Setting things STRAIGHT!

My friend Valerie did a straightening perm on my hair today and I think I have joined my Mama in heaven!!! Ive wanted a Brazilian blowout ever since I heard about them but it was not even close to our budget range. Val suggested we do the straightening perm and it is A-MAY-ZING! I don't even recognize my hair.

You all probably think I'm being overly dramatic but I got my prepregnacy hair back!
Hallelujah!



Updated to add: I will post a picture when I do my hair tomorrow but it looks pretty much the same as when I did it straight - the difference is the work to get it that way. I use to use my flat iron over and over to get it straight (if it would go completely straight) but now it goes almost completely straight with me just blow drying it and its not as frizzy.

A straightening perm is a just like a perm but instead of using rollers Val just kept combing it straight while the solution was on. My hair was really curly in the back and got curlier after every pregnancy but the very front was still mostly straight. It was not evenly curly so it did not look good curly but it was impossible to wear down without intense straightening measures or using hot rollers.

My hair still has a tiny bit of wave that is gone with simply blow drying and there was one spot in the back that was very curly that I will still probably have to flat iron but most of the curl is gone.

Don't know if that helps any....

EXCITING!

Last night I called Labor and Delivery and they said they were empty so to expect a call at 5:30 this morning...I'm very excited and couldn't go back to sleep after 4:00 so I'm up, showered, and shaved and just waiting....waiting...waiting...

I do have some exciting news though...My cousin Kelly and I are about 6 years apart but neither of us had sisters growing up so we kind of filled that role for each other. Its been so wonderful that as the years have passed it seems that the age gap between us has also closed. Figure this, her husband Brian and John even grew up together in Seattle. Needless to say I feel much love for her and her husband.

When we found out we were pregnant it was kind of sad because neither of my brothers or Johns siblings were going to have babies really close to this little guy and both Caleb and Davis have multiple cousins within a month or two of them. But then we found out Kelly and Brian were expecting and they were just a couple of weeks behind us. Well, yesterday I got the call that she was in labor! They expected her to have the baby this morning between 6-8. Which means that their little Savannah and our Beckham are going to be born the same day!

Pretty much they are already best friends that they cant stand not to come to earth the same day!

Keep us both in your prayers and since John hasn't got a clue to get on our blog, let alone post, it might be a few days before I report back!

Lots of love and thanks for all your prayers and thoughts that you have given us in this pregnancy!

The Advantages to be Induced

• Babysitters are all lined up (we have the best friends who are like family, since we don't have any family around here...Thank you!)
  
• Laundry is all done and put away
• Time off from work is all lined up ahead of time
  
• The house is clean with clean sheets to put on the bed right before we leave
  
• The car is packed
• Make up makes for much better "after the delivery" pictures
• Season 2 of Numbers that the library has for me to pick up tomorrow to watch during labor on our DVD player
  
• I will be sure to get the meds I need before delivery
• Getting a blessing the night before
• Having a ready response for when people ask, "WOW you must be ready to pop!" ME: "Yes, I will be popped on Tuesday..."
  
• KNOWING that in 48 hours from now I will hold our new sweet baby!!!

Oh, and for the record my guess for Beck's eyes is blue. John refuses to guess! The only reason I'm guessing blue is because I had NO clue with Caleb but from the day I found out I was pregnant with Davis I KNEW his were going to be brown. This time around...clueless so I'm just guessing like the last time I was clueless. It would be sweet though to get a green eyed baby and have one of each!

The date is set.....

I went to the Dr yesterday and was almost a three. I think hes starting to feel sorry for me because he knows I just contract all the time. He very "aggressively" stripped my membranes (which is just as awful feeling as it sounds) and said that the inside of my cervix is almost dilated to a 5. The baby also has dropped and I went from measuring big to measuring smaller than where I am at in weeks because hes dropped down. He then put me on the NST and the contractions were showing up pretty hard. He said he expects that I will go yesterday or today.

Sure I will...

