Progress

Yesterday was another visit to the regular OB. I came away feeling very reassured. 

First, she has strong confidence that the doctor was correct in diagnosing that my placenta previa is gone.  She also completely agreed with me in seeing the third doctor and if they don't agree on what is going on, that I should tell them to get together and work it out.  

But her opinion right now is that we're heading towards a vaginal delivery sometime after 36 weeks---whenever the babies want to come.  

I am also measuring 39 weeks now.  That means that I look like someone with a singleton pregnancy who is about to pop.  I feel like I'm about to pop.  I look like I am incredibly pregnant.  

At the party last week, I walked across the room.  I saw two of my friends staring at me slack jawed because I was shuffling like an old hag who never gets off her sofa.  (A description not too far off)  And the babies are really hanging out low and forward so the pressure on my pelvis is a lot worse than it ever was with Conor.

Speaking of Conor, despite Vince Shlomi's recent run-in with the law (and a prostitue), ShamWow remains a big hit with the under five crowd around here. Conor actually cleans up his bathroom every night with his mini ShamWow, wiping down the sink and the cabinets.  Last night, I caught him wiping the floor up around the bathtub with his shamwow.  As this is not a behavior he has learned by observing anyone in our household, we can only assume that the ShamWow's powers of absorption are so impressive to our little guy that he will keep a cleaner bathroom than we do, just to use this product.  BTW, Consumer reports says to just buy sponges to get the ShamWow effect.  Nonetheless, I cannot imagine a sponge having this much of an impression on a 5 year old.  Thank god(dess) we only watch DIY around here and not any of the kids' shows (besides PBS).  Commercials are pretty dang powerful.  

But back to me, I now have a hideous sinus infection.  The doc gave me some antibiotics yesterday and I've been using my neti pot constantly.  The good news is that my cheek no longer hurts when I smile.  The bad news is that I am sick of feeling shitty in the pregnancy. I have been waiting so long to be pregnant, and I am so excited to meet the babies who are growing in my belly. But the last 5 weeks have not been all that fun.  And the next 5-6 weeks do not show promising signs of being much better.  

Not to whinge on excessively, but standing up while I use the neti pot causes my feet to look a sumo wrestler's.  And just standing in the shower, while feeling wonderful, wears me out enough that I need to take a nap afterwards.  I can't walk.  I can't lie down comfortably on the sofa.  I don't want to spend my entire day in my bed, but I just can't understand why the one thing I crave after breakfast is a nap.  

On the good side, though, the contractions have plummeted, my blood pressure is amazing for someone carrying twins, the previa is gone and the babies are healthy.  All of these are really good things.  Now if I can just get some sleep and permanentely check a few things off my work list, I'll be very happy.  Then I can nap in peace and not feel so damn guilty about it.   

Lucky Me

Last night, we had a party at our house.  

Actually, my colleagues in the PhD program I teach in came over for a combo end of the year party/baby shower for me.  They came in, brought a ton of food, set up our house for the party, came and talked to me on the sofa, had fun themselves (I hope!), cleaned up the house, and left us a ton of food.  

It was the highlight of my last 5 weeks of hospitalization and bed rest, if not longer than that.  I did take the full dose of anti-contraction medicine before they come because I knew I'd be excited and probably contract.  I actually only had a couple of contractions during the party that I could obviously feel.   But otherwise, I didn't feel like I needed to be concerned.

Instead, I had fun.  I saw my friends and colleagues.  I saw live people.  And it was wonderful.

Lucky me.  

Week 28 1/2

Well, things are looking a lot sunnier around here!  

Can you stand that picture?  I cannot stop laughing every time I see it.  I do know of one friend in particular, ahem, Brian, who has real issues with belly buttons, who finds this picture pure torture.  But it feels like making lemonade of of lemons to me.  

Yes, that is the scar from last year's colon resectioning surgery.  It's actually grown about an inch during this pregnancy.  I thought it would get thicker, but instead it's just getting longer.  Lovely.

Things are truly going as well as can be expected around here.  My doctor has released me from 24/7 Anita-sitting.  My parents are down here and, I have to say, that's been a blast. I am unfortunately working their booties off, but I am enjoying their company and Conor fairly levitates every time he sees them.  

I am having a couple of contractions a day, but nothing that the doctors find worrisome.  I've also figured out the difference between contractions (hardness from top to bottom of the ute) and Braxton-Hicks (softness in one or more parts of the ute). I'm pretty sure Squiggle has turned head down.  I can feel his back on the outside of my belly and his kicks have changed directions.  Of course, we'll find out Monday when I go back in for my level II ultrasound at the high risk doctors.  

But otherwise, I'm keeping off my feet most of the time and trying to get some school work done for the end of the semester.  It's funny, I don't really think the picture below is that much bigger than the one last month.  Maybe your impression differers.

However this one is the one Dave says I look enormous in.  I agree.  And we still have 8 more weeks to go.  I will achieve whale status, I promise. 

There are other things going on.  We are awaiting the revision of the appraisal of our remodel.  We objected strongly to the appraisal (from an apparently junior appraiser) that rated our house $100/sq ft cheaper than a very similar remodel for a house 3 blocks from us on a lot 1/3 the size of ours.  Actually, they had left that house off their comps and instead used comps from a high crime area 1.5 miles from our house.  We were not amused.  The phrase "legal action" may have been used.  

In any case, life moves on and we expect (more)  good news from our appraiser and the doctors very soon.  Time to go down and chat with the parents.  I really have been running them ragged and I really enjoy our afternoon chats.  

And of course it's been 30 minutes and I have to pee.

Report From the Bed

Admit it:  you think bedrest would be fun.  It sounds very appealing when life is hectic to be told by the doctor to get off one's feet and hang out, usually in front of the TV, and have folks wait on you hand and feet.  You would think this, that is, if you've never been on bedrest.  

Bedrest, in reality, sucks mightily.  My mom and dad, and of course Dave, and of course, many neighbors are helping out.  But here are a few surprising things:

*Daytime TV is worthless.  In one day, you can catch up on the marathon America's next top model or the Law & Order: SUV special abusive car victim's marathon of freaking you out and you're pretty much done with daytime TV.  I am actually finding work to be a delightful distraction from any daytime TV.  

*Many women have to lie on their side the whole time.  I get to recline and can more easily use my computer.  It still sucks. My lower back is not amused.  My knees are achey.  And my calves notice the lack of exercise in any form.  

*And to be all day in bed and then to "go to bed" really, really, sucks.  

So enough of the whinging on.  The babies are doing great.  I'm having a few contractions and a few more Braxton-Hicks.  No bleeding though and the swelling in my legs has gone completely down.  They even look skinny right now!  (You know they must have looked fat if I now think they look skinny)

The best news of all is that although they have it written down as complete placenta previa on my hospital chart, the official doctor's report is marginal placenta previa.  This is GREAT news.  The chances of my bleeding out or Peanut dying are much, much less with marginal instead of complete previa.  (The placenta only touches the cervix; it doesn't cover it)  

So yeah, the worrisome parts are looking better now. It's just the lying here that's going to be tough.  Fortunatetly, I have papers to grade, a book chatper to write, and a few things to review to keep me busy.  I would like to get the papers and the chapter done so I can read more fun things and take a few naps.  All this lying down is actually tiring.  

More on some new  remodel drama later.  We're still moving from Point A to Point B, it is just not even close to a straight line.