HOME SWEET HOME...sort of (new/old Room)

Christy has been moved to her home away from home. She was just transferred to the same room she had last visit. She is now in room 230 on the High Risk Floor.

New room phone number is 678-312-3930.

Afternoon update

The fetal fibronectin test came back negative, which indicates that I'm not likely to have the babies in the next 2 weeks! And, the terbutaline shot stopped my contractions! AND, the babies look so good that the doc took me back off of the continuous monitoring. So, all good news this afternoon. Thank You, God!! I had a great nurse last night that stayed with me (and on the phone with my doc) during the contractions. I'm very thankful to have excellent healthcare. I am hopeful that since I haven't dilated anymore and the contractions stopped that I'll be able to get home sooner rather than later...on strict bedrest. I'd take that any day over being in the hospital!

Thanks for all the emails and phone calls...I'll be in touch with each of you soon. I'm trying to catch catnaps whenever I can since it's hard to sleep in the hospital. I should be moved up to the High Risk Maternity floor this afternoon, which I'm really looking forward to...the rooms are very large and nice. I'll send out my new room number when I get it. My cell phone is not working well in the hospital, so if you do call, please use the hospital number.

Guess that's it for now. Please keep the prayers coming. Thanks!!

32 Weeks!! +++

Update for you all...We will do our best to keep this site updated with latest news. This is much easier for us and will not fill up your inbox with updates...

This morning Christy started having contractions 2-3 minutes apart around 3:30am. They slowed down to 5-7 minutes apart at 5am. They picked back up to 2-3 minutes apart from 5:30-7:30am. The doctor came in around 7:30am and did a fetal fibronectin test (will tell us if she will deliver within the next two weeks). The doc also checked Christy and she is still at 3cm. The fact that she has not dilated any further is good news. They gave her a shot of terbutaline (to stop contractions and also make the three hearts race). The contractions have slowed/stopped.

They have given her the second shot of steroids for the babies lung development and they put her back on IV antibiotics and fluids.

Sum of it all: The doctor said that Christy will be here from 3-4 days up to 34 weeks. All of us are healthy.

Prayer Request: Please pray that Jackson will be able to adjust to this crazy schedule. We know he is resilient as he has been in the past, but the hospital visits freak him out a little. Also, pray for Christy and the babies. She needs rest.

Stay tuned...

32 Weeks!!

The good news is that the babies look great! I had an OB appointment this morning and had a BPP (Bio-Physical Profile). This is an ultrasound that tests each baby in four areas: as they practice breathing, measures their amniotic fluid, checks muscle tone and measures movement. They had to score 8/8 in the first 30 minutes or we would have had to do some more tests. Maggie & William scored 8/8 in less than 10 minutes!

The bad news is that I have been admitted to the hospital because I am 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. I've been here since this morning around 9:00 and hope to be released tomorrow at the latest. We'll see!!

Encouraging Appointment - Jackson

Brandon and I took Jackson to the Alopecia specialist today. It was a very good appointment...the nurse and doctor were both very thorough and detailed in getting Jackson's Alopecia history. The doc was very personable and easy to talk to. He wants to run new thyroid tests that are more extensive than those previously run. Because my dad and I both have a thyroid disorder (auto-immune), Jackson has Alopecia (auto-immune) and Brian has PSC (auto-immune...see below) he thinks there may be a correlation. He also wrote Jackson a prescription for a stronger corti-steroid which we'll apply to the bald spots 1x a day. We go back in 6 weeks for a follow-up appointment. The doctor is hopeful that we'll see some good results from this new treatment. I feel very good about this next step! Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming!

I mentioned above that Brian has PSC. He was diagnosed this week. I've attached a link to his blog...please read and start praying for him, Jen and the rest of the family. Thanks!
http://upofdn.blogspot.com/2007/07/medical-mystery-tour-2007.html

31 Weeks!

It's hard to believe that it has been almost 8 weeks since I was admitted to the hospital (and 7 weeks since I've been home!). At that point, we weren't sure how long I would be able to keep these babies inside and were hoping and praying to just get to 28 weeks. It's really great to be at 31 weeks now and to know that both babies are thriving!

