a "relaxing" weekend

so in continuing with the theme of "interesting suprises" to take place in 2014, lucas and i had ourselves a little mini vacay this weekend at the hospital. my back issues are originally what caused me to make an extra OB appointment thursday afternoon, but by the time i made it to the office i was cramping. consequently they put me on the monitor to check for contractions, discovered that my cervix was softened and dialating (1.5 but apparently only on the outside) and did a cervical sonogram to see that in 6 days i had gone from 4.2 to 3.4. i was sent home with a perscription to stop the cramping and scheduled to come back the next day for another sonogram "if i still felt crampy". since i would be near the office the next day for my glucose screening, i had already decided to take advantage of the sonogram regardless. it's a good thing! while waiting for the 3 hr glucose stuff to pass, i resumed cramping and started to spot. panic mode ensued and i made a bee line to the sonographer as soon as the test was done. my cervix was found to only be at 3.8 instead of 3.2 and they did not do another check internally and instead just sent me straight to the hospital for "24 hrs of monitoring and a round of steroid shots". willing myself to keep calm, i called my mom to head my way immediately and charles did the same with his mom. let me just say here how amazing my husband is. i have NEVER seen him like that. he was clearly terrified and although his nerves do not show as much as they did friday, his attention and focus has not waivered one bit. he has stepped up in ways that i knew he could but had not yet seen to this degree and it just makes me glow with pride! he was by my side as soon as he could be on friday and then went to get cameron from school and meet up with a dear friend of ours who watched him that evening so that husband and moms could be with me. i spent the next 3 days periodically being strapped up to monitor baby and contractions, which thankfully did not seem to be happening. i had a perinatologist do a sonogram and all was declared good with baby. at 26 weeks 2 days he measured approximately 2.3 lbs (64th%) which is a huge comfort. it also makes me think that, despite the doctors saying that i should have no trouble going full term now, he will come early because he's going to be ready to rock and roll sooner. his heart is good, spine is good and i have plenty of fluids and placenta in tact and finally moved up far enough from the cervix. i did have cramping on and off throughout the weekend and they would just monitor me again, but no more bleeding. i was also able to spend the weekend on a great heating pad for my back and legs and was given some pain meds for it while there. i am still quite stiff but considerably more functional than i was friday. and i'm currently at my desk, sitting on the heating pad. don't judge. it was deterimined that i might have had a UTI. i am dubious, but just thankful that it wasn't a worse situation. i will still be going back in 4 weeks for a second round of steroids just in case he gets more persistant about an early arrival. and i am on "moderate bed rest", which means that i can't lift more than 10 lbs, can go to work and sit on my butt for 10 hrs and then straight home to the couch otherwise. this is difficult for me, but mom will remain as long as needed and charles is ever-vigilant. i have another OB appt this friday so i look forward to more updates if there are any to be had. as of now, the plan is that i will continue to take it this easy at LEAST till we get past 28 weeks and then see how it's going. i don't want to keep mom here for the next 10 weeks only to need her help again after lucas arrives, so we're just playing it safe and will then adjust as needed. so a potentially terrifying situation actually turned out not so bad, we were EXTREMELY lucky. we had the absolute best care available both in and out of the hospital, thanks to our friends and family. it is pretty amazing. i am definitely excited to meet this little guy - clearly he has great purpose in our lives judging by the changes he has made to our family just in the last 26 weeks alone. horay for being a part of a beautiful miracle!!!!