Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

The Dietrich family has been put through the ringer this past week. Alaina's been battling high jaundice levels, and her newborn infant screen came back highly irregular, flagging for a disease called Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. After trips to 4 different emergency rooms and many, many needles, we have initial results that came back promising that she could be perfectly healthy, but I wanted to let everyone know. Do yourselves a favor and don't Google it yet, until we have an official diagnosis, since her case is very treatable with oral steroids. She exhibits none of the physical signs of CAH, and all of the doctors agree that that's very reassuring.

Thanks again, Mom, for helping so much with Connor and around the house. We wouldn't have survived this week without you!

My children don't have the best table manners.

Wanna come visit me?!
Note the milk dribbling out of her mouth!
Showcasing those long fingers once again! Alaina's bilirubin test results came back tonight rather high, so she's spending the evening under the phototherapy lights.

Alaina Mary Dietrich is here!

She weighed in at 6 pounds and 14 ounces. There is a good chance that we will be discharged as a family tomorrow (Friday).
I wanted to stay in there!
This picture makes me sad, but her fingers are too long and beautiful not to show them off already.

It was a cold and rainy Memorial Day weekend here, so we had our imaginary pool party indoors!

Good thing this blog is invited-readers only. The Cheesecake Police are already hunting me down!

I can happily (and officially) say that I am now on my maternity leave! One of the FEW things that are nice about a server's maternity leave is that, since we don't get paid, we can take as long as we want off! My original plan was to work all the way up to 37 weeks, but business has been really picking up (would have been nice a couple of months ago), and I'm not as quick on my feet as I once was. As I like to say, "Nobody likes a sweaty server!".

And now, for a little Cheesecake-related TREACHERY...

The other day, I became privy to some top-secret information. Servers are not allowed in the dessert cooler, and the trucks come in the middle of the night and dispose of the boxes very discreetly. I like to call the trucks the Cheesecake Fairies. Anyway, there were two stray boxes laying around, and my nosy butt had to look at the nutritional information. If the thought of desserts containing hundreds upon hundreds of calories and more fat than two Big-Macs makes you barf, please do not read on.

Pistachio Cream Cheesecake

Calories: 930

My pregnant brain cannot remember the exact amount of fat grams in each of these, but I can tell you it was over 60, but under 120.

And now...for the big finish...(and confirmed WORST dessert for you at The Cheesecake Factory)

Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake

Calories: 1860. Yes, you read that right. EIGHTTEEN-HUNDRED AND SIXTY CALORIES!

This makes me feel a little bit better about the entire bag of Red Vines I just ate!

FYI: This picture is actually not the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake, but it's the Blackout Cake. Quite comparable, but a few less calories. I feel I must issue a disclaimer: Despite this information, the Blackout Cake is NOT a low-calorie food. :)

34 weeks!

These next two weeks are my LEAST favorite part of pregnancy! They are such a no-man's land! I am "pretty much" (knock on wood) out of the woods for prematurity-related infant death, but too far away from my due date to want the baby to come yet! I'm big, awkward, uncomfortable, and tired, but I don't get to experience the excitement of the baby-watch-mode that 37 weeks brings! Has my belly caught up to Marinda's?

Connor's birthday, part 2

*cookie monster voice* Om nom nom nom!
Sugar high?