New Arrivals

A post from my husband pulled from our family blog (it is private, so please contact me if you would like to be added to it):

Just a quick post about our good news. Our twins were born yesterday at about 3 pm. JDB weighed in at 2 lbs 1 ounce and 14 inches and BVB weighed in at 2 lbs 11 ounces and 15 inches. They were almost 28 weeks when they were born, so they will be in the NICU for a while (at least until December). Both seem to be doing well, but are having breathing issues and need to gain a lot of weight. All of this is expected (we are told) because they were born so early. According to the neonatologists, the babies are doing very well given they were born at 28 weeks. Apparently the Fairfax Hospital NICU is one of the best in the country, so we think they will be in good hands.

Shasta is doing well. She started contractions at 1:30 pm and was in full blown labor by 2:30 pm. The hospital did an emergency c-section that happened so fast, they had to put her under general anesthesia which has been hard for her to recover from quickly. There were apparently over 10 specialists in the room with her during the procedure. In the end, apparently the toxemia kicked in very strongly and forced her body to quickly remove the foreign objects (namely, the babies).

Needless to say, it has been a pretty crazy day and a half. We are pretty glad they are ok, and Shasta is thrilled about finally be able to leave the hospital soon and excited to return every day to tend the babies on her own terms and diet. It is really good thing Shasta was at the hospital, because who knows what would have happened had she been at home at the time. It was quite the blessing that she was there with a very competent staff.

We appreciate all of the constant prayers on our family's behalf and ask for your continued prayers on behalf of our family.

Internet Failure

Just when I thought I couldn't be more bored, the internet went out on Friday afternoon and still isn't working (my husband was kind enough to post this for me). I hope that things start working on Monday. At least it isn't just our computer. Apparently the internet for all patients is out.

I was able to get pet therapy I had hoped for. It was great.

The girls were able to visit on Sunday evening. They brought their costumes (E is Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and A is a butterfly princess, complete with wings) so that I could see them. They also brought a small pumpkin we all carved there in the hospital together. E and A both drew the face and my husband cut it out. It is probably the cutest pumpkin we have ever seen just because the eyes are so disproportionately large and are shaped differently. It was a lot of fun. I will post pictures of the pumpkin later.

After our Halloween festivities, my husband came back to the hospital (after he dropped off the girls with grandma) to watch the Angels/Yankees game. I like the Yankees (boo! - my husband's editorial) and my husband cheers for the Nationals, the Phillies, and anyone that isn't the Yankees. It has been fun to watch the postseason together. For the world series, we will both cheer for the Phillies, so it won't be as interesting. We will still watch though. Go Phillies!

Pet Therapy?

For the last few days I have seen dogs around walking the hallways. Yesterday I asked why they were up here and I was told it was because of pet therapy. I still don't know what it is but I can assume they bring the dogs up here to lower the stress and anxiety of patients. I asked the nurse about it this morning and an hour or so ago my doctor approved pet therapy. I really just wanted to pet the dogs. It is very stressful not knowing if today is the day your babies will be born or not. It is stressful that every morning someone is waking me up at 6:30am to monitor me and take blood and who knows what else. I don't go to bed early enough to be woken up at 6:30am. If I did I would never see Doug. There are a ton of other things I don't like such as the constant tests the doctors can run because I am in a hospital and they have free reign. So, why not let a dog come in here once or twice a week to calm my nerves a bit? It sounds pretty cool to me. I was told if I had a dog of my own then I could have someone bring that dog in pretty often. So, I can bring a dog in here but I can't bring my kids in? Whatever.

All sorts of people keep telling me I won't be in here for long. Even the doctors are amazed that I am still here. I wish they would quit telling me I won't be in here for long because then I won't be disappointed every morning when I go in for an ultrasound. I am happy I am at 27 weeks, don't get me wrong. I am thrilled!!! I really am. I know its better to have babies inside than out but there is too much anxiety here and a hospital is not a restful place. Let's face it they put people in here to treat the symptoms but they don't let you rest. ;)

By the way, when I do have these babies and I get home a few days after that, I am planning on crashing on my bed for a day or so straight. So you can call but I will be asleep in a very comfortable bed, with comfortable sheets, and I will be able to finally sleep on my back again. I am excited about that. Until then...bring the dogs in here and let me relax.

