Happy Halloween!

Nothing new to post - we have reached 29 weeks, so that's good news! I finished an entire scarf, more good news. It kind of stinks not being able to get up to see the cute trick-or-treaters, but Todd is doing a good job passing out candy. He says he'll be taking the boys out t-or-t-ing next year, and I'll stay home and pass out candy! Fine with me! :) As long as they find a house passing out Sugar Daddies...I can never find those anymore and that is my favorite tooth-breaking Halloween candy. I have to stop eating our candy, though, or I might fail the glucose test on Thursday.
Boo!

Monet in the house

Went to the doctor today for our 28 week ultrasound. The boys are 2 lbs 13 oz and 2 lbs 8 oz and both head-down. They looked good and that was that! After our 30 week ultrasound, we will be going back weekly for ultrasounds. That makes me feel like it's getting close! Nothing is ready! And I, of course, can't get up to get things ready...so it's even harder to get things together.
Todd had a work baby shower yesterday and the people in his office were incredibly generous. We got our high chairs, double stroller, exersaucer, and a bunch of clothes and gift cards. One of the cutest gifts was a set of onesies that say "Stop Copying Me". Cute!
I started painting "portraits" of the dogs today to hang in the baby room. They are sort of cartoon-ish looking, but hopefully they will end up looking close enough to their living counterparts, who are snoozing on the chair right now. After I finish the dogs, I will try to make something personalized for the boys - I just don't want to yet, just in case we change our minds about their names. But I think we are pretty set. Exciting!!!
Check out a blog of a preemie baby, born at 23 weeks gestation. I check it often to see his amazing progress. www.tinytruman.blogspot.com It's an inspirational story.
Happy Friday all around!

Is this all you can give me?

I went to the doctor today to give a urine sample and something happened that has never happened but have dreaded in the past. I dropped the pee. Yep. Dropped the open pee container. Pee went everywhere - on the wall, all over the floor, on my purse, on my shoes, and even as high as the baby changing table the folds down. I had to madly grab towels and wipe up pee and try to wash it off the walls. There was a bit of pee left in the container, so I gave it to the nurse and she saidm "Is this all you can give me?" and I said "um...well, I spilled some of it." So embarassing! She even made me stay longer to see if I could go again after drinking some water. But i couldn't!
I had gone in because I thought I might have had at UTI, but I am feeling better now. We'll see if the lab can figure it out with the miniscule amount of pee I gave them. Ha!

ow my achin' hips!

Howdy!
Had a good weekend, but am always kind of bummed on Mondays when I am left by myself again. :( We were lazy bums this weekend, and it was great! We actually put away all the stuff from the baby shower. I know we'll have to go through it all again, but it's kind of hard to do when you have to lie on the floor to go through it! So, we'll probably wait until I'm given the green light to get up! Hopefully that will be at 35 weeks. That's only 7 weeks and 1 day away! I CAN DO IT!!!
My hips and legs have been bothering me a lot, I think just from lying down so much. I am trying to stretch my legs a lot, but I am worried that once I am allowed to walk around a little more, I will just collapse because my legs can't handle it!
It's COLD in my house today, so I am trying to snuggle up with the dogs and stay cozy. I checked our registry list for fun and someone bought our stroller! Wow! I'm so excited!!! It is starting to feel real...but I don't think it will really sink in until I am home with the boys. And then the real fun begins!!
Peace!

At least 2 weeks!

Went to the doctor yesterday because I was having menstrual-like cramps...so the doctor gave me a fetal fibronectin test. This is a swab test they do to see if there is a certain something in your body that is a sign of impending labor. So...mine came back negative, which is great news! It means at least for 2 weeks, I won't have the babies! :) I feel a lot better. He did tell me to start taking Metamucil regularly...which is hard because I have memories of the nasty drink. Todd got me the pills, but it says to take 5 at a time! What? I took 5 yesterday, and I'm about to take 2 today. We'll see if it causes a "blowout" - if you know what I mean! Ha ha!
I am going to start to teach myself to knit today. My great friend, E, gave me some yarn and a beginners book for my shower, so I am going to attempt it!!
I never wrote about the baby shower, did I? It was a really nice time. My step-mom had psycho-decorated and the house looked great, as usual. There was a TON of food, and I spent the whole time on the couch! I felt really bad that I had to lie down the whole time, but it actually worked out pretty well. It was really overwhelming because we opened presents so fast and got SO much stuff. We got a lot of clothes, and it was a great idea to do a theme of ages - each guest got a different age group and bought things for that age. So, we got quite a bit of 24 month outfits, which is great. Anyway, we have yet to go through the stuff, and we may start separating this weekend...we'll see!
I am so comfy today is my new robe, given to me by my good friend, Allie. It is great. I am looking forward to lasagna for lunch! Yum!
Later!

Got my orange drink!

