Easter Sunday makes 34 Weeks!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

What a huge milestone on one of the most special days of the year. I'm so thankful to have made it this far. Not much longer! (let's hope!)

Here are a few photos from this Friday when Luke came to visit. I'm so sad to be missing an Easter with my baby, but trying to stay positive & not dwell on it too much. Hopefully this will be the only one I ever miss with him.

33 Weeks!

After 10 long weeks of being here & meeting short term goals one by one, we've finally made it to my long term goal of 33 weeks! I'm a little unsure why I chose 33 weeks as the goal initially, but after reading over my journal entries the first week here, I realized it yesterday. What a blessing!

I read that it was going to get harder & harder to gain weight toward the end of a multiple pregnancy, however I guess this rule doesn't apply when you get absolutely no exercise & live for the next meal. I've gained 5 lbs a week for the past 3 weeks in a row! I'm happy about it though, because I know this means the girls are growing as well. I'm sure I'll have no trouble losing the weight after chasing 3 kiddos around very soon! I'll have another sonogram Tuesday to assess growth/weights! Everything has been good the past week, so as of now it's a waiting game. Dr Bradford will take me off Procardia next week & we will see if I start contracting. She won't induce unless the sonogram shows too little amniotic fluid, which would mean that the placenta can't provide enough blood/nutrients for the babies. This sometimes happens toward the end of a multiple pregnancy with one placenta. We shall see!

We are officially moved back into our old house as of this afternoon! Our precious friends gathered their life group to clean our house, paint the nursery & move us in this week. It was such a huge blessing to us during this difficult time, especially now that Cody can't lift anything! We will soon be home with our babies though & I'm so ready!

Here are some pictures of Luke's first Easter egg hunt here at the hospital this weekend. Gigi had the great idea & it was a great memory, even if Luke was a little confused in the process. He was too funny, walking right over the eggs paying more attention to the cars driving past & waving to the people passing by! He knows how to make us smile.

Harris Hospital Beauty Shop

My wonderful friends April, Lindsi & baby Jack Chandler came to spend the day with me here in the hospital. Not only did they come to have girl talk & lots of laughs, but they happily agreed to highlight my desperate hair! It has been over 4 months since I've had my hair done, plus taking prenatal vitamins had increased the speed of the growth. Boy did it need some attention!

We somehow lost the needle that pulls the hair through the cap halfway through the process, so they both finished the job with earring backs & bobby pins! Whey were troupers, very determined to get it done, trading off holding & rocking Jack Chandler throughout the afternoon. Here is April pulling hair through the cap. Notice the GIGANTIC belly (like you can miss it!)

Then, Lindsi blow dried my hair while laying in bed. Didn't know this was a possible feat, but she got it done!

 Here is an "after" picture. Too bad I didn't get a "before" picture, although it was not necessarily something I would be proud to post! After worrying my hair was going to turn out pink, yellow & green, it surprised us when it came out looking quite good! My nurse came in tonight & said I looked like a "California blond" now, but I'll take that as a compliment over the 4 inches of dark brown roots I had hours before! Thanks sweet friends for a fun day full of laughter. I sure did need it! Love you both so much!



32 Weeks & counting

I never thought I'd be posting belly pictures, but I have to say I've never been so proud to show it off! We've almost hit our initial LONG term goal of 33 weeks! And boy are these babies growing!

Well, as most of you know by now, Cody attempted to steal the show this week! It was quite the night to say the least..

Sunday evening I began feeling tinges of pain in my lower back, so the nurse put me on the monitor to check for contractions. Within the hour, I was feeling pressure & contractions in my lower abdomen & back, however they were about 4 minutes apart & somewhat inconsistent. I told Cody to keep his phone on when he went to bed, but didn't really feel like it was the real deal. An hour or so later, the contractions were 2 minutes apart & the nurse recommended that I call Cody & have him come. When I called him, he was on the phone with his boss already, however for different reasons. He was calling in because he thought he had a hernia & was in a lot of pain. He immediately headed to the hospital.

 

When he arrived to the hospital room, he was doubled over in pain, stating he was not going to be able to even walk to the OR if I had the babies. He needed to be seen by a doctor. I can't say I was the most empathetic at that moment, secretly wishing he would "suck it up" & stay for the birth no matter what.. We were also both very concerned because his insurance is a few days from being started with his new company. My tech came in & took him in a wheelchair to the ER, where they immediately triaged him & got him in for a CT scan. He called to let me know they were calling a surgeon to take out his appendix immediately. Guess I should've been a little more empathetic..

 

The doctor gave me some pain medication to hopefully relax me & slow the contractions to hopefully hold of labor until Cody was able to be there. It didn't work right away, but a few hours later they calmed down & became more irregular. The chief of surgery came in at 6 am to let me know that Cody's surgery went well & he would be recovering for the next few hours, but would go home that morning. Sure enough, he was wheeled back into my room about 8 am & slept on the couch in my room until his mom came to get him.

I have to say the next day was quite stressful & I was doubting for the first time in many weeks. Primarily about money & the frustration of being just days away from the insurance kicking in... (I can't lie, I'm also SO tired of being here flat on my back.) However, after talking with many here at the hospital & praying for peace about it, I truly do have a peace. Cody told me the following day that he was the happiest he's ever been in his life. This was puzzling to me, but I am so grateful to have a husband who is strong when I am weak. He repeated all of the positives that have put us where we are today. God has given us two babies that were not supposed to be here 9 weeks ago. HE has provided financially for us in these months when we didn't know how we'd survive. HE's given Cody a job where he feels secure & content. HE's taken care of our child when we didn't know who was going to care for him while I was here. Surely our God can provide for this. This is small stuff in the big picture. Pretty soon we will return home with three healthy children to a nice home with all of our needs provided for. I hate that my nature is to worry. Especially when God's provisions are SO evident.