A Little Thought

I love to write. I am obviously not very good but I used to be. I used to write a lot of poetry and short stories. Of course every short story was made up but I did win some writing contests while I was in high school. I stopped writing after I met Doug because life went on turbo speed after that. I have since packed all of my poetry away. I haven't read anything I have written in years. That is why I have started this blog. This gives me a way to vent, keep a record of what has been going on, and it might help me improve my writing skills, although I have forgotten a lot of the grammatical rules. Just to set the record straight I did not forget to spell. I rarely use spell check because I either know how to spell or I will figure it out for myself and look it up in the dictionary so I can memorize that word. My oldest daughter is feeling the brunt of my obsession with spelling. I always make sure she can spell properly. I do get a few eye rolls every now and then but for the most part she is just as interested in spelling as I am. That is a great thing because her dad still asks me how to spell quite a few things. Although, he does trump me in spelling the legal words, but I am catching on very quickly. ;)

I also wanted to add that even though the stay in this hospital has been pretty awful by anyone's standards, I do hear about the people who read this blog. I am blown away by how many people actually read this blog because most of those people don't even live here in this area. With the visiting hours what they are it is probably hard for people to come and visit a lot. I have my regulars and I love that they come because I would really feel isolated here. I have noticed that on the weeks people can't stop by or call or email, it is extremely hard to get through that week and your attitude changes. Yet, every time I pray about being lonely I know I am not alone. Not for the obvious reasons though. I know we are never alone. I am pretty sure it is also because of how many people pray for me although I don't know about it. Honestly, it can get depressing being in this room 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Since Doug can only come after he puts the girls to bed it limits his time with me. The girls can only be here once a week and that means Doug's mom is only able to be here once a week because she takes care of the girls all week long. So, on the days I don't have visitors to keep me company, my mind starts to wander. I am so glad I believe in praying about my problems and occasional loneliness. I am also glad that others have been praying for me even though I can't hear their prayers. I do feel the love from those prayers and I don't feel so lonely after I pray about it. It is interesting how prayer works. Anyway, there is a little thought to get you through your day.

27 weeks and already sick of the hospital

Yes I am keeping quite the count down. What else am I going to do as I watch the days slip away? I have a tree line outside that I can watch the colors of fall appear on, but only so much will change in one day. The colors of fall happen so gradually. It is a game for my husband and I to try and take pictures of the family at the height of the fall season when all of the colors are at their peak. Not this year, I suppose. I do want him to get pictures with the girls though, he isn't thrilled about that; I won't be there.

Lately, the staff here thinks it is appropriate to wake me up at 6:30am every morning for blood work. Then the staff apologizes on their way out and they always say, 'go back to sleep, sorry for waking you.' LOL I can understand saying sorry for waking you, I can't for the life of me understand why someone would say go back to sleep. They say this after they draw your blood of course. It makes zero sense to me. So this week I have had someone in here everyday at 6:30am ready to draw to my blood. I thought a hospital was a place to get better? Or maybe a hospital is where people come to have their symptoms fixed and then they can go home to get better? I really don't understand this mystery. Isn't a hospital staffed all day and all night? You would think they have 24 hours to come and draw my blood so they really shouldn't need to do that at 6:30am? Oh well.

I have managed to lose weight through all of this though. That could be seen as a plus, if I wasn't pregnant with twins of course. :) It isn't because I am on a diabetic diet either (more on that front later). I honestly think it is because I am stressed being in here. One might think I shouldn't stress because it will raise my blood pressure. That is probably true but everyday there is a new test I need to do or something else they need to check or more blood work for not so obvious reasons. It is stressful. Then there is this one nurse who finds it so important to tell me, before she takes my blood pressure, that she will tell the doctor on me if my blood pressure isn't perfect. I know that already, you don't have to tell me that every time you come in here. LOL That only makes it worse. :) Ah the joys of a hospital.

I think hospitals are trying to steer toward customer service but that might take a while to accomplish, I think. There is this one nurse that does come in here once a week and her presence means... 'venting time'. She comes in here for the sole purpose of wanting to know what is going on and what needs to change. I like that time. I feel so much better after that. :) I think it's a great idea for venting time. Everyone should try it. Just vent to the wall if you can't find someone to vent to. It might help. :) No, I don't vent to the walls here in this room but some people could find that comforting. :) Anyway, I will write more on the hospital saga later.

