed to think about having to already plan for a long term substitute for my brand new class! I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to teach as long as possible. Please keep praying for me and this little one.

Back to School

Well, we're back to school! The summer passed so quickly, but overall, it was great- we got to spend time as a family, spend time with extended family, travel, relax, work on the house, and do school work... I am very excited about the start of a new school year at a new school! After 7 years of being at Herndon-Barstow School, this year, I decided to move out of my comfort zone to Harvest School, Central Unified's newest school. What an experience it has been, opening up a new school. I am getting to know my new co-workers and I really respect my principal. Everything's really new at this point, but I feel good about this upcoming year. That's with all the craziness of this past week! We weren't allowed to start moving in and setting up classrooms until last week. Our school's construction was supposed to be done many weeks ago, but the date kept being pushed back later and later for a whole bunch of reasons. Let's just say that crews were and are still working on projects around the school. There are a lot of things that we're still waiting to have completed, but our classrooms were ready to go for the first day! For a normal person, it's hard enough to move all of their belongings, and get a classroom ready- being pregnant really slowed me down! I am so grateful for Jason and my grade level partner, David. They helped me a great deal.

Here are some pictures of the "before"

Here's a glimpse of the "after"- obviously it's still a work in progress! Notice that I don't have a whiteboard yet- apparently, it's still stuck in Texas somewhere, delayed because of Texas' recent floodings? Also notice- I have a T.V. and a DVD player! That's a first for me! The front of our school- plants still need to be planted
This actually doesn't feel out of place right now!
Anyway, to everyone who is heading back to school- have a great year!

Pregnancy Update

It totally dawned on me today that I have yet to share some of our baby's ultrasound pictures from 10 weeks ago. (In case you didn't know, there's a pregnancy countdown at the bottom of this blog- I'm 29 weeks along!) Some people have made predictions about whether it's a boy or girl based on these ultrasound pictures, but the one with the actual label of "boy/girl" is still in a sealed envelope. Surprisingly, we haven't been tempted to look at it. What do you think?!

On another note, I had my glucose tolerance test done last week and got the results today. It turns out that I have gestational diabetes... Does anyone know anything about that? I'm feeling really scared because I don't know what that involves, what to expect because I have that, and how that affects the baby. I also can't think of anyone that I know of who's had that during their pregnancy (or has shared about it). I have to go into St. Agnes' Diabetes Center on Friday to learn how to monitor my blood sugar level, change my diet, etc. I knew there had to be a reason why I have been unusually tired and hungry this pregnancy. Anyway, please continue to keep me and the baby in your prayers!

Trying to Stay Cool!

It has been plenty hot since we've been back from all of our travels. The weather here in Fresno has been over 100 degrees (think 40 degrees Celcius, Canadians!) for quite some time. Today was the first day it has dipped below 100 degrees. I've been really hot and uncomfortable. Anyway, I'm looking forward to these upcoming few days because it's supposed to feel cooler. Cooler still meaning hot, but at least it's not above 100! Here are a few pictures of Gracie in our pool this past week. She's actually excited to go in the pool nowadays which we are thrilled about. Jason's been taking her every day as a way to cool off and keep her interested in being in the water. You'll have to read previous posts from our time in Edmonton if you don't know about how terrified of the water she was just weeks ago.

In Memory of our Dad

Last Wednesday, after unpacking, doing the laundry, and repacking, we headed up to Lassen National Forest to spend a few days camping with Jason's family. It was a special time for us because the whole purpose was to explore as a family the area that Jason's dad used to go fishing and camping frequently before his accident thirty years ago. We got to see why he loved that area so much. It was beautiful- untouched and not touristy at all. We left Fresno on Wednesday morning and after 6 hours and a bumpy ride (we ended up on a dirt/gravel road for part of the trip), we arrived at the campsite in plenty of time to still go on a hike. Jennifer and her family drove up to the area earlier in the week to secure a campsite. Seeing that I'm 28 weeks pregnant, I am so grateful they brought their tent trailer! We camped at Big Pine campground and right beside our site ran Hat Creek.We hiked alongside the creek to various fishing holes. The next day, we drove to McArthur-Burney Falls State Park and spent pretty much the whole day on the beach at Lake Britton. While the kids played in the water and sand, I sat and read a book in the shade. Everyone else also took turns going out in the kayak that Jennifer and Mason had brought along with them. Later that afternoon, we went to see the actual falls. Amazing! We spent a good part of Friday trying to find good fishing spots. After lunch, we visited the Crystal Lake Fish Hatchery . Grace loved feeding the fish what she called, "fish cookies." It was very interesting to see and learn about how many lakes and rivers are stocked. Afterwards, we found a serene area further along Hat Creek to sit and remember Jason's dad and his amazing, inspiring life. We each took turns reading letters that we had written to him and scattered his ashes. The sound of gently running water was so calming and peaceful... It was an emotional time...

