Update

Well, still in the hospital.

Liver enzymes are falling, but still not in normal range, so by OB is holding me captive here to infuriate me having me stay to make sure that I am ok before she lets me go home. 

The doctors have ruled out all kinds of issues, and the GI doc who came and talked to me today has diagnosed me with some type of fatty liver issue.  Sounds highly unglamorous and a little bit gross, but apparently it can be controlled with diet (no more double cheeseburgers for me) and goes away after delivery.  Question is if my OB will let me go home to try to manage it on my own, trusting I won't engorge myself with fatty foods, or if I get to stay here while they monitor my blood count and food intake.

I have read 1 book, watched 3 movies, spent 8 hours on the baby monitor, had 2 very in depth ultrasounds, solved an amazing amount of crossword puzzles, and played countless games of solitaire on my phone. 

In fact, I think I may be becoming a solitaire genius, or addict, depending on how you qualify each.

Only in a Hospital

Only in a hospital do you get to enjoy the following things:

1 - Shots in your backside
2 - Band aids on your backside from the above mentioned shots
3 - An ice bucket containing your "liquid emissions" from the past 24 hours cooling on the bathroom counter
4 - Showering with a blue rubber glove over your iv port so you feel a bit like Michael Jackson
5 - Ice packs made from baby diapers
6 - Being woken up at 1 am to hang out with Velcro straps and monitors wrapped around your belly for an hour
7 - Lots and lots of pokes in your arm to suck your blood out
8 - Have someone bring you chocolate ice cream at 10 pm because you just can't get the broccoli taste out of you mouth from dinner (best nurse ever!)
9 - Getting to read an entire book in less than 2 days
10 - Updating your blog 2 times in one day because you have time!

Just a Little Adventure

What happens when you have the next 2 weeks all planned out?  Something is guaranteed to happen that will shoot those plans to you-know-where is what.

Starting last Friday, we had things planned out where we had help coming and going to assist in finishing projects, get things ready for the babies, etc. And then, reinforcements are arriving in the form of L's 19 year old niece who is staying for the entire month of July (unless she runs away after realizing what she has really agreed to).  So, all we had to do was make it 2 weeks and coast would be clear - there would be an extra body in the house in case anything happened, everything we needed to have finished would be done, I would have help with the kids, if I went into labor someone we had childcare covered, etc. Perfect!

In the meantime, my step-dad was coming up to help us finish the basement bathroom we are putting in to make L's niece's stay more comfortable.  And after that, my dad, step-mom, and sister and her family are arriving to celebrate the 4th of July holiday with us.  Perfect!

Then came Friday evening, a first time taking of a pill to slow some "practice" contractions I was having, a lovely meal prepared by my step-dad, followed by sharp uncomfortable pain, the shakes, and an overall feeling of "just not right".  Which then led to a shuttling of the kids to the neighbors, a quick trip to the ER, and hospital captivity that hasn't ended yet.

Long story short, no one is quite sure what is going on with me.  In fact, I was really close to being able to go back home Friday night after babies looked good on the monitor and I seemed to be doing better.  Better until I yakked up my entire dinner in the triage area of the Labor and Delivery Department - apparently that's a sign something ain't kosher.

So, after a long night of being admitted to the hospital, having blood drawn, liver enzyme count that apparently was through the roof, a never-ending ultrasound at 1 am looking at both babies and my internal organs by a tech that was less than enthusiastic about being woken up to come in and scan my parts, and an evening of no sleep, I am still here.  It is Sunday, and the earliest I can escape this joint, if ever, until babies come, is tomorrow morning.

You know what they say about best laid plans, right?

There are/were several theories but no definite answers about what is going on with me.

1 - I passed a gall stone
2 - Very rare reaction to the medication I took Friday night
3 - I have some scary liver issues that I could die from (theory eliminated and no longer a worry)
4 - I am in early stages of pre-eclampsia
5 - Who knows - I am just a complete freak

So, I am here while they run more tests including collecting lots of blood, monitoring the babies and contractions every 6 hours, 2 ultrasounds, and saving my liquid, ahem, "output" for the next 24 hours to test it. 

Worst part is I feel fine.  And I feel guilty. And I know there is laundry to do, and the babies' room isn't finished yet, and the floors are dirty, and we are out of milk, and L and my step-dad aren't getting to work as much on the basement as they need to, and I haven't vacuumed for a week, and we told K we would take him to CARS 2, and on and on and on.....

Best laid plans.......

Sittin' on my Duff

As my due date creeps slowly closer, my body is increasingly feeling the pain and pressure of carrying two little people in it.  I am starting to walk like a slow-moving elephant, and getting in and out of anything is increasingly comical.  And then there are the questions of my due date - they have turned from inquiries of interest to inquiries with hidden tones of  "Please tell me you are due soon because you are HUGE!".