26 weeks 5 days...baseball and football

The highlight of this past weekend was being able to see Doug for a lot longer than one hour and being able to see the girls again. I now have my own room, thank goodness, so Doug is able to stay as long as he wants or he could stay overnight. I don't know if he will do that because the 'bed' for him is very uncomfortable and we think the girls might freak if they were to wake up and find that Doug isn't there. It has been fun though because Doug and I were able to watch the entire Yankees game together. It was a lot of fun because he was rooting for the Angels (no he isn't a fan but anyone that is against the Yankees will get his support), and I was rooting for the Yankees. We watched 12 innings here at the hospital. After the 12th inning I could barely keep my eyes open. So, at about 1am he went home and turned the tv on to finish it. Unfortunately, I couldn't resist the lure of the exciting game so I turned the tv on again and finished the game. 13 innings, wow!!!!!! I could barely keep my eyes open. I was glad the Yankees were able to finish it off. Doug texted me with his disdain of the Yankees winning. :) Our hope is that the Phillies can pull it off and make it to the World Series. Then both of us will be rooting for the Phillies. That would be great to watch.

I watched the Eagles play as well. I was sorely disappointed that they lost because they did not play well at all. It was frustrating to watch because I know they can do a lot better than that. Doug was pretty upset as well when I told him how the game had been going because the Eagles lost to the Raiders. Really? I mean, lose to the Patriots or the Saints. Not the raiders. Definitely don't lose to the Redskins!!!! They are pretty bad this year. Yes I love to watch football and baseball. I have never been to a football game, maybe one day.

I have been to several baseball games. Since we have moved out here we have seen several Nationals games. Now my girls LOVE the Nationals and my oldest brings her pink and black baseball mitt to the games so she can try and catch a foul ball. We have only been close enough to even try for a foul ball one time. It was a few weeks ago and we were thrilled to be so close. The tickets were given to us by a friend. Anyway, so before the Nationals were up to bat, when they would come back to the dugout the pitcher would always throw the ball to the crowd. The first time was the closest my oldest came to getting a ball. The pitcher threw the ball to the little boy behind her. She was so excited it almost went to her. :) Then as the night wore on you could see her disappointment written all over her face. Right before we left, as the Nationals were coming back to the dugout everyone stood up to try and catch a ball. Well, my oldest was jumping up and down and she was so excited. At that precise moment, a very thin, beautiful, 20 something, tall girl stood on her seat a few rows in front of my oldest and guess who received that ball? The whole section we were in started laughing hysterically. It was hilarious. My oldest was distraught though. Of course my oldest didn't understand why the other girl was given the ball and she wasn't. My daughter was distraught because, and I quote, "how was I supposed to catch the ball when that girl was standing on her seat?! The pitcher couldn't see me!!" My sweet thing. For the rest of the night my daughter made sure to stand on her seat as well to try and catch the ball. She didn't end up catching one of those balls or a foul ball so we will try next year I suppose.

Then a few years ago Doug and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to the 4th, Cardinals-Boston game of the World Series. We were living in Delaware at the time so we decided to take the long drive out to St. Louis, overnight, so we could see the game later the same day we arrived. My sister came with us so she could watch our oldest while we were at the game. It was so much fun. I think Doug inhaled 2 sausage hot dogs with onion, peppers, and mushrooms. YUCK!!! Of course that was the beginning of what we ate. It was nice to have a date night at a place we really both enjoyed. We were hoping the Cardinals would win but if you know your baseball history then you know what happened. That was the year Boston 'broke the curse'. It was crazy after the game. I am glad we weren't in Boston for that win, I could only imagine how crazy it would have been. It was crazy enough and we were in St. Louis. A few months later the movie, Fever Pitch came out and it was great to see because at the end of the movie they show a few scenes from the game we were at. We really had a great time and of course we took a ton of pictures because we didn't know when we would ever be able to get back to a World Series game. If you look at my facebook account, my profile picture is of my husband and I at that game.

