Back to the Hospital

I am back in the hospital.

On Wednesday, I was at the hospital for my non-stress test.  I started to have contractions every 10 minutes and a small bleed, and was admitted to labor and delivery.  The doctor started an infusion of magnesium sulfate in hopes to stop the contractions.  It worked for about 24 hours and then I started to contract through the infusion.  My doctor than put me back on my previous medications, Procardia and Terbutaline, but at higher doses and increased frequency.  Friday night and yesterday morning I had some issues with contractions, but otherwise I have been holding strong.  I really want to try to make it to 36 weeks, but know that anytime now the baby will be safe to deliver. 

At least my room has a good view.  The statue in the middle of the window is a cross.

Tomorrow, I will find out if I will go home or stay in the hospital until I deliver.  The doctor and myself are worried about the potential to bleed with my continued contractions and placenta previa. I have no idea what his plan is going to be.  Matt and I are willing to do anything for the safety of the baby. 

Even through all of the contractions and medications, the baby is doing great and in no distress. He is moving and kicking like crazy.

Matt and the boys just visited and brought me a Starbucks.  It was so nice to see all my boys.

The boys absolutely love Kindergarden.  On Friday they walked a mile to school in honor of all the heros from 9/11.  They walked with their 6th grade buddy and it seemed to be the highlight of the past few weeks.

Well...not too much longer before the baby is here.  The doctor said any day now!!  We are all so excited to meet our sweet baby, but can definitely wait another week and a half!

And the best news... My baby sister had her baby, Piper Elizabeth, on Friday!  She and the baby are doing great.  Piper is absolutely beautiful!  I am so proud of Chrissie and over joyed for her and her husband Keith. 

First Day of Kindergarten!

I cannot believe my boys are starting Kindergarten.  Where has the time gone???  Thank goodness they are only going for 3 hours a day.  I know that may sound strange to some people, but I am just not ready to have them out of the house for a full day.  When the new baby comes I will be off work for a few months so I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with the boys.  This will be my last year to do some special trips and projects with them during the day.

The boys absolutely loved their first day of school!! I asked them  what their favorite part of school was and Joseph said, "Being the leader boy" and Dominic said, "Coming home to you mom".  Okay my heart just melted.

I only shed a few tears when they left for school and I thought I was doing great.  It wasn't until I had get their clothes ready for the next day at school when I lost it.  Do they really need to go back again??  I don't know why I only mentally prepared myself for one day??  We will see how I do tomorrow :)

32 Weeks!

Wow, I am 32 weeks!! I have had this date circled on my calendar since I first was placed on bed rest 10 weeks ago.  32 weeks was my long term goal and I am absolutely thrilled and relieved the day is finally here.  Each day I am given to grow Baby D is truly a blessing.  

Today, I had my appointment with the Pediatric Cardiologist.  She was wonderful and said there was no need to worry.  The condition will most likely heal the first week of Baby D's life.  She will do another echo cardiogram right after he is born to make sure everything is okay.  What a relief!

I love the below picture.  The boys are SO excited to meet their new baby brother.  I bought them "Big brother" shirts and they ask me all the time when they can wear them!

How far along: 32 weeks!

Size of baby:  He measured 4 lbs. 11 oz. on Friday.

Movement:  He is very strong! Thankfully, he is still quiet at night, and does not wake me.  His active times are still 10 am and  10 pm.

Sleep: I am still having CRAZY dreams all night long!

Cravings:  Sonic root beer floats and apples.

What I miss:  The boys start Kindergarten tomorrow and I do feel bad I will not be able to walk them in.  

Best moment this week:  Seeing Baby D during the ultrasound and getting the good news from the cardiologist.

What I am looking forward to: Doctor's appointment on Friday. 

My sweet boys:

Separate, but Always Together

Since I have been on bed rest, I have had time to reflect on all of the updates that could be done to our house.  Yes, I may be going slightly crazy, but that is what happens when you are confined to a 12x14 room!  These feelings of loss of control have lead to many "to do" lists for Matt.  I feel bad because I am quite sure, subconsciously, I am trying to regain some control by writing lists for others.  Yikes!!  But...Matt has been such a good sport and has done a great job juggling the kids, taking care of me, cooking, cleaning and completing home improvements.

Just before I went on bed rest, we decided to offer the boys a chance to have their own rooms.  To our surprise they both wanted their own rooms!!  So, after 5 years of never being more than 8 feet from each other, they would move into separate rooms.

Nursery-

Toddler Room-

The first time the boys were home together in their pack n play-

So sweet-

We ordered new bedroom sets and decided on new colors and bedding.  Unfortunately, I went on bed rest and could not help redo the rooms.  Over the next week, Matt turned our office into a bedroom, painted, washed bedding, hung paintings and organized closets.  

I absolutely love the boys' new rooms.  They are perfect and definitely reflect their personalities.  Joseph loves blue and wanted a space theme.  Dominic loves green and wanted a dog theme.  Here are some pictures of their new rooms.

  

I just cannot believe my babies have grown up so quickly and are now in their own "big boy" rooms. They both love their rooms and have only slept together once, when my mom stayed with us. I am so proud of them. They are definitely becoming more independent.

A "Michigan Vacation"

The boys are at my mom and dad's house this weekend. They refer to the trip as a "Michigan vacation". I guess kids need a vacation away from their parents, too!

It is so wonderful that my parents are able to watch the boys. They absolutely love going over there and I swear they come back in inch taller from all the food they eat!! Yesterday they were waiting on the porch with their bags packed!!!



My mom said Joseph told my dad, "Grandpa, I really miss you when I don't come over". So sweet.

Summer Fun

I cannot believe it is already the end of June!!! Where has the time gone???? We are having a great summer with the boys as they are at such a great age! I wish I could freeze this age forever. They are so interactive and pretty much love to do anything. Both boys are really into their water table, swing set and sandbox. They especially love to help Matt wash the cars and then get sprayed off with the hose.



As you can see from the video, they definitely love the water!

I start my new job on Monday and am looking forward to a lighter schedule! I am really hoping to get back to blogging and documenting the boys life. I feel extremely guilty for the time lapse between posts. I am SO looking forward to getting back to more family time and blogging.

Love to all!

Trying to Get Back to the Blog Thing...

I have been feeling terribly guilty about not blogging for almost a full year!!! It is something I love doing, but seems to get pushed down on my "To do" list.

I cannot believe my babies are about to turn 4 years old! It is difficult for me to even type that age.

The boys have been doing great. They both love preschool, which was not the case at the beginning of the year. Joseph had the hardest time transitioning, but within a few months he really grew to love his friends and teachers.

We just had parent/teacher conferences and I was so nervous. Why I was so worried about a 3 year old conference, only God knows. Seriously, they are only 3!!

The teacher started the conference out with a prayer which was so nice. She said the boys are doing so well. She told us the boys are an absolute blessing to have in her class, so well behaved and very kind.

Mrs. L. said Dominic needs to know where Joseph is at all times. Joseph cannot even go to the bathroom without Dominic. Too funny, because at home Dominic is definitely the more independent one of the two.

Words cannot explain how proud I am of my two boys. Honestly, I just love those boys so much. I know they had their challenges early on, but oh how far they have come. My heart is truly filled with absolute love and pride.

Beautiful Day

It was absolutely beautiful today. We took the boys outside to ride on their new "twactors". It is so amazing how quickly they are growing!

We had an appointment with their Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctor on Friday. Dr. D. said both boys are doing great. He cannot believe their improvement since November. They are both still going to need another set of braces (after they grow out of their current ones). They will likely wear the new set of braces for about six months and then Dr. D. will re-evaluate. Dr. D. said he really could not be any happier with their improvements. Dr. D was very nice to Matt and I, he shook our hands at the end of the appointment and told us what a great job Matt and I have done. That is just our job as a mom and dad...to do the best we can for our boys. I do feel very blessed that the boys have received early treatment for any lingering preemie issues.

The boys will also be re-evaluated for any physical therapy needs. The doctor wants the boys to be evaluated every 6-8 months just to make sure they are on track. Unfortunately, the only children's hospital in the area has a waiting list.

I really find it so difficult to accept a waiting list for children as they grow and change so rapidly. The last time the waiting list was 4-6 months long! I enrolled the boys in private physical therapy during the wait, but hopefully this time it will not be as long. The receptionist told me the wait was about 2 months which is not too bad.

We are so proud of you Joseph and Dominic! You have worked so hard and come so far! We love you with all our hearts.