Preparing

Part I-Current Update
I have slowly been preparing myself for another journey on the couch.  The last few appointments have brought me to think a stay off of bed rest was a possibility.  However, after yesterdays appointment I am simply happy to be home on my couch. As of now, I am at home for a four day, very strict, bed rest.  I will go back to the doctor on Tuesday and if things have not settled down I will be admitted to UVA.  We are asking that you join us in prayer that my body would just settle into a period of rest.  Obviously UVA is the last place I want to go, but as of now I acknowledge and recognize that if that is best for keeping this baby as long as I can than I will.  The only reason I am not at UVA is the fact that I am exactly where I was with Audra at this week and my doctor along with doctors at UVA feel I can try to calm it down at home.  AND I have an incredible doctor!  So with intense monitoring here at home, some crazy drugs and rest, we are hoping to just enter the same resting, stable period I had with Audra.  My current prayer is that I will be given the strength to face what ever lies ahead.  I just need to get through the next few weeks and I think I will be more calm.  

Part II- What's really Alicia's problem? :) 
Some of you have been asking just exactly puts me on bed rest.  Below is a brief summary of what puts me on bed rest.  However, I realize this is a "delicate" subject and some of you would just rather not know. :)  So read at your risk. :)  Seriously, feel no need to read on if you don't feel comfortable knowing the intimate details of a woman in pregnancy. 

As many of you know, the woman is a unique and mysterious creature.  A man can live with a woman for years and live his whole life in awe of what makes us a woman.  I don't think that Paul knew he would have half of the conversations we have about things including words like dilation, cervical length and effacement.  :)  Poor guy- he is even a nurse.  So each woman has a cervix and as a woman's pregnancy progresses her cervix will shorten in preparation for delivery.  However, that shortening should not happen until the last month or so.  An average woman has a cervical length of 3 cm.  This is considered "normal".  In the case of cervical incompetency, a woman's cervix does not adhere to the natural patterns of pregnancy.  This is my case.  I started out with a cervical length of 3 cm, but as of yesterday I now have a cervical length of 1.2 cm.  This is also the reason I have a lovely thing called a cerclage. It is basically a high powered stitch that holds the baby in until a time the stitch can be removed and the baby can come at a safe time.  I am currently 24 weeks and 5 days.  I got steroid shots yesterday for the baby's lungs.  I just need to get through the next few weeks.