THE BIG UPDATE

I FINALLY got my hands on a computer - thank you Travis and Leah!! So, now I can let everyone know (who wants to that is) exactly what's going on around here. Here we go...
**Warning: I'm telling it like it is, so be aware that there may be some icky stuff...
On Monday morning, I woke up and had a little spotting. Something new for me, so I called my dr. They said to keep an eye on things. Well, by noon, nothing had changed, so I decided to go to the clinic. My dr. checked me out, and noticed that my cervix had shortened even more and was now "funneling". This is not good, so he put me on stricter bedrest - allowing me to get up only for 10 min. every hour. I also went to the hospital where they monitered my and the boys, nothing exciting there. They gave me a steroid shot in case I went into labor - the steroids would help their lungs develop. I also got a shot of terbutaline to fend off preterm labor. I scheduled an appointment for the next day to get another steroid shot and so they could keep their eye on me. The dr. told me to pack a bag, just in case, and lay down.

1:00am Tuesday, December 2
I woke up and was having spotting again. I called the hospital again and they said I could come in if I wanted to. I tried to go back to sleep, then decided that I should go. I woke up Adam, grabbed some stuff in a bag (just in case!) and we went to the hospital. When I got there, they monitered me again. At this point I was dialted to 1 cm, so they called the dr. on call, and started me on magnesium sulfate in an IV to stop contractions. I didn't realize it, but I was having contractions every 1-6 minutes. By the time the dr. got there, I had dialted to 3 cm. and she decided to send me by ambulance to Abbot (where I am now).
Oh, turns out the ambulance may not be fast enough, so instead I got a HELICOPTER ride here. Sheesh! What a fuss!! I was strapped down, and they loaded me up into the helicopter. My flight EMT guys were very good looking, and assured me I would be fine, so off we went. 15 min. later, we ended up in Minneapolis at 5:30am. Adam had to drive himself and got there at about 6:00am. He was a little nervous I think, but I'm not sure I really knew what was going on.
Bottom line, they stopped my contractions. I'm still having some (like 2 an hour) but that is totally normal for a twin pregnancy.
The main goal was to get me past Wednesday, when the steroids would kick in. So now the goal is to keep me pregnant as long as possible.
I have to stay here for a while - I'm still on the magnesium IV, which is irritating because I have to drag that pole around everywhere I go (which isn't really anywhere really). On the positive side, I don't have to measure my urine anymore (which was gross), and I don't have to take penicillin anymore!
Next Monday, they might take me off the IV and put me on a pill form of muscle relaxant. I'll keep everyone updated as soon as I know what's happening. We're all doing fine - just stinks to be in "waiting mode".

It's coming...

Christmas, that is!
I love Christmas, but this year is a little sad. We aren't able to travel home for the holidays. Adam has put up a few (and I mean few) Chrismas lights, and we have very little decorating done, but we're getting there! I can work on it in my spare time!
I am going to miss the family traditions, though... church with the family, dinner including lefsa and torsk, and opening presents with everyone. It's just not the same when you don't have everyone around. Speaking of presents, Adam and I bought our Christmas present already. We got a new car! We knew by looking at my growing belly that our growing family would need more space - especially since, when I have these guys and am let out into the real world again, I'm taking full advantage of that! So, I looked online and found a car that looked like a good deal (it's a Mercury Mountaineer - just what I wanted :) ). Adam told me when we went to look at it that we "Absolutely are NOT buying a car tonight, so don't even think about coming home with one." He drove it, and the dealer gave us a good deal to get rid of my ugly car, so we did buy it that night. I didn't want to gloat, but well, I was right once again. Of course! So, expect to see me driving up to your house with a car full of kids - when I can, that is!

Ten good things...

So, yesterday was bad because I was not ready for this, but here I am and I intend to make the best of it. Here's my list of 10 good things about staying home from work:
10. Shaggy has a new very best friend
9. I forgot how good I am at crossword puzzles
8. Now I know the E! True Hollywood Story of Soliel Moon Frye a.k.a. Punky Brewster (jealous??)
7. I can eat pretty much all day
6. My couch is pretty comfy
5. Organizing my Rachael Ray recipes
4. Taking a little nap just because I wanted to
3. Watching tv all day
2. Online SHOPPING!
and the BEST thing... I can lay around in my pj's if I want to.

There you have it. And another good thing...I'm NOT at parent/teacher conferences right now! That's wonderful!!

28 weeks!