The next morning, we visited Subway Cave and spent time at some other fishing spots before packing up and heading home. Gracie did so well- she pretty much entertained herself for the whole trip home.

As our summer quickly comes to an end, we are able to look back and be grateful for the many memories that were made with our families. One of the things that we were reminded of this past week is how important it is to live each day to the fullest and to not take anything for granted... Please continue to pray for Jason's family...

Happy Anniversary... to us!

It's amazing how fast time has flown by... Today is our 8th anniversary!

We're grateful for the many people in our lives who have continued to support us through the many years. Thank you for blessing us with your friendship, encouragement, and prayers.

Til Next Year, Edmonton!

Gracie saying good bye to Ong
My 7th and last bubble tea... I definitely plan to take some Fresnans to try these out!

Well, we're back in Fresno... It's hot and muggy outside, but thank goodness we have a/c! Yesterday, we went to church in the morning and then to my mom's cafe for lunch. While Grace napped, we packed up our stuff. We came back with a lot more than what we went with! Since saying goodbye is so hard for me, I asked my parents and friends not to see us off. Only my sister came with us to the airport. We had no idea what a long day it would turn out to be. I really thought that customs would give us a hard time since I was traveling without a passport. It turned out that this was the easiest time we've ever had returning back to the States (I used my green card)! The flight from Edmonton to Seattle was fine- we are so grateful that we have a portable DVD player. Gracie watched Dora the Explorer and was very content. However, the flight from Seattle to Fresno kept getting delayed. We were scheduled to leave at 8:30pm, arriving in Fresno at 10:30pm. After the many announcements that the flight was delayed, we were finally told that our plane had mechanical problems and it couldn't be fixed in time to take us back to Fresno. The airline decided to fly us to Portland instead so that we could switch to a plane that would take us back to Fresno. By this time, it was 10:30pm. We got to Portland, switched planes, and arrived in Fresno at 1:15am. Grace was extremely hyper and could not get settled. During all of our time waiting and on our flights, she slept maybe a total of a half hour. She was definitely not herself, and it's not surprising- her usual bedtime is before 8:00pm! Anyway, despite the time and all the delays, our friend Jill still came to get us. We didn't get home until after 2:00am, and it wasn't until about 3:00am that we finally went to bed. Phew! What a day! Today, we slept in and have been taking it easy. Late in the afternoon, I went to get some things at Costco and FoodMaxx, which leads me to my next thought... Is it just me, or in this last month have businesses started being more "green?" At both stores today, I noticed displays for reusable shopping bags. I had to laugh to myself because seeing those displays reminds me of an incident that happened when I first moved to Fresno 8 years ago. It was my first trip to Vons and when it came time for the bagger to bag my groceries, I produced my own bags. The cashier and bagger made me feel so uncomfortable with their stares. One of them commented, "We do provide bags, you know." I was so embarrassed that I have never done that again in Fresno, even to places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. In Edmonton, I had gotten in the habit of bringing my own bags to places. One of the grocery stores I shopped at most often (called "The Real Canadian Superstore") charges money for grocery bags. The first question they ask you is, "How many bags would you like?" and they ring it up- it is the first thing on your receipt. The purpose is to encourage people to bring their own bags or buy reusable bags. They even have plastic bins that fit inside the shopping cart so when you're done, all you do is put the bins in your car. Our friends, the Macks are one family in particular that comes to mind with all this "thinking/living green" stuff. I've decided to now go back to bringing my own bags when I go shopping. Maybe the Macks could somehow work that into a future "Green Idea of the Week!"

Last Full Day in Edmonton

We've been here almost an entire month! It has gone by really quickly. Waking up this morning, we knew there were things that absolutely had to be done today since it would be our last full day in Edmonton. There were two main things: I really wanted to go for Dim Sum (since the last time I had it was a year ago), and Jason really wanted to play volleyball (aside from coaching at his school, we don't really know people who play volleyball for fun in Fresno). We joined my sister, Sarah, Binh (my closest and oldest- not by age- friend) and her husband, Neil for Dim Sum. Click on the link if you'd like to know more about what dim sum is. Only certain Chinese restaurants serve dim sum. Basically, all of the servers walk around with carts filled with a variety of Chinese dishes. Some of them are in small bamboo steamers, while others are on plates. When they come to your table, you have the choice of whether or not to take the dish. If you do take the dish, it is placed in the middle of the table, and since the whole meal is served family-style, everyone can eat what they want. I know tons of people who are reluctant to try dim sum because sometimes, the dishes can be quite "interesting." For example, one of the things that we (this excludes Jason) really enjoy is chicken feet. I know, most people are pretty grossed out by the thought- It's actually quite tasty!