We set up Tuesday to be induced and I'm pretty sure I'm not going on my own after all of the contractions and everything that Ive been doing and still not going. I think I just get my body so in the "do not go!" mindset that I cant change it. I mean I have been telling myself since I was 17 weeks to not go...hard to just flip a switch. I still have contractions they are about 2-4 minutes apart and are uncomfortable enough to make me really crabby. One of the only benefits to contracting is that its a lot of work. Last night I slept really well because I was SO tired from the day and when I went for my apt yesterday I had lost 2 pounds. My body is working in overdrive but honestly its like 5 more days and just to have an end in sight for sure I think will help give me the strength to deal with the contractions for that much longer!

Is it just me or are you all ready to hear about something else because I sure am!
DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA!

Where the heck is Baby Beckham!?!

So....its a little frustrating to fend off all the, "you're still pregnant!" comments but yes this baby is going to be just like Caleb. With Caleb I pretermed bad and when I was finally off of bedrest I was dilated to a 5 and had contractions every few days and wouldn't progress. With Beckham I'm a 2 and have steady contractions all day long and about half of the day they are hard and about 2-4 minutes apart. I was at the Dr last week every other day because they want me to come in and be checked if they are 5 min or less apart. Seriously though...its kind of getting embarrassing!

{contraction}

I think whats the hardest is that you expect the baby to come early and then when it doesn't it gets discouraging. This is what happened with Caleb and by the time I had him I was all flustered. Ive decided to just let things go now and not worry about when hes coming and not expect him anytime soon. I have a apt on Wed and I fully expect to be there...pregnant. If he comes faster than that great {contraction} but I'm just not going to expect him.

I mean really, the longest I can still be pregnant is 2 more weeks, actually one because I think they will induce because of his size....Its just lame to have contractions all the time, hard ones too!

I think the biggest reason I worry about getting to far along is the strep issue. I have Strep but not strep B which is the one most women have, but the "weird" one as my Dr put it. Luckily this one does not {contraction} have anything to do with the baby but everything to do with me. There is a chance that during delivery it can get up into my uterus and if it does then there is a chance that I will have to have a hysterectomy. Its happened to two women at this hospital this year. The worst part about it is the Dr was honest with me and said that they really don't know how to treat it. For now they treat it like Strep B so I have to have 2 doses of Penicillin before I deliver the baby and then as a precaution he will give me 2 doses after the baby is born. In order to have 2 doses {contraction} you have to be in labor for at least 4 hours and with Davis I only labored for 4 hours. So I don't want to get to far along that I cant get the medicine in me before hes born. Which maybe its a good thing that he isn't coming on his own yet and perhaps inducing will be the best option to get me the medicine I need.

So long story short (I know WAY to late) Davis who I never had a contraction with before the Day I delivered him {contraction} will be my earliest baby at 38 weeks and its looking likely like both boys I had preterm labor and bedrest with I will have been induced.

The irony!

Preggo Update

Today I am 37 1/2 weeks which makes me happy and 1 day away from my January goal! This weekend I had contractions and on Monday I woke up with contractions 2 minutes apart. After doing that all day I finally went to the Dr because they weren't all that strong but just very consistent and I was dilated to a 1. He said they are probably Braxton Hicks contractions and I know all you Moms out there are like DUH! But honestly that was the first time Ive ever had them. With Caleb all my contractions were the real deal and with Davis I never contracted until the day I delivered. Plus Ive been told that Braxton Hicks are not consistent and I had been having them for almost 24 hours 2-4 minutes apart.

It did make me realize how not ready I felt to have him come. So in the past few days Ive washed everything in our house and last night Super John mopped our whole floor for me. Everything is spotless now but will probably only remain such until 9:00 am this morning but that's what happens when your baby #3!

Yesterday I contacted in the afternoon and evening, today Ive woke up with them...It feels like its going to be like it was with Caleb tons and tons of contractions but no baby. I just want it to be like it was with Davis one day of contractions and a baby by 8:00 pm! Its hard and discouraging to always be contracting! Plus makes you feel silly that everyone has worried and prayed so that the baby wouldn't come and now the baby is not coming! Perhaps you all have a little to much faith!

