Wow, I can't believe that in a little over 24 hours, I will be the official mama of twins.  Can't wait, and I'm so proud that I officially made it to the important 34 week mark.  Couldn't have done it without Peter and all of you out there - what great cheerleaders and supporters you turned out to be. 

And now...the top 10 things I learned in the hospital (eat your heart out, David Letterman):

10.  Nurses are the salt of the earth.

9. If you are here long enough, you learn about the "secret" menu and can make special meal requests within reason.  Hooray, cheeseburgers!

8. Having a doctor for a husband definitely helps when you need a little extra TLC from hospital staff.  You know me, I didn't abuse it, but good to know.

7. Every day, EVERY hour, there is some version of Law and Order on TV. Scary.  Snooky, The Situation, Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan, etc. make bed rest interesting - to say the least.

6. I didn't miss cleaning my house, doing laundry, etc. as much as I thought I would. OK, stop laughing.

5. Flowers and stuffed animals really do brighten your day, especially when from people you love.

4. You learn to count your blessings, when you think about those who in the hospital for major illnesses, and you are going home with two human gifts instead.

3. Private rooms are the way to go, and something as simple as a shower with your favorite bath gel makes your WHOLE day!

2. Contractiions can be controlled by mind over matter, at least for awhile. Exhausting! 

1.  The pregnancy pillow makes the transition quite nicely to a hospital bed, even though there's no place like home.  

I will post Kate/Roman photos on Facebook and the Gallery by tomorrow late afternoon.  Keep the faith and continue the prayers for their development and speedy recovery for mama.  Much love!
 

Well, if you've been following my Facebook page the last week, you know that life has gotten VERY interesting for the twins and myself!  We now live in the L&D ward at Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa, due to some early labor signs last Friday (which I didn't even feel), but we have made it to the important week 33. Yeah!   The first few days were very hard on mama, as we fought off contractions with Magnesium Sulfate (a good way to torture your worst enemy by the way) and many needle sticks and IVs, but now we are on the road to delivery and recovery.  Thanks to all of your prayers, flowers, good wishes, etc. They got me through some VERY dark hours.  Babies are now over 4.5 pounds each, so completely viable if they arrive today, and will likely live in the NICU for a few weeks.  Bottom line: I have the BEST care at this hospital, and the nurses especially have treated me like a little princess through it all. What compassionate and lovely women they are! Forced bed rest was my biggest nightmare (think Sigourney Weaver in "Working Girl") but I have survived. Now, we just take it day by day and schedule the C-section when it's best for both babies and me.  A delicate balance, but I trust the decisions of my doctor. Daddy is doing well too - bringing me all my "stuff" from home, ice cream, and watching movies with me at night to keep me from going too crazy.  Auntie Shari will be back from Lake Tahoe tomorrow, and we would like for her to be there in the OR, so another potential milestone for which to shoot.  But, Mother Nature will be the final arbiter here...can't stop her!  Contractions are getting stronger, but very manageable. And...most importantly...babies heartbeats are strong and they are moving around (very happy that mama is finally taking it easy, I'm sure).  Both Leos for sure - hurray!  Two other sets of healthy twins already born this week, so good luck there too. I am blessed.  Kate and Roman can't wait to meet all of you - likely before we blog again next Thursday (then, we need to start at Week 1 again).  Will keep you all posted via e-mail, Facebook and babyredko.com.   Keep the faith...

