stream of conciousness

random thoughts I am thinking:
I get out of breath just telling directions to the kids from the couch
Some days I have lots of contractions, other days I only have a few (about 5)
My contractions are getting harder and uncomfortable (It was this way with Canon...for two months)
I'm getting SO ready to get up
I'm going home in 4 days! It's been 10 weeks on Wednesday, wow!
Avery fell in the pool today, my mom was right there and saved her though.
My sister spent the weekend here with her girls while Al was hunting. It was good to have her around :)
I'm anxious to see my house!
I can't wait to go shopping for Champ and the house, get my hair colored, and get a pedicure.
3 year olds really know how to stall.
I love my husband, he's been working so hard on our house!!!
I can't (yes I CAN) wait to see my sweet fourth child, what will he look like?
I miss my friends. I miss sitting up. I miss walking. I can't wait for summer.
I love Beth Moore. "So Long Insecurity" is amazing. So is her talk from Passion 2010, you can watch it here.
My camera lens won't open...hoping to get that fixed soon after I get home so we'll have it ready for Champ!
Happy Sunday evening!
Shelly

I can see it happening

Finally, I'm at 32 weeks (well, basically). I delivered the girls at 32 weeks, so this is always my biggest milemarker to get to. But since they were in the NICU, and NOBODY wants their baby in the NICU, I am always so anxious to make it further. That being said, I will continue to lay on the couch doing nothing except go to the bathroom for another 3 weeks. However, in TWO weeks, at 34 weeks, I will be able to go home to STL, to my husband, and new house! I am so excited and thrilled that it is only two weeks away, finally!
I went to the dr. today and my cervix is STILL stable, wow! Champ is measuring 4.9lbs, about a week ahead, and about the same as what Canon was measuring at this point...remember Canon weighed 9.3lbs at birth?!?! I think I have another big baby boy in here. He literally just grew so much this past week. I know it sounds weird, but since I've been laying on bedrest doing nothing I've really struggled to gain weight. It didn't help that I hadn't gained much when I started bedrest, with the holidays being so busy, moving, etc, I was pretty active. Let's face it, it was pretty depressing eating hospital food, alone. Anyway, my mom has been working really hard at giving me lots of protein and veggies. I only hope I can keep up her healthy cuisines for us and the kids once we are home. Since I'm gestational diabetic, its not like I can just sit around and drink milkshakes...even though I'd love too! So last week I gained 4lbs in one week! I could tell Champ was bigger, and today when I put on real clothes to go to the Dr. they were getting really small! Here we go, the feeling that you are sitting on top of yourself has begun. And I love it really, it means I'm getting further along!
Sorry for all that rambling, I'm just glad things are STILL going well. Praise the Lord. We believe HE has held that tiny centimeter of a cervix strong for this whole time, because in the past I've never stayed stable this long.

Phillip has been hard at work on our wood floors and began painting the entire house last night (with the help of some wonderful servant hearted people!). I'll try to post pics before long.

Here are just some recent pictures of the kids and my view from the couch.
Thanks again for the prayers, emails, help and servants hearts. We are 4 weeks away from TOTAL freedom! (36weeks = no bedrest of any kind)

February fun

Thanks Aunt Amber and Uncle Danny!

Kissing Cousins

The girls are constantly asking if Brenley is coming over. They love it when she is here. And so do I! My sister Angie has gotten to be around quite a bit since I've been here at my parents house, and we are enjoying every minute. Since we know that before long I'll head back to living 10 hours away from her again... The girls are playing great together and include Canon on the fun sometimes too. One of the sweetest things is when he sees Brooklyn, he goes over and gets right in her face, smiling at her. He kisses her, hugs her, and snuggles with her. It is so sweet, and who wouldn't want to snuggle with such a sweet little baby!!



re

finally getting closer

Yes, I'm still alive; Yes, I'm still pregnant!

