Monday I had an appointment with the OB, where they tested my glucose tolerance.  The test consists of drinking a bunch of orange-flavored sweet drink and a blood test an hour later.  Not only did I have to get up earlier than my restless, late nights allow, but I also had to fast in the morning.  By the time I got to the doctor's office, at my appointed time of 8:45, I was ravenous.  I was eager to get something into my stomach.  I was quite irritated when I was told by the receptionist that my appointment wasn't until 9:15 and that I'd get my drink, "as soon as the nurse came in."  So why did they require me to get in so early??  Luckily they actually had a magazine from this millennium that was slightly interesteing.  When the nurse appeared, I was simply told to go down to the lab, where I had my pre-test blood drawn and I got my bottle of Orange Crush-like glucose solution. 

The phlebotomist that drew my blood for the pre-test was amazing.  Not only friendly, but she was one of the best sticks I've had.  In contrast, the woman who took my blood an hour later was terrible.  Although she got my vein in one stick, it was a very forceful stick, and by the afternoon I had a horrid 2 cm square bruise where she had assaulted me and a darkened vein all the way down my arm. [Almost a week later, as I write this, it's still painful and ugly.] I should have taken her attitude as a clue of what to expect.  Quite rude and obviously rather still be taking on the phone as she was when I came in.  It amazes me that they can have two such different standards of employees in the same lab.

In the hour that I had to wait between blood tests, I had a regular OB exam.  Dr. Cook was not there, so Brandi, the PA, took care of me.  The baby's heartrate was good, 140 bpm, although the nurse was surprised at how low he was in the uterus.  Not abnormally so, just really down in there and hard to find.  When Brandi ultrasounded me, we saw he was hammocked across the floor of the uterus, with his head on my lower left side, his back slung down across my deep lower belly and his legs stretched out and up along my right side.  This is where I thought he was, because of the wide lump on my lower left side and the kicking I get in my liver.

Thomas was quite good for the most part, only squirming a little after the doppler.  Of course, this is one of the few times during the day he is quiet.  Brandi said that this would most likely be the last good pictures I get, since the baby just gets too big in the future for the screen.  In the picture above, Thomas is lying on his back, with his head turned toward the "camera".  You can clearly see his left eye, and his nose and mouth, and big forehead.  Also visible is a hand, in a fist at his chest.

When I was leaving the office, the woman at the front desk showed some concern over what insurance I was planning on using in the next year (it's currently the annual benefits signup period for UT).  Apparently, Memorial Hermann has decided to ditch Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which is the big provider for UT-Houston.  This is really poopy on their part, since the hospital is very closely affiliated with UT-H;  they will be loosing the majority of their own employees.  It's also poopy because they have such a great NICU and children's hospital there.  So instead I will probably deliver at Park Plaza, which is not affiliated with any medical school (thus won't have the cutting edge experts avaliable) and does not have the intensive support if anything goes wrong.  And if there are any complications, I'll probably have to be transferred to Hermann, anyway, which will delay any care Thomas or I will need.  I'm sure Park Plaza is a perfectly nice hospital, but I had my heart set on Hermann. 

My next appointment, coincidently scheduled for my birthday, will be my last 4 week one.  After that we go to every two weeks, then, for the last month or so, every week.  It's hard to believe we're only 3 months away from having an external baby.

On another note, our upstaris neighbor had her baby on Wednesday.  They had a little girl, and I'm sure she's a beauty.  I'm looking forward to getting a chance to peek at her.  Either she is a very quiet baby, or the walls in the apartment are good and sturdy, since we haven't heard a single peep!