time to rest

hi everyone,

i wanted to give you a quick update on the last 24 hours. last night when liz went on the monitors (usually every 4 hours) she was having regular contractions which was not part of the plan. they immediately put her on an IV as lack of fluids can be a cause of pre-term labor. they also started her on another medicine that she will be on for a total of 72 hours. thankfully this medicine does not have any noticeable side effects like the prior medicines. the contractions have slowed back down and liz is really focusing on resting and keeping plenty hydrated. we would request that there be no visitors until Friday of this week. please feel free to text and email and we appreciate all the love and support that we have felt during these times. i know that Liz isn't enjoying bed rest and the hospital stay, but she is really determined to all she can to keep the girls in her belly as long as possible. we thank God for his continual grace and mercy on our family and will do our best to keep you all posted.

andrew, liz, josiah and the girls

blown away but not by a hurricane...

It's been an eventful week: a hurricane, an earthquake, power outages, rain and wind. But for us this week is significant for a different reason. We have reached our first significant milestone in this pregnancy of 28 weeks! YEAH! The babies heart rates and monitoring are doing great. My contractions have been at a minimum and I am on no medication for that right now.

Another wonderful answer to prayer was that I passed my blood glucose testing! We were relieved to find out that I didn't have gestational diabetes on top of everything else. Maybe it was my fabulous choice for my "Last Supper" (I figured if I was going to go on a diet for the next two months, I might as well go out eating well):


Ok, so not the healthiest choice but it was so yummy to have a pineapple burger, fries and cherry limeade courtesy of Carytown Burger for my last supper :)

Andrew and Josiah are both on the mend health wise so thank you for praying for them. I have a little bit of a stuffy nose and congestion but overall feeling fine.

Please pray for my stomach as it's still having some issues and is still adjusting as I get further into the 3rd trimester. Also pray that I will not get bored or restless as it's still important for me to stay on complete bed rest at this point.

I wanted to end by saying I have been blown away by all the wonderful cards, texts, emails, flowers, movies, books, visitors, and food. My nurses tell me that I have had the most visitors they've seen for a patient on this floor! I don't think words can express how encouraging it is to have someone stop by even if it's only for a few minutes. My days go by so much faster and I feel more "normal" seeing people frequently. Thanks for sending love whether you are near or far to me and my family. We are truly blessed beyond what we deserve.

I will leave you with a couple photos of me and the belly. We are growing! Love you all xoxo

greetings from the bedside!

Liz and Andrew are happy to report that they were able to have a fun family time watching Cars with Josiah for first time. He enjoyed having snacks in bed with mom. Please pray for wisdom for Andrew and Liz as they continue to help Josiah adapt to this new phase of life with Mommy in the hospital.

Liz says she “really appreciates all the visitors that have come by... it helps the day go so much faster when I know a friend is coming.” If you want to check with Liz before you come, just send her a text message.

The belly is now measuring 34cms. It has grown 3 inches in 2 weeks. Mama sure is doing her job!

Liz and the babies went to the perinatologist today and here are some stats:

babies are measuring now 2.1 and 2.3 pounds

heart rates look great

moving quite a bit

baby A "Angel" is transverse

baby B "BB" is breach

not able to get a picture of them today as they were both hiding their faces with their hands

Liz will have a blood glucose test early tomorrow morning (beginning at 5am!). Please pray both for the results of this test and Liz’s comfort during this long morning.

Please also pray for Andrew who has been feeling under the weather during the last few days. Dad needs restful nights and healthy days to carry on with all the details of home, work, and hospital visits.

settling in to a new routine

from Liz today….

So an update on me... I have been moved to antepartum room 325 which is a step down unit from L&D. This is where I will be staying for the remainder of my stay. My doctor gave me the best room on the floor with a nice window (even the nurses have told me :) The nurses have been so great so far and I am starting to move my stuff in. The girls and I are still being monitored but everything has been great so far (no significant contractions). I am hoping to start getting into a regular routine over the next few days. I appreciate all the phone calls, texts, emails, movies, books, and visits so far. Today is a mile marker for the pregnancy as I have made it to 27 weeks. The first goal they have for me is to still be pregnant at 28 weeks so this is encouraging.

Sarah Ovaska will be coordinating meals for the Walkers using TakeThemAMeal.com

Here is a link to the meal schedule:

http://www.TakeThemAMeal.com/meals.php?t=HHYV3959

Feel free to email this link to individuals who might want to sign-up for your meal schedule. Be sure to include those from out of town, who might want to send a meal instead (learn more).

Another way others can access your meal schedule is:Visit: http://www.TakeThemAMeal.com

Recipient Last Name: Walker

Password: 6707

an unexpected hospital stay

Last Tuesday, August 9th, Liz was admitted to St. Mary's hospital because she was experiencing some strong contractions. She stayed several nights, and with the help of some intense doses of Magnesium Sulfate, the awesome staff in L&D at St. Mary's was able to slow the contractions. They then weaned Liz off the medicine and Friday afternoon she was able to return home.

Late Friday night the contractions returned and at 1 am on Saturday morning Liz was readmitted to St. Mary's. Praise God for awesome medical professionals who were again able to slow her labor.

Liz will now remain in the hospital until she delivers the twins. The good news is that Baby A and Baby B are both active and doing great. Liz is also healthy and feeling much better now that she is off drugs.

Obviously, a long hospital stay is not something that any of us hoped for, but we are glad that labor was stopped giving the twins more time to develop in the safe and comfy confines of their mama. We would like them to stay put for as long as possible.

Looking forward, we are working on developing a plan to help Liz, Andrew, and Josiah with the next few weeks and/or months without a mommy at home.

If you would like to help the Walkers, stay tuned. We are working on a plan to provide meals, child care, Liz care, ect. All of that info will be here for you as we have it.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Andrew and Liz both look forward to reading your comments, and we are so thankful to each and every one of you.