Today I have an apt so I will post what the Dr says this afternoon. He has mentioned several times how big the baby is. For example, you don't have a 9 pound baby...YET! Or I really liked what he said on Monday, "I don't think you are going to have the baby today, although he is certainly big enough." I guess the injected progesterone can make babies much bigger (a side effect that probably should have been mentioned BEFORE I took it) so they are watching his size since he was measuring 40 weeks when I was only 36 weeks. We have a friend here that delivered a 10 lb 11 oz baby this last week and I hurt just thinking about it!

So anyway there is my morning ramble because I just want to feel good and enjoy these last few weeks or just go and have a baby but please NO MORE of this feeling like Im always in labor when Im really not!

Updated: well, at least the contractions are not totally useless...I'm now a 2 and still contracting hard about every 15-30 minutes and I can handle that. Plus we decided to play the day away in St George and so the house is still clean! We came home and in the mail was a Christmas present for me from Chris and Dianna...the LDS version of Pride and Prejudice so the kids and I cuddled and watched the movie! Thank you so much-PERFECT TIMING! Then tonight we get to go eat pizza with some friends and play games at their house so its looking better and better that I will go to bed with a still clean house (thank you Wheeler family for sacrificing your house)! I feel much better than I did this morning! Oh and the Dr estimates that right now the baby is 7 1/2 lbs so that's totally doable!

red light...green light

Today I am officially 36 weeks which means I'm officially full term! This was my goal and I'm so happy to be here (well because of the baby-NOT because of how I feel). Its amazing how fast things change at 36 weeks. Ive been pretty comfortable (for a preggo lady) until now. But the end is in sight and now my goal is to hit January. One December birthday is enough! But the reality is that if I went into labor now, they wont stop me.

Anyway, here are some pictures we took this morning before church all in our Christmas get up. It was a nice Sunday with Caleb singing in the Program to just sitting in church with the whole family. As much as we complain about not being able to listen in Sacrament because of kids we felt very lonely when they were gone.
How did I end up living in a house with the 3 best lookin' boys in the world!?!

Seriously...what else could possibly go weird!

Today I woke up, got up and moving and I was hurting! It only took about an hour before I told John that I needed to get to the hospital because the pain was that bad and there were no breaks in the contractions, it was all one huge contraction. They hooked me up to the contraction monitor and there were some small contractions but not enough to say it was "labor" but I'm telling you I was in LABOR! I mean I was ready to ask for my epidural.

I could tell the nurses were trying to be sweet while at the same time rolling their eyes in the hallway at the wimp in the triage room. They weren't going to check me because they really didn't believe me so I had them move the monitor to try a different spot because what I was feeling and what was on the monitor did not match. It was so intense that it was like one big contraction. They were just waiting to send me home, since there was nothing going on when my urine sample came back and low and behold when it did there was blood in it!

This meant nothing to me but all of a sudden there was so sincerity in the nurse as she told me that I am passing a kidney stone! So they offered to give me an oral pain killer to send me home with but I cant take pain meds orally because they make me so sick. Ive had to many bad experiences to even risk taking one since they make me vomit violently which would do nothing but put me into real labor, while passing a kidney stone. They wouldn't give me a shot of pain meds because that's not their normal procedure so I got sent home with a water bottle and told to take two Tylenol and drowned myself in water (the same hard water that is probably what caused a kidney stone in the first place).

What really made me want to punch the nurse though was when she tried to tell me what a "real" contraction felt like! I just wanted to yell at her that this may only be my third baby to deliver but I have contracted more than most women who have birthed 12 children. I KNOW what a contraction feels like! All I could do in my pain and frustrated state was just cry though as she gave me my lecture and tried to "comfort" me!