I had appointments on Monday at the specialist and regular OB. My Mom drove up on Sunday afternoon to go to the doc with me and to get another chance to see the babies. We had a "growth ultrasound" at the specialists office. The babies are really growing! They estimated William's weight at 4 lbs 2 ounces (83rd percentile) and Maggie's weight at 3 lbs 7 ounces (36th percentile). So basically, Maggie is 3 1/2 lbs and William is 4 lbs...not a bad difference in fraternal twins. I was a little concerned at first because I thought the difference in weight was significant, but all the docs were pleased with their growth. They also look at each twins vital organs at these detailed ultrasounds and both babies look awesome! As I am getting bigger and more uncomfortable it's nice to know that the babies are thriving. If I were to have them now, the docs estimate that they would spend about two weeks in the NICU...not too bad when we were looking at 3 months in the NICU when I was first admitted to the hospital. My goal is to hold onto these little ones until 34-36 weeks so they spend very little time in the NICU at all.

I am getting more excited about bringing Maggie and William home. I know that our house is going to be chaotic for a while, but I look forward to being off of bedrest and taking care of my 3 kids (my goodness...that sounds weird!). Jackson's preschool starts again on September 5th...he will go 3 days a weeks from 9am-12pm. He enjoyed it so much last year and I know he'll be excited to start "school" again. The three mornings he is at school will give me "2-on-1" time with the twins and I look forward to getting them on a good schedule so that Jackson and I can have "1-on-1" time in the afternoon.

Brandon has been working diligently on the "honey-do" list that WE(!) put together. He has done a great job taking care of me, Jackson, the household, his job and still finding the time to work on our list. I know that he welcomes the day that we cross the last item off the list and throw it away (or maybe he'll want it framed!). He left the house at 4am this morning to fly to Washington DC and flies back in tonight around 7pm. He continues to excel at his job and I expect to hear great things about the meeting he had today. I am very proud of him and know that I am blessed to have a great husband/best friend as well as him being an excellent father and provider.

HUGE ANSWER TO PRAYER!
Thank you to everyone that joined us in praying that Jackson would get into the dermatologist earlier. I've been calling almost daily to ask for him to be squeezed into a canceled appointment rather than having to wait until his August 14th appointment (I would have been 34 weeks at that point). I struck gold this morning when I called...they had a cancellation tomorrow at 11:15 and we got the appointment!!!! I am super excited! The doc we're taking Jackson to is the best pediatric dermatologist in the Atlanta area and is on the Alopecia Areata board. I feel so much relief to have a chance to see this doc and to get a second opinion on Jackson's hair loss. I finally feel like we are making progress...even if nothing new comes of this appointment, I will know that we are doing everything possible. So my new prayer request in regards to Jackson's alopecia is that we would have a good appointment and connect with the doctor in such a way that we know without a doubt that we are in the best place possible for Jackson, getting the best care. I do still ask that you all pray for a miracle...that Jackson's hair would regrow and we wouldn't have to deal with this. But, if that doesn't happen, I ask that you all would pray for Brandon and I as we figure out how to deal with this and that we would equip Jackson in a way that he can stand tall in knowing that alopecia doesn't in any way define who he is. He is such a great little boy that I don't think this can or will hinder him...I believe that I will always have a harder time with it than he does.

I do have one additional prayer request. A family member was given a difficult diagnosis yesterday. I won't go into detail, but I do ask that those that pray would join us in prayer for this unspoken request.

So thankful to have each of you in our lives... :)

Jackson - Alopecia Update & Prayer Request

Jackson's alopecia has gotten considerably worse in the last couple weeks. He has several more patches of hair loss and no re-growth. I made an appointment for him with a specialist - it's on August 14th. I'll be 34 weeks pregnant at that point and am desperately trying to get him an appointment earlier. His pediatrician office is also trying to help us get an appointment. They've been told to call back on Monday to see if anything opens up. PLEASE say a prayer that: 1) God would heal Jackson's alopecia and hair would begin to re-grow, and 2) that we will be able to get him in for an appointment with the specialist ASAP. Thanks.

Doff's Good News

We were very excited to hear good news from Doff's (Mr. Ross) most recent trip out to MD Anderson in Houston. He was back for a 3 month check-up and had several tests. He met with all his docs on Tuesday and received the wonderful news that all is well! He had great results from all his tests and the doctors called him their "model patient."

