#janwilberg

We're tired this morning at Mary Birch. Last night was a long one but we're sipping lattes and sharing a blueberry muffin, so all is well. For now.

While I was downstairs picking up breakfast Elizabeth was talking to one of the boys (the one who made us a little nervous last night), asking him to wake up and give her a kick so she knows he's ok. He listened.

Now to what happened and what's been happening.

  The heart rate for one of the boys dipped last night whenever Elizabeth was having a contraction. This was new. The boys have never shown any signs of distress, even during contractions. So the monitor stayed on for longer than normal, one of Elizabeth's doctors was called, meds were ordered and we prayed the dreaded magnesium could be avoided. It was and we anxiously watched the baby monitor until 2am. The heart beats for both boys stayed strong, so the lights eventually were turned off and we fell asleep.

As I write this, Elizabeth just told me with a smile on her face, while referring to the son who gave us the scare last night: "He's rocking and rolling."

Elizabeth's nurse, noticing the movement, added: "Oh my goodness. He's doing his little sit-ups or something. How cute!"

The week, overall, was a good one for Elizabeth, but she was reminded the roller coaster she's been on for a few weeks isn't over yet. She continued to show signs of bouncing back but just when it looked like she could come home, there was another setback.

"You're here for the duration," one of her doctors told her yesterday.

For me, the most amazing thing to watch has been Elizabeth's comeback. Her preeclampsia was supposed to get worse, and likely will at some point, but she's actually shown some improvement. This, we've been told, almost never happens.

She's 31 weeks Tuesday -- another miracle. When she came in at 28 no one here thought she would get to 30 weeks. We're hoping she gets to 32. Her condition and the condition of the babies can change in a moment, so there's no way to know for sure what's ahead or when the babies will be born.

Passing time is becoming Elizabeth's greatest challenge, and I'm amazed at the strength she's shown day after day. Your visits are helping and so are your texts, emails and prayers.

I was telling a client yesterday how much the support has meant to us, which I wasn't expecting. For me, the stress doesn't surface, or only in small doses, because of the encouragement and support I've felt from others. I can handle a difficult development after I've just heard from an old friend who wrote to tell me that he, his wife and their young boys "pray for Miss Elizabeth and the boys every night at the dinner table."

I seem to end ever post the same way and this one is headed in the same direction. But before I sign off I need to share a blog post from my mother-in-law. She called it "Right Here Right Now" and it's worth a read.