Over the last week, the frequency of my Braxton Hicks contractions (or Fakey contractions as I call them) has increased.  They increased enough yesterday that I earned myself a trip to the hospital for some one-on-one time with a Non-Stress Test machine.  After an hour hooked up to 3 different monitors and a nurse checking me in unpleasant places, I have found myself sitting on the couch on "bed-rest".

And so it begins......

I'm having flashbacks to 6 1/2 years ago with Twin Pregnancy #1 when I found myself in the same position.  Sitting on my hiney, feeling completely helpless and unproductive - noticing every unclean nook and cranny of my house from my resting spot and making mental lists of all the things that need to be done that I can't do because I am supposed to be resting and off my feet.  Except this time, I am trying to manage three little people from the confines of the couch on top of it.

Luckily, thanks to some wonderful neighbors and some well-timed visits from family, the kids are for the most part scheduled to be entertained and engaged without me having to have the TV on for 16 hours straight.  

I'm crossing my fingers that given a couple days of inactivity, my body will calm down and I can resume normal function.  If not, the next couple weeks until these babies arrive may be a tad bit interesting!

Sleep (or Not So Much Sleep) Patterns

Several of you have asked how the "Pain in the Posterior" is going.  Basically, after 3 months of seeing the chiropractor, trying lots of different medications, and sleeping in all types of places it is still here.  So, an overnight usually goes like this:

10pm - Take nausea drug that kinda knocks me out and cross my fingers that it works
10:02pm - Use the restroom
10:15pm - Lay down
10:30pm - Fall asleep
11:30pm - Get up to use the restroom
11:45 - 12am - Toss and turn trying to find a spot where my butt doesn't hurt
12am - Give up and head to rocker in nursery
12:05am - Go to the restroom
12:15 - Fall asleep sitting straight up in rocker
2:15am - Go to restroom
2:30am - Fall back asleep in rocker sitting straight up
4:30am - Wake up and decide to try the bed again
4:32am - Go to restroom
4:35 - 5am - Go back to bed, toss and turn trying to find "non-pain in the butt" position
5am - Give up and go back to rocker
6:30am - Wake up in chair aching all over except for in butt, which feels fine
7-7:30am - Stand in shower for half hour trying to loosen up all my muscles from sleeping in a chair all night

During all of this L is trying to get a good night of sleep as well, which isn't going too well in between me flipping around all over the bed and disappearing into different chairs around the house at strange times at night. 

We both have decided we will probably get more sleep when the twins actually arrive versus this mess. 

Never thought I would say I am ready to have a baby so I can get more sleep.

Waving the White Flag

A certain body part of mine has given up.  It has basically said to me, "Over the past 6 years, you have placed 5 children on top of me.  Twice, you have put 2 at a time on top of me. I am tired of being squished, pushed, slammed, and pressed. I surrender!"  

That's right, my poor little bladder has raised the white flag.  Every sneeze, cough, lift or motion other than walking causes it teeter on the brink of failure.   And I don't blame it one bit.  It'd be tired too.  Especially when at my most recent ultrasound, it showed Baby A with his adorable little head resting right on top of it.  He's basically head down, with all his body weight shoving onto my bladder. If I were a teeny little bladder with a big baby head pushing on me, I'd be giving up too.

Although there are many reasons why I want my little friends to stay in and cook a little longer, I won't miss the creep of panic every time I feel a sneeze coming on once they arrive.   Right now, I spend half my day in the restroom trying to appease my excretory organ - I figure the more I can keep it close to empty the longer and more willing it will be to hang on.

In addition to Countdown to Sleeping Better, Taking Less than 10 Minutes to Get Out of Bed, Walking without a Waddle, Wearing Clothes that Don't Look Like Tents, and Seeing my Feet Again I am anxiously awaiting my dear bladder resuming normal function.

Top 10 Things That Just Ain't Gonna Happen Anymore

Lately, L and I have been entertaining ourselves with coming up with things that either will be impossible or just laughable once the babies arrive.  Thought I would share my Top 10 Things That Won't Happen if Our Entire Family is Together....

1. Any type of long distance travel that involves an airplane
2. Immediate seating at Chili’s on a weekend night
3. Walking into any public place without drawing attention
4. Hiring just one babysitter
5. Parking both cars in the garage (Picture 5 kids worth of bikes, scooters, wagons, strollers, etc)
6. Using just 1 lb. of ground beef to make dinner
7. Anyone besides crazy people inviting our family over for dinner
8. Movie night at home involving any film that is not rated G for at least 8 more years
9. Being able to leave all of our children with a single set of grandparents for more than 24 hours without someone passing out in exhaustion
10. Staying in one hotel room and everyone still having a bed to sleep in

Photographic Proof

To all of you who have said to me, 'You barely look pregnant from the back!" or "You're all belly." - just saw some photos of me taken of me when I wasn't aware I was being photographed. 

I have officially deemed all of you "Full of Crap".