Fun on the "Mo-mo"

Jackson on his "mo-mo"


30 weeks pregnant & Jackson waiting to get on his mo-mo

2nd Milestone Reached!

I am 30 weeks today which means I have reached the second milestone set by my doctors. Now, the goal is to reach 32, 34, and possibly 36 weeks. I feel confident that I'll get to the 34 weeks mark, but after that who knows! I am having more contractions than before, but nothing consistent, so they are not too big of a concern. I go back to the specialist and regular OB next Monday. I'm excited to see how much the twins have grown in the last several weeks since I've had a detailed ultrasound. I'll let you all know!

Neighborhood Fun:

Yesterday afternoon Jackson spent hours playing with this kids in our cul-de-sac. He, Cole and Eliza each have motorized vehicles and had a blast driving them all over. I've attached a picture of all the kids taking a much-needed popsicle break. Notice that the little kids are sitting on the curb just like the big kids...it's fun to watch how much they want to be like the big boys. Jackson especially likes playing with Eliza's older brothers, Scott & Sullivan and they both do a great job playing with him.

Family dinner was at our house Friday night. Jackson and Morgan had a great time playing with Uncle Alex, particularly when he would toss them in the air! They also had fun soaking up the play time with Granddaddy and Nene.

Jackson's Surprise

Jackson has been doing a great job sleeping in his big boy bed/room for over two weeks now. He goes to bed between 8:30/8:45 and we're going to work on getting him down closer to 8:00. The transition has been much easier than we thought it'd be and we are so proud of him! He has several items that he has to have before he goes to sleep...a big stuffed puppy, a soft baseball that he holds in his hand and sometimes a blanket. When he comes into our room in the morning he brings the puppy and baseball with him. I'm sure by the time he goes to college he'll have given these things up, so for now I'm not going to worry about it!




Here are a couple pictures of his sleep chart with stars and of him getting his "prize." He was so excited! He has a favorite CD that he listens to every day, so we put that in for him and he jumped around and danced to it!

I Passed!

That's right...no Gestational Diabetes for me! All of my numbers were well within the normal range, thank goodness. Mom and Jen were able to go to the ultrasound with me this morning. The babies look great. We saw them touching hands...if they were in the same sac, they probably would've been holding hands...it was neat to see them reaching out to each other. The rest of my appointment was uneventful. I asked the doc if I could have another 2 hours out of the house a week and he flat-out said no. Oh well!

Happy Fourth of July!

This has been an exciting week so far. On Monday I reached the first milestone set by my doctors...28 weeks! Now the goal is to reach 30, 32, 34 and hopefully 36 weeks...which means I only have 6-8 weeks left of being pregnant (yea!). It has definitely been a difficult pregnancy and I am ready to hold my new babies in my arms and never be pregnant again! Since I am now able to go out 2 hours a week, I spent Tuesday afternoon at the salon having my hair done. It looks so much better and makes me feel so good :)

On Wednesday, 4th of July, we had family and friends over for a BBQ. Peppy also came in town and is staying through Saturday. Morgan and Jackson played in the kiddie pool in the backyard, while the adults relaxed on the back patio. Our friends let me borrow a camping-type chair that has a leg rest, so I'm able to be outside some while still lying/reclining back.

Peppy brought Jackson's wooden bed frame with her and we were able to get it set up last night. She's also working on a couple projects to complete Jackson's room while she's here. When it's finished, I'll post pictures. Peppy has some great ideas and I can't wait to see it all come together!

Mom also brought matching 4th of July shirts for the kids as you can see in the picture...too cute!

We got the furniture in the twins room rearranged and bedding is now in both cribs! It makes me feel better to see the rooms put together in a way that is functional/livable, though I wish I could help do some of it! We've still got a ways to go in getting the nursery organized, but at least now the babies have somewhere to sleep!

I go back to the doctor tomorrow for an ultrasound, etc. It's been nice to see the twins so often via ultrasound, though now that they are getting bigger it's harder to see them on the screen. I haven't heard back about my 3-hr. glucose test yet...still keeping my fingers crossed that I passed! I'll let you know :)