Before I end this post I will also add that I watch the Cardinals first. Then, if they don't make it to the World Series, I will watch the Philles. I do keep close tabs on the Phillies although I don't watch all of their games. I watch the Yankees because they are the Yankees, they are a pretty good team, and it is fun to watch Doug 'boo' at the Yankees when they do win. :)

26 weeks, 2 days and counting...

Today was another doppler. Yes, it was still high. I did manage to get wheelchair rides every day. I could go down to the lobby everyday to see my kids but I am kind of scared of getting the swine flu so I made the heartbreaking decision to not use my wheelchair rides for the purpose of hanging out in the lobby. I hate that. I really hate the swine flu and the fact that is has been so hard on pregnant women. Until I get vaccinated I don't want to take any chances. I also found out that people won't be allowed to visit at all if this hospital has over 25% of patients with the swine flu. That doesn't help bed rest at all. :} This hospital still hasn't recieved the H1N1 vaccine yet. So, if anyone from the CDC is reading this, would you please hurry that process up!!! I have found a ton of places that are pretty close by where I could go and get the shot. I even asked my doctor yesterday if I could go and get the shot at a clinic since this hospital doesn't ever seem to be a high priority on anyone's list. I was shocked that he considered it. But the answer was no. So much for my attempted jail break. :)

I also found out some not so great news today as well. I have pregnancy induced diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Yea for me. This day has not been fun at all. How am I supposed to feel like I want to go another 7 weeks being pregnant when most of the news I hear isn't good. I also have TTTS again and that isn't cool. That part has to be deja vu. I am sure I did the TTTS thing 10 weeks ago. They even considered having me get the surgery again.

Now I am on a very restricted diet, which means yuck food. Why do I have to be so darn picky? I suppose that is what happens when you choose to go into the culinary industry. Be warned: if you are a chef, a food connoisseur, a food critic, Chef Ramsey, or anything that trains your palate, DO NOT GET STUCK IN THE HOSPITAL!!! You won't make it, trust me. :) The dietician told me I couldn't pick my food anymore and I am assuming my eyes popped out of my head. The dietician looked at me and said, "Don't worry, you won't lose weight." HA, she thinks I am worried about that. Well, actually, yes I will lose weight because I am so darn picky. That has been one of the hardest parts of all this. The menu here really isn't that great. There have been several days of Doug bringing in the meals my friends have made for them (thanks you guys, your food has been great). And I was enjoying my fruit smoothies just about every day. That won't be happening anymore. The dietician said I am allowed to eat steak. Any suggestions for great steaks around here? I wonder how long it would take for me to get sick of steak? Anyway, so now I get my finger poked every couple of hours and that isn't fun. I was enjoying the freedom of not being watched over like a hawk. Now there is someone in here every hour or less wanting to poke at me or ask me a myriad of questions. 'sigh'

I do feel that President Hinckley wasn't joking when he said he really did not like being in the hospital. He is absolutely right on not having any privacy. Oh well, I suppose that is what happens when you are in a hospital.

I put a whole new spin on hi-risk though. One of the residents even told me this morning that I am 'one of the more complicated patients.' I am always here to help. Sometimes I feel like I am a science project and not a person, with the residents. The doctors are all really great at helping me feel normal. The residents on the other hand...they have a lot to learn still. :) I think I might help them with that. :)

I suppose this wouldn't be a trial of patience or faith if bad things didn't happen, right? I will go with that thought. I did find a scripture though that makes me laugh every time I read it. Are you ready for it? It is in Mosiah 23:21-22. It reads, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless- whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day..." I laughed so hard when Doug and I read that one night. He gave me this odd look. I am sure he thought I had lost my mind. I see the humor in it. Until next time...

26 weeks...

I am now 26 weeks. That is pretty cool considering when I came in here I was 24 weeks 5 days. I have no idea how long this will last but the nurses were excited that I hit 26 weeks. Their new goal for me is to get to 28 weeks. The babies are fine. Their heart rates are great, they are breathing now because of the steroid shots, and they are growing like they should be.