Praise the Lord for the time I've gotten to spend here at my parents house with my kids. It has been such a blessing to be part of their lives again, helping in any way I can. I eat, sleep, and spend ALL day and night on this couch. I'm right here in the middle of the living room, in the middle of the house, a part of everything. I help put on PJ's while still laying down, and gets lots of snuggle and book reading time with each kid. My parents have been so sacrificing to take care of not only all my kids, but me as well. My mom has to make all my meals, and adhere to my diabetic diet. What a blessing it has been to me, very humbling to be in this position right now. Wanting to learn all the Lord has for me. We got Wireless internet here at the house yesterday and I'm back in touch with the blog world.
So here are my recent doctor updates:
*Three days after I got home from the hospital, I went to my doctor (my sister's doctor in Grapevine who is now my doctor) and my cervix was still stable and I had another Fetal Fibronectin Test. I had a positive result a few days earlier on this test, and they wanted to test me again to see if I really was going to be going into labor so soon. Well, the test came back negative! I really felt like I wasn't going to be going into labor in the next two weeks anyway...but I also felt that way with the girls, and they were born 5 days later. You never know how a cervix is going to act. All the doctors keep telling me that with cervix's they really just don't know. Every woman's body is different, and there is no perfect way to keep it strong until your due date. So bedrest has proven effective for me in my past pregnancies, and that is what I'm doing again. And this time it is proving effective again! I went back to the doctor today and my cervix is again stable, and we started talking about my plans to return home to STL. I will have to wait until I am 34 weeks, which is March 19, at which time, if my cervix is STILL stable, I will fly home. She said "NO" to the 11 hour drive. My next appt. is in two weeks, so until then I'm still here on the couch...enjoying every minute of NOT being in a hospital away from my kids. BUT still TERRIBLY missing my husband and being separated as a family. Phillip is closing on our house tomorrow! We are getting more and more anxious to be there together as a little (or getting bigger!) family of 5...soon to be 6. The further I get in this process of waiting, the more and more anxious I get to be done. We know this is our last natural baby, so I'm trying relish my moments of pregnancy before they are all too quickly over. I would have loved to be that mom who has 5 or 6 kids, great pregnancies, natural births, and no complications. Obviously that is not what the Lord has planned for me...but looking at my growing family, I am SO abundantly blessed in ways I never could have planned. I'm learning a LOT through all of these bedrests and depending on others.
I will never be the same.
I don't want to be.

next blog: belly pics :)

Hope

Yesterday I was HOPING for a negative result on my fetal fibronectin test, it was positive...meaning there is a higher chance I'm going into labor within the next two weeks....but only SLIGHTLY higher, not by much. I didn't put much stock into the test...but the doctors do.
I was HOPING to have a really relaxing day, but had 6-7 contractions yesterday, which I usually only have 3-4. So all of that got my HOPES a little down.
I woke up today and began reading the Psalms, praying, trusting and HOPING in the Lord. They didn't call me to go have my check until after 12. Phillip, Angie and all the kids were here. It was a blessing. I just kept praying and praying, HOPING AND HOPING, my heart was beating so fast, and I was trying to be calm. Immediately when he started scanning, I could tell it was slightly different, but was it good or bad? I didn't know until I saw the number come up...1.8!!! That is 4mm LONGER than the last 4 weeks and when you are talking about cervix's which are so tiny in the first place, 4mm is a big deal! He said the funneling was less as well. These are all GREAT things and he labeled me "stable" once again. I know ONLY the LORD was able to strengthen my cervix just that tiny little bit, that ONLY HE was able to let me be "stable" again so that I CAN GO HOME! My mom is on her way here to get me and I will do complete bedrest at my parents house, going weekly to my dr. for checkups. I've got to stay down there, because I want to stay there!
My HOPES were up and down, and based off of doctors opinions. But my ultimate HOPE was in Jesus. Knowing HIS plans for me are not always what I want, but they are what is best. In this case, today, they are also what I want. Just today in Psalm 25:3 I read, "No one whose HOPE is in you will ever be put to shame." Praise you Lord for allowing me some time at home with my kids, who need me, and I need them. Thank you for ultimate HOPE in You!

Thank you for your prayers! I am 28 weeks today. My next big goal is 32 :)