Another Appointment, More Good News!

I had another appointment with Dr. Jenkins today, which went really well. My sister in law, Kate, was gracious enough to drive me to my appointment, and it was wonderful to have her there. They did another REALLY in depth ultrasound, which took forever, but it was fun to see the boys yet again. They have each gained 3 oz...since WEDNESDAY! They're definitely going to be our big boys! All of their measurements looked good and they were moving like crazy. Especially Asher, holy moly! Levi only rolled over and kicked a couple of times, so he was pretty mellow. But Asher was moving non-stop, spinning and kicking and punching with a vengeance. It was really fun to see.

One of the things they were looking for during the ultrasound was a valve in each of the boys' hearts that serves a very important purpose while they're inside of me. One side of the heart sends blood to the lungs, while the other side sends blood to the rest of the body. While babies are in the womb, they don't need any blood sent to the lungs. So this valve re-routes the blood from the lung side of the heart so all the blood goes to the rest of the body. The meds I'm on right now have the potential of making that valve stop working, but there isn't a huge risk of that until the boys are 27-28 weeks. Until then, we will just keep a close watch on their valves to make sure there isn't any significant change. But so far so good.

After the regular ultrasound, I had another internal ultrasound. Evidently my cervix is measuring even thicker than it was on Friday, which is great news! Plus it changed less today when the ultrasound tech pushed on my tummy to simulate me standing, which is even better news! So everything is stable for now! According to Dr. Jenkins, the plan is to keep doing what we're doing now (as long as nothing else changes) until we get to 28 weeks (4 weeks 3 days from now). After that, we will see how things are going. He mentioned that it's possible that at that time we could lift some of the restrictions or even send me home. But I think I like the idea of staying here, close to a great hospital. So we'll see how things are in a month!

Other than that, I think I'm settling into this whole bedrest thing better. I'm finally being able to see some of the blessings rather than just focusing on the negatives. Sorry if I ever sounded ungrateful or bitter, but you have to admit, this was all a lot to adjust to in a very short amount of time! Now, however, I'm seeing the positive effects on my body and on the boys. I'm enjoying the opportunity to get to know my mother in law and sister in law better. I still hate the fact that Nathan and I have to be apart so much, but as he keeps saying, it's a good thing I'm not home right now because our house is a disaster zone from the remodeling and the carpet that is going in today and tomorrow. And I'm finally finding the time, before going to sleep, to say a long nightly prayer, which is giving me an even deeper sense of peace about what's going on.

The further we go in this, the more I'm realizing how much of a trooper Nathan is. He drove from Portland to Baker yesterday, and then proceeded to move EVERYTHING out of our bedroom, the nursery, and the living room before collapsing. And then he had to go to work today. Plus, he is having to be separated from his family, worrying about us constantly without getting to see us on a regular basis. I can't believe how much I miss him, but I know both of us are doing what we have to do in order to make this work.

Ok, Asher is going his "Mom, we're kinda hungry down here" kicks, so I think it's dinner time!