Next milestone within reach

Today I've reached 31 weeks, 5 days. 32 weeks will (hopefully) be a HUGE milestone, and we're excited to be within reach of it. At 32 weeks, the risk of many common preemie ailments goes down dramatically, including intestinal problems, brain bleeds, etc. Breathing could still be an issue, but everyone agrees that we're essentially in the clear after this milestone is reached. The girls would still be in the NICU for awhile, but they'd come home mostly healthy.

We had another ultrasound this morning, and everything looked good. We also found out some interesting information. If you'll recall, when this whole membrane rupture happened 9.5 weeks ago, no one would give us any concrete statistics or odds. We knew that most women went into labor within 24 hours of their water breaking, and we knew that the risk was greatest for us within the first week, but that's about all we knew. WELL. It turns out that it's probably a good thing we didn't know. The perinatologist I saw today gave me some real info: to have gotten this far is remarkable. We had a 1 in 100 chance of a successful pregnancy. WOW. I mean, I'm competitive, but this is ridiculous. Shawn and I were chatting about the odds this morning. He felt like the odds were pretty long just because everyone was so evasive and concerned, but we're a bit floored. For my part, I just don't think I ever stopped to REALLY consider what happened and what this situation could have meant -- I focused on the success stories -- and I'm glad.

Knowing the odds puts this all in perspective. I've been in this hospital a long time, but it will be more than worth it if we bring home 2 healthy girls.

It's also Passover now, a Jewish holiday celebrating and commemorating Hebrew slaves being freed from slavery in Egypt. If you've seen "The 10 Commandments," it's basically that story. It's my favorite holiday, and I was very bummed that I was going to be missing the ritual- and tradition-filled meal of Passover, called Seder. But God and fate threw me a (shank)bone, and I've made a new friend in the hospital (also on bed rest with twin girls, along with a 3-yr-old girl at home) who invited me to her family's Seder in one of the conference rooms. It was a very special and fun night, and I was so excited to celebrate Passover with a Seder, even in the hospital. Thank you to Lani and all the Roths and Preises for inviting and including me.

In other baby news, we want to send congratulations to our dear friends Jenn, Sean, and Anna Shaikun on their new addition Shepherd Alan Shaikun, born last night. And more congratulations go out to the Blakelys, whose daughter Savannah was in daycare with Brady almost their entire lives; they also have a new addition, Thomas Spencer Blakely. His mommy and I were on bed rest for a bit together. And I'm also waiting to hear the news about Lani, whose twin girls were supposed to be born this morning. Babies, babies, babies!

So we'll have another ultrasound Friday (only 4 more total before these babies are born), and I'll report back. More updates soon!