Updates
Tonight's update:
Our church has adopted one family, a man, woman, their 19 yr old daughter who is starting at LSU and a 7 yr old (I think). We put them in an apartment and are trying to furnish it, they only have two beds right now. They do have plenty of clothes, I believe, because now there is definitely not a shortage of clothes in Baton Rouge. I think they also need help getting a car.
I finally got in contact with the pregnant woman who lost her home in St. Bernard Parish. She is due in December as well. She's staying in a hotel here in baton rouge with her husband, and said that there is still 6 feet of water in her home and pretty much everything is ruined. I know that St. Bernard was one of the most ignored and hardest hit areas, the cities in that parish are suburbs of New Orleans, but have their own close-knit communities as well, a lot more than most suburbs do. The parish president met w/a lot of the residents at the capitol building a few days ago to tell them not to expect to live there again until next Summer at the Earliest.
I think this woman is just in too much shock and like the other victims, cannot make decisions for herself. I so want to help her, hold her hand, but she is hesitant. For example, I was recommending my OB and other doctors for her since she was supposed to have an appt Sept 7 for a shot of rogam (something she and her baby desperately need NOT to miss) but she told me she's still trying to get a hold of her doctor and might look for one here soon. This lady needs someone to take her to the doctor to get that rogam, at least for her baby's sake, but she's still in denial I think. She also keeps mentioning moving maybe to Metairie, the northern part of New Orleans (which is also still uninhabitable mostly, at least no power, sewage or water) so her husband can keep his same job in New Orleans. I'm not sure what he does, but I doubt he'll be able to work there for a while now. I feel so bad b/c she had just bought everything for her nursery, she's having a girl, and it's all underwater and ruined now. And she's facing the prospect of having this baby in a hotel room where there isn't much room for a bassinet or anything else especially. I'm trying to get her help, but like I said, she's in denial and shock still.
The people staying with my sister, a family of 4 that sleeps there (thank goodness for the bed DH and I are storing in her guest room!) and up to 16 other relatives of theirs come by during the day to shower and do laundry and just hang out in something more normal than a shelter, might move soon to Texas. They can't decide which city, they have some family in Dallas but the dad doesn't like them too much and wants to go to Houston instead, so my sister might get a reprieve soon. She says that its hard sharing your home like that with so many people. She can hardly pay her electric bill this month much less whatever the next month might be. My mum-in-law sent me some money to put to the best use possible for these victims, and Pete and I decided perhaps give it to my sister for feeding and taking care of these people and to help pay the electricity when that bill comes. I also got her a Walmart gift card from my church to buy some more food for them, but it's only $25. Every little bit helps though.
I think I mentioned before about hearing some stories of FEMA not helping white people. Well in Walmart the other day a black man was yelling at the pharmacist that FEMA wasn't helping him, only the white people. So my guess is, they're just not helping everyone. This man kept saying he was diabetic and just needing whatever it was to be filled, and FEMA wouldn't help pay for it, and after standing in line for hours, the Red Cross gave him a 1-800 number to call, and he just needed the prescription filled (and paid for I guess). Right after the hurricane, these pharmacies were all saying they'd fill and refill any prescriptions of New Orleans people, well apparently they're not b/c that's one of many times I've witnessed someone from New Orleans angry that they wouldn't fill their prescription without them seeing a baton rouge doctor first. Seems unfair to me. They had their old prescription bottles, and obviously their doctor's offices were underwater or destroyed too.
I'm also seeing some local reports of more pets being rescued instead of shot for being strays, so there is some hope after all.
It is just getting scarier now because we don't know what to do with all of these people, and they don't either. I just can't imagine having to start a life over with nothing, and being in the same boat as thousands, even in a town 30 miles north of where you used to live.
Now the update on me and the baby:
I found out why he is measuring big, I have gestational diabetes. It completely sucks to be pregnant, finally craving and liking sweets again after having changed tastebuds not like sweets during the first two trimesters, and not be able to gorge on every craving anymore. Instead, I have to plan my meals, small and within a caloric range, and eat them on a schedule, every 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours. I also have to prick my fingers 4 times a day to check my blood sugars, and probably after my next Doctor's appt on Monday, will most likely have to inject insulin as well.
I am hoping this is just gestational and not that I was in the beginning stages of diabetes before pregnancy, because if it is just gestational it will go away as soon as I have the baby... and then I'm treating myself to a large strawberry sundae. That has been my latest craving, but I just can't really indulge in that right now. Sticking to this diet isn't something I should do just for myself, but it affects an innocent baby boy as well, so I can't even fathom cheating. I don't believe I have ever stuck to a diet this well in my entire life. It's so strange to do so, and exercise on a daily basis (I have to get an hour's worth of daily exercise in as well to help cope w/the diabetes), and be growing like a whale still.
Visa news - we have received confirmation that thanks to my Doctor's note, they are in fact expediting DH's visa, however they changed some of the rules on the forms I had sent in months ago, and we have to resend some information. Sigh. At least they're working on it. It may be time to send DH back to England soon, and I can't bear to be without him. It will be a very hard time. And perhaps to clarify to a few people who have asked - whether he goes to England now or in a months' time, the visa will come on its own time. Him being in England has nothing to do with the active process of the visa, it won't help any, he just needs to be there when they want him to be there for the interview. So sending him now to wait will just mean he'll be there longer, as opposed to sending him later so we won't be apart for as long of a time.
Oh, and I had a birthday. It was a bit uneventful, but I had a delicious shrimp dinner and a sliver of birthday cake, which did make my glucose levels teeter on uh-oh, but they've been pretty normal since. That reminds me, I'm also having cake after giving birth.
