35 Weeks!

I can hardly believe that I'm typing the number 35! I use to think Caleb and Hudson would be here by now. It seemed so far away when all of this began! I praise the Lord for this and consider it an answer to prayer. And the end is so near! My doctor told me that I could come off bed-rest on Wednesday. That's only 4 more days! I was also allowed to get a hair cut yesterday. ( It's amazing how that can brighten a woman's day.) AND I get to go to church on Sunday.

I have literally been getting butterflies in my stomach the past few days. One is because I get to leave the house and have some social time. The other is because I know I am so close to meeting my little boys! It's really starting to sink in now and the excitement is building. I can hardly wait!

I continue to be blessed beyond belief by my friends and family. Here is a picture of Ivy taking care of me. She is serious about this bed-rest and is quick to remind me to SIT DOWN when I get up for bathroom breaks. She tells me the baby's are going to come out if I don't lay back down quick. She also routinely checks my blood pressure and gives me "shots".

This next picture is Jan Margrave. A dear servant hearted friend who has flow from Texas to care for our family for a week. After a 12 hour travel day due to a canceled flight she finally arrived and immediately began giving me a foot massage.
Just kidding... She didn't really give me a foot massage but it was fun to pretend. She really hasn't had time for that due to the non-stop cooking, cleaning, and organizing that she's been doing. Not to mention the entertainment that she brings to each day.

The next two pics are of my bump.

A friend reminded me of the verse in James 1:1-4. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing."

This just so happens to be my life verse. It was through trials that the Lord brought me into a relationship with Him. And this trail has brought me closer to Him, furthered my sanctification process, and brought my husband and I closer. Not to mention at the end I have two little babies to hold!

I have no idea when they will come but the doctor expects the boys to be here in less than 2 weeks. There is a good chance that once I start moving around again they will arrive on the scene. Now that I am 35 weeks there is a good chance we will avoid the NICU and get to bring them home right away.

We continue to covet your prayers!! So many have already been answered.

33 Weeks and Counting!

I can hardly believe that I am 33 weeks! Bed-rest started at 27 weeks. That's 6 weeks of lying on my back. I'm still having to fight the urge to nest. However, last night may have given me the motivation I need to stay down. Around 6pm I started having contractions every 2-3 mins for almost 2 hours. It kinda scared me and I thought maybe this was it. We made it to the hospital and they gave me a turb shot which stops labor. It seemed to work so they sent me home. Only after telling me that my cervix is paper thin, I'm still 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. The doctor was honest and said that it looks like they are going to come sooner than later but hopes I can hang on a couple more weeks.

This was not our only visit to the hospital this week. We had to go in on Wednesday night for the same thing. Contractions were just getting out of control. If I were a cat with nine lives I feel like I've used up 8 of them and that next time could be the real thing. But who knows. It's all a guessing game and the Lord will bring them when it's time.

This past week was one of the best! Our friend Shelby came to stay with us from Texas. Shelby is a rising senior in Plano and started to babysit Ivy when she was 4 months old until we left TX. Ivy ADORES her and had a blast all week having a built in playmate. They played so hard that Ivy actually asked me to go to bed around 6pm several nights in a row. I was also blessed by her visit. It was soooo nice not to schedule people all week and have the revolving door. It took Shelby about a day and she had my routine down. Very mature for a teenager.

This next week is going to be great too! My friend Jenn Aulick is going to stay with us until Friday! She's also wonderful with Ivy and I know she will be a great caregiver for me too.

Prayer Request this week:

My belly is getting so big and making it hard for me to get comfortable. I go from back pain to hip pain to heart burn to sore muscles...etc... The discomfort grows as I do. Today is the first day that I felt like I can't make it one more day. I haven't had that attitude until now. I am praying that attitude will change quickly because when it comes down to it I would really rather them make it a few more weeks.

Praises:

Overall I would say this has been easier than I expected. My family has been so tremendous at helping us get through this. They have stepped in to help in many ways but a big one is helping us finish moving into our new house. Dad and Fletch have helped Josh do the remodeling and handy man work. Mom has been great at the finishing touches on decorating. Josh's mom flew out for a week to help.

Our church, friends in the area, and the Mom's in the UMOM group have also stepped up and been a source of encouragement and helping to provide for our needs. Josh has not had to cook once! WOOO HOO! We are so thankful and feel very blessed.

