30 weeks!

Update: This ended up being another "hospital week". I went in Monday night for increased contractions that essentially did not change my cervix overall and slowed back to "normal" without any further intervention. I was in for two nights total and back home on Wednesday when we hit our 30 week mark!



You know you've been to the hospital too much when:

- One of the doctors in the practice tells you the same joke he told you a month ago

(" Sterile is Latin for cold! Hahaha!" - it was cute the first time.....)



-Your vagina has seen more action then when you were trying to get pregnant, and not the fun kind of action.



- you can set up the contraction monitor and fetal monitor yourself.



-You know half the nurses' life stories and are asking how their kid's soccer game last week went.



- When you leave they all wave, smile and say, "see ya in a week or two!!".



- you no longer get impatient when waiting on the doctor, nurse, lab, food etc. It's just the way it is in the hospital.



- you can read ultrasounds yourself



- you're surprised when you're put into a room you haven't had before



Yes we've been in and out a lot. 5 times now I think. We've had some amazing nurses and are always pleased with the doctors we've had - even the one who must have gone to "Strawberry Shortcake University" as Brooks pondered. We have heard lots of positive encouraging stories and each time we leave we are again encouraged that we can DO THIS. One of the most amazing stories we heard last time was of a Chinese patient who came in, full term, in labor and 7 cm dilated. Those of you who have been through this know that when you're 7cm you're on the home stretch and there is NO stopping that freight train. This woman declared that she was NOT having this baby yet. She wanted her child to be born under a different Chinese sign, which did not change for another day and a half. That amazon (no typo here, I mean AMAZON ...and amazing...) woman held off delivery of that child for a day and a half with NO medicinal intervention. She had her child born under her terms. Freakin' amazing.



I COULD make it to 36 or 37 weeks. It COULD be done. The doctors all warn us how unlikely it is, which is their job. But thanks to that nurse that gave us renewed hope for our dream of a full term baby and renewed faith in the power of positive thinking. In my experience being a good nurse is more that putting in an IV without the patient screaming, spewing out medical info, or helping to deliver babies. It involves something much more important than that. It involves delivering hope to those who need it.



So here we are, 6 weeks after our first scary hospital visit. 6 more WEEKS we've made. I think that's pretty good. And 6 more? We could do it and if we don't we'll still be ok. But here's to hope, again. And to those nurses, thanks, and we'll see ya next time.....



Oh and here's a recent pic of our beauty queen putting pigtails in her great grandpa's hair. :)