Needless to say I'm more than a little frustrated! I feel like I finally got my life back and now here I am benched again told to just "wait." I'm so tired of feeling like the drama queen where if its not one thing, its another. So here I am typing away trying to discern the difference between labor and kidney stone pain, drinking my water, and just plain feeling sorry for myself!

This has been one LONG pregnancy! And please for happier reading look at the last post where we had the most rockin' Transformer party ever! Im sure I will feel better tomorrow!

Humpty Dumpty had a GREAT fall....

Not only do I look a bit like Humpty Dumpty right now, yes, its true I had a great fall....and I mean a great fall. We have a little step stool in our pantry so I can reach the top shelf and I was just putting the crock pot lid back up on the top shelf. When I stepped down rather quickly and my foot landed on the high chair tray (which I still cant figure out how it got there-no joke). The tray slid and I, with no great center of balance right now and only being able to fall backwards, fell straight down. I couldn't even get my hands under me, I fell straight on my bum..HARD! Thank goodness my water didn't break but the contractions sure started coming and it gave Beckham the hiccups over an hour.

The worst part is the humiliation and of course John was standing right there to see me in all of my big pregnant glory. I am afraid I messed up my knee though. I tried to get my other leg under me but all I did was manage to fall with my leg in some dead man pose. It hurt last night but I can hardly walk this morning. I hope its just sore. I just took some Tylenol and I think I will go soak in a bath. In all honesty the bath is for my wounded ego as much as my sore knee!

The bigger they are the harder they fall...I'm going to have to agree with that! And even though laughing at a pregnant woman falling is normally a huge faux pas...laugh with me at my brilliance the last thing my ego needs is sympathy!

Ahh the sweetness...

I cant describe the feeling of getting everything ready for a new baby. All of the anticipation is almost finally over. There is nothing like unwrapping new tiny little 0-3 onsies, new little socks, new sleepers, and their very own special blanket. I love getting their little outfit ready to come home from the hospital complete with hat and little gloves for their tiny hands. The blankets are all clean and folded, the burp clothes, bottles, pacifiers, and car seat are ready as is his very own "frogie" stuffed animal that is propped in the crib for him.

With Caleb I had a really hard time transitioning from the baby coming being a bad thing because it was too early and then having time to be excited and not worried. Ive put off washing and getting everything ready because I felt like it was giving him permission to come. But now that I'm 34 weeks on Sunday I'm not going to worry about him coming. Besides we are now into December and I DONT want another December birthday so I'm pretty sure hes going to hang in there until January because I don't want him to come before that, and well, we all know how headstrong I can be!

Great News!

The test came back negative. I was contracting on the monitor so I still have to be careful but at least we know that there is practically no chance that the baby with come in the next two weeks. That will take me to 33 1/2 weeks and I don't know if they will want to do another test after that or if they will just let things be at that point.

Other than that I'm drinking 90 oz of water a day to make sure I don't start retaining water and get swollen ankles from sitting all the time. Sounds great but when baby is so low and that much water means that I go to the bathroom about every 20 minutes!

I sure do miss my kiddos ....

Tonight the contractions are pretty bad. I don't know what, if anything, triggered them. I was just laying on the couch and BAM they started pretty hard. I'm frustrated. I figured with the kiddos gone it would be a breeze but I'm having to fight, and fight I will.

Tomorrow is my apt and I'm going to ask the Dr to get a little more aggressive and prescribe me some meds to help because my body is not able to do it on its own right now and things are escalating even when I'm staying down more and more. Tomorrow he will do another one of the 2 week tests that will tell me for sure if I will not have the baby in the next two weeks. If its negative that will be a huge relief off my mind since that will get me through to 33 1/2 weeks.

The one great thing I have to console me is how much I am enjoying reading all of the conference addresses from this last General Conference. There is just SO much to worry about right now, not just personally, but as a country and as a world where there is a lot of suffering. Each talk seems to just hit home with the message of hope, peace, and joy. I cant tell you how much having the Conference talks is helping me to be at peace right now personally with this pregnancy but also with all of the external stresses.