Had an appointment today with my ob/gyn. It was good, and we finally feel like we got some good answers to a lot of questions. We met a new doctor in the practice that I had heard some great things about, and he came through with some good statements. He told us about a new study that shows magnesium sulfate does nothing for preterm labor, but that since there isn't much research on PTL that most doctors take the "safe route" and do the magnesium and other drugs just to make sure. He told us that real labor wouldn't go away even with mag, so that we know that we were never "in labor". He also reaffirmed that bed rest is the best thing when pregnant with multiples - that it usually doesn't work for singletons, but with multiples it has so much added benefit because you aren't using your own calories, but the babies are! Then THEY get much fatter and that's great news. He said I would probably be able to stop taking the procardia after 35 weeks (aahhhh!) and that he'd like to deliver at 38 weeks. That would make the due date January 2nd! I was hoping for 2 pre-Christmas babies, but of course would rather have them as big as they can get! The longer they stay in me, the shorter they stay in the NICU. So, we may have to wait until next year to get the tax write-off, but I guess that's ok if we get 2 healthy boys! :)
Classical music and nap time. The dogs are already asleep - Jamison on the back of the couch and Calvin in the big chair.
Happy Monday!

Did they switch?

We had a measurement ultrasound today and everything looked fine. The baby on the right weighs 2 lbs even and the baby on the left weighs 2 lbs, 2 oz. They aren't sure if leftie is still Baby B or not...they can't tell if they switched places or if B just wedged himself down lower. Both are head down now, and moving around a lot. When the doctor came in, I told him I hoped he wasn't sending us back to the hospital! He said "well, it seems to be the trend today!" But in the end, he said things looked fine. Good news! I asked him about the pain I was getting on my right side, and he said that since it seems to go away when I switch sides that it's probably just round ligament pain. It sure did hurt a lot this afternoon, so I hope that he's right! And I hope things continue to look good.
I recently read a post about doing "kick counts" that said you should count your babies kicks and they should give 10 kicks every 2 hours. That makes me nervous, too, because my boys will be quiet for hours on end! I guess everyone is different. I'm not sure if it means the baby should kick 10 times during an active 2 hours, but if that's the case, we're cool. I assume it doesn't mean every 2 hours?!
I started sewing a t-shirt quilt yesterday. Who KNOWS how it's going to turn out, but it will be my first venture into hand sewing and hand quilting. I got a book from the library to help me, but their "easy template" is freakin' hard. So, I just cut a bunch of t-shirts into the same size and we'll just see how it goes. So far, I've got about 14 pieces sewn together and I think it's going OK. Once I have to join the rows, though, that might be a problem!
My Mom is coming to town tomorrow night for a shower that is being held at my step-mom's house on Sunday. Should be interesting, that's for sure. I am excited about the shower, but worried about any drama that might occur. I just want everyone to be cool and not bother me about their issues! It will be weird to have a lot of baby stuff around after the shower. It will start to seem more REAL! Yikes! :)
OK - time for dinner. My friends at school have been more than generous at giving us dinner twice a week. I can't believe how nice they have been. Todd hasn't had to cook in a while, which I know he is thankful for. Tonight we are eating chicken leftovers from last night.
Glad the weekend is here - that means it's one more day closer to 27 weeks. Off to eat and incubate!

Holberg Suite, Op. 49

By Eddie Grieg is playing in the background right now. I try to give the boys a dose of classical music from 2-4 each day. However, I may switch to showtunes pretty soon. Switch it up a bit.
Feeling OK today, kind of down, but maybe just bored. I haven't done anything today and I need a shower. I think I might stink.
It looks like it's a pretty day outside - I think the temp is supposed to drop big time tonight and be kind of chilly tomorrow. Of course, since it's the only day I can leave to go to the doctor! I have an ultrasound tomorrow to check on the boys' fluid levels. Hopefully they are still doing well.
We MAY have decided on names...but are keeping them to ourselves. Too many people like to offer their opinions on names and ruin them! So, we aren't telling 'til they come out!
Off to take my next medicine dose - 3:30, 9:30, 3:30, 9:30...a neverending cycle.

Celebrate the small things!

We've made it to 26 weeks! Another milestone.
Todd is going to pick up a book about hand quilting for me from the library today. Maybe it won't be too hard and I'll be able to have something to show for my days in bed. I can sew some blankies for the boys. They may come apart at the seams once we start using them, but I'll do my best.
Yesterday I read "How I Paid For College - a Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater". It was funny and good. I spent all afternoon reading it and then couldn't put it down. It's by Marc Acito and my dad gave it to me. It's always kind of awkward when your parents give you books about sex (gay sex, nonetheless) and then say "How was the book?" I'm always like, "ummmm I liked the storyline." My Dad and I share an interest in John Irving, and his latest book was ALL about weird sex and we were reading it at the same time and just stopped talking about it other than to say, "it's kind of weird." It's like when a sex scene comes on tv when you are in high school and you convieniently have to go to the bathroom right away so you don't have to watch it with your parents.
Anyway, hopefully I'll be a professional quilter in no time. And if not, maybe I can just read a zillion books.
Happy Hump Day!

Happy Birthday to Me...