I was able to see my girls again this past Monday. That was cool. They came at night and hung out on my bed because I didn't have a room mate at the time. They watched Monster House and cuddled with me while Doug, his mom, and I talked. It was nice and relaxing and the girls didn't have to wear the face masks because they were in here with me. I really can't wait until I get my own room so we can hang out in the room and not have to worry about those face masks. Of course, good things can't last. On Tuesday, one of the head nurses came in and told me that I can only have the kids in here ONCE a week because it isn't fair to the other patients, who aren't allowed off of bed rest, if I am constantly bringing in my kids and they can't see theirs. On top of that they want to try and prevent the swine flu from creeping up here. I asked them if they would lighten up with that rule after the vaccines have come out. She said after people have been vaccinated I could probably see my kids more often, especially since I will be in my own room by then.

I moved into this room Monday and at the time I didn't have a room mate. A girl was put in here with me last night. I don't think she will be staying though because the doctors keep saying she can go home today or tomorrow. Then I will have the room to myself for a little while at least. It was nice just having me in here, although I did like talking to my last room mate. She isn't allowed out of bed and I am so I would go over to her side and we would chat about random things for hours. It helped to kill the time. I didn't like that her doctors would come in at 6am and then mine would come in at 6:20am. Then her nurses would come in and then mine would come in (on the days the nurses weren't the same). Needless to say, we were both tired on some mornings because of that. I did ask my nurse yesterday where I was on the list for my own room and she said I was close to the top. I am thrilled about that.

Oh, and yes I did complain about that one nurse. A lady comes in every week and asks me if anyone has been above and beyond in their service and if I had any complaints. I told her about the situation and she couldn't believe that would happen. She said that everyone does need to calm down about the swine flu and the nurse probably over reacted like that because people are tense about the situation. I suppose some women on this floor have chewed out a few nurses because they can't see their kids. I am not one of those women because I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me. When I am nice and understanding it seems like everyone else follows suit. Then my days are better and the nurses don't mind getting things for me. It's a win-win for me. :)

I saw my kids

Yesterday I was able to see my kids!!!!! YEAH!!!! We were all excited about that news. On Saturday I made some friendship bracelets for my girls to wear so they knew that I was still thinking of them. It is hard to explain to a kid that their parents are still thinking of them although I can't see them everyday. Yesterday when they came in, my oldest had hers on and they were both excited that I made it for them. My youngest had left her bracelet at home and her eyes popped out of her head and she had her sad face on. She was worried she had lost it. I told her I could make another one for her and the relief she felt was great to see. I missed my girls. They were so cuddly and my youngest perched herself on my lap and leaned against me to cuddle. She tried to suck her two fingers but she had a face mask on so that frustrated her a little bit. My oldest sat beside me and cuddled. She also hated the face mask. They could barely keep them on because the girls are so small and the masks are so big. We did keep pulling it up though. I was a little peeved because at the beginning of the visit my daughters mask had fallen down over her nose. At that precise second some nurse on a power trip saw it and said, "you better put that mask back on, they will kick you out. I am not kidding, they will kick you out, put it back on." My daughter was freaked because the lady was not nice about it and I was peeved because we had been trying to keep them on their faces. If they want kids to wear masks then they need to provide kid sized masks that they have downstairs in the pediatric unit. I think a little bit of courtesy goes a long way. You can't be that mean to people who are cooped up here all day and haven't been able to see their kids in a week. I just glared and Doug rolled his eyes. I was mad. Yes I understand everyone is freaking out about the swine flu but honestly, them wearing masks around me won't help me because I still kiss my kids. We weren't in my room because I am still sharing a room, so my room mate wasn't at risk. Whatever though. Some people feel the need to be mean but what they don't realize is that we (who are here on bed rest), have very little tolerance for mean nurses and we will go talk to the supervisors about it. :)

I can't wait to get my own room. Now that I have been here for a week (no it has not flown by), I am now able to wait for my own room. My nurse said there wasn't really a turnover last week so that means that this week there will be a ton of women having their babies. Yeah for me. It just puts me a little closer to my own room. Since there is a lot of irony in my life, that means I will have these babies either right before I get my own room or right after I get my own room. Then, I won't be up here any more, I will go to the postpartum. :}