I'm very grateful for this time that I do have to just sit and have silence and how blessed I feel to to have words of these great men. I haven't had the time to really internalise Conference like I have this time since before we had kids. What a blessing its been!

Insomnia

I never realized how much of my tiredness was related to my kiddos. I thought I would get SO much sleep while they are gone. Without them wearing me out though at 9...10...11 at night I'm still WIDE awake. Plus I cant sleep in and I'm up by 7 every morning. I guess that's good because I can get a lot done but then again I'm not suppose to be doing a lot.

Poor Kate and Brian though since Davis did not sleep for them the first night. Its not fair that they have all the kids and aren't allowed to sleep and I have no kids and cant sleep!

If you want to read about the kiddos time in CA go here

Weekly update

Good news: I'm still not on full bed rest...

Bad news: I am still not dilating but Beckham is SO SO low. Half the time I stand up it feels like hes falling out and Dr confirmed that hes way low and putting a lot of pressure on my cervix. They had me do a non stress test and there were contractions showing up so I got to come home and get in bed. They are going to do another one of those tests that tell you if you are at risk of having the baby in the next two weeks on Wednesday. I'm suppose to go straight to the Dr if I feel any contractions. He said I may just have to come do a non stress test each day if they keep happening.

But another day gone and no Beckham so that's GREAT news!

Abstract verse REALITY

Ive known for a couple of weeks that our kiddos would be leaving....knowing that and watching them drive away are two very different things. The past two days everything about our kiddos have seems so magical.

Their eyes

Their toes

Their little smiles

Their ears, cheeks, hands, and every other part of them that I wanted to kiss and eat up.

It was so hard to hold them and know that I might not do it for another month.

How can one feel so much relief and so much worry, so much peace and so much turmoil at the same time?

I know they are in good hands, hands that can help them because I cant...it still doesn't take away the fact that they aren't in my hands. Im so lucky that I have people that I can trust to care for our kiddos and love them as I would.

I came home to a house that was dead silent and I keep listening to see if Davis has woken up from his nap yet because when you are use to having two active boys silence is a bad thing! Beckham is sad too, or just really mean, because even he is much less active than normal.

I LOVE MY BOYS!

Daddy is being brave but I know that inside he is hurting too...

*I know this blog has been a little depressing lately....we are going through a lot here but stay tuned because tomorrow I'm going to show you a list of all the things I'm going to get done while they are gone!

Why preterm labor is so STINKIN' hard!

Ive been thinking about this a lot lately as I can feel myself sink into a hole of sorts and well, I have a lot of time to sit and think. With Caleb I was totally unprepared for what happened and when I was stuck in the hospital and on bed rest for 8 weeks I really did not do well. I was depressed but instead of withdrawing I became very vocal and bossy and obnoxious. It lasted through some pretty serious postpartum depression that I was totally unaware of until Caleb was about 8 months old and then it just felt like I woke up, or broke free. Ive always regretted that time and always told myself that if I ever went through it again I would do better the second time around.

Well...I think its like saying if I get a cold, I WILL NOT get a runny nose! Some things just come with the territory. I am handling it better because I am more prepared but Ive spent a lot of time thinking about it and here is what I have come up with...

• When you are told to be on light activity you in essence become more idle. Sure who doesn't want to sit around be waited on, watch movies, and read all day. Sounds great but in essence it makes me feel lazy and that is not good for the spirit. Being productive and saying, "look what I accomplished today" is good for the soul. While laying around all day makes you feel like you are literally weighted down. Everyone feels yucky when they feel lazy
• It is extremely hard to lounge around while watching others do things for you. John works hard all day and then he comes home, helps with dinner, does dishes, straightens up, get kiddos ready for bed all while I sit on the couch and watch him do this. How unfair is that? I feel selfish and like I'm not being his partner but that I'm making him do all the work. John does not make me feel this way, I do it to myself.
  
