Good Report....

Well, I just had to figure out how to insert some fun images on my posts since Kyle really out-did me on the Thanksgiving one.
Last night I was feeling really uneasy about everything, so I prayed for God to take my worries and anxiety about all of this and replace it with peace in knowing that God is faithful and His will is PERFECT!! Today has been my BEST day here!! We had our usual ultra-sound and Parker's blood flow showed as high instead of absent end (which is still abnormal, but an improvement!). It also helped that we had a really nice ultra-sound tech who was very positive!! Also, there have been some issues with 2 of my uterine arteries being abnormal. But, today one of them had somehow made enough improvement to read as normal, so that was good!! Mom brought us lunch from The Picnic today, so that always puts a smile on my face!! Then, we got to get out of our jail cell and go on a tour of the NICU. It was unbelievable to see all these teeny tiny babies and to know that they were okay!! We saw one that was born 2 days ago that weighed 1 lb. 13 oz. He was unbelievalbe...breathing on his own and doing just fine!! I could have held him in the palm of one of my hands~what a miracle!! Also, the nurses working in there were sooooo nice and encouraging!! They made me feel so good about our situation!! Then, after that we went down to the lobby for a change of scenery. Our neighbor across the hall came down with her husband and we talked to them for a while. She has been here for 6 weeks and is due the exact same day as I am. Her water broke at 19.5 weeks and they gave her baby a 5-10% chance of making it. She is now 30 weeks and everything looks good!! I cannot even imagine what kind of emotional roller coaster she has been through, but boy is she calm and patient!! I think God introduced us today to help me put things into perspective!! So, now I have a friend on my hall. And, she somehow got set up with the penthouse suite. Her room is like 4 times the size of ours!! She said she started out in a room like ours, but since she was going to be here for so long, they upgraded her. So, I think I may go hang out with her next week when everyone else is working...if I'm allowed to anyways!! Then, Karen and Margaret Anne came to see us tonight and brought us Carraba's and banana pudding, which was a huge treat from the yummy hospital food!! So, Dr. Blake gets back in the office on Monday and we are looking forward to hearing her take on progress!! Keep praying for these babies to keep cooking!!

Daddy's View

I thought I would make a post since Julie has been doing all the "blogging". I will try to keep my post shorter and lighter.

I think the Ultrasound techs hate me. If you know me very well you know that I will watch over their sholder and tell them if I see something they didn't mention. I have gotten pretty good at it since we have had more ultrasounds than I can remember. It actually has been a real priveledge to have all the ultrasounds. I don't know what we will do if we ever have another baby and only get a couple of ultrasounds.

I have gotten in good with the nurses however, tonight I took my left over birthday cup cakes to the nurses station and they thought I hung the moon. I guess that is why drug reps always take bagels or doughnuts with them on calls!!

Now, Julie gave you all the scary stuff in her post, I will give the glass is half full version. Today our doctor said that she thought we were over analysising everything and that she felt really good about the babies. She even asked the nurses not to disturb us tonight so that Julie can get some rest. Both Mitchell and Parker have been moving a lot and their heart rates are strong and steady for the most part. I truly believe that my little ones are growing and will do just fine.

God has been so good to us throughout this process and He will continue to be faithful. I have felt more gratefulness this Thanksgiving than I think maybe I ever have. Believe it or not I am lying here in a hospital room on two chairs pushed together, wondering about the well being of my first two children, feeling extremely grateful to God for his faithfulness and peace. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that I could have this attitude. Praise God!

Praise Him, for he is good!!

And now for the gratuitous Thanksgiving Turkey shot!

Update on progress...

Well, this just seems to be an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions! Yesterday's ultra-sound went really good! Parker had made improvements with his blood flow with regards to the umbilical cord. I did start having contractions last night every 2-3 minutes, so they gave me this horrible shot of something that made my heart race and feel jumpy inside for a couple of hours!! But, it did stop the contractions, which is good!! So, last night we went to bed feeling pretty upbeat (of coarse that was after my total emotional breakdown to Kyle of this just being so up and down and feeling like we are constantly on pens and needles-but as usual, Kyle has a way of calming me down and putting things into perspective!! And for that, I am truly thankful!!) I did sleep better last night and I made a conscious effort to drink lots of fluids to help avoid any more contractions and especially that crazy shot!! But, this morning they did the monitoring again, and I was contracting regularly. Luckily, drinking lots of fluids stopped them until Dr. Blake made her rounds and I could talk to her about that shot. She said she could give me precardia (an oral medication) instead that wouldn't have those creepy side effects, so i took that. Then, my ultra-sound today was discouraging as the blood flow was abnormal again!! I am so frustrated!! I feel like my body is totally out of control and there isn't a thing I can do about it!! After the ultra-sound, they did the heart and contraction monitors. And, of coarse I was contracting yet again!! So, they ended up doubling my dose of precardia. I really am having a hard time trusting that these doctors and nurses are giving me the right medications and not over-medicating me. (not that I think they are incompetent, it's just that I have a real trust issue...kind of like the flying thing for those of you who know how well I like to fly.) Anyways...today has not been one of my better days-and I also feel bad b/c it is Kyle's birthday and I haven't been able to do anything for him!! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention another high light to my day was when they weighed me and I am at a grand total of 36 pounds~boy the saga never ends, huh? Well, tomorrow is thanksgiving and hopefully that can take my mind off all this craziness!! Please pray for the health of Parker and Mitchell and the sanity of their mother...and their father!! We are trying to be patient and trust God's will and timing, but as you can tell from this blog, Kyle is way better at this than me!!

Hospital Bedrest....

Well, yesterday was my 29 week doctor's appointment. As I said in last week's blog, I was looking for some way to negotiate with Dr. Blake to get out of the house a little bit. Well, I guess we should be careful what we wish for because God has a way of making us appreciate those annoyances of life. When I went in for my ultra-sound, my cervix actually had made improvements, which is great!! So, in my head I was thinking, perfect~bedrest is over!! Well, then they went on and found that little Parker's abdomen was not progressing at the same rate as Mitchell's. Also, when they did the cord dopplers they found that Parker had abnormal blood flow. Of coarse, my heart dropped!! I was scared to death!! The doctor came in and told us all of that and that he thought that this could be TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome) This can happen when twins share one placenta (which they do) and one twin gets more of the nutrients and blood supply than the other. It can be VERY dangerous!! Luckily, I am already at 29 weeks, so if they have to take them, most likely they will be fine!! Anyways...now I am at Centenial Hospital being monitored 24/7. This morning my doctor came in to tell me that I would have a c-section and that I could have them as soon as tomorrow, so she went over what to expect and the warnings to having c-sections (which I really could have stood not to hear-but, oh well!!). Anyways, she doesn't anticipate them coming that soon, but she just wants me to be prepared!! Our first goal is to make it to 30 weeks, which is next Monday. Then we are hoping to make it to 32 weeks. So, for now I am here just hanging out in the hospital for at least the next week and possibly the rest of the pregnancy!! Mom has taught me to knit, so that has helped me occupy my time and I have had several visitors who have brought me little surprises (which is always fun!!) So, I guess I will have plenty of time to keep this blog up to date~hee hee!!