pre-term labor

On Saturday, 11 June, I woke up to Matt's alarm clock.  I hadn't slept well but thought nothing of the cramping or uncomfortable tightness that had been going on most of the night.  I would be 27 weeks the next day and just figured it was braxton hicks.  However, things quickly changed when I notice I was bleeding.  Instead of Matt going to class as planned we were on our way to the hospital and less than an hour after waking up I was in a hospital bed and being hooked up to monitors.  Both babies had great heartbeats but I was having contractions...real ones, not braxton hicks!  The doctor was called in and a whirlwind of a day began.  We were informed that I was 3cm dilated and 50-70% effaced, Zoey's amniotic sac was bulging from my cervix, and we should expect to have babies in the next 48 hours!  Over the next few hours everything was done to prepare for the birth of the babies and stop the contractions.  I had ultrasounds, exams, steroid shots for the babies lungs, meds to stop the contractions, talked to my doctor, talked to the neonatologist, and filled out all the paperwork and birth forms.  I was not able to eat in case we had to deliver or sit up too high/get out of bed to prevent my water breaking.  At some point during the day we called our parents and even got the news to Mom in Chile!  By that evening things were looking better...the contractions were less intense but we were still prepared for surgery.

On Sunday, things looked great.  I got the second steroid shot and just needed to hold out until monday around 11 for it to have the full effect for the babies lungs.  The contractions had stopped so I was moved to out of the birthing room into a regular room and was allowed to eat!  Mom left Chile to make the two day trip to Minot and we just waited to see what would happen.

Monday morning came around and we were thrilled that the steroids were able to be in my system for 48 hours.  I had no additional signs of labor and was allowed to shower and use the restroom but no additional walking or moving.  I continued to be monitored every four hours but continued to not have contractions.  The doctors told me to plan on staying at the hospital until 32 weeks or the babies were born.  Mom finally made it to Minot that evening and Matt was able to relax a little more.  We all began settling in expecting to be there for several weeks. 
.katherine.

high waters

The day our parents left Minot, 31 May, the town announced manditory evacuations due to the water level of the river.  We had a record 82 inches of snow last winter so the ground was saturated and the dams north of us had to let out water so they didn't break!  We thankfully were not in the evacuation zone but many of our friends were.  We took our parents to the airport, set up beds in the house, and welcomed our friends, the Ehns, into our home.  Over the next few days we watched the river levels and waited.  The town worked to build up dikes and sandbagged with the help of 900 National Guard personel.  The day before the river crested, Abbey and I went out to take photographs of the river while Matt and Eric helped with the sandbagging efforts.

The water crested at 1555.1 ft above sea level on June 3rd (if I remember correctly) and we were able to contain the water!  Everyone was allowed back in their homes two weeks after the evacuation with the understanding that they may be required to leave again.
.katherine.

captain promotion weekend

The weekend of May 28th we had both sets of parents in town to celebrate Matt's promotion!  On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we hung out, played cards, worked on the house, prepared for the party, and played with the babies.  The parents were all able to feel the kids move and hear their heartbeats...it was wonderful to be able to share that experience with them.

On May 30th Matt was promoted to Captain in the Air Force.  The ceremony was done by Col Walker, the group commander and Matt was one of six promoted at the ceremony.  Jannel and Nicole did a wonderful job at putting everything together and making sure things ran smoothly.  Syd, Matt's dad, did the swearing in oath; Mom and Dad removed Matt's old rank; Janet, Matt's mom, and me put on Matt's new rank.  It was a beautiful ceremony and privilege to be a part of it. 

 Once we got home, Matt opened his gifts.  He got some very nice things!

Then it was time to celebrate!  Mom's gift to Matt was the party...and what a great one!  There was tons of food and kegs in the kitchen...everyone had a wonderful time. 

It was a great weekend and a wonderful ceremony!  Congratulations Matt!
.katherine.

a trip to South Dakota

There has been so much that has happened since I last wrote!  In a nutshell: we went on a small "babymoon"/birthday trip, Matt was promoted to Captain, we had the babies, the NICU was evacuated due to the flood, and the babies and I are currently in Fargo while Matt and the Dads have been busy working on rebuilding our basement that was flooded.  Instead of rushing through all the stories, however, I am going to try to play catch-up and write what I can! 

The weekend of May 6th, Matt and I went on a trip to Rapid City, South Dakota to get away, relax, and celebrate our birthdays.  We have been planning to go to Rapid City for a while so we were both very excited that we could finally make it work. 

On Friday our first stop was Mt. Rushmore.

The museum had a lot of the original models, tools, equipment, and photographs.  There were also personal stories from men who worked on the project.  It was incredible to see all the documents!

We also took time to walk the founders trail.  It is a beautiful nature trail around the monement so you can see it from all different angles.

 

It was such a beautiful day and we loved seeing the monument!

After leaving Mt. Rushmore, we drove down the road to the Crazy Horse monument. 

This is another monument built in the mountain, however, this one is still in progress!  It is all privately funded and has been worked on for many years.  It was amazing to see the work being done while we were visiting.  We were able to take a bus to the base of the mountain to get a closer look at the monument.  While we were there we could see and hear the people working, it was a very unique experience.

We also visited the rest of the facility.  The goal is eventually have a education and cultural center.  We visited the museum, a gallery of the artists work, and a cultural center.  Some of the displays were also in the home the artist built on the site for his family.

The project is incredible and well worth the visit!

On Saturday we started out by going to the Comos Mystery Zone.

 It was deffinatly hokey and touristy but we still had fun.

Next we did the Norby Scenic Trail.  It is a beautiful driving trail and we loved it!  It was a great way to relax after doing so much walking the day before.

While we were in Rapid City we also enjoyed several wonderful meals at local resturants and just relaxed.  We had a wonderful time!  We would love to get back to Rapid City for another trip some day!
.katherine.