Other than that, nothing really interesting happened. Although yesterday while I was waiting for my family and minding my own business, this random girl, who was sitting across the room, looks at me and says, "your belly is so huge. Are you having your baby today?" Yes, I rolled my eyes at her and said no, I have about 9 weeks left. She said, "wow, your belly is really big." Not like it was any of her business but I did tell her I was having twins. She said, "oh good, then there is a reason your belly is so big." I was peeved!!! I don't know why strangers feel the need to express their concern for my big belly. It was really irritating. Earlier in the day Julie and Courtney came by to visit. I felt great after they left because they told me I looked great and that I wasn't really that big. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Yes, I know there are 2 babies in there who are both growing. Yes, I know I will be getting bigger. Unfortunately, one of the babies is making too much fluid so that means I am bigger than I should be. But still, I love my friends who say I look great. I don't really appreciate random strangers who don't know me but feel the need to express their concern for me. :)

Really, other than that, not a lot has happened. :) I get ultrasounds 3 times a week and the techs also print out pictures of the babies' profiles. Actually, they can only get Baby A's profile. Every tech says that since they are identical one profile works, but they do keep trying to look. Baby B doesn't have the room to move around so he is always with his face toward my spine and balled up a little bit, like babies normally are. I have seen him once during a 3d ultrasound and he looked cute. They both look the same on the 3d ultrasound though. I really can't wait to see them. I don't know why I am so excited about that though....they will look like Doug!!! If you can imagine Doug as a baby then that is what these boys will look like, I know it. The girls already favor him, so will the boys. I do keep hoping for the blue eyes though. You can't see me, my fingers are crossed...so here's hoping. :)

Day 5

Doug's mom arrived early last night. They ate dinner and then Doug came over to be with me. As soon as Doug arrived his mom called and our youngest was in tears. She talked to Doug for a minute then I talked to our youngest. She was upset and it made me tear up as well. I could imagine this little girl just wanting to be hugged, with tears running down her face. Poor girl. :( We will see when they will let me bring the girls in here. I put my request in so we will see what happens.

So far things are still stable. I did find out a little fact that helps being stuck in here. Every day I am in here roughly equates to 2 days the babies don't have to be in the NICU. So, I know it helps but it is torture your kids aren't allowed in here. Stupid swine flu. The babies look great though and things are good for today. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and kind thoughts. I am still pregnant so they are obviously working.

Technology Woes

I woke up this morning and I ate my breakfast, like I normally do. I set my computer on my lap and I opened the internet. It didn't work!!! I tried again, and again, and again. It wasn't working. I was really freaking out because I couldn't get an internet connection and I thought it was just my computer. I really wanted to scream. I finished my breakfast and tried not to think about it, but with the internet being my ONLY access to the outside world, how do you not freak out about that? I tried everything I could think of and then I called Doug so I could whine to him about it. He tried to think of everything that would work and after nothing, he said I would just have to wait until he came tonight. NOOOOOO!!!!! That was like forever away in the land of the lost in the hospital. I didn't want to wait. Doug then tells me to ask my room mate if she had a connection or if it was just down everywhere. I finally ask and thank goodness, it was a bad connection all over the hospital. :) Okay then, at least they were working on it. I am not the only one who NEEDS the internet to work. :) Obviously, now I have the internet but I was panicking earlier. This would have made my wait here a lot harder to bear without the internet.

An article by Richard G. Scott

Last week my sister texted me and told me that at institute she had a great lesson and the article they went over was even better. She finally texted the name of the article to me and wow, it is a great article. It is called, "Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need" by Elder Richard G. Scott. You can just look it up at www.lds.org. I loved the whole talk but one thing did stand out to me. One line says, "When we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously … , we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent."

I love that. This was a great article and of course it all makes perfect sense. I am so glad we have leaders who are inspired by the Lord. We can honestly learn a lot from these men. I am also so glad I was able to enjoy conference at home, uninterrupted so I could fully listen to every speaker. We really enjoyed conference this year. I can't wait to go back and read some of the talks when I get the chance.

Day 3...I love my own pillow

A year ago Doug and I had to buy a new bed. We had our old one for a long time and it was time to replace it. Many of you know that I love to use coupons and of course I was bound to find a coupon for something free during our shopping trip. After looking for days on end at all of the different mattress retailers I found the best coupons were at Sleepy's. I ended up with 2 free latex pillows, that we love, by the end of that trip. :) Well, over the past few months I ended up taking Doug's pillow and my pillow so I can sleep better. ;) Now that I am in the hospital, I only have my pillow in here with me. It makes the difference between an okay night's of rest and a great sleep. I am so glad I have it. I wonder if I can get Doug to bring me his pillow and I would be set. :)

Visiting Rules: (pulled directly from the inova website)

• There will be two blocks of visiting hours – one from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and one from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Visitors with any symptoms of influenza-like illness are not allowed.
• Visitors (including siblings) under the age of 18 are not allowed.
• Only two people may visit an inpatient at a time.

