Survivor Nicaragua!

So excited for Survivor tonight! I woke up this morning with a big smile on my face and now only 30 more minutes until the season premiere! I have only seen the last 20 seasons without missing any episodes, thanks to DVR's!  I was 14 years old when the first season was on, and I can remember it like yesterday, (we were vacationing at the Grand Canyon, and stopped to get KFC before returning to our hotel to watch Survivor..because we just couldn't bear missing it that evening)! My crazy family, but it's still something we all sit down to watch together and discuss, so I guess that's good! I just love Survivor and am totally addicted to it, along with a couple other stupid reality shows, which I'll share once they continue to come on for the Fall season.

There are a few of interesting people on this Survivor, like Jimmy Johnson...who Tim is rooting for even though we HATE the COWBOYS (which is one of the teams he used to coach) with a passion. We will see who else we like after the episode tonight! Ahh I can't wait...I'm such a dork!

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Shower Invites!

Aren't these adoable?!

I JUST LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

18 Weeks!

How Far Along: 18 Weeks!

How Big are the Babies: The girls are as big as sweet potatoes (yum), about 5.6 inches and 6.7 ounces. (This is kind of off because last week at my appointment each baby was weighing at least 7.0 ounces.) Your babies have become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, they are finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon (thebump.com).

Weigh Gain: Probably up a pound from my appointment, so I am assuming, 134. Starting weight - 126 lbs., so total gained so far is 8 pounds. I hope to gain A LOT more! These babies need to fatten up, even though both of their parents are tall and skinny, I hope they get to normal birth weight before coming out! Come on babies...5 lbs. 2 ounces!!

Symptoms: Backaches, which the doctor said if I am having bad backaches, it's because I am doing too much. Lovely. Using the bathroom a lot, sore BIG boobs (growing by the day too), headaches...but other than that feeling great!

Emotions: Scared. Anxious. I realized this week, with some help from my therapist, that most first time moms are scared to death when it comes to carrying a baby, birthing a baby, and the whole thought of motherhood, a since I have three babies, I have an excuse to be a little more nuts about it and it's completely normal. Amen, because I was really starting to freak out and my anxiety doesn't help the situation. But I now have some good techniques to use when I go to the doctor so I don't have another panic attack! I'm fine, until I lay on that sonogram table and see my three babies and realize, "oh my Lord, those are our children...ALL THREE of them!" It will always freak me out, and I never expected it to.

I'm scared to go on bed rest. My next appointment will be 19w6d, and the doctor said if my cervix is at 3.0, bed rest will start, so that means that I will have (hopefully) 14 weeks until I'm 34 weeks, which is everyone goal. That's a long time to lay in bed, with no cable, not being able to fix meals, clean my house, feed my pets, do the laundry, get the mail, run errands, ya know all those things that make life go round each day. Thank God, I have a husband who loves to cook, and will vacuum any day, and will do everything I ask and more, but still it's not the same. I am a Type A Personality, I do things myself, because I am the only one who can do them that way and the way I like it to be done...(right, Melissa :) ) so I don't think I am going to handle this well. I am praying to God that he gives me the strenght to do it, understand it's ok to ask for help and have patience. Ugh, so hard for me!

Best Moment of the Week: I guess confirming the genders of the babies. A shock but glad to know now and not when they are born!! That's would have pissed me off. Getting more excited everyday to say "my girls" or "our girls" and hearing Tim say the same, it's so darn cute, and melts my heart. They will all be wrapped around his fingers and he knows it too! He already says, "I will no be the disciplinary parent, they will just say, daddyyyyy, plllleassseee and I'll always say ok!" We will have to work on that!

Movement: About once or twice a week, I can feel it on the outside of my tummy, but mostly it's all still only being felt internally. But looking forward to it more and more.

Maternity Clothes: Of course! Size "small" in maternity clothes it now way to tight around my abdomen and way too short to cover my whole belly at this point!

Stretchmarks: Nope!

Sleep: Getting more and more uncomfortable each night, since I swear I am growing by the day now! Using the bathroom a lot and just wide awake, but when I do sleep the dreams are still crazy (and some random nightmares).

Food Cravings: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I eat almost ever day now. Apples I love right now, lots of water still but I really don't need the lemon like I used to, hot chocolate I have been drinking in the mornings...and I don't know, I just eat all day long, anything I want!! Been eating a lot of cheese! Thank you to my MIL who bought me my FAVORITE cheese in the whole wide world from PA this past weekend (you can only get it at very few places around here, but all over in PA) !!! I have been shoveling it in! YUM!!!!!!!

Gender Predictions: (I guess I should have never taken this one out!) THREE PRINCESSES!!

What I Miss: Wine, and that will not change.

What I am Looking Forward to: A million and one things: Poolesville Day, Lockheed Martin Picnic, My Friend's Wedding, Mom of Multiples Baby Sale, Montgomery County Baby Bazaar, painting the girl's room, my baby shower in Dover, my baby shower here in town, fall, fall food, football (GO SKINS!), apple pies, apple cider, continuing to get the house ready for the babies, cleaning out stuff...ok, ok, that's enough! (that's only the rest of Sept and Oct!)

Weekly Wisdom: Slow it down, Mama! LOL! Put your feet up!

Questions: ??

And here is the growing belly photos...I want to get a cow costume for Halloween, because by that time I will be a cow! I can only imagine what I am going to look like by Thanksgiving and then Christmas...All I can think, is HOLY COW!



My flat belly button and stetching scar!



OB Appointment and Sonogram Photos - 17w3d

Today we had our our appointment with the OB once again. I think it seems like forever between appointments when I am standing there making my next appointment but then it literally flies by and I am already back in the office!

I was so excited to see how much the babies have grown since two weeks ago! It always blows my mind!

Tim was able to make this appointment and I was so happy to have him there, he hasn't missed but one, but he wasn't sure if he could make it due to being so busy at work, but he did.

I had my blood pressure taken, which was normal. My weight was 133.5 lbs...very good. And I did my urine sample, as I do every time to check the sugar. And then I went into the sonogram room and layed down.

First the sonographer checked my cervix. It has gone down/shortened, and the doctors are getting a little worried. 6 weeks ago my cervix was 4.7, then 4 weeks ago it was 3.8, 2 weeks ago it was 3.6 and now it was 3.4. The doctor said that if it gets to 3.0, my time of bed rest will begin. I am on strict orders not to lift anything heavier then my purse, no long walking, and LAY down and put my feet up, level with my heart every chance I can get. No sitting and no walking unless necessary. If I am sitting on the couch, that's not good enough, I need to be laying on my side and having my feet up. Also, this will help with the swelling that will most likely come in the future weeks.

Then the nurse came in and asked me if I was having any problems with urinating or pain/burning when using the bathroom, ect. I said, "no problems at all," and she explained that there was some white blood cells in my urine and that might be a start of a uurinary track infection or kidney infection, both which would be horrible. But good news is, is that I have no symptoms what-so-ever, and I did another sample at the end of my visit (2 hours later) and they are sending it out to the lab before starting me on antibiotitics.

After I was told about this, and having to lay flat on my back, I felt very hot suddenly and tried to get comfortable but couldn't. The nurse kept asking if I was ok, and I tