36 Weeks and we have a Plan!

Good Morning! I am currently writing from my bed rest "hidey hole" this morning. I decided yesterday that the world would be a better place if more people took time for some bed rest. Maybe not three weeks of it, but a mandatory bed rest once a month would make for a lot less grumpy people...haha! As much as I never wanted bed rest, I have actually enjoyed my time at home preparing for these little ones to come! I have had time to sleep, pray, read, finish up grad school, write thank you notes, and dream about what the next chapter of our life is going to look like. We are so excited to be at the end stage of this journey and about to begin the most exciting next chapter! We are so thankful that these past weeks of bed rest have helped prolong this pregnancy to 36 weeks! We are officially 9 months...PRAISE GOD! Bed rest has allowed for these babies to grow just a little bigger, stronger, healthier, and hopefully they are ready to enter this big world! So thankful that God has been guiding our doctor and nurses through this process and they were able to know what my body and my babies needed!

36 Weeks! Please ignore the hair, outfit, and bathroom...bed rest is rough on a girl...haha!

Speaking of guidance...Monday morning we were given a little bit of a surprise with a change in plans. I was scheduled this week to have my sonogram on Wednesday and my doctor's appointment on Friday. I had just seen my doctor on Friday and he had assured me there was no change and we were doing good. So...I was very surprised to get a call Monday from my nurse saying that my doctor wanted me to have my sonogram that day and come in to see him on Tuesday. When I asked "Why?", Katy just said that Dr. Sutliff was getting "antsy" about me...which didn't give us any clarity at all...haha! We were not quite sure what we were walking into on Monday and Tuesday, but were thinking maybe things were about to start moving along a little more quickly!

At the sonogram on Monday, the tech checked both babies' growth and weights. It was much more difficult this time to get accurate measurements or readings because the babies are so much bigger and squished in there. Everytime she would try and measure something on Adelyn, Tucker would move into view...haha! He's already SUCH a mess! According to the sonogram, Adelyn was measuring 36 weeks 1 day and weighing 5 lbs 15 oz (+ or - 14 oz). Tucker was measuring 36 weeks exactly and weighing 6 lbs 1 oz (+ or - 14 oz). Both babies had strong heartbeats, but they were both moving the entire time so it was a little difficult to get. The both looked beautiful and healthy...and were surprisingly both head down for the first time ever. Tucker has always been head up, so immediately we started wondering if this would change our delivery plan!

On Tuesday, we headed to see the doctor, not quite sure what he was going to say. We put all of our bags in the car, ready for anything. We were trusting that God was in control of the situation and have been praying that God would lead our doctors throughout this process to do what is best for both me and the babies. For the first time ever, Dr. Sutliff joined us in the sonogram room to check on the babies' positions. Tucker (I told you he is a mess) somehow had returned to a head up position over night. He is my little monkey man for sure! Then we headed to an exam room to be checked, where I found out I have progressed in dilation to about a 3 and am now 80% effaced. My belly measured 44 cm which would be equivalent to a woman with one baby being 4 weeks overdue...haha! After the exam, we were summoned to the office to make a plan. Once again, it felt like getting called in to the principal's office...haha! Poor Derek was nervous as could be, but I was surpisingly calm. Derek says he was just excited...who knows...haha! Whatever he was, he was being super funny!

Once we got in the office, Dr. Sutliff decided to schedule a c-section for next Wednesday, March 6th. The twins will be 37 weeks on that day and considered full-term. There is still the possibility of my water breaking or going into labor before that time, but if that doesn't happen then we have a plan and a date. We will go in for a doctor's appointment the day before to check everything and see what the babies' positions are and then we will go in early Wednesday morning to meet our twins! We feel confident that at that point they will be plenty big and developed and should be ready to enter the world!

It took me a little bit to write this blog because I really wanted to gather my thoughts to see how I felt before I started writing. I have to admit, I immediately felt a sense of peace and calm after the appointment knowing that we had a plan in place. We had been thinking that he may want to do a c-section this week and I just wasn't sure the twins were ready yet. But I feel very confident in the decision to schedule one for next week and that the twins will be healthy and mature at that point. I even remember Dr. Neal in San Antonio predicted March 6th for twins during one of our first appointments, before we had EVEN done the retrieval! Too funny how these doctors know these things! I feel that God is completely leading this process. You would think we would be concerned when we heard that Dr. Sutliff was going to be unavailable all weekend, but then he told us the on-call doctor was Dr. Dunham, who I have known forever and we go to church with. We completely trust him and know that if I go into labor, I will be in WONDERFUL hands. Funny how God is laying out the path before us as we prepare to bring these babies into the world.

The other thing that keeps running through my head is that I am going to be a mother at this time next week. A mother!!! And Derek is going to be a daddy! I still can't believe how good our God is to fulfill the desires of our heart!!! We have dreamed of this day and longed for this day for 6 and a half years. And it is almost here!!! We are going to get to hold our precious babies in our arms, kiss their sweet faces, rock them, feed them, cuddle them, and get to finally see what they look like. After so many years of wanting and waiting...GOD IS SO GOOD!!! I just can't believe that He chose us for this precious gift!!! My heart is so overwhelmed and I am so excited to be so close to this dream! Every hard day, every tear, every shot, every patch, every procedure, surgery, back pain, sleepless night, everything has led to this moment and we are finally here! Part of me just can't believe it but all of me wants to proclaim just how GREAT our God is!!! I can't get over this incredible plan that He had for us all along and how weak I was in my doubt and faith before.

God has definitely used this journey to stengthen me, my faith, Derek, our relationship, and our view on Christian family. We have been so blessed by so many during this journey who have encouraged us through prayer, meals, love, gifts, cards, and encouraging words. Our twins are the luckiest babies in the whole world because they are already loved by SO MANY of you our there. We knew they would be the most prayed for babies ever because they have been prayed for SO MANY times before they were even born!!! We ask that you continue to pray for us this next week as we anxiously await their arrival. We also ask that you join us in praying for our doctors and nurses...that God guide their hands and decisions as they care for me and our sweet babies. Please pray for my health and safety during the surgery and for a speedy and pain-free recovery!

I will keep y'all posted if anything changes between now and then...and let you know how our Tuesday doctor's appointment goes! In ONE WEEK we will be able to put faces to our sweet Tucker and Adelyn! Praise God!

"As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him." Psalm 18:30