Fast Forward to the Third Trimester

Third Trimester! It's here and it's (hopefully) not going anywhere any time soon. So much has happened since my last update (12 whole weeks ago). I went through a blissful stage of pregnancy in which I was relatively comfortable and at a "nice size" for most people's tastes. People treat pregnant ladies so well and it's something I'm really enjoying. I'm quickly growing to a size that is no longer "nice", as most people get a little squeamish once women get to a certain level of bigness. I might be there already and just in denial, but hopefully I'm still not stopping people in their tracks. The discomfort of the third trimester seems to be settling in. My biggest complaint is the back pain. The afternoons seem to be the worst for me if I'm in the office, as I've already been sitting for several hours. However, I"m now working half days, so I get to lie on the couch for those afternoon and evening hours. That does me a world of good. The doctor keeps threatening me with bedrest, but so far I'm still able to get out and about. Unfortunately at my 31 week appointment I got a positive result on the FFN test, which indicates that I'm at increased risk for preterm labor. As a precaution my doctor ordered two rounds of steroid injections, in order to expedite the babies' development. Although that was initially frightening to me, I've gotten a lot of peace about it since and am not overly worried that the babies will come early. If that happens then they will be fine. If it doesn't then they'll be even better. Both are good outcomes and I know it's in God's hands. He's provided for the babies this whole pregnancy and he's given me comfort that he intends to continue doing so. I keep telling him that the babies need me so I need to delay labor as long as possible, but he keeps reminding me that they need him and that he'll time their arrival appropriately. So, in the meantime I'm just trying to treat myself as well as I can and wait out the last remaining weeks of the pregnancy. I was blessed to have three baby showers. Yes - THREE. I am so spoiled and I can hardly stand it.....but I managed to find a way to enjoy this blessing (times 3!). The first shower was hosted by several hometown friends (Mollie McCune, Kristin Rodefeld, Sharon Hagen, Patty Froehlich, Patty Braselton, and Jan Elwell) and it was fantastic by anyone's standards (even Kim Kardashian would have been impressed with this shower). The decor blew me away, the food was excellent, and the guests were obscenely generous. The gifts filled our baby room and it has taken weeks to sort through them all and organize them (a task we're gladly performing - it's so much fun!). Sherri Henry and Susan Brown hosted a Sunday School class shower for me and it also far exceeded my expectations. About 15 women showed up and, again, spent way too much money on us. The most fun part of that shower was hearing all of the advice from the fellow mothers there. They are going to be such a huge support group for me once the babies come. They are my dear friends. Several ladies up at work through a group shower for Stephanie Toups, Bianca LeBlanc, Carolina Price, and me. We're all due this fall and we've had so much fun being pregnant together. They through a "storybook" shower and asked that the guests not bring gifts, but instead bring a children's book for us. The food and decor were also fantastic at this shower. Now we have about 30 children's books to start our collection. Like I said.....spoiled rotten!