• My poor kiddos want to have fun with mommy. Sure I can give them attention but having them on the couch to read with me is torture on my tummy. They cant help but jump on my tummy, hit me in the tummy, push against my tummy. So what happens, they get the brush off. They watch a lot of TV and I do try to do some fun activities with paint or play dough that will keep them busy but then its messy and so we are back to me feeling guilty about not cleaning up after myself. What happens....my kiddos are bored and frustrated so they act out, which frustrates me, so I'm cranky, which makes them more cranky....and thus the cycle begins as does the guilt that I'm not being a good mom
• I always tell Caleb to do his best. It doesn't matter how he does as long as its his best...well to me doing your best means working hard. So I'm doing my best to not work hard...doesn't make much sense to my subconscious.
  
• Then comes everyone being nice and wanting to serve me. I need this but its really hard to swallow because I was raised that you are responsible and take care of yourself. Its a hard economy right now and people are feeding our family! My parents and brothers family will each drive to care for my kids, not to mention to feed them. I would love to be able to reimburse everyone for these kind things but I cant, so I feel guilty. Its hard to accept service, its hard to say I cant take care on myself....

Now before you all start commenting about how I should not feel this way (and this will help me see who really reads my whole post-J/K) I KNOW I shouldn't feel this way. I have to do this for Beckhams sake. So now not only do I feel this way but I feel bad for feeling this way because I know I shouldn't feel this way!

See how messed up my mind is! At first I was hesitant about the kiddos leaving for an extended time but now I know that it is what is best for them, Beckham, me, and John. Only problem is how do I feel good about being on "vacation" in my own home when everyone else is dealing with my kids on top of their own responsibilities! Don't get me wrong, I am full of gratitude it just comes with a nice side helping of guilt.

Emotionally its just a lot. I have a long list of "idle" activities that I can do that will help me stay busy but resting while the kids are gone. I really am grateful for everyones service, its just hard to swallow sometimes. I'm the one that is suppose to help people, not need help! Oh, the life of being a human incubator...there is so much emotion to deal with that its gets so hard to be in my own head sometimes.

Thanks for listening to my rant, I know that one day I will be happy that I got this all out so that I can remember what I was feeling and that I will look back and it will seem like such a short amount of time and such a small sacrifice for another beautiful boy, but for now....I'm overwhelmed emotionally!

So sad.... and NO this is NOT about the election....

I had to put my Davis boy back in diapers. The saddest part of it is, not because of him but because of me! I just couldn't handle all the jumping up to help him with his underwear and checking to see if it was #2 so I can help him get all clean. Yesterday was pretty bad. It FEELS like Beckham is engaged now. Seriously a few times I would stand up and have to sit back down and see if I could get some of the pressure off. Not to mention a lot of tightening, not contractions, just feels like one big contraction. Tomorrow is the Dr to find out more....

I will just put him back in undies when Beckham is born, maybe by then he will be old enough and coordinated enough to pull his own undies up and down.

Good Updates

First off:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DADDY!

Today the Dr had me come in for a non stress test and they wanted to just run one more test since there weren't huge contractions but a few little ones. The test they ran doesn't mean a whole lot if its positive but if its negative there is 0% chance that I will have the baby in the next two weeks. Great news...it was negative! So for the next 14 days I am in the clear. My Dr said that I can be doing normal light activity. I cant mop my floor on my hands and knees but I can do things like cook dinner.

With things still up in the air I think the kiddos will probably end up going to CA for a couple of weeks and that should get me even a little further! I really love my family. When I first heard the bad news I called and let my parents know and I was talking to my Mom and she said that my sis in law Kate and my bro Brian would be willing to take the kids for a little bit and they would be willing to come up and stay with me and take the kids to CA and I just felt so bad. My moms response was, "Honey, were family!" My Dad beeped in so I switched over to talk to him and he said the same thing. That they will do what needs to be done and when I said, I know but I feel bad. He responded with, "we're a family." It really touched me and I'm so grateful. After everything they did to help with Caleb's pregnancy and now with Beckham it just makes me appreciate my parents even more...and makes me realize that you never really stop being a parent! And Kate and Brian are troopers for being willing to have 5 kiddos in their house!

