A Sunday Adventure

Yesterday, I took my muscle relaxer (as usual) at 9am. In general, I will not have any contractions for at least a few hours after I take it. But yesterday was a different story. I started having rather uncomfortable contractions around 10:45am. I started writing down the times and they were 4 minutes apart. Then after a few more, they were 3 minutes apart. I waited an hour. Then I called my doctor who said to come in. 

I knew that if this was the real deal, I would not get to eat for hours (or days) and I definitely wouldn't get a shower for days. So I ate and showered and we took our sweet time getting up to the hospital. My mom was already visiting for the weekend, so she stayed with the kiddos (Thanks, Mom!).

Here's the pic we took at the hospital
as the potential last preggo pic.

~ 34 weeks & 1 day ~

When we arrived (around 2:15pm), I was hooked up to the monitors and my cervix was checked (around 2:45pm). I was 2cm dilated (I had been 1-2 for the last few weeks). At 3pm, I took my muscle relaxer as per my usual routine. At 5:15, my cervix was checked again and I was 3-4cm dilated. And, I was still having strong contractions on a regular basis.

My doctor decided to give me an IV of fluids in hopes of stopping the consistency of the contractions and stopping the dilation of my cervix entirely. I had to wait another 2 hours to be checked again. During this time, there was a lot of talk about me being transferred to UVA (the hospital in Charlottesville that has a level 5 NICU and is more equipped at caring for a premature baby than the hospital in town). 

I know what you're thinking- "But you made it to 34 weeks! What the hell? I thought that was the "cut-off" for being transferred?" Well, that's what we were told. But, we were also told that at the end of the day, it was up to our baby's pediatrician. You see, if the pediatrician is not comfortable caring for a 34-weeker, then he/she will suggest a transfer. And, it's really up to the pediatrician from our practice who is on-call when labor is imminent. So, even if our specific pediatrician is okay with it, if there is a different pediatrician from our practice on-call that day who isn't okay with it, a transfer will happen. And, when the on-call doctor was called (who was not our specific pediatrician), he recommended a transfer. 

So there we were: waiting. If The IV fluids didn't work, I was going to UVA. If they did work, then we were going to have to make another decision.

Two hours after the last cervix check (around 7:00), my cervix hadn't changed. It seemed like the fluids were working. Another hour later, I hadn't progressed any more. 

Then there was one more decision to make: stay over night or go home. My doctor was comfortable with me going home (especially because we only live a few miles from the hospital), but she said we could stay if we wanted to. We decided to go back home. We got home around 10pm last night.

I was told to increase the frequency of my muscle relaxer, go back on strict bed rest, and drink plenty of water.

So here we are: counting and timing contractions, rating the pain level of each, and keeping the phone nearby to call my doc with any questions or concerns.

Monsters

About a month ago, Gavin woke up with a terrible nightmare. He was insanely upset and we couldn't do anything to calm him down. It seemed like a night terror, but he was responding to us more than a usual night terror and it really seemed like he was awake, so we ruled that out and then thought it was a nightmare instead. It was. When he finally calmed down, we asked him what was wrong and he said, "There a monster in my room."

A monster? This was the first time either of them talked about a monster at night. In order for him to go back to sleep, he had to leave the room and get a snack. Then, he was only okay with going back into his room if the light of the TV was on and I stayed with him. He fell back asleep and didn't wake up again til the morning.

The next morning, we asked Gavin about the nightmare again. He said it was a big, red monster that was "not funny."

A few nights later, Vivian woke up screaming of monsters in their room. Then a few nights after that, Gavin woke up from a fear of monsters. These nightmares happened every few nights to one of them for about 2 weeks. But, they seem to be over... for now.

Fingers crossed that the nonfunny, big, red monster doesn't make an appearance again anytime soon.

Big Bunny

Last weekend, Wes' mom brought a sweet treat for the twins. They were ridiculously excited!

34 Week Check Up

I went to the doctor this morning and here are the updates:

• I'm still 1-2 centimeters dilated (same as 2 weeks ago)
• I'm still 50% effaced (same as 2 weeks ago)
• I'm going to take my muscle relaxer three times a day until the 36 week mark 
• I'm going to take my daily hormones until the 36 week mark
• I've been given the go-ahead to start moving around more over the next week

I'm also still having contractions on a daily basis (they're just not consistent). And in the last week or so, they have become stronger, a bit more painful, and larger (if that makes sense). But, my cervix has yet to be affected by them.

I'm going back to the doctor next Thursday for my 35 week appointment and the plan is to lift bed rest completely next weekend!

A Rant on Rushing

Disclaimer: I will be using my everyday language in this post. Which, if you know me, includes cursing. This is a rant. So, if you're offended by foul language, go read something else. Also, if you decide to stick around, read the post, and subsequently disagree with me, I don't want to know. Keep your opinions to yourself. I don't care. You didn't have to read this and I don't want to listen to you disagree with me. The end.

Okay, have the extreme-language-conservatives left? Great. Let's begin.

Over the last three years (since we had the twins), I have participated in several conversations with medical professionals, child care providers, family members, and other moms who have absolutely infuriated me. Okay, they've pissed me the fuck off. 

I'll start with an example from the twins' one-year checkup. After all of the poking and prodding, their doctor asked me, "Are Gavin and Vivian still drinking from a bottle?" "Uh, yeah," I replied. Then she proceeded to tell me that they needed to be off the bottles. I believe her exact words were, "They should have been off them yesterday." I was in shock. I remember my mom telling me that I drank from a bottle until I was two-ish. What the fuck? Who cares how long they drink from a bottle? Why does it matter?

This was the rest of our conversation:

• Me: "Why does it matter?"
• Doc: "Well, if you let them drink a bottle to go to sleep, then their teeth could start to rot because the milk will just sit in their mouths."
• Me: "Okay, what if they only drank water to fall asleep?"
• Doc: "Well, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to take the bottle away."
• Me: "So, they're not going to die or become severely ill from drinking a bottle past the age of 1."
• Doc: "Well no, but you really need to get going with this."

I left the doctor's office feeling like a shitty mom. But I was also an angry mom. I thought to myself, "if there are no real problems (FYI: if you think your kid being hooked on a bottle is a "real" problem, then you haven't experienced much hardship in your life and you may need to gain some perspective about the world), what the hell is the big deal. And, why do I feel like shit when I clearly realize that this isn't a big deal?"

Because a trusted medical professional told me. I really liked our pediatrician at the time and valued what she said. When I got home, I did some research and decided that we would try to get rid of the bottles after we moved to Virginia (when the twins were about 15 months old).

The two weeks of "Operation: No Bottle" were two of the worst weeks of our life post twins. So, we decided to wait another month before trying again. About 3 weeks later, G & V started handing us their bottles before bed on their own. We followed their lead, taking small steps toward total bottle removal. In about 2 weeks of very limited crying, they didn't want bottles anymore. Everyone was happy and we didn't have to rush them into anything. They were 16 months old.

Cue in the next major issue: potty training. 

When the twins turned two, they were still at that terrible daycare center that we didn't like. During the week after their birthday, we received a note (as usual) stating that they were out of diapers. But, instead of "More Diapers Needed" being circled, "More Pull-Ups Needed" was circled. I had never seen this phrase circled before. The next day, I went into the office (diapers in hand) and asked, "Why does this slip have "pull-ups" circled? G & V are not potty-training yet."

The bitch behind the desk replied, "Oh, well, they're now in the two-year-old room. And in the two-year-old room, they have to be potty-training/trained."

"Gavin and Vivian are not ready to start potty-training. And neither am I. So, I will not be sending pull-ups to school because they are not potty-training," I said.

"Well, that's the rule for being in the two-year-old room."

I said, "Excuse me? That's the RULE? Who the hell made this ridiculous rule? My children are not ready to potty-train and I don't plan to rush them into anything. They're only two! You can keep them in the one-year-old room."

"They're too big now for the one-year-old room."

"Are you fucking kidding me? They were in the one-year-old room YESTERDAY! What the hell happened last night that made them too big? Here's the deal: They are my kids, I'm not rushing them into something that I'm fully aware they are not ready for, and I'm not sending any pull-ups with them to school. So, you can either keep them in the one-year-old room or deal with a couple of non-potty-training two-year-olds."

Needless to say, I was very happy when we switched schools a couple of months later.

And no, our kids are STILL not potty-trained. And yes, they will be three in a few weeks. And guess what? I don't give a shit. Our kids will start potty-training when they are BOTH ready. Vivian has been ready for months now, but Gavin is a completely different story. Wes and I are not going through weeks of potty-training with one only to have to do it all over again with twin #2 a month or so later. So our reasoning for waiting is that (1) we want them both to be ready and (2) we want both parents to be capable of doing the training (remember, I've been on bed rest for the last 8 weeks). I just don't get the point of pushing our kids to start something when they aren't cognitively or physically ready. Whatever.

This brings me to issue #3: pacifiers. 

I'm also so fucking sick of people commenting on our kids still having pacifiers. Who the fuck cares? Are they going to die? No, they're not. And for all of you who want to reply, "They're going to have jacked-up teeth if you keep it up," doesn't everyone "need" braces these days anyway? So, shut the fuck up. Just like the bottles, we will slowly remove the pacifiers when they're ready. This slow-removal has already begun, with the twins mostly using pacifiers when they're in the car and sleeping (although since I've been on bed rest, the during-the-day pacifying has somehow crept back into their daily routine). But I'm not worried about it. And neither should you. Because guess what? They're not your kids. They'll get rid of them when they are good and ready.

I guess I wrote this because I'm (1) sick of the comments, (2) sick of people acting like not doing certain things is going to somehow permanently damage my kids (or anyone's kids for that matter), and (3) sick of the rushing. They're little kids. Quit trying to make them into big kids before they're ready. Get over it.

And by the way, I've been wanting to write this post since the pull-up incident. Nothing has happen recently to make me want to write this. So quit over-analyzing it.

One of His Inventions

He Gets Frustrated

All of the time. About all kinds of things.

You see, Gavin has a lot of BIG ideas about how things should happen, what he wants to do through out the day, and how to build certain things. And when things don't go his way, he gets VERY frustrated. Poor guy.

For instance, he constantly takes all of the cushions off all of the furniture in the living room and then attempts to make a castle fort. The blue prints for this castle fort are usually quite complicated. He'll start building and quickly realize that it doesn't look how he pictured. Then the loud whining ensues, "I prolly (probably) need some help! Dis (this) not working!" When Wes goes over to help him, he gives very specific instructions about where everything should go and if Wes takes any creative liberties in the build, well, let's just say that he should avoid doing that. After the castle fort is made to his specifications, you would think that all would be good in the world. You would be thinking wrong. Within a few minutes of playing, something else catastrophic will occur and the frustrated whine (potentially accompanied by crying and tears) will resurface.

We try to encourage him to, "Try harder," or "Think for a minute about what you want and then try again," but the problem isn't usually that he's not trying. Instead, it's that he wants to do/build/create something that is way beyond his abilities. We're glad he's inventive, but it would be nice to avoid the multiple-times-a-day-whine-fest.

She's Coming Around to the Idea

Lately, Vivian has been asking me to do her hair. Yep, SHE is asking ME. We have made a complete turn-around from a few months ago where she wouldn't even let us touch her hair. Now, she let's us brush and style it almost every day. And, she even has been known to complain at night when it's time to take her ponytails out. 

At the Park...

... with Daddy, Grandma, and Uncle Flip.

More Bike Practice

First Sand of 2012

This week, we broke out the sand table. Gavin and Vivian were SUPER excited about it.

Here they are a few minutes after the sand was first poured into the table:


And this was the scene about 30 minutes later:

32.5 Weeks

Today marks 32.5 weeks of pregnancy. In the last week or so, I've...

• had a good number of contractions. But, they've been inconsistent. So I haven't felt the urge to go to the doctor/hospital.
• lounged in the back yard while the kids played just about every day.
• reprimanded at our bad-ass kids for all kinds of ridiculous things.
• eaten a ton of delicious food (not prepared by me!).

In other news:

• I don't have a doctor's appointment this week (my next appointment is April 26th).
• Wes' mom and brother are coming down this weekend.
• My mom is coming down next weekend.
• The twins will be THREE years old three weeks from today!
• My C-section for baby #3 has been scheduled for June 5th (although my doc and I don't think I'll make it that far).
• I have 1.5 weeks until the 34 week mark. This is when my modified bed rest begins AND if the baby is born after 34 weeks, we will be able to stay in our hospital in town!
• I have 2.5 weeks until the 35 week mark, which is when I will be off bed rest completely.

Helping Daddy

For the most part, Gavin and Vivian are really good helpers; especially when brooms are involved. On this particular day, the twins decided to pour a lot of dirt on the porch so that they could sweep it off. Very helpful indeed.

no title necessary

"What's with the rain boots?"

I'm sure you've noticed that the twins seem to always be wearing their red (lady bug and car) rain boots whenever they're playing outside. Well, you're right. This habit began when we didn't have any sod in our backyard; just mud. Our backyard was a huge mud pit and the boots were perfect. They would put them on by the back door, play out in the mud, come back in, and leave their boots at the back door again. Then, we got some sod and the yard was beautiful, but G & V were already hooked on wearing the boots every single time we went outside. So, that's what's up with the boots.

Aunt Sarah & the Third Egg Hunt

Aunt Sarah came down to visit last Saturday night until Monday night. On Monday morning, Wes, Sarah, and the twins played outside for a while. They dug in the dirt, climbed on the lawn mowers, and posed for a few pics.

After nap that afternoon, Aunt Sarah put together a THIRD egg hunt for the twins in the back yard.

Once again, Vivian crushed Gavin in the egg-finding department.

Thanks, Aunt Sarah! Come back anytime!

His Special Spot

The weather has been pretty nice outside lately and we've been able to go outside just about every day. And when we go outside, Gavin spends a large majority of his time in the same place; his special spot.

Sometimes, it's hard to see him...

... but, if you look closely...

 ... there he is...

... digging in the dirt.

Easter Morning

Sarah came down to visit late Saturday night and on Sunday morning, Gavin and Vivian woke up to several surprises from Sarah and her mom, Renee. And, we got an edible arrangement (with chocolate-covered pineapple bunnies!) from Wes' mom. The kids loved their puzzle books, whistles, flip books, chocolate bunnies, glow-in-the-dark necklaces, and other goodies.