8 more days

so i am going to write to update everyone at the same time since i am not SUPPOSE to up.
one week ago i started having contractions...but as there was much to do and i knew this was normal braxton hicks...i kept going with day. by the end of the day they were pretty strong and within minutes of each other. so the OB nurse for our school sent us into the hospital to see if i could be monitored. Praise the Lord they recently acquired a monitoring machine so i was able to get some meds to relax everything and be hooked up to the machine. the contractions stopped within 10 min and i had no more for the hr i laid there.
so the next day i had more contractions and everyone decided i should take it easy. so i rested for the day and went out to dinner with many friends that night but then pain started under my belly and lasted all night. i didn't sleep. the next day i rested again and contacted who i knew could help. my dr in the states can only really reply with "i recommend you not fly" for legal reasons i suppose...and most here were saying the would not recommend it either. so we all decided i would go on bed rest until i was stable. and i also did a urine culture to see if there was any infection making all this happen...but no...only a slightly elivated white blood count...but we decided to go on an antibiotic to see if that could be the cause. and it has seemed to help! the spazms have gone way down and the contractions only go when i am standing. the pain has been reduced by 80% and i feel fine when i am laying down now...so i guess it makes it harder to remain laying down :/ but i do lay as much as humanly possible for me at this time...we leave in 8 days. there is still a lot to be done and while friends are helping with certain things...there are things that have to be done by either greg or i...we are doing our best to deligate and the community here is great to lend hands to help! i had planned to lead a women's retreat this weekend but in the end...i am not there...i handed it over to another lady who will do it for me. thank goodness i have a helper too! this whole pregnancy would look so much different if i didn't have her! she at least feeds the family and helps me not to have to get up every time they need something! so anyway...long story! after one week i am much better but i am writing all this so that you can pray better for us...we leave Feb 27 at 3pm california time and we arrive in LAX Feb 28 7pm...so we need a good amount of prayer in that 28 hr period...i really don't want to be walking off the plane with a baby! i am more and more confident that things are going to be just fine... the indo dr. here gave me the same med i had that night of the contractions and told me to take one before i get on the plane and then every 6-8 hrs after until i get to LA...and that seemed to work for me very well and didn't affect my very active little baby boy inside! so we will pray that we get on the planes we need to and God will stop anything we aren't suppose to do. He knows this plan and so i trust we are in the best care possible. you can also pray for mr. greg...he is so stressed with all this, getting his school work done for the subs to take over, getting the things done that i can not, the stress knowing that i am on bedrest, he has an ingrown toenail...just to slow him down with pain! we are going to be grateful to land on the other side of the world here next week! the kids are very excited and can't wait to get there...we have 4 birthday parties from today until we leave and one of them is Paul's...he will be five already!

so there is our life from the last week...sorry for the many words...but we appreciate the prayers!

peace and love
martha