Today we went for our 28 week checkup, which for twins includes an ultrasound to see how big the boys are. For those of you that haven't seen me lately, I am measuring over 40 weeks and get frequent comments from people both to my face and under their breath. I hear "looks like any day now", and "she's gonna pop any second". It's so nice to hear that I look huge. Like I don't already know... In any case, this is what I look like now. Nice. And yes, I realize there's two babies, trust me, I know. I'm the one that feels them kicking me all day! Still, it's a rather large belly. Which is good, which leads me to the good news...

Good News:
Both boys are great. Baby B is 2 lbs., 10 oz. and looks wonderful. Baby A is slightly smaller but looks wonderful. We couldn't get a weight on "A" because his head was not cooperating and is sitting in a place that is difficult to get a good measurement. You don't really want all the gory details. :)
More good news - they are on schedule for their due date and have plenty of fluid to swim around it, and drink, etc. More good news - heartbeats looked good.

Bad News: (well kind of)
I can't work anymore. These two chubbos are putting too much pressure on certain areas, causing me to be unable to work. I'm not really on bed rest per se, but I should "lay down as much as possible during the day". Don't worry, my Dr. told me all of this a long time ago, that 28 weeks is around the time when twin moms need to stop working. I'm also not supposed to ride in a car for a long time, go out for long periods of time, you know all the fun holiday stuff.
I did go to work today to finish up some paperwork needed for conferences tomorrow, get billing done, & print out lists I've made for my substitute. I am allowed to go in next week to meet with the sub. and get all that great stuff done.

HELP!!!!
So since I'm sitting around most of my days, PLEASE help me to find ways to pass the time. What are some good movies you've seen lately? Read any good books? Any TV shows I should be watching? My plan for the next couple of months is to rent some movies, organize some stuff, and well, that's about it. Any ideas? Keep in mind that I'm also developing a nice case of carpal tunnel and I can't bend over well, so that really knocks out any cleaning and small hobbies.

I will also likely be putting up many new blog posts, so look for those to entertain you (and mostly me!).

Update

It's been awhile since I wrote on here. That's because work is very busy this time of year - writing reports, conferences coming up, and before I leave for maternity leave (WHOO HOO!!) I have to finish up rough drafts of IEPs and evaluations, the list goes on. So, needless to say, when I get home, I'm exhausted! I actually am doing NOTHING today (and am very excited about that!) so I'll give you some updates on how we're all doing.
I'm currently 27 weeks, oh but I measure 39 weeks, so yes I'm gigantic. This week was the first week I actually got uncomfortable. I've had a pretty good run, I think! Sleeping at night is getting harder and harder, and my back hurts in pretty much any position I sit, stand or lay down. I'm thinking about going to a chiropracter. Any thoughts or suggestions???
We have started our "childbirth preperation" classes. I've read so many books that none of the information has been that great, but Adam is learning a lot. I keep catching sideways looks at me when the teachers say something that I've told him 100 times, but he just doesn't believe me. See, I'm not making that stuff up!! The classes are doing nothing except making me more nervous.
We're also currently dealing with the daunting "DAYCARE" decision. We have a couple of options, either putting the kids in full-time daycare, or having Adam's mom come 2-3 days a week and hiring a nanny the other 2-3 days. Any advice on that one??
Finally, NAMING these guys. We are having a very difficult time thinking of names! Adam and I don't agree on much of anything where names are concerned. Well, I should take that back, I can think of 20 names I like, but Adam keeps shooting me down! Boys are tough because you don't want to name them anything girly or too weird. Girls would be much easier because anything you name a girl can be cute. Anyone have any good ideas?? We don't like names that start with the same letter, but the name can't really end in an "l" either with our last name... Winner gets a cash prize of $1,000,000. Ok, maybe not, but I would buy you a bottle of wine and you can meet the babies you named!
That's the update for now. In a week I have another ultrasound, so I'll be able to tell you weights and more information on how these guys are doing in here. I can tell you that they are kicking and rolling like nobody's business! Crazy kids.

Trick or Treat!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Yes, I think it's funny to dress up animals. I don't think it's cute, I don't think it's sweet. I just think it's funny - look at the guy. What's even better is how mad he gets at me when he has his costume on. Cracks me up every time!

Kickin Kids

I waited forEVER for these babies to start moving around and kicking, and I have one thing to say - be careful what you wish for! Don't get me wrong, it's nice to know they're happy and moving around, but these guys are ALWAYS happy and moving around!
I'll be sitting in my chair, and one baby will kick for a while. Then he'll stop and 15 min. later, the other one starts in. This continues pretty much all evening. Then when I go to bed, EVERYONE kicks until I fall asleep! It's party time in my belly!
I'm just worried that this is a sign of things to come...