Double Trouble, but Double the Fun!: 6 months and things are getting real...

This past month has been fun filled and very productive. Matt and I were hard at work getting the nursery together, still not complete, but getting there slowly but surely. All the furniture is in place, just need to get things on the walls, I have some ideas and I'm excited about creating my vision with the help of my girlfriend, Alyson, who is super artistic and is going to do a painting and some wall art for us!

My parents came in town as well and continue to spoil us like crazy. They took us out for a fancy early 5 year anniversary dinner downtown (which in retrospect was perfect timing because Matt and I weren't able to go out at all on our actual anniversary), took a trip to the beach for the first time this year, and bought us a gorgeous mirror for the babies room that I'm obsessed with! There is a picture of it below!

I also went to Ocean Isle this past month to celebrate Joanna's (my sister in law) bachelorette weekend! It was such a fun and relaxing weekend with such a great group of girls, Joanna is so lucky to have such amazing girlfriends!

While I have been feeling great, I got some unfortunate news at my 24 week ultrasound appointment. Apparently my cervix has significantly shortened since my last visit a month ago. I have been put on modified bed rest for at least the next week until I go back in this upcoming Thursday for additional tests. They will be checking to see if my cervix has lengthened and doing a test that will give us a better idea if I may go into preterm labor. So if it comes back negative, best case scenario, then I will have to "take it easy" for the rest of my pregnancy. No more working, going for long walks in the neighborhood, gym, etc. Basically resting as much as possible, but can still do some things around the house, go out to lunch, run an errand...If it comes back positive (which means there is a 20% chance I could go into preterm labor), then I will be on strict bed rest, hopefully at home and not in the hospital. I will be going back for weekly ultrasounds from now on to keep an eye on how things are going and if any modifications need to be made to what I'm doing. I'm really hoping that with as active as I have been, that a solid week off my feet right now will prove to have some positive outcomes when I go back this week.

The doctor reassured me that my cervix shortening has nothing to do with my previous activity/lifestyle. The babies are just getting bigger and with me being on the smaller side with the weight of two babies, 2 placentas, 2 ambiotic fluid sacs, etc that this is a common side effect. And that is why they have been seeing me as frequently as they have to be able to catch these changes sooner then later and make modifications as needed to prevent preterm labor. I'm not having any contractions and my blood pressure has been normal throughout my whole pregnancy, so it's really just the length of my cervix that is concerning.

On the upside, the babies are continuing to do great. They have strong heartbeats and are both head down now. It's still too early to know if they will stay in that position, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they do! Chloe weighs 1.9 lbs and Jude is 1.8 lbs.

I know the priority is to keep these babies put for as long as possible! I would rather be on bed rest then have babies in the NICU any day! But we would appreciate any good thoughts and prayers that my test this Thursday will come out negative and I won't be prescribed entirely to the bed for the next 13 weeks. In the meantime, I have got a lot of movies, recorded TV shows, books and the internet to keep me as busy as possible. I will keep you guys posted!

Love to you all,
Emily