That's me holding chicken feet! You can't really tell in this picture,

but Gracie had chicken feet, too!

After Dim Sum, we went to see my mom at her work so she could spend a little time with Grace. She works at the
Muttart Conservatory, which is a tourist attraction here in Edmonton. It consists of four glass pyramids, each with a different climate for growing plants. There is a temperate pyramid, arid pyramid, tropical pyramid, and a show pyramid (for seasonal displays). My mom runs the Valley Cafe. She serves coffee, beverages, desserts, sandwiches, etc.

In the evening, we were able to go to James and Ann Siebert's home for dinner. They're still getting settled into their new home, but as always, were so welcoming. It's hard to believe that it'll be another year before we see them again. I wonder what the girls will be like in a year! The day ended off with us joining some of our friends at Hawrelak Park. We weren't able to be there for their barbecue, but there was no way that Jason would miss out on playing volleyball! The sun doesn't set until pretty late over here, so even though we didn't show up until 8pm, there was still plenty of sunlight left in the day. Grace and I couldn't stay very long, but Jason stayed for another two hours.

Every year, I am grateful that we're able to spend so much time up here. This year in particular, we've been able to reconnect with so many friends. It deeply saddens me that I'll be leaving here tomorrow. It's hard to describe to people why I get so emotional about leaving. After all, it's not really saying good bye since I know I'll be back next year. It's incredibly difficult for me to have to leave behind such a big part of who I am, leave behind my family, my community, and a place I love so very much (snow and all). It's like a whole other side of me that I have to let go of until I come back to uncover again next year. I am content in Fresno- I know I am blessed and I am definitely settled, but there will always be a part of me that yearns to be here. Tomorrow is going to be a really hard day. Please remember us in your prayers!

Mmm mmm Good!

Until I left Edmonton, I grew up in Edmonton's Vietnamese Alliance Church. My pastor, who I call Muc Su, is still pastoring the Vietnamese ministries there (there are English ministries for English-speakers). Anyway, we were treated to a special lunch today at his house. He made a traditional Vietnamese meal called
Banh Xeo, also known as Vietnamese Pancakes, or Saigon Crepes. It has been at least eight years since I've had them. I'm including a link of the closest recipe I could find to what Muc Su made. It was delicious! Here are some pictures of Muc Su showing us how to make Banh Xeo.

The end result!

In the evening, we met up with some friends at A Taste of Edmonton. Basically, Sir Winston Churchill Square is packed with over 35 restaurants, each one with different menu items. Tickets are used to purchase the items. Let's see... Some of the things we tried: Creole Jambalaya, Calamari, Pad Thai, Wasabi Beef on a Bun, Lobster & Shrimp Rotini, Sweet Potato Fries, Ginger Beef, Pork Dumplings, Alberta Beef Mini Burgers, Green Papaya Salad, and Lemongrass Beef Skewer. The desserts were to die for! Crepes with Icecream and Chocolate, Mocha Pie, Green Tea Icecream, Chocolate Mango Raspberry Cake, Belgian Chocolate Pear, and Tiramisu. Hopefully, you can see why this festival is one we look forward to every year!

Capital Ex

We had a really busy day yesterday! Early in the morning, we hurried to get downtown in time to find a great spot to catch Edmonton's Capital Ex Parade. The Capital Ex is Edmonton's yearly fair, and the parade kicks off the whole thing. While Jason and Gracie saved our spot, I went off to find the nearest Tim Hortons. In case you didn't know, Tim Hortons is kind of like America's Krispy Kreme, except that it's also known for its coffee and lunches. You know how we always joke that there's a Starbucks on every corner? Well, the same could be said about Tim Hortons up here. The closest one that I went to yesterday morning had about 30 people in line. Yes, I was crazy enough to stand and wait my turn! The parade was ok- it was much better than last year, but there were so many long gaps between some of the floats that people started leaving because they thought it was over. On the whole, Gracie enjoyed seeing all of the horses and seeing the marching bands. By the end, she was really tired and ready for her nap.
Later in the evening, we went with my mom to Capital Ex. Gracie went on a few rides by herself, and Jason joined her on the ones where she was still too small. Before leaving, we were able to go into the Global Connections exhibit hall to view some of the cultural displays, including a Russian dance. We were also able to catch a part of the Peking Acrobats show. Yikes, it creeped me out to see what those people were able to do with their bodies! Seeing these two shows made Jason and I bummed out that this year, we're missing out on our favorite festival! Edmonton has what's called the Heritage Festival every August. Over 60 cultures participate- they each have their own pavilion with food samples, cultural shows, crafts/clothes/artwork and displays about their country. I always leave with a great appreciation for the diversity that exists here. It's a great way to learn more about other people's heritages. Anyway, we're off to Taste of Edmonton later tonight, so I'll share more about that festival when I get a chance.