I hope my next blog will be news that I made it to 34 week!

32 Weeks Tomorrow!

MEDICAL UPDATE:

Had an appointment on Tuesday. Got to see the boys on an ultrasound and they are doing great! Good news first...They are very healthy and measure almost exactly the same size and weighing in at just under 4lbs each. My contractions are there but not consistent and not happening every single day. Praise the Lord! Bad news....My cervix continues to thin. I'm now just under 1cm when I should be more around 4. I passed the fetal fibernectin test. This means my body has not started to "un-glue" to prepare for labor. So overall a good report. However, the doctors tell me every day at this point is a gift.

MENTAL UPDATE:

If you know me well then you know I am a goal oriented person. I get this from the Anderson side of my family. It typically works for me but while on bed-rest it feels like it's against me. I also LOVE a "to do" list and get a huge wave of satisfaction role over me when I get to check something off of it. I even take it another step and if I do something that was not on my "to do" list then I will write it in just so I can mark it off.

Tomorrow I will get to mark something off the list! I accomplish one of my goals the doctors set for me and that is to make it 32 weeks! Now the new goal is 34 weeks. This is really a good strategy for me. It would seem overwhelming to say the goal is 36 weeks now b/c then that means another month of bed-rest. But now I just have to focus on the next 2 weeks which is mentally easier to swallow.

Anything I can do to help my mental state at this point is fantastic. This week has been the hardest so far. Tuesday marked one month of laying on my back and ONLY getting up for the bathroom. I also think the nesting instinct has hit me hard. Pregnancy weekly defines "Nesting" as an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new babies, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world. This instinctive desire + bed-rest for a month + my goal driven genes = break down. Not to mention we moved into a house one month before I was bed ridden so I was not even done unpacking and decorating our new home. This is honestly a TERRIBLE combination.

The family a friends who come to baby sit me and Ivy have been wonderful and so helpful. And I am truly thankful to each and every one of them. But it's no surprise that having a revolving door and people constantly in your house having to go through your stuff gets a little old. It's also getting increasingly harder to just ask people for help. I'm just to the point of wanting to give up and I know that every woman on bed-rest can relate.

So how do I keep going from here? What is going to get me through the day??.............. The answer for me is Hudson, Caleb, and the Lord. Knowing that I would risk having them pre-mature if I get up and do what I want helps me to stay on my back. I have to keep telling myself that it's truly laying down my life for my boys. I want the best for them and I know that every day they bake is a true advantage for their development. And it's a privilege and gift from God to be carrying two babies!

I have this awesome devotional book that my Aunt Martha sent to me when I was first put on bed-rest. It's called, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. It's almost like the book was written to me and for me in my circumstance. The Lord is telling me to take my negative or sinful thoughts captive and try not to let them even enter my mind. When I block those thoughts and focus on the things I have to be thankful for and am appreciative of then it can totally turn my mood around and help me to experience His peace. I wish I could say that I'm successful at this each day but I'm not. The last few days have been a struggle and I tend to want to surrender to my negative thoughts and to complain about it. I could use your prayers in this area as it's a daily battle.

On another note... Josh and Ivy are doing pretty good. Ivy has hit a little wall the last two days but over all she is dealing with it extremely well for a 3 year old. She will come to me after every meal and take my tray to the kitchen for daddy. She also will refill my drinks if I ask and throw things away. She is really taking pride in helping mommy during this time. She even reminds me when I get up for the bathroom to hurray back to lay down so the babies won't come out.

Josh is hanging in there too. I know this is not easy for him but he has yet to complain. I'm amazed by him and so glad I have his example in my life. He is a wonderful husband who deserves so much praise.

We are grateful for how the Lord is growing us personal and in our marriage through this time. In sickness and in health right? Next challenge up is in changing 20 diapers a day!

Released!

I was released from the hospital earlier today. I'm home again. They say there could be a lot of this back and forth between the hospital and home. Josh has been amazing and I am so thankful for him. Poor guy hasn't showered since Tuesday. So far so good. I'm a little nervous to be off the monitors but happy to be back home with Ivy and in my own bed. Optimistic about carrying them longer but have a peace that the Lord will take care of us no matter what happens. Feeling good!