Still Cookin'...

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you.  Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."  Isaiah 41:10
"Rejoice in our confident hope.  Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying."  Romans 12:12


We got some "good" news today...I do not have gestational diabetes.  Yay!  After failing yesterday's 1-hour glucose tolerance test, I had pretty much convinced myself that that was going to be the next bit of bad news...such an optimist.  Keeping a positive attitude requires daily effort!  Luckily this morning, I passed the 3-hour test, determining I do not have diabetes.  The rest of the news has been pretty much the same, no changes really, which is a good thing.  The babies continue to look great which is most important!  My doctors told me today that the plan will be for me to remain in the hospital until I reach 28 weeks as long as things continue to be stable.  That is 2 weeks from this Friday.  I cannot wait to go home, but at the same time I get such comfort by the daily monitoring and checks they are doing on me.  This has been quite a frightful situation, especially when we first came into the hospital, at not even 24 weeks yet.  This coming Friday will be 26 weeks.  Babies are considered viable to some degree at 24 weeks.  The next big milestone is 28 weeks.  At 28 the survival jumps to somewhere around 90% with a much less likelihood of having any comorbidities.  After that, 32 weeks is the next big milestone.  Hoping and praying I am able to get at least to that 30 week mark!  Just like we didn't really know much about twins when we began this journey, we really didn't know anything about pre-term labor or preemie babies at all.  I wish I had better prepared myself for the possible complications a multiple pregnancy can bring.  The past 2 weeks we have been inundated with information, which has been quite overwhelming at times.
Hospital bed rest is tough and certainly no walk in the park for someone who is used to being on the go!  Thank God for the gift of modern technology!  This would be virtually impossible without a laptop, cell phone, and Kindle...little "windows" to the outside world!  I do believe God has brought us to this situation for a reason.  Something good will come from it!  I have certainly been enjoying spending more time with Him and seeking His will for our life as a family.  His mercies are new every morning, praise God.
This past weekend was Mother's Day.  Not fun to spend Mother's Day in the hospital, but was so fortunate to have lots of visitors, namely Kate.  Joe tries to bring her up every couple of days so hopefully she won't think I've totally deserted her!  She is doing great and we are so thankful for the support we have had with her.  I was upset when Joe and Kate had to leave Sunday night to go home, wishing I could go with them!  A kind nurse hoping to lift my spirits brought me a survey to read that another patient had filled out about being on long-term bed rest in the hospital.  It really put things in perspective for me, seeing that this particular patient (who was also pregnant with twins!) had three other children at home, missed her sister's wedding and Christmas, all while she was in the hospital during her pregnancy!  At my toughest moments, I try to stay focused and remind myself that things could be much more difficult.
I can't say it enough, but our family and friends have been nothing short of amazing.  We still have our move coming up in a few weeks!  We have had so many people offer to help, it means so much to us!  We will literally owe our lives before this is all over!  Thank you most of all for the prayers and kind words of encouragement!  We'll continue to keep everyone updated!