Week 21 Update

Amy and Aiden came in last week to stay with me. It was soo much fun to have a distraction with Little Aiden's being there. Poor Amy had two babies now to care for, but she did a wonderful job.

Stephen came in for my doctor's appointment, which I thought would be routine. However, my cervix had shortened, and the doctor wanted to know more about what was going on; so we came to the hospital for monitoring, fully expecting to go back to the condo in the evening. During our monitoring session, we discovered that I was having frequent contractions, and, unfortunately, the doctors were unable to stop them with routine medicine. They admitted me to the hospital, and used a drug called Magnesium Sulfate to try to stop the contractions. The MagSulfate has helped tremendously, but they have not been able to stop the contractions altogether. They are now trying to determine the best combination of drugs to keep things quiet. Most of the doctors that we have talked to seem to feel that I will be in the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy. We'll know for sure on Monday when Dr. Elliott gets back to town.

My Mom came in to town on Sunday to start her "shift." (I'm actually transcribing for Ellen, right now - GAH) Instead of being settled in a cute condo in Scottsdale, she has couch duty at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix.

BABY UPDATE
All babies are healthy and growing the way they should. They each weigh approximately 1 pound. They now think we have 3 girls and 2 boys; so I have come to the conclusion that we will have to wait until they're born to know for sure.

Bikers for Babies

There is a group of people getting together this weekend to ride their bikes (that means motorcycles, not pink Huffy's, yall!) from Houston to East Texas to help Stephen and me get the millions of things we're going to need for the babies.

We are so grateful to all the many people who have collaborated to make this happen!! I can't even begin to explain how overwhelmed we are by the love and support of our friends...and even the kindness of strangers. It touches my heart that so many people would help us when we really need it.

We thank God for each and every one of you who have made such an impact on our lives at this time -- no matter how big or small. I only wish I could be there to hug each of you in person. I look forward to seeing pictures of the ride and I'll be posting them in an upcoming blog for everyone to see.

Pounds, Pumps & PJs

Week 20 started off with Misty's arrival (BFF since Junior High). She came armed with a huge stack of recipes and a cookbook, determined to get me to my 75-100 lb weight-gain goal in one week! Even though my stomach has shrunk again to half the size it used to be, there was a plate of food beside me every 2 hrs. I think we are up to grocery run #4. I must say I had some fun FATTENING stuff to eat (homemade doughnut, mini-burgers, pumpkin oatmeal, cheesy taco bake, etc.) She even went out and got Olive Garden and Taco Bell...YUM.

Along with Misty's arrival came the contractions. They stayed below the minimum threshold of 6 per hour, so I avoided a trip to the hospital, but it was close. Even though my contractions settled down towards the end of the week by themselves, Dr. Elliott wanted to be proactive and put me on the Terbutaline pump. The pump delivers a small, steady dose of this medicine which prevents me from contracting. A nurse came on Friday to show me how to use it. After 2 hours of education with the sweet nurse, I was left traumatized after stabbing my own leg with a needle and medicine in my veins that made me feel like I drank 50 cups of Starbucks. (Marg, now I know how you feel!) They say my body will adjust to the new meds in a few days and I'll feel normal again.

The highlight of my week (besides Misty's visit) was the arrival of my new Old Navy PJs. I hadn't realized until last week how big I was getting and how uncomfortable and obscenely small my PJs were getting. The excitement of receiving a package in the mail combined with new comfy PJs brought instant happiness to the bed-bound baby incubator.

*** Please be patient with me in returning phone calls as I haven't felt well this week. Know that I love you!!!

Week 20

Misty & Elle

Survived First Week & First Scare

We met with Dr. Elliott on Thursday and just LOVED him! It really reassured us that we made the right decision by coming to Phoenix and under his care.

Thursday evening I started to feel a little "off" but was reluctant to call the doctors after hours because I couldn't pin-point exactly what was wrong. When I still felt the same on Friday, I started getting worried and decided to go in to the doctor rather than worry all weekend. I'm glad I decided to go in. They found out I was having frequent contractions and were able to stop them with a shot of Terbutaline ("Terb"). The scary thing was I didn't even feel the contractions.

Fortunately, Dr. Elliott pulled strings and got me a HUAM (home contraction monitor) which allows me to check for contractions a minimum of 2 times a day. This way I don't have to worry about "feeling" the contractions. It's a huge relief because I send the information to an offsite medical center and a nurse calls me back to explain the readings and tell me if I'm having contractions. If I have more than 6 in an hour, then I have to treat the contractions with another Terb shot, continual pump of Terb, etc. But so far, no more major contractions.

Stephen and I were pretty rattled because we weren't expecting things to start happening this quickly. Another reason we are soooo glad to be here.

Stephen took the best care of me this week, running me back and forth to the doctor, grocery shopping, even unpacking my clothes. I couldn't have asked for a better husband!

Our New Home

Some pics of where I am living for the next 3 months...

Where I am most of the day

Where Stephen Makes My Meals

Stephen's Work Area

Nap & Sleep Spot

6 Hour Doctor Appointment???

Have you ever heard of such a thing?? I had not until today... The Ultrasound with technician, ultrasound with doctor, consultation with nurse practitioner, physical and waiting in between. Here are the highlights:
- Doctor Elliott was out of town, so we will meet with him on Thursday.
- All babies looked healthy. They checked brains, hearts, stomachs, kidneys, spines, arms, legs, every part you can think of... (it took FOREVER!) They are all between 9 and 11 oz.
- I am healthy... everything is doing what it's supposed to.

NOW for the BIGGEST NEWS --- 3 BOYS and 2 GIRLS.