3 Days in a Row!

Can you believe that I would actually post these photos of myself on here? I actually can't believe my husband took them! This is a long post with REALLY great pictures because these are three days I don't want to forget-eventhough I don't know how I could!
Last week we had 3 long days hanging out with the doctors and nurses in the Labor and Delivery department of Kapiolani Hospital! It was quite the trio of fun!

On Tuesday night I could not sleep because my back and my belly were really sore. I wasn't really concerned just uncomfortable and tired. I finally fell asleep Wednesday morning but was up in time to call my doctor when his office opened at 9am. They said just to be safe I should go to the Labor and Delivery department so they could check me out. I called Trav at work and told him I was just going to go down by myself because I didn't think it was a big deal. Well that didn't fly and Trav came to get me. By 10 am I was checked in and all hooked up on the baby heart monitors and contraction detectors.

My casualness about the whole thing was instantly crushed when I just happened to ask my nurse when she stopped by for the 15th time: "But I'm not having any contractions though right?" At this point Travis had left to go get some work to do and get us both some lunch. I wish he had been there to see the look on my face when she responded: "Oh yeah, your having a contraction every 2-3 minutes." WHAT? I am only 26 weeks!!!! YIKES! After several more hours of the same and several cervical exams, it was determined my cervix was completely closed and I was not having pre term labor- just the oh so fun pre term contractions!

I was sent home with a new prescription to add to the list to keep these girls inside. This new drug was a blood pressure medicine that is widely used to stop contractions. Whether due to sleeping all Tuesday afternoon or all the excitement, again on Wednesday night I could not sleep. At 4:30 am the last thing I remember was going to the fridge to get myself a glass of water. I woke up on the ground not understanding why I was there and then realized I must have fainted for the first time in my life. Scary! So back to the hospital we went for more monitoring and chit chat with many doctors and nurses.

Thursday was spent listening to our little girls heart beats and them moving around ALOT in my contracting belly. The great news was that our tough girls were completely unaffected by the contractions or the fainting. As is the big concern with contractions and what often happens, neither of the girls was at all effected by what my active uterus was doing! That was quite a relief! Again we were sent home Thursday late afternoon with the explanation from 3 different doctors that my body was adjusting to the new medicine and my blood pressure had dropped so quickly when I stood up to get a drink, that it caused my beautiful black out.

Then came Friday. Apparently the girls must have missed the oh so comfortable hospital bed and just wanted to force their dad not to go to work for a third day in a row! I was sorting the clean laundry on my bed when the next thing I knew I was on the ground again!!! This time I think I may have been out for a little while and I hit my head on the end of our sleigh bed before daintily landing back where I had been yesterday. You would think this would just be routine by now but I had an insane headache, was even more scared, and even more unhappy about going back to the hospital! After more baby and contraction monitoring, blood work, exams, an EKG of my heart, a Cat Scan of my head, and another entire day in the hospital we went home Friday night knowing that these contractions were just something I was going to have to live with because the medicine with the least amount of side effects just wasn't going to work for me.

We are doing great now-besides the contractions which aren't particularly fun. The thing I mostly care about is that our girls are healthy and strong and we have had alot of reassurance of that this week. Today Travis is very happily back at work with hopefully no interruptions. When I was being wheeled out of the department on Friday I told several of our nureses that they are not going to see me back there until I hit 37 weeks and I am ready for my C-section. Lets all pray that is the case!

Our Mini Babymoon

Last month we took a long and much needed weekend to have a mini Babymoon. We stayed on the west side of the island at Makaha Resort. Travis happened to be running a golf tournament there and had to be on the course at 4:30 am on Monday. So at the last minute we headed out there on Saturday and made a nice relaxing weekend out of it. After he left the room Monday morning for the tournament, I was laying in bed thinking about how it was really quite and I really had nothing to do. I realize days like that are going to be a very far distant memory soon- but I can't wait!!!

He's a Travelin Man!

Over the past two months my husband has been quite the jet setter! For work he has been to Utah for a week, LA for 2 days, Seattle for 4 days, and Chicago for 5. He also went to Kauai for a weekend to run a Hawaii State Golf Association Tournament which he is on the Board of Directors for. He loves the trips but says he is getting too old for the flights. My suggestion was that we buy a private jet! Then I could go see my family anytime! I don't see why he hasn't jumped right on that yet!

I am glad he is traveling now before the babies come-especially when several of the trips are free to us! When he is gone I definitely miss him but feel less guilty that I am just sitting on the couch watching tv and my belly grow at the same time- that is what I call pregnancy multi tasking! The two trips that I was VERY jealous of was Utah and Chicago. In Utah he got to see alot of our good friends and most of all my brother Kirk who came from Denver for the weekend. Then in Chicago he stayed 2 nights with my brother Tyler and his family. The lucky guy got to hang out with my two nieces! Next week he is headed to the Big Apple for a very VIP first class (literally) all expense paid trip for Merrill Lynch. NYC AND my best friend Jenn who lives there- that is alot to be jealous of!

In Kauai he stayed at the gorgeous Princeville Resort and was upgraded to a beautiful suite!

Lovin a day all about golf!

In Utah with Kirk and our adopted little brother Jordan.

Almost his only photo in LA. If you know him, you know he was excited!

At a White Sox game with some Co-workers.

Downtown Chicago-isn't he handsome!

A Cubs game! The Cubs are HIS TEAM!

My adorable nieces at a street fair! A cape always makes lunch taste better!

Our Lattest

Last week we had our 2nd advanced ultrasound and it was awesome of course! The place we get this once a month ultrasound is so nice. I sit in a nice comfy chair, the room is dark and cool, and the people are so nice. But the BEST part is that we get a whole hour with our precious little girls and the whole world just stops! It's amazing!!!!

The focus of this ultrasound was more on the detailed health of the girls and the results are great! We spent time looking at their brains, hearts, kidneys, bladders, bones, spines, and everything in between! It is incredible! We got great looks at all of those things (especially the hearts which is amazing) but not as great pictures of the beautiful girls to post here. They were both just kinda doing their own thing and not as interested in the ultrasound wand poking them for an hour. So I only have some limited pics and videos to post but we are so happy to have anything and more importantly to know they are healthy!

They are now laying in a T formation. Lenni's head is way down in my pelvis (which explains the crazy pressure I have had down there) with her feet up near my belly button. Ninja is laying straight across the top of my belly just under my diaphragm (which explains the very few deep breaths that I now enjoy). Lenni is 11 ounces and Ninja is 10. They are both a little over 7 inches long- about the length of a banana.

So their antics continue and we have another video to prove it. This is a video of Ninja and you can see the membrane that separates the two of them and Lenni's feet pressing against it and kicking her sister in the head!!! Yup in the head! Poor little girl! But actually Ninja didn't look like she minded too much- hopefully not!

Lenni's Video

Ninja's Video

Lenni's Only Close Up!

Stubborn but OH SO CUTE! This was the only good pic we could get of her. But we will take whatever we can get! They both have the cutest little button noses and sweet pouty lips!