Another day, still pregnant

Today has been a good day overall. The doctors have reviewed all the information from the contraction and heart rate monitors from last night. They have determined that she is once again stable and they moved us back up to the 4th floor to OB Special Care. That was an enormous relief because if they thought delivery was eminent, they would not have done that. Kate's contractions have not gone away, but they are spaced out. We cannot seem to get a real good read on what the doctors are looking for to determine "stable" condition. They have told us that some women have contractions their whole pregnancy, but as long as their cervix does not change (thin or dilate), it is not a big issue. Kate has had some thinning of her cervix, but no change in dilation since last week Tuesday, so we are holding on to that as a source of encouragement that the contractions are not heading towards delivering the babies just yet. Kate is still trying to determine what a contraction is and what is not. We had some times where it looks like she is having contractions and the nurse says it is just an "irritable uterus", and others where we thought the graph looked good and the first question the nurse asks is "can you feel those?". By in large, Kate cannot feel most of the contractions, apart from feeling her belly to see if it hardens or tightens. This is a huge source of frustration for Kate, as you can imagine.

Please pray that the doctors can find the right mix of treatments to keep Kate's contractions at bay. We praise God for another day that our boys have had to grow and develop in the place that their Creator has designed them to. We trust that His plan is good and perfect. We pray not for an easy path, but that God will give us the feet to walk the path, where ever it may lead.

A beautiful sunrise

Praise God. It is about 10:00 on Thursday morning and although we are still on the labor and delivery floor, Kate is doing well and she is still pregnangt with twin boys - 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant to be exact. God has answered the prayers of His people, and her contractions have spread out considerably...up to 25-30 minutes at times! This is really great news because she is on a lower dosage of Mag (2 grams per hour instead of 3 grams per hour that she was on until about midnight), and she is feeling much better. The doctor wanted the babies heart rates tracked constantly, which has been a bit of a pain. The little mechanism they use to track their heart rate is designed for later term babies...not two squirrely little 1+ lbs babies. Our poor nurses throughout the night and morning really drew the short straw. The nurse last night was in our room for the better part of three hours trying to get the monitors so that they would track the babies effectively. Kate's belly just does not offer very much real estate to work with just yet, so our boys have really tested the resolve of the nurses here (way to go boys!!). Every time Kate would shift, the nurses would have to come and readjust the monitors, so she did not get a lot of sleep. Myself on the other hand...slept like a baby (no pun intended of course). There is a really comfortable couch in the delivery room that has been my silver lining through this storm. I can actually stretch all the way out on it, which is a huge bonus compared to the 2 foot by 5 foot sorry excuse for a cot thing they have on the 4th floor. My feet actually touch the ground when I lay on my back...it is awesome. When the doctors told us that they wanted to monitor Kate down here over night, I tried to give Kate a high-five because that meant I was going to get to stretch out. She left me hangin'. She does not always respond well to my attempts to "ease the tension".

Right now Kate is really just tired from all the activity and emotions of yesterday and last night. She does have periodic spells of dizziness and nausea, and she often feels very warm. These are all side effects of Mag, who has what I will describe as a prickly demeanor. She is resting now as we listen to the heart beats of our twins...it really is a very soothing, intoxicating sound, almost like a lullaby. Maybe I will make a recording of it and have Billy Mays sell it on TV.

When I got up this morning, the sun was rising over the city. We now have a view looking south over the city, and instead of the high rises we are accustomed to with our "normal" westerly view, the tallest structures to our south consist of 5 different church steeples. As the sun came up, it just illuminated these structures, and I could not help but think of God's faithfulness and His very close presence throughout this last night and throughout the last 8 days.

We want to send a very heartfelt "THANK-YOU" to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have held Kate and the boys up in prayer. We have received so many phone calls, cards, emails, and visits that we could never begin to say thank-you enough. You have all been "Jesus with skin on" to myself, Kate, and our little baby boys.