Fall is awesome here.

This last month I've just been working a lot and doing what I can to stay healthy and rested. It's rare when I get a day off that I can spend with my boyfriend; we're going to be looking for a place these next few weeks and I'm really excited. We aren't set on a particular area, but my top 3 neighborhoods I'll be looking in are Ballard, The Central District, and U-district/Wallingford. They each have their pros and cons...
Ballard I'm not that familiar with but seems like a rad place that is located in between our jobs. The disadvantage about Ballard is that if traffic sucks, there's only really one way in/out and that will be awful say, if I go into labor and need to commute with a quickness in rush hour. However I like the idea of exploring a cool neighborhood that I'm not very familiar with and can afford a decent place in.
The Central District is super cheap, and it's really close to all kinds of things downtown/capitol hill and Gerrad's job. It's close to a few of my friends too and the hospital. It's a area where I've lived before, but it might be kind of a pain to take a bus to work (that's something I plan on doing).
U-district/Wallingford is affordable and would be almost exactly in between our jobs so it'd be convenient for both of us. I'm pretty familiar with the area but I don't know of a single place that I'd love to go to regularly besides the tattoo shop and maybe a few coffeeshops. It's a good option nonetheless.

I'm feeling the baby move more now which is an unusual feeling to say the least. It's kind of amazing to feel something move inside of you with the realization that it's another living being. Usually it's really cool but I feel the most movement when I lay down to sleep at night which can be distracting considering my bedtime is usually about 8PM on nights I have to work. Ugh waking up at 4 is not fun... 

A few photos to share what I've been up to this month, kind of a creepier vibe to go along with Halloween and the Fall weather.

This month the weather has gotten a bit more chilly; we found some awesome wilderness-print flannel sheets to keep us warm.

I went to Jimi Hendrix's grave site; it's located in my town. I took the photos of the rose and the statue while I was there.

The leaves are changing color and it's great to have a real Fall for the first time in a few years. Fall is my favorite season but in San Diego it's not like the palm trees changed color.

I've been making more jewelry as time allows, this is a new one that turned out pretty sweet but I'm in the process of designing a really rad owl necklace that will be huge and detailed. A skeletal version is on the way too. I'm pretty excited...

We went to Ivar's the other day and were feeding the seagulls outside. This particular one ate most of the bread.

My pumpkin I carved a week ago.

I made a treasury of little boy themed items on Etsy that I love... 

Happy Halloween too guys, I'm not going to dress up this year (boo) because I'll be working and I'm not fitting into the clothing/costumes that I could have otherwise. 

Big changes

So apparently the thing about blogging is that most people attempt to update and post blogs on a regular basis. It has been a long time since I've posted anything, so here's a lengthy update for those interested:

... I moved finally. It's been something that I've been wanting for a long time but recently I've been presented with different opportunities and challenges that finally caused me to do so. In June I found out I was pregnant. And by was, I mean, still am.

Given my dissatisfaction in San Diego, I started seeking a job in Seattle and was lucky enough to find one that sounded likely if I were to leave in late July. So I packed up a suitcase and flew to a final interview and a month of work prior to my official move. In late August I went back to pack up my stuff and move North with my boyfriend and pets. So I've been back about 2 months, and my boyfriend has been here a month now. 

We both found good jobs with decent pay and benefits and are looking forward to having a healthy baby boy in late January.

Pregnancy can be very challenging for a diabetic. My A1C in my first trimester was a 6.0, a new low for me. Lower is generally better in terms of your A1C, however I'm running into hypoglycemic unawareness, something that is very scary and has caused a number of issues over the past few months. My A1C last month was a 5.1, and is currently at a 5.4. Again, awesome. Again, scary.

(I was driving to work one day on the freeway when my blood sugar went crazy low. When this happens, I lose all common sense and reasoning, and basically act like a drunk person. I hit the sides of my mom's car against the concrete barriers on either side of the freeway before veering off the closest exit, driving 3 miles off the freeway into some ritzy neighborhood where I tried to regulate my sugars while parked on an empty street. People who were driving on the freeway thought I was a drunk driver, and sure enough within a few minutes there were about 10 cop cars. After figuring out I was a diabetic, they were super awesome about helping me recover. Needless to say it was still quite awful, and since then my driving has been very limited due to my family being super concerned about my safety.)

I've been meeting with various doctors/specialists in order to improve things, but it hasn't been easy and I don't know that it's getting any easier either.

My eyesight is a whole other issue. My cataract has gotten worse and is causing me to be blind in one eye. I can only see light. My good eye has a hemorrhage and I'm really struggling to be positive and hopeful that it's not as bad as it sounds. Only time and more doctors appointments will tell. I'm extremely scared about going completely blind though, and sooner rather than later.

However, I'm happy to say that everything looks extremely normal in terms of my pregnancy. I had a heart echo taken the other day for the baby. Heart problems are the #1 birth defect passed on to infants from diabetic mothers, and my baby looks completely normal.

It's super hard to figure out what to name a child. If it were a girl, we'd name her Quinn. But it's not... So the search continues. We think we've found a name we can live with but we still have a few more months to get it figured out.

I've been doing events here and there, mainly at the Comet Tavern in Capitol Hill. They have a show just about every other Sunday where vendors take over the tables and sell stuff. Something I think I will continue when I get Sunday's off.

Well, I suppose that's it for my update. Many things are different and many things are better I'm happy to say. Wish me luck going forward... 

 

Here are a few photos to sum up my month... 

-This month, my diabetes has really become a challenge in many ways. 

-I went to Whidbey Island and collected some shells which I'm still deciding what to do with. 

-Moving back we spent a lot of time in the moving truck and very little out and about, but I was able to get a few photos along the way. 

I included one from inside the truck and one of a dragonfly found on the bumper. 

-The only food craving I've had so far has been peaches, fortunately because they are healthy. 

-My cats and I have been reunited finally, yay! 

-I scored some cool books at garage sales, the ones in the photograph are on the ocean, kids crafts, kids bedtime stories from around the world, and gypsies. 

-With my boyfriend back he's been making me breakfast every morning. Yum!

-And you can start to see that I'm pregnant now. 

 

My next update will be sooner. :)