Our church has adopted one family, a man, woman, their 19 yr old daughter who is starting at LSU and a 7 yr old (I think). We put them in an apartment and are trying to furnish it, they only have two beds right now. They do have plenty of clothes, I believe, because now there is definitely not a shortage of clothes in Baton Rouge. I think they also need help getting a car.
I finally got in contact with the pregnant woman who lost her home in St. Bernard Parish. She is due in December as well. She's staying in a hotel here in baton rouge with her husband, and said that there is still 6 feet of water in her home and pretty much everything is ruined. I know that St. Bernard was one of the most ignored and hardest hit areas, the cities in that parish are suburbs of New Orleans, but have their own close-knit communities as well, a lot more than most suburbs do. The parish president met w/a lot of the residents at the capitol building a few days ago to tell them not to expect to live there again until next Summer at the Earliest.
I think this woman is just in too much shock and like the other victims, cannot make decisions for herself. I so want to help her, hold her hand, but she is hesitant. For example, I was recommending my OB and other doctors for her since she was supposed to have an appt Sept 7 for a shot of rogam (something she and her baby desperately need NOT to miss) but she told me she's still trying to get a hold of her doctor and might look for one here soon. This lady needs someone to take her to the doctor to get that rogam, at least for her baby's sake, but she's still in denial I think. She also keeps mentioning moving maybe to Metairie, the northern part of New Orleans (which is also still uninhabitable mostly, at least no power, sewage or water) so her husband can keep his same job in New Orleans. I'm not sure what he does, but I doubt he'll be able to work there for a while now. I feel so bad b/c she had just bought everything for her nursery, she's having a girl, and it's all underwater and ruined now. And she's facing the prospect of having this baby in a hotel room where there isn't much room for a bassinet or anything else especially. I'm trying to get her help, but like I said, she's in denial and shock still.
The people staying with my sister, a family of 4 that sleeps there (thank goodness for the bed DH and I are storing in her guest room!) and up to 16 other relatives of theirs come by during the day to shower and do laundry and just hang out in something more normal than a shelter, might move soon to Texas. They can't decide which city, they have some family in Dallas but the dad doesn't like them too much and wants to go to Houston instead, so my sister might get a reprieve soon. She says that its hard sharing your home like that with so many people. She can hardly pay her electric bill this month much less whatever the next month might be. My mum-in-law sent me some money to put to the best use possible for these victims, and Pete and I decided perhaps give it to my sister for feeding and taking care of these people and to help pay the electricity when that bill comes. I also got her a Walmart gift card from my church to buy some more food for them, but it's only $25. Every little bit helps though.
I think I mentioned before about hearing some stories of FEMA not helping white people. Well in Walmart the other day a black man was yelling at the pharmacist that FEMA wasn't helping him, only the white people. So my guess is, they're just not helping everyone. This man kept saying he was diabetic and just needing whatever it was to be filled, and FEMA wouldn't help pay for it, and after standing in line for hours, the Red Cross gave him a 1-800 number to call, and he just needed the prescription filled (and paid for I guess). Right after the hurricane, these pharmacies were all saying they'd fill and refill any prescriptions of New Orleans people, well apparently they're not b/c that's one of many times I've witnessed someone from New Orleans angry that they wouldn't fill their prescription without them seeing a baton rouge doctor first. Seems unfair to me. They had their old prescription bottles, and obviously their doctor's offices were underwater or destroyed too.
I'm also seeing some local reports of more pets being rescued instead of shot for being strays, so there is some hope after all.
It is just getting scarier now because we don't know what to do with all of these people, and they don't either. I just can't imagine having to start a life over with nothing, and being in the same boat as thousands, even in a town 30 miles north of where you used to live.
Now the update on me and the baby:
I found out why he is measuring big, I have gestational diabetes. It completely sucks to be pregnant, finally craving and liking sweets again after having changed tastebuds not like sweets during the first two trimesters, and not be able to gorge on every craving anymore. Instead, I have to plan my meals, small and within a caloric range, and eat them on a schedule, every 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours. I also have to prick my fingers 4 times a day to check my blood sugars, and probably after my next Doctor's appt on Monday, will most likely have to inject insulin as well.
I am hoping this is just gestational and not that I was in the beginning stages of diabetes before pregnancy, because if it is just gestational it will go away as soon as I have the baby... and then I'm treating myself to a large strawberry sundae. That has been my latest craving, but I just can't really indulge in that right now. Sticking to this diet isn't something I should do just for myself, but it affects an innocent baby boy as well, so I can't even fathom cheating. I don't believe I have ever stuck to a diet this well in my entire life. It's so strange to do so, and exercise on a daily basis (I have to get an hour's worth of daily exercise in as well to help cope w/the diabetes), and be growing like a whale still.
Visa news - we have received confirmation that thanks to my Doctor's note, they are in fact expediting DH's visa, however they changed some of the rules on the forms I had sent in months ago, and we have to resend some information. Sigh. At least they're working on it. It may be time to send DH back to England soon, and I can't bear to be without him. It will be a very hard time. And perhaps to clarify to a few people who have asked - whether he goes to England now or in a months' time, the visa will come on its own time. Him being in England has nothing to do with the active process of the visa, it won't help any, he just needs to be there when they want him to be there for the interview. So sending him now to wait will just mean he'll be there longer, as opposed to sending him later so we won't be apart for as long of a time.
Oh, and I had a birthday. It was a bit uneventful, but I had a delicious shrimp dinner and a sliver of birthday cake, which did make my glucose levels teeter on uh-oh, but they've been pretty normal since. That reminds me, I'm also having cake after giving birth.
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