Merry Christmas from Room 467

Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately.  So much has happened since the last time I posted in November.  Wednesday, December 15th is a day that I will never forget.  I was having a lot of contractions and heavy bleeding leading up to this day, but I really thought it was nothing and just normal signs of being 32 weeks pregnant.  I saw my doctor on Monday and he said everything was fine and that I could go along with my normal activities.  Then Wednesday came and the bleeding and contractions had gotten progressively worse.  I went to school that day and called my doctor to see what he thought.  He immediately said I needed to check into Labor and Delivery.  I really couldn't believe it.....little Charlie was supposed to be a Valentine baby, not a Christmas baby!  My principal rushed me to the hospital, Justin was on his way, and we first had a sonogram.  We found out that Charlie was okay, but my cervix was very short and they checked me into Labor and Delivery.  At this point the contractions were very heavy and they gave me a few shots to stop it.

Here I am when I was checked into L&D on December 15th.  I was pretty worn out and emotional at this point.  I had no idea what was coming......

Once the contractions stopped and things were more stable I was moved into my new home....Perot North Room 467.  We tried to make it as festive as we could, being that it was my favorite time of the year...Christmas.  My mom bought us the cute Christmas tree.  Isn't it adorable?! Many people have brought up flowers, plants, and decorations to make the room feel like home.  Justin knows how much I love Christmas cards so he brought them up each night for me to open.  Here are a few shots of what is now my new home for a while....

Here I am during my first few days here....

Justin has been wonderful and so supportive and calm during all this! It makes me realize more and more what a great dad he is going to be....

Being here on Christmas was not really what I expected, but we made the most of it.  Justin brought me a steak dinner on Christmas Eve which was wonderful! The best meal I've had in a while.  My family came over on Christmas Eve and we had the gift exchange in the hospital room.  Then on Christmas Day the Rucker's came to exchange gifts.  Everyone really tried hard to still make the day feel special and I'm very thankful for that! Charlie is very lucky to be born into such a great family!!!

My doctor said I will for sure be here until January 3rd or 4th and we will go from there.  I will be on some sort of bed rest (hospital or home) until he makes his arrival, which they are thinking now will be sometime in January! We are hoping to make it until at least January 17th, which is when he will be full term.   The contractions continue to come back almost on a daily basis, so I know this is where I need to be. The good news is that I am being watched for 24/7 by some wonderful nurses.  They have really taken great care of me! Little Charlie is doing great too! All the sonograms show that he is growing right along and is a healthy weight.  He has just outgrown his room and is ready to make his appearance.  All the nurses comment on how active he is and I always agree. We are hoping he stays put for at least a few more weeks!

 Thanks so much for everyone's thoughts and prayers!  We really appreciate all your love, support, and help during this time.  Keep on praying for baby Charlie and we will definitely keep you updated!!