Hi, friends.  Well, no wonder I'm so freaking tired - Roman is 4 pounds and Katya is 4.1 pounds as of yesterday. Wow!  Growing nicely - and just want to get them to at least 5 pounds each, and I'll be happy.  4-5 weeks to go...time for a little R&R before the insanity begins.  The doctor said that at this stage, the babies are completely viable and could both "go to Harvard." A good omen! THANK YOU to all of you who were at the baby shower last weekend (in spirit too) - these babies have enough clothes and toys to last until they are at least 2 years old.  Who KNEW how many creative things you can do with Dr. Seuss.  I picked a good theme!  Scamper the rabbit is still not sure about all the new furniture and primary colors in "his" room, but he's settling down and knows something big is coming.  Check out the link to baby shower photos in the Gallery (at the top of page).  A special, beautiful day!  Starting the fetal heart monitoring tomorrow - weekly - to make sure that babies are not under any stress and that heartbeats are steady.  I can't believe that Kate is sideways again, and loves to have her feet in her face. I'm definitely swaddling both babies, as they are really packed in there and will LOVE it.  I'm leaning toward C-section, since both babies aren't head down.  Might as well play it safe, even if recovery time is a little longer.  That's o.k. - I'm ready for it - and have LOTS of help from neighbors and friends.  It was hard saying good bye to my mom on Monday - hope they decide to move here someday, as Kate and Roman will learn so much about love, faith and life from my parents.  On maternity leave starting on August 2nd, and I must admit - I can't wait.  Getting a little uncomfortable, but feeling very lucky to be able to go walking, swimming, etc. even after restless nights of kick-boxing matches (Kate won - hands down - last night at 2AM).  Stay in touch, and don't worry - I'll be blogging from the hospital too. 

Another major milestone this weekend - Baby Shower!  I never thought we would get to the 30's weeks, especially after last summer, but here we are - all 3 of us.  I know the shower is going to be memorable and beautiful, since I have so many wonderful, creative girlfriends and family. Plus, Dr. Seuss cupcakes - you can't beat that.  My mom flies in tonight, and boy is she going be be blown away by the big "barrel" (Peter's latest term for the baby bump) attached to her little daughter!  Sleeping is still difficult, but at least I can breathe lying down, and I don't have to sleep in a chair all night (I have heard this is common in third trimester).  The weather has been pleasant, and I would be going CRAZY if I lived on the East Coast right now with that humidity (sorry, East Coasters)!   I had my last major client appointment in the East Bay yesterday, as driving too far from home is a bit uncomfortable by myself, and we don't want to have these babies anywhere outside of Sonoma County.  Right???  Plenty of work to be done from home (including Rotary) until maternity leave on July 30th, but not stressing about it.  If the doctor says "bed rest" at this Friday's appointment, I'm ready.  Only the baby shower and packing the hospital bag left to do...so glad I did the room a month ago, when I could still see my toes and bend without discomfort.  My latest manicure features a flower on my right ring finger for Kate and a blue baby rattle on my left ring finger for Roman (my manicurists idea for the shower).  Very cute!  Look for baby shower photos in the gallery after the weekend - thank you to Shelby Lorenz, budding photographer, as I know she'll do a great job and get my good side (hard to miss these days)!  P.S.  Send ideas (via e-mail) for books and movies to keep me occupied in August.  I'm especially into thrillers these days (ala Shutter Island).  No sappy baby books either!  LOL 

I can't believe the day is here, my first as President of the Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati.  I am so honored to be a part of this organization, and in particular, this Club - which has shown me friendship and support over the last three years!  Some of my closest friends are in Rotary, and I never would have met them otherwise.  I hope I do the role justice, especially with twins on the way.  Speaking of which, my little girl is growing, growing, growing!  Not her fault, but Kate keeps me up all night with her struggle to find room - she's actually all the way on my right side, which is an odd feeling when she stretches. It's NOT a tumor (insert Ah-nold voice here)!  I'll be curious to know their sizes at the next 3-D ultrasound on July 14th.  One week until Mom arrives and we have the long-awaited Dr. Seuss baby shower.  I can't wait!  Kate and Roman are very lucky to have so many friends to celebrate their arrival in about 7-8 weeks. Then, the REAL fun begins!  Check out new photos in the gallery - a little grainy, because I had to copy them from Facebook, but they will be updated with clearer images when I get the originals on disk.  Muggs is recovering from surgery, and she was sweet to come over here on Sunday to take some shots before going to the hospital.  Even Peter - the birthday daddy today - posed for a few photos (reluctantly).   Recorded myself singing "The Climb" for the babies (with piano by Jan Emerson), so they'll have their own personal version for later.  That's our anthem!  Cheers, everyone.  Happy Fourth of July!