Fun with Fetus

Today marks the beginning of our 31st week of pregnancy. Three weeks ago, I'd have been hard pressed to tell you what week we were in; now, I've got it down to the day. I find myself counting the hours from one week to the next. Surprisingly, the time is moving much faster than you'd think. It's a little after 11am, which means we've now been in the hospital 10 full days. We're both going a little stir crazy, but we're also amazed that it's already been that long. Then again, I've got it pretty easy. Anna has endured pokings and proddings, examinations and extractions, and all of the miscellaneous invasions and indignities that go along with intensive medical surveillance. She's been flat on her back 23 hours a day, sensors strapped to her belly, a heplock taped to her left wrist, the Flowtron Excel leg massagers wrapped around her calves. I feel slight pangs of guilt just stepping out of the hospital to pick up our morning coffees. Leaving for more than a couple of hours seems unthinkable, but that's exactly what we have planned for tomorrow. Anna and my sister, Kristin, are spending the morning together, and I'm heading home to take care of the cats, check on the house, and water the plants. Frankly, I'll be surprised if I can stay away for more than an hour.

8:30pm. Our room is never silent. The percussive thuka-thuka-thuka of Frankie's heartbeat is our constant companion. His presence is not just palpable - it's audible. And we have a new favorite game: Where's Frankie? Every once in a while, his heartbeat disappears from the monitor, and the game is on. I slather conductive jelly on the circular, plastic sensor, then slide it around Anna's belly until the heartbeat reappears. A variation of the game involves Anna flopping from one side to the other in an attempt to jostle Frankie back into position for the monitors to pick him up. It's almost more excitement than we can handle, but we're getting pretty good.

For those of you checking in on us for updates on Anna's condition, I'm happy to report that absolutely nothing has changed. The doctor tells us that Frankie looks great - even better than a lot of the full-term babies they're monitoring. Anna's missing the cats, and the gym, and the sun, and just being vertical for more than an hour a day. But we're both holding up quite well, considering the circumstances. Keep sending us your thoughts and prayers, because it seems to be working.