4 generations

I think this "4 generations" picture was taken in November, so Emma was less than 1 month old.

My dad and I inherited Granddaddy's nose - pointed, with large nostrils. Time will tell if the poor baby got that gene. It's a distinctive nose, and it makes people think my dad is the spit & image of his father, and that, in turn, I am of him. They don't see the rest of our face. We both actually have Grandma's face shape and cheekbones.

Diabetes is something else that runs in the family, from Grandma's side. I had gestational diabetes, which meant that Emma's pancreas worked better than my own, so in utero she processed all my sugars for me! Which made her noticeably chubby and the doctors worried about her being too large for me to deliver. She came two weeks before the due date (i.e., 38 weeks) and weighed 9 lbs. I was afraid they'd induce labor, but sweetie obliged and started the process on her own. The other thing the diabetes did to her was cause her blood sugar to drop dangerously after the umbilical was cut (she was used to the high level of sugar in my blood), but the hospital was prepared for that and gave her a bottle of formula immediately. If I hadn't had to have a c-section I could have nursed her instead, but all this happened while I was in lala land in the recovery room. I would have preferred her not have formula for her first meal, but you can't prepare for or fight all the battles with "the system". She's had some formula since and lots of babies I know drink it. It's not that bad. It's just less than perfect. Breast milk is perfect.

I suffered on the diabetes diet for the last 3 months of my pregnancy (basically a low-carb diet), but it was a good thing in the end. It made me lose all my extra fat so that I was "all baby" in my last month, and after the birth I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight within a few weeks. That was a nice surprise. I had my blood sugar tested at my 6 week checkup and the diabetes was gone. Now I'm gaining weight back! But I know how to lose it when I start caring enough to do so.