Just call me Shrek...

Well...here I am.  It's 8:33 in the morning, and I'm hanging out in my hospital room, playing with my laptop and listening to the whomp, whomp, whomp-ing of two tiny heartbeats on the fetal monitor.  They admitted me yesterday for monitoring and testing due to preeclampsia symptoms.  The big symptoms that my doctor was concerned with were high blood pressure (140/108!) and excessive protein in my urine.  For me, the major concern that made me schedule an "urgent" appointment with my doctor was the appearance of what can only be described as "Shrek feet." 

Sadly, this picture doesn't do justice to the true
hideousness of my feet at the moment!

Holy moly, it is truly grotesque!  Not that I've ever been a "Cinderella" with delicate little tootsies, but I've got to say that my feet have definitely taken a turn for the worst in the last 48 hours or so.  I have "pitted edema"...just sounds disgusting, doesn't it?  Basically, that means that I am retaining enough fluid in my Shrekish legs that you can poke your finger into my skin anywhere on my feet or shins, and the indentation made by your finger will stay there for a good 30 seconds to a minute after you take your finger away.  Very creepy and gross.  I showed Ilaiasi yesterday, and he thought it was great fun to poke pictures into my leg.  He made a smily face, an "I" for Ilaiasi...high quality entertainment, let me tell you!  So, here I sit, missing my two little runts, but comforted by the rhythmic beating hearts of my two new runts on the fetal monitor. 

I met with the doctor this morning, and he said that we'll know after some test results come back tonight whether I'll go home in the morning, or if they'll induce me and I'll have the girlies tomorrow.  Dr. Crowder said ideally he'd like at least another week or so before I deliver, just to be sure the babies are mature and everything has developed properly, but he also says that MOST LIKELY they would be perfectly fine with possibly no NICU time if they were to come today or tomorrow because I'm pretty far along for a twin pregnancy, and both babies are measuring big anyway.  Honestly, I can't decide which scenario I want more.  I definitely don't want any complications -- for me or the babies -- so, from that point of view, I am happy to wait another week or so before they arrive.  On the other hand, I am SO ready to meet my two new blessings.  I can't wait to see their little faces and snuggle them in my arms and introduce them to their big brothers.  It makes me giggle a little bit to think of Ovaka, at 11 months old, being a "big brother," but I know that he and Ilaiasi will take good care of their sisters.

Well...aside from the baby excitement, there's not a whole lot to report.  Nothing too terribly exciting looming on the Etsy frontier.  I've been a bit preoccupied with the aches, pains, and just general malaise that accompanies the last month of pregnancy, and haven't been nearly as diligent as I should be about updating and restocking my little shop.  I feel bad for neglecting it, but, hey...life happens sometimes, and this is one of those times that "work" is going to have to take a back seat.  I did make my mom a rather lovely necklace recently, if I do say so myself.  I'll likely be making more of them in the future, since I really liked the way it turned out.  It's "chunkier" than my normal stuff, but I think it's still what I would consider "my style."  I should have taken a picture of it.  If I had, I would definitely have put it right here.  Alas.

I suppose now I'll go back to sipping ice water from my giant mug with the bendy straw, twittling my thumbs, and scrutinizing my Shrek feet for signs of improvement, and I'll update tomorrow with the final verdict: homeward bound or babies on the way!