Monday 14 December 2009

Bob the Builder ...

It's been a weekend of workman-type stuff at House o' Crussell as Elly and I get stuck into the whole idea of nesting.

The cotbeds are up, the house has been cleared of cardboard - enough to fill the entire car on Sunday!! - rooms have been tidied, clothes have been washed, bags packed, PCs built (another story entirely), electronics squared-away and we even managed to go shopping, pick up the urn for Mr Rash's ashes, return some stuff to Toys R Us and lay a new paving slab outside the front door so no-one trails mud into the house.

Elly continues to get ever bigger which is great news, though she is getting tired very quickly these days and has good days and bad days. The bad days are quite nasty really, lots of stretching pains and heartburn and there's nothing I can do except administer bedtime back rubs which sends her to sleep in minutes.

The Christmas tree has also made an appearance but it's a bit shorter than usual measuring a stour 5.5 feet rahter than the 10000 feet behemoth we've installed in the past. True to form half the lights have blown but it looks nice, smells festive and Mrs Squeaks has had a good root around the base so it's a bit of a winner really.

And so we race towards Xmas Day and all's well so far. The Braxton-Hicks contractions have stepped down a bit, due in part I think to extended sitting on the sofa and an increase in water intake. Our only aim now is to keep the girls where they are until next year so we can avoid any early trips to the Delivery Suite. Keep going kids x x x

Thursday 10 December 2009

(A right) Carry On Matron...

Almost at 30 weeks and we've had our first run up to the hospital. A couple of days ago Elly started to get quite nasty Braxton-Hicks contractions which increased in frequency over 24 hours to the point where they were almost continuous (Braxton-Hicks are 'practice' contractions which are thought to be the body's way of preparing for the rigors of birth but which can signal the beginning of early onset labour).

A call to the delivery suite at Frimley Park and a dash home from work on the train later and we ended up at the hospital in the delivery suite for four hours of monitoring and steroid injections to help bring the twins' lungs on - it's a precautionary measure but worth taking as it will help their little lungs to prepare better in case of early delivery.

The visit to Frimley was odd, if only for the fact it was the first time we've been there since Matthew was born. Back then, there was a special room for families with serious problems - the Silver Room - but it seems it's been removed to make way for more delivery rooms. I'm quite glad really, it was a reminder of a sad time and I want the twins' arrival to be happy.

Anyways, the outcome of the visit was a good one, the kids have had their steroid shot and they're both OK so we're praying they hang on for another nine weeks or so. The only slightly disconcerting thing was the doctor who insisted on checking to see if Frimley's Special Care Baby Unit could handle twins at 29/30 weeks or if we'd need to be sent further afield in the case of a sudden delivery. We've talked about it quite a bit, and if we have a say we'd like to stay clear of London even if it means a transfer to Southampton or Bristol - both fair distances away but much easier to get to than London.

In any case, we won't need to debate the fact as Lazy Lamb and Kung Fu Chicken (blame Godmother Shelly for those particular monikers) are staying put till they're good and ready - daddy has already had words with them about that!