So that is how it will be during the h1n1 swine flu scare (at least for now). Doug doesn't visit during the week during those times so don't worry if you want to come by then you won't be taking up his time with me. He doesn't have restrictions as to when he can visit so he comes by late at night, when he can. Until later on today...

Day 2 and BORED!!!

I have no idea how I will get through this, if I am already bored on day 2. YIKES!!! The problem is that I LOVE the fall and everything associated with it. I love the changing weather, the colors on the trees, the fall food I make every year without fail, my decorations for the fall and halloween, and the excitement of getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes, I plan Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in October. I spend October testing out recipes and fixing the recipes to my tasting. By the time Thanksgiving and Christmas come around I have the perfect meal planned out and everyone loves what I have come up with. I can't do that from the hospital. :( Although I am excited that Doug's mom is coming; maybe she will make some caramel popcorn for me. I also love to make cookies and goodies for my friends. I love the look on their faces when I would randomly show up and present good treats. Oh well. I have all of next year to look forward to, I suppose.

I managed to get through today by texting a lot of my friends and family. Doug also came by for a couple of hours and that was great. Unfortunately, it ended up being him talking the whole time because he is the only one who has done anything in the last 24 hours. Any news about the babies I text him with immediately. It was fun to just have him here though, it wasn't so boring. I also found out that after I have been here for 7 days, my name gets put on a list for my own room at no charge. YEAH for that!! Again, am I excited to be here for that long, no but at least there is a perk...my own room. Soon I will be moved to a window bed, when one opens up.

A whirlwind

Monday, October, 5, 2009 was a whirlwind of a day. It started out normal enough; I woke up, ate breakfast, hurried to get my oldest ready for school and my youngest ready for the babysitter. I had an ultrasound scheduled at 9:30am and we needed to hurry. We all stayed up late the night before, we were at a friend's house for dinner. After the ultrasound, Doug started teasing me that I was going to be incarcerated in the hospital and that I wasn't leaving the hospital for a long time. I laughed as he teased but little did I know how true that was going to be. After a long wait, which is what happens when something is wrong, the doctor did come in and tell me that she wanted me to go to the Fairfax hospital because she wasn't sure when I would be delivering. Fairfax has the better NICU for preemies. So, I was leaving the hospital, only to return to another hospital in the same county. It was almost noon when we left the ultrasound appointment and I was hungry. I told Doug I wanted to go and explain to our oldest what was happening on the way to the hospital. I was also hungry so I wanted to eat lunch with her at her school. She was so excited to see us and I think she was excited we were eating with her.

She is a funny kid. She has always been able to make friends but seeing her with her friends was hilarious. We walked into the cafeteria and all sorts of boys-yes boys- were waving and calling at Emma. She just waved back like it was no big deal. She even sat right in the middle of a table full of boys (she was the only girl at the table), to eat her meal. Unfortunately she had to move to another table to eat with us because there wasn't room for us at her table of friends. After lunch we meandered over to where our youngest was so I could say good bye to her as well. Right now in the hospitals you aren't allowed to have your kids here because of the H1N1 flu scare. So, I needed to say good bye to my girls because I knew it would be a while before I saw them again. A nurse here thinks that the ban will be lifted after the patients here at the hospital have been vaccinated.

Eventually we made our way to the hospital. I could feel this weight just looming over me ready to drop at any minute. After they registered me and showed me to my room, the weight did drop. It is sooooooo BORING here!!!! I feel torn between being here for a long time and wanting to have these babies now. I know it is better if these babies stay inside for as long as possible but do I really want to be here? NO!! I want to be at home with my husband, my kids, my really nice bed, and my halloween decorations. I have never done well being couped up- ask Doug about what happened after our oldest was born and I was told she couldn't leave our apartment until May. FYI- she was born in early February. I had cabin fever so bad at one point Doug kicked me out of the apartment and told me to go to Sonic for a long while. It is hilarious now to look back and think of that time but I hated it.