We Made it to 26 Weeks!

Yesterday, we officially completed 26 weeks of pregnancy. That means I am officially 6 1/2 months pregnant! Our goal is to make it to 34 weeks, which is just before Eddie's birthday at the end of August. It is a little intimidating thinking of being in the hospital for another 8 weeks, but is has been working so far! Eddie told me that if I can hold out to week 34, then I will never have to buy him another birthday present for as long as he lives. The babies will be the best birthday present ever!

We had another ultrasound on Monday, June 25 and the babies look great! Iggy is measuring 1 pound 13 ounces and Hermie is measuring 1 pound 12 ounces. (Iggy and Hermie are nicknames - not their real names. For the full story email me back!) Their heights, etc, are still measuring for October 7. So our preterm labor hasn't affected them. They are constantly moving and teasing the nurses by moving around when they are trying to listen to heartbeats. One of the nurses says the babies are having fun because my tummy is basically a big swimming pool for them right now and they have plenty of room to move around. Soon, though, they will be out of luck! My tummy is getting really big and when I stand up I can't see my feet any more.

Eddie has been baking for the nurses and they are all in love with him. He even made cookies for Dr. Hartford and I think Dr. Hartford is starting to think of me as a real person and not just a patient. He described Ed's Toffee Cranberry Cookies as "perfect." Eddie already has orders for pies and cookies from the nurses for July 4th.

Bed rest is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I feel cut off from the rest of the world and actually miss being outside in the incredibly hot sunshine. I don't know how people function watching television all day long. I am heartily sick of soap operas and the repetitive programing on cable. Luckily, I am working at mastering Sudoku (one of Mom's friends gave me a book of puzzles) and have already finished a baby blanket with the yarn Eddie's mom brought over. When Eddie comes to visit, we get to go out for a spin in my wheelchair. We make the most of our 45 minute jaunts by sitting out on the patio under the Jacaranda trees.

The nurses are letting me wear my own nightgowns, which is awesome! I never realized how many pink nightgowns I own! Pink is much better than the hospital gowns though. It is bliss getting to wear my own things.

Dr. Hartford is cautiously optimistic about the babies staying put. He has me on the lowest dose of Magnesium Sulfate and they only raise the dose if I start having too many contractions. They are mostly Braxton Hicks contractions and as long as we keep them from occurring too often, they won't cause me to go into labor. He says there are other things we can do if the magnesium stops working, but they have side effects and he would rather avoid them if at all possible.

Time for us to go take a nap!