12 days

WAHOO! We are at 28 weeks and still counting! Apparently 28 weeks is a significant milestone for me to reach because of the development of the baby at this point. His lungs are developed much more than even two weeks ago, and the survival rate for babies born at this point is in the 90s. My nurse told me every day I stay pregnant at this point saves baby 2 days in NICU. That's a pretty good return:)

Many people have asked why I have to stay at the hospital instead of being able to go home. Basically the doctors want to closely monitor me to make sure I don't get an infection, the baby is not in distress, I do not go into labor, and my fluid levels don't drop too low. So the monitoring goes as follows. The nurses check my temperature every 4 h and blood pressure about every 8 h round the clock. They have now stopped my antibiotics, but give me regular prenatals and pepcid each day. Twice a day for about 30 min they monitor the baby's heart rate and monitor me for contractions. I have leg wraps that I am supposed to wear all day that massage my legs to increase blood flow and keep me from getting a blood clot due to bed rest. They also give me a new IV every 4-6 days (not my favorite part if you know me). Several times this baby has gotten a "green bell" when his heart rate was monitored. That's a perfect score on the monitor, which surprises the nurses because apparently that usually doesn't happen until about 32 weeks. I told her he's already a high achiever. :) Tonight his heart rate had a couple of drops so in order to make sure that was just a fluke, they gave me a huge bag of glucose (basically sugar water) through my IV. We'll see if I get to sleep tonight after that!

One fun thing that happened this week is that I got a new couch! Someone came by and switched out my boring green love seat for a big red couch (it's more like a bench seat really).. Having a little color in the room is very refreshing. It's amazing how the small things really brighten my day. I love the red couch.

I want to say a big thank you to all of you for the calls and visits and treats you've brought me. I feel so blessed and loved. Several people have asked if I am bored, but some of my days have been so full of visits that I haven't even had time to pick up a book let alone get bored. I have been brought books and movies, and even knitting to learn. And now that our house has sold I'm researching school districts and house hunting online too. So I'm sure I'll be able to keep myself busy for a while! I'm truly so blessed to be in stuck in Oklahoma City with friends I love dearly.