One Day at a Time

I'm anxious to share with you how I pass each day without losing my mind completely!

6:30am. Someone comes in. Is it the tech? I am so tired I don't really know. They take my blood pressure and temp and leave.

7:00am. Dr. Gaitomi (I totally just sound spelled his name) comes in every single morning at this time. Sometimes he's earlier. He leaves the lights off and stands there in the dark and talks to me about my progress. He is the resident on my case. He is small and young and reminds me so much of my Honors Pre Calc students working so hard, so smart, planning to go to medical school. He is absolutely awesome. He makes me feel very well-cared for and looked-after. He places orders for whatever meds or for physical therapy or for wheel chair rides. Today I actually learned that he has to do a rotation next week in another unit and I won't see him again. He said "maybe I'll see you when you come back to deliver." So sweet! I'll have another resident on my case until I leave.

7:30am. I probably tried to go back to sleep but breakfast has arrived and I'm getting hungry.

8:00am. I finally decide to raise the back of my bed to sit up and eat. I still just don't feel right in the mornings. Or maybe I just don't like breakfast foods. I take my time eating and sipping coffee or hot chocolate (I rotate each day between the two!). Some days I'll turn on the news, but most days I enjoy the silence. After eating, I might lie back down for a bit to let my mind wonder.

9:00am. Time for meds. I take nyphetapine (soft tissue relaxer. uterus is the largest soft tissue) and protonics for indigestion.

9:30am. Maybe I'll shower. This is the best...getting on my feet for a few minutes! Afterwards, I get dressed in normal clothes (to keep my sanity), open the blinds, make my bed and take my sweet time putting on makeup. I have this little roll table that holds all my beauty supplies in a tray that slides out. Handy!

10:30am. Somedays, this is about the time the nurse comes in to monitor the babies' heartbeats. They place two heartbeat monitors and a contraction monitor on my belly. They have to get good data for at least 20 minutes before they can stop. Lately it has been going well, but these baby boys move so much that one night, it took 1 hour, 45 minutes to get a 20 minute strip!!! It was torture!

11:30am. Lunch is delivered. This is way too early. I usually wait until at least 12:00.

12:15pm. Brad joins me most days since his office is less than 2 miles away. He has been driving to work (usually takes the bus) but he takes the train from work to the hospital for lunch. We chat and eat. He usually only comes if no one else is visiting during lunch like this little guy. Sullivan is my nephew and he is thrilled to make the bed move and turn the TV on!

1:30pm. Now I start trying to pass time. I have a lovely to do list. One for the house/Brad and one for me. Previously it consisted of grading a few more school papers and completing paperwork for human resources. Now it is things like: complete photo album, update registry, check that paperwork has been submitted, blah, blah, blah. I do a little email and web surfing and now blogging before really getting into my time passers. Here they are:

Knitting baby hats almost seems like a requirement here! haha! The occupational therapist is super nice but I seriously felt like I was expected to make a hat....hence the yellow magic you see below. Then she came back with some more motivating yarns and I got carried away and actually embraced the knitting.taking it to the scarf level! You know it!

Mom sent a package full of projects and pencil drawing was one of them. It is not easy and I'm talentless when it comes to drawing. This book really breaks it down and I never knew drawing was so technical! That masterpiece took over an hour!

Then there are days that just can't help but be entertaining. I was just chillin' (since that's what I do) and I noticed some cable cords outside my 7th floor window. How neat! I was going to get to see some window washers. So I anxiously awaited his appearance and got quite a chuckle at myself when I took a few pics of him. He never looked in once! It was weird, I know. But I've always thought that was such a fascinating job.


Well, I am really trying not to nap but the last few days I've been so tired in the afternoons. I figure I'll continue to sleep so well if I stay away from the naps. Yes, I'm sleeping wonderfully in this hospital bed. And though I haven't needed one yet, they do actually offer everyone up here and ambien!

Sometime in the afternoon I get another nyphetapine and I routinely get my blood pressure and temperature taken.

I do have one other important task that I really need to get going on. Who knew you could still procrastinate even when you have all the time in the world! I have promised some students I'd write their college rec letters. Most are due Dec. 15. I'll knock them out this week before going home! Yay...a goal!!

I've got a little speaker set to jam out to some iphone music and now I have a recorder (thanks, momma) to make my own music! I will have to save that one for home though so I don't upset the nurses.

I've got the best snuggie ever made for times when I'm cold. Brad ends up using it lots though. I keep the room super cool but continue to sweat while he is chilled. I am a human oven after all!







5:30pm. If I make it to this time, I'm good, I'm happy. Brad comes by after work. Thank goodness we have the best neighbors ever who let Mallie out for us! He'll stay for dinner, which also comes at this time. The food here is really not bad! I get to pick from a menu that changes each day. I can pick as much or as little as I want. I just have to remember that everything is actually portion sized. I have forgotten what portions actually look like!

This meal is an exception to the portion size standard though. It was so much food, so delicious and so colorful!
  

After dinner, Brad and I just hang out. If it is a good TV night, we'll watch our shows. If not, we just piddle or I take pictures of Brad or make him take pictures of me. Here are some of the results:

Brad fits in the pull out bed! Don't worry I've only put him through that torture 3 times.
  

This is my first trip outside after 10 days in! Thanks cervix for finally letting me sit up long enough to go outside!

Those you who haven't seen me prego and probably won't see me prego, here ya go. This is me at 24 weeks. Yes there is bare belly. I love seeing pregnant bellies so I don't mind showing mine. This pic was taken the day I realized that my belly button was no longer "in" at all. It isn't "out" yet but it is flat. Weird!

  

And this is what's happening inside at 24 weeks with twins. Don't worry, I'll make a slideshow of all my sono pics soon!

Finally, I have to show you this. The first picture is of my swollen pregnancy ankles while in Annapolis over Halloween weekend. The second pic is of my very bed rested ankles. Amazing what staying off your feet can do!

10:00pm. By this time, Brad has left (usually) and I'm pretty tired. I either watch The Newborn Channel or read. Reading knocks me right out at this time of day. I sleep and we do it all again the next day.

Needless to say, visitors make all the difference in how quickly my day goes by. I appreciate all of you!

Once I'm home, you can look forward to nursery pictures and sono pictures on the blog. Thanks for reading. It is wonderful release!