I Think I Can...I Think I Can

Boys came to visit

 

when boys went home

      This past Friday I went back into Labor and Delivery because I was having contractions.  I was on Magnesium for 13hours(actually a good thing, it was supposed to be 24 hours), I had(and still do) a horrible cough and because my stomach is stretched to the max I pulled , what used to be, my oblique muscle!  Every time I would cough I try and get into a ball(the best I could with my large belly) so my muscle pain didn't hurt so bad. If I was standing, I would end up in a sumo wrestler position holding my side.  When I would hit a coughing spell my contractions would spike, but the Mag and 5 other medications combined were able to calm my contractions and help with my cough.  No worries, the babies all look great!  When I would have a coughing then contraction spell, they would move all around pushing back on their house that's walls were caving in!  Thankfully my Aunt was visiting that day and she, by her own admission, is "persistent yet kind".  So she made sure to find a nurse when it was time for my medication, or when the babies heart tones were supposed to be checked.  She stood over my bed fanning me with a coloring book and feeding me ice chips while I was boiling from the inside out, due to the Magnesium.  The nurses weren't even bothered by her because she was so kind about how she went about it all.  The boys came to visit Saturday and helped lift my spirits.

Our nightly Skype session.
Lucy heard me  and wanted in on the action!

              The hardest part about this whole pregnancy has not been the physical discomfort or the crazy hospital drama, it has been being away from my family. I don't know what I would do without the weekend visits and the evening Skype sessions.  They keep asking me when I'm coming home.  I know it is hard for them to understand the timing of everything...to be honest it is hard for me to understand.  Lying here day after day, I get lonely and frustrated!  I could be doing this from home, I could kiss my boys good night, I could get a hug and kiss from my hubs when he gets home, I could see my fur babies... all the little things I didn't realize I needed to function properly!  I find myself missing the weirdest things, like when my boys bicker with each other over a toy, or when dog scratches at the door when she's hungry, or the very long annoying process that is my husband brushing his teeth(that is one of his OCD things that he has never parted with-the 20minute teeth brushing routine!!!) drives me nuts, but now I miss it.
    I am so thankful that even though I am far away, I have only gone a couple days without seeing a friendly face. Matt and the boys have come to visit, my parents came, and although they got lost for awhile, they still brought me lunch!   Two of my cousins live here.  One, from my mom's side, is the cousin who was waiting for me at the hospital when I first arrived.  She brings me lunch several times a week and we talk about her wedding planning.  My other cousin, from my dad's side, I rarely get to see anymore.  She is married with two girls, her youngest is the same age as Campbell.  Anyway, it's been nice to have some time to catch up with her, and although we have always differed in personality, she loves Jesus and I have enjoyed listening to how He has been working in her life.  Everyone here at the Ronald McDonald House is so kind and we all know we are blessed to be able to stay here. I know the boys will enjoy being able to come visit now that I am here, where they have play rooms, toys galore, and mommy isn't hooked up to an IV and monitors. All in all not too shabby!
    Still at night, after we have Skyped, the loneliness sets in; it's funny because it is around this time that the babies decide to have a dance party.  Last night I just sat there smiling at my belly because I saw various lumps roll across, up and down.  It's so cool to watch them respond to each other.  I have been able to feel those responses from the inside for quite a while now, but to see it happen is just surreal. I think it's God's way of reminding me that although the struggles are real, He is "working for the good of those who love Him."  I do wish I could be at home piddling in the nursery getting it set up,  helping the time go by with eager anticipation, but staring at a wall is just as good;)  I think I'll see if my mom will bring up the handmade baby blankets a friend made for them, they are precious and have each of their names on them.  I know that each day they remain in utero, reduces NICU time by two days(at least that's what I've been told), and that once they are home we will look back at how short this time was and how blessed we are to be home and healthy, but I am one of the most impatient people that I know! and I'm pretty sure that there are more than 24 hours in each day in Augusta.  Maybe I should also have my mom bring up Campbell's Little Engine that Could book! I could use the positive reinforcement to get me up this mountain I'm climbing!

These are 4D pictures of the boys, sweet baby girl was hiding behind a membrane!