Today I am 27! Late twenties! It's a little depressing to be stuck in bed for your birthday, but at least it's pretty-looking outside! I ate about 20 mini powdered donuts for breakfast.
We had a great weekend - spent yesterday watching football with friends. Todd made some great chili and we had buffalo chicken dip and some bbq chicken. My friend Kristen also brought me a cake. It was kind of funny because we had a brand new baby, a 35-week pregnant lady, and 25-week pregnant lady. It was like 3 different stages all together. It was a lot of fun to just chill out and visit with friends.
Today I have nothing much planned other than watching TV and taking naps. My Dad may come visit (and maybe bring me some books!) and Todd is getting Olive Garden takeout for dinner. Yum!
I don't know how my legs get sore from laying around and doing nothing, but they are today! I need to find some bed rest leg exercises to keep my muscles from atrophying.
Cheers!

No dancing allowed!

Had my doctor's appointment today and there hasn't been any shortening since last week, so that's good news! The doctor said I could even attend my first baby shower next Sunday, but just "no dancing and partying"! I told him not to worry, after my magnesium weekend, I plan on barely moving my body until these boys get here!
Todd and I celebrated with Starbucks on the way home, and now I'm watching "Ellen". Marcia Cross is on and she's pregnant with twins (although is SO tiny!) so I wanted to see what she says. Ellen got her an awesome double stroller that let's the twins face each other - too cool!
Time for my next procardia-induced nap. Happy Friday, everyone!

Up days and Down days...

I think today is a down day. I just feel nervous and worried today that something is going on "down there" and I don't know it. I feel crampy and gassy. Just waiting for my doctor's appointment tomorrow is nerveracking! I am dreading more time spent in the hospital, dreading the possibility of another magnesium weekend, and dreading the thought of these boys coming early. I just don't know what anything is supposed to feel like and every little feeling I get makes me wonder if something is wrong. At least the medicine makes me sleep a lot so I have little nap breaks where I stop worrying.
A friend is bringing lunch over in a few minutes, so I do need to drag myself out of bed and freshen up - a little hard with no shower privilages. But, I'll do my best!!
I wonder what Oprah is about this afternoon...

Heartburn Central

Man oh man! I should learn my lesson about eating and then lying down, but it's taking me a while. Hopefully after this episode of heartburn I will learn! Blech!
Jamison and Calvin (the dogs) are here on the bed with me now - Calvin is dreaming about something and his big feet are running in the air. Jamison is staring at me and willing me to get up and get him a treat. I should spend some time figuring out how to post a picture of them. Calvie is about to get his hair cut on Saturday - he hates it, but he feels much better after it's over. He looks like an orphan now with his raggedy hair. But cute.
Have gotten some good emails and phone calls from people offering to bring over dinner and movies. That's so nice and helpful and I am so grateful to have such a great support system. I know they'll help out in 10 weeks if I am still bed rested!
Nap time.

Tuesday is a new week...

Another day in paradise!
We are trying to celebrate small milestones...today's milestone is hitting 25 weeks pregnant. Plus, my shortness of breath is almost totally gone now. I think it must have been from the magnesium I had at the hospital. At any rate, I am trying to have some positive moments during this tough time!
It bugs me when people say, "Oh, I'd love to be on bed rest for a few weeks!" Really? You'd like to only be allowed to get up and go pee, shower every other day, and not even be able to go downstairs and make a sandwich? It's no fun, folks. Plus, when you are just lying around, you feel every little thing your body does and you wonder if you are in labor, having gas pains, feeling babies move, etc. It's nerveracking and scary.
I just read another blogspot that I thought was great. I don't know how to post links yet. But she was saying how crazy it is to be pregnant and on bed rest because you want to plan for a good outcome but you also want to not get your hopes up TOO much just in case something does go wrong. That hits the nail on the head for me.
My dogs are getting antsy today - I don't know why, usually napping by my side is OK with them.
My leggings that I have to wear to prevent blood clots are hurting, too. I am excited to take my shower today and give myself a little break from the tights! That will be nice.
'Bout time to take my next pill. At least I don't have to set the alarm for this one. Last night at 3:30 AM I awoke to "Carnival" by Natalie Merchant when it was time to take my pill. Now I will be singing it all day.

First Day Home!

Welcome to my first ever blog! Now that I have the time to write, I will try to document my adventures in best resting!

My husband and I are pregnant with identical boy twins. We are very excited! Unfortunately, this pregnancy (my first) has taken many twists and turns and now I am on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy. My specialist says he hopes for at least 10 weeks until the boys come out. That will make it early December if they can wait until then. My "official" due date is Jan 16th. I definitely don't think we'll make it until then!

As this is my first pregnancy, it is full of anxiety and questions. Will I be able to keep them inside for long enough? Will they survive if they come early? What is this medicine doing to them? Do I really have to only take showers every other day?

I have been put on procardia, a medicine usually used for high blood pressure. It is commonly prescribed for preterm labor, and so far my side effects are shortness of breath and some anxiety. I think the shortness of breath comes from being on the magnesium during my hospital stay, too, so I am giving that a few days to work itself out. I keep telling myself that if I weren't OK to be home, they wouldn't have sent me. So, that helps. I think the hardest part is reminding myself that I am PREGNANT and not sick! You just feel helpless not being able to get up and do anything, so that makes you feel sick. But really, your only job is to be an incubator now! I have to motivate myself to feel like that.

Will write more later. Time for another nap and maybe some cookies.