Home Sweet Home - 26 Weeks - Dec. 18, 2011

I'm happy to report that this post comes to you from the comfort of my recliner!  The Christmas tree is lit, there's football on tv, and Chief is laying at my feet, so things are much more enjoyable.  I was surprised and relieved to hear on Saturday morning that the doctors were thinking about letting me go home.  The contractions had slowed to 1-3 per hour or less, so the big question was whether my cervix had continued to shorten.  After a quick exam with Maternal Fetal Medicine, they found that the opposite was true.  My cervix had closed back up and was measuring almost a full 4 cm which was up from the 2.5cm on Monday.  It turns out that the contractions had caused most of the shortening, so between the bed rest and medication, things were looking very positive.  The contractions will most likely continue from now until delivery, but since I had already received the steroid shots for the boys, MFM and my doctor felt confident that as long as I continued to rest at home, there was no reason to keep me at the hospital. 

I've received so much support and encouragement from all of you over the last week - thank you so much for that!  I owe so much to Ryan who has been my personal nurse, slave, and cheerleader for the past week - he's probably just as thankful as I am to be home and sleeping in our own bed without constant interruptions from nurses or the sound of monitors and machines all night.  Also thank you to my parents, Ry' parents, Bethany, Erica, Jessica, and Jason for your visits - they definitely made the time go more quickly and kept me in good spirits.  A text from one of you brought me to these verses in 2 Corinthians, which I've also found to be so applicable...

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  2 Corinthians 12:9-10.  My hospital stay has reminded me once again how insufficient I am.  It seems like any time I become too "confident" in my own abilities, God graciously humbles me and reminds me that I can do nothing without Him.  Jesus wants us to turn to Him, depend on Him, and rely on Him, and it's situations like these that give me that much needed wake-up call.  How often do we try to control situations or handle things "our way" instead of giving Christ the credit for the amazing things He does in our lives?  Only by acknowledging my weaknesses and inabilities can I give Christ the credit.  With Christmas only a week away, I hope that many of you will reflect on and appreciate the miracle of Jesus - fully God while also fully man -  who came to earth as a tiny baby boy, who would then die a death on the cross that He didn't deserve, and be raised again so that you and I would be made clean and sinless in God's eyes.  Talk about an incredible gift - that, my friends, is grace!

Before the Christmas holiday, I'll head back to the hospital for hopefully just one more check-up.  It sounds like these boys should get the chance to keep growing for a few more weeks, but of course I'll keep you all posted.  Our goal is still to make it to 32 weeks, but we will continue to take it day-by-day. I hope all of you friends, whether near or far, will have a great week and a wonderful Christmas with your family and loved ones!