Changes

Each of us in the family are preparing for the arrival of our new little ones in different ways. We've had some excitement over the past week and a half. Here's what we've been up to:

Karine and the Twins news:
Last Monday night, I ended up going into the hospital for a few hours. I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for about 6 hours straight. These are the kind of contractions that don't hurt, but completely tighten your abdomen. It's normal to experience some, but if you have more than 4 in an hour, you are supposed to call your doctor. I did, and he told me to head to the hospital to get some help stopping the contractions. After determining I was having the BH contractions every 2-4 minutes, they gave me a couple shots in the arm and sent me home with a prescription for some medicine to help control the contractions. This is the only sign of pre-term labor I've had so far, and the doctors assure me that it is completely normal at this point in a twin pregnancy.


Now, a week later, I've reached the 34 week mark. By 34 weeks, most babies are clear of any long-term health issues. They may spend a couple extra days in the NICU, but overall, they will be as healthy as a full term baby eventually. I go in for another appointment this afternoon to confirm that everything is going well. I'll continue to take medicine to keep contractions at bay until 35-36 weeks and then the doctor has said he'll take me off of them and the babies will be welcome at any time! It's crazy to think that in just 2 weeks or less, I could be heading into the hospital and coming home with 2 more babies!

My doctors did send me home with strict instructions to stop all lifting- including helping Zeke into his crib, high chair, etc. and to sit or lie down as much as humanly possible (while caring for a 20 month old!) Because of this, our little boy has had to make some big adjustments this past week...

Introducing our newest BIG BOY... Zeke!
His favorite words this week have been "Big Boy". We (well, Tom) scrambled to finish Zeke's new bedroom setup, complete with a toddler bed that Zeke can climb in and out of. I didn't want to jinx our luck by announcing it too early, but after 5 successful nights and daytime naps in the big boy bed, I think it's a go! He's so proud of his new big boy bed and room. Every time I go to get him after a nap, his first words are "big boy!" It's pretty sweet.

Another new change is that Zeke has started school! I know that most people don't start their 1 and 1/2 year olds in school, but we had been hearing about this wonderful toddler program through one of the neighborhood elementary schools. It's supposed to be pretty difficult to get into, but since we live in the district, we were bumped to the top of the waiting list and the next opening was ours! Zeke will be attending "school" 2 days a week and started today.

The toddler program functions like a pre-school from 9-11:30 with circle time, music, art, snack, centers, and all sorts of learning fun. He has the option of staying all afternoon for lunch, naptime and afternoon snack as well. To start, we'll just bring him for the morning, but it is a comfort to know the option is there. I think that it will be great for him to have his own special place to go and interact with other kids and teachers a couple times per week. (And give mom a break, too!)

When I dropped him off, the first toy he went for was a baby doll. I'm encouraged that he's so fond of babies, but will need to work with him on supporting the head. :)

As is tradition, I took Zeke's very first "First Day of School Picture" this morning. Here is my big boy!
And as for Tom, well, he's just busy being a good husband and dad these days. He works so hard to help us all when he is home and support us through working his day job as well as playing music at night. As I type, Tom is making the journey from Owatonna, MN back to Omaha in his 1996 Honda Accord Wagon.
Thanks to Doug and Kirsten for taking good care of the car for the past 3 years while we were living in Honduras. While this car has seen a lot of miles, we're hoping it will survive the journey back to Nebraska and be a good second car for our family. Anyone reading our blog today should say an extra little prayer for Tom and the car, and that they both make it back home safely!

***Update*** The doctor appointment went well- no new news, and Tom made it back to town! We are so happy!