Thankful...

So... last weekend was eventful. Last Thursday night (a little over a week ago) I was having some intersting contractions and low back pain at just 29 weeks along. I tend to always have contractions when I'm pregnant, so I often just ignore them, but when things were getting a little intense by 2am I googled "pre-term labor" just to see if the internet confirmed what I was pretty positive at that point was going on! Sure enough, I perfectly fit the description and drove myself to the hospital to check in. Josh stayed here with our sleeping babies and I hoped I would get to the hospital and everything would stop and I'd be sent home. Unfortunately the opposite happened. Labor progressed positively and things started to get a little scary to me. I called Josh crying by 5am asking if he could have someone come to the house to watch the kids so that he could come join me at the hospital. And our parents were on the road in no time flat to take care of the kids, and my sweet friend Mauria showed up at my bedside until Josh could get there.

They put me on Magnesium Sulfate right away at the hospital (a drug I had to have when I went into pre-term labor with Jude and hated), and I stayed on it for 2 days as they gave me sterioids to help further develope baby's lungs in case he were to still come early. Unfortunately the next night, while still on Mag Sulf labor contractions started up again. I cried. :( I was so scared our little guy was going to end up coming early. I got a booster dose of Magnesium Sulfate. If you've never had the priveledge of experiencing the nasty stuff lets just say your teeth feel like they are on fire, your 55 degree hospital room is still too hot, and you aren't allowed to drink water even though your mouth is soooo dry you think you won't be able to swallow (you can have occasional ice chips, though). It does turn you into a limp noodle so that you won't have contractions, though... unfortunely it also relaxes your eye muscles so well that it's tricky to see.

By the next day everything had calmed down, thank you Lord, and Monday afternoon I got to go home on bed rest. My bed never felt so good! :) Since being home things have gone really well and contractions are occasional. We've been SO blessed by family and friend's help with kids, house work and cooking. It's been really fun to have those I love around so much to chat with. It's a little weird watching other people do what you normally do all day, but it makes me all the more grateful for the love of other's, shown through caring for us this way.

I do have to say too, that bed rest makes me kind of crazy. I tend to be such an active/busy person that it kills me to not be getting so many things done every day. My mental list of things I wanted to do in the month of November has been pitched. My weekly routines of grocery shopping and cooking, etc. aren't happening. I've hardly been on the computer this past week because it's kind of exhausting to use a laptop for very long when laying on your side. But bed rest this time around (I was on strict bed rest for 10 1/2 weeks when pregnant with Jude) has also been totally different with little kids. So far it has actually really been a blessing in disguise! There are no distractions or tasks that keep me from saying, "just a minute sweetheart" or "hang on" to my kids. Instead, I feel like there is soooo much eye contact going on with them and so much more communication happening and I just love it! I'm able to lay here and talk about things with them, and teach them new things as we color or read, etc. Selah frequently uses her little phrase, "Yeah Mama!" as she swipes her bangs from her face and looks at me with a smile. And Jude has been loving to tell me so many facts he knows, as well as joking with me. It's really turning into a sweet, taskless season of time that I'm so grateful for, even if it's all happening while laying on my side. :) I know I will look back on this with precious memories!

I pray our little man stays put until he's full term. I'm 31 weeks on Monday, which is great as far as his development is concerned, so I only have about 5 more weeks of bed rest.

Thank you all for your prayers, sweet emails, facebook comments and words of encouragement! You all are so kind and really lifted my spirit! Thank you! :)