Happy Valentine's Day!

35 weeks and 2 days! My doc cam in one night and showed me how to knit baby hats. So fun!
The boys came for the weekend. We played games and watched movies.

My treat for Valentine's day was that Andy was able to stay the night in my room last night! It was so nice to have company as I went to bed and when I got up! It was even better to have him around because this weekend has been just plain exhausting. It started on Friday afternoon...I felt a little crampy and just...different. When I got on the monitor that night I was having regular contractions about 3-3 1/2 minutes apart. They weren't painful, just noticeable and a little achy. I got a "T" shot in the arm...and usually that has stopped the contractions pretty quickly. Not on Friday. Andy and the boys left for the Ronald McDonald house while I was still on the monitor. After they left I was started on an IV drip for about a half hour. This didn't change anything either, so I had to get a second "T" shot. By this time I was exhausted. I had been up all day and had been on the monitor for about 3 hours. The double dose shot made me extremely shaky and my heart was pounding. Thankfully the contractions slowed and became more mild...and I was finally allowed to come off the monitor some time after 11 pm. It took me awhile to settle after the meds and be able to rest. Saturday morning I woke up feeling more mild contractions. I got on the monitor and sure enough, was having some more regular contractions. My nurse started me on the IV drip, but that didn't work. The NP and my nurse determined that I needed to start on a pill form of medicine for pre-term labor. I took that medicine and remained on the monitor. Things didn't change very quickly so I got another "T" shot. After awhile things settled enough for me to come off the monitor. At one time (a few weeks ago) a doctor had told me that I shouldn't worry about pre-term labor...that I had no history of it. Well, that is true. But I remember thinking at the time that I don't have any history of any of the conditions I have this time! Perhaps no one told my body about the risk factors and my prenatal history! So after an exhausting few days, I am now taking medicine for pre-term labor every four hours...yes, that means through the night as well. The biggest bummer about that is waking up at 2am and 6am to take a pill. I knew I'd be waking up in the night with the baby...just didn't think I'd have to practice this early! :) So far the medicine seems to be helping, and hopefully that means no more shots. I was beginning to feel like a pincushion! I am very thankful that the baby seems to have no clue what the placenta and uterus are doing...the baby has monitored with a gold star every time! :) Pray with me that we will make it through this last week to the scheduled c-section date of the 23rd and avoid any emergency situations! Also, please pray that the results of the amnio test on the 22nd will come back saying the baby's lungs are mature and baby is ready for birth! Even through an uncertain weekend and exhausting circumstances, there were blessings to be found in friends and family. Thank you for all your support and love.