28 WEEKS!

March 14th has been circled on my calendar since early January. Reaching 28 weeks was a major goal for me and it always seemed just too far away. Now it is here and it feels a little bit like Christmas. As an added bonus I also started my second round of steroids today. They will be in full effect Tuesday morning. This has all given me a new sense of calm. Reaching 28 weeks and having both rounds of steroids leaves me with the feeling that if she were to be born now she stands a much better chance. Assuming she has lung development we are in a completely different place than when I was admitted at 23 weeks 5 days.

My move back into the hospital has been very smooth. I met a nurse in the nigh risk ward who asked if I have really been ruptured since 15 weeks. She said it was "amaaaaazing!" What a perfect adjective for our little warrior baby. I returned to the regular antenatal ward Saturday morning and was welcomed back to the very same room and bed that I had left just days before. I have also had great reunions with my favorite nurses. I hadn't realized just how attached I had become to them until I returned.

My temperature and heart rate are all in the normal range so most likely the sickness I felt on Friday was just the arrival of the cold Annie gave me.

My new motto with being hospitalized is "I'm not sweating it." Roommates swearing at their unborn babies? Roommates upset at being in the hospital and missing parole hearings? Roommates being here several days without brushing their teeth or washing their hands? I am not sweating it. I am here and I will be here until I deliver. I am not letting the hospital experience take away from my last days (or weeks) of pregnancy.

Anneliese has adjusted to me being back in the "hopsibul" although she asks me to come home all the time. She too has bonded with the nurses and gets upset when certain ladies are not working. Last night we discovered a long hallway with a ramp during our wheelchair ride. Steve would get a running start and then send us flying down the hall. Annie is a big fan of this and it gives Steve a bonus workout. I am glad that even in the hospital we can create happy memories together.

This morning Annie helped nurse Heather find Baby Sister's heart beat. Baby Girl is back to her tricks of hiding from the nurses during heart rate checks. Having Annie's help encouraged her to come out and show off her strong heart beat. When nurse Heather left Annie said "Thank you for all your help!"



Today I am taking a break from worrying and will just celebrate that we made it so far. This is a very happy day.