As for a Davis update the super kiddo is 100% potty trained...only if naked at our house. If you put underwear on him its kind of a different story! He still does good but he cant help but go just a little bit in his underwear. My goal is to get him potty trained in the next few weeks so if he goes to CA he will be okay to go in underwear. We will see though! Hes amazing!

Beckham Update

I had my 28 week apt this week and it was long and unpleasant!

• First I had to do my blood glucose test. Yuck! I hate that super sugary concentrated orange drink they make you drink. Turns out it was to high. This was the case with Caleb too. I think its because Ive been less active since I have to take it easy and so my body does not regulate my blood sugar as well. I have to go do the long 3 hour test Sunday Morning at 6:00 to see if I really have gestational diabetes or if it was just a false test.
  
• Then I got my flu shot
• Then the Dr insisted on checking me (something about how if you are on Progesterone they have to check you) and the good news is I haven't dilated, the bad news is that my cervix is soft so all of the contractions have made some difference. So in two weeks I get checked again to see if any more progress is made and I have to start having non stress tests to see if I am contracting harder than I think.
• He also couldn't find the babies head when he was pushing around to see where the baby was and he said he thought that it might be really low and engaging already. When he checked me he said it was really low, not as low as he thought but enough to give some concern.
  

So, not my best visit to the OB! To give everyone a little perspective...

*This Saturday would be the day that I was admitted to the hospital with Caleb. The Dr said today that we really start to hit the important weeks here because if I'm going to preterm most women have the most problems now.
*To give you another perspective 3 days before Davis was born (which would be in 10 weeks from now if this were his pregnancy) my cervix was hard as rock and I had him 3 days later.
*At this point Becks is about as long as a dollar bill and weights about 2 pounds. His little fingers and toes will be as thin as a piece of uncooked spaghetti. Babies born this week do survive but with serious health issues and usually end up staying in the NICU for 12 weeks. They still have a high risk of brain bleeds at this point which leads to handicaps.
*In 2 weeks at 30 weeks the baby has a much better chance of being able to function normally even though they will be small for a long time and have some respiratory issues.
*Every day that Beckham stays in usually equates to 2 days he would have to spend in the NICU

Where do we go from here...I'm pretty sure that my house will get messier (if that's possible...Caleb told me today that the playroom is HUGE mess!) I will lay around more trying not to go on full bed rest. I'm pretty sure that the plan is to check me in two weeks and if I have progressed further I think they will put me on some sort of drug like nifedipine and I will probably have to go on full bed rest. I plan on being a very good girl so that we don't have to do that!

Please keep Beckham in your prayers, we really don't want to see him for 8-10 more weeks!

Today is a big day...

Most people don't celebrate the day they hit 24 weeks pregnant but we do in this house! It means that the baby is now able to be saved at our hospital. NOT that we plan on having Becks come so soon BUT if for some reason something happened now we know he could live. He would be severely handicapped which is why we now look forward to 28 weeks which is where they start to be able to be born and live a normal life. There are still chances of brain bleeds at 28 weeks but it starts to go down dramatically. 27 weeks 6 days was how far along I was when Caleb tried to come.

I was told by a labor and delivery nurse here that once you're 30 weeks they don't even blink an eye because they can do so much for them and they may be small but they catch up. Don't get me wrong my goal is always 38 weeks but still there is comfort in knowing that I'm getting far enough along to keep Beckham.

Its amazing how much he means to be already. Hes a little active one! I think I know why the name Beckham seemed so right because this kid never stops moving! I notice it more when hes not moving than when he is because he is that active! I cant wait to meet this little guy and hold him!

I haven't had contractions in about 3-4 weeks. Still pressure but Ive gotten much better at realizing what makes me contract. I was told once you start you wont stop but looks like for me I have stopped the contractions for the most part.

YIPPIE!