31 Week Update!

Wow...we are less than a week from the medical goal for delivery and less than 3 weeks from the ultimate goal. Doctors won't stop labor if it happens at 34 weeks.If they are born at this time, they shouldn't be in the hospital longer than a week! I can't believe how close we are getting to meeting our little peanuts. We've waited so long for them. I had another negative preterm labor test, which has me covered for the next 2 weeks. My cervix is getting shorter, but the doctors aren't concerned because it's bound to happen since we are getting close and because of the negative preterm labor test. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

30 Week Update Continued...

We had our appointment yesterday with our perionatologist, Dr. Azarat. It was the first appointment where finally we left feeling excited and not anxious! My cervix measured at 2.5, which we totally didn't expect. We thought it would for sure be less than 2. Baby boy is measuring at 3 pounds 10 ounces (a little porker!) and baby girl is measuring at 3 pounds 1 ounce. They are both right on track for growth and their hearts and brains look fantastic! I will only have 1 maybe 2 more cervical length measurments and then they don't care any more! We are getting so close to being off bed rest and in the total clear. Dr. Azarat told me yesterday that I am "a great incubator!" It's so nice to even see the doctors more relaxed. If I had to bet, I'd say we are going to have mid April babies. I was right about baby a being a boy and baby b being a girl, so we'll see!

30 Week Update

Wow! I can't believe we have made it to 30 weeks with minimal complications. Here's a little run down of what's going on. As delivery time gets closer, our doctor's appointments get much more technical. My cervix length has remained strong in the 2.2-2.5 range for the past several weeks now. If it got as short as 1.5 I was going to be hospitalized. I had a test done last week, called "fetal fibronectin," which tests for preterm labor. If the test comes out negative, you have a 0% chance of going into labor within the next 2 weeks. If it comes out positive, you have a 16%chance of going into labor within the next 2 weeks and have to get a steroid shot for the babies' lungs and brains. I was super nervous because if it came back positive, my bed rest would have gotten even stricter. I couldn't imagine having to be more down than I already have been for the last 6 weeks! Thank God it came back negative, so my modified bed rest is still in effect, but nothing stricter was put into place and I now have peace of mind for a little while. I am also negative for Step B, 0 centimeters dialated, and at -3, which are all really good things!

I will have one more fetal fibronectin test next week. I don't think we'll need the steroid shot since they only give it up to 32 weeks. The test I had last week pretty much has me covered through 32 weeks. In regards to my cervix, we are now worried about anything less than 1, rather than 2, which is great. I will be completely off of bed rest at 34 weeks as they don't stop labor with twins at that point. He said I can start dancing again at 36 weeks (yeah right!). We also discussed vaginal birth versus c-section. I have been preparing myself for a c-section, but my doctor said that if both babies' heads are down (which they have been for the last few weeks) we are going to do a vaginal birth. It will be a game time decision, though. I just told him that I definitely don't want 2 recoveries.

My doctor told me today that he is really pleased with everything. I am amazed that my little 5'2 body is doing as well as it is. We have an anatomy ultrasound on Wednesday, which is fun because we get to see how big the babies are! Thanks for all of your prayers...keep them coming!

Thank You Parents!

With our doctor's permission we decided to take our parents out to dinner to thank them for everything they have been doing for us and for what we know they will be doing for us. We surprised them with a much fancier dinner than they expected and took them to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It was delicious! I was super nervous especially since I literally had not been out in civilization for so long, but it felt really good to get dressed up and be out. The food was absolutely delicious. We all had such a wonderful time celebrating!

29 Weeks!

Oh, boy and girl...I am getting big! I think I grow a little more each day. We are getting closer and closer to our goal of 32 weeks. We still go weekly to have my cervix measured and so far are staying above 2, which is critical right now. As bored and disappointed as I am to not be actively enjoying my last few weeks of pregnancy, this time of rest is the absolute best thing for our babies. They are getting so big and strong. They move like crazy especially when I switch laying sides and after I eat something sweet. 3:30 in the morning seems to be their "party time" so I end up not sleeping well from that point forward. Ryan and I are both so grateful for all of our family and friends who are so instrumental in helping us survive this time! Thanks everyone...we love you!

Maternity Pictures!

We took maternity pictures to capture this special time...I think they turned out Amazing! Here's a few of my favorites.

Family and Friends Shower...February 28th

I made it to my last shower...yay! Sunday was such a beautiful day celebrating the upcoming birth of our babies with family and friends. Tracie and my mom with help from other family members worked so hard to create such a special day for me. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the cake! It was so good that there was none left! We got so many lovely presents and lots of beautiful homemade baby things, like blankets, quilts, stuffed animals, bibs, and paci clips. Everyone was so generous! Thank you everyone for making the day so memorable!

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Our Babies' Nursery

The nursery is finally done! Ryan worked so hard on it and definitely couldn't have done it without help from his family. Ryan and his dad first installed closet organizers into the bare closet. Next, Ryan painted the room a light yellow-tan color, called Floating Feather. Then, the big project began...Ryan and his dad put in bead board, new baseboards, a chair rail, and crown moulding. It looks amazing! After that, Ryan and his mom tackled painting stripes on the crib wall...they did an incredible job! And then, we had our painter spray all of the wood work. Finally, Ryan and his brother built the cribs and put all of the furniture in. Ryan kept me out of the room all day this past Saturday as he put everything together. Once he was ready to debut the babies' room, he put their ipod on with lullabies playing. It was so cute. I broke down in tears of course. We have both waited a long time for this moment. It couldn't have been more special. Now, I just need to get off bed rest, so I can decorate the walls!

My Work "Shower"

I decided to cancel my work shower because of my little cervical shortening scare. It bounced back up again a few days later, but the shower was supposed to be the day before the next reading. I just didn't think it was a good idea to be out before the ultrasound. It was wonderful, though, because my good friends from work, Kristi, Jen, and Stephanie came over anyway and brought tons of presents and dinner. So we still celebrated, which was nice. My work spoiled us with both swings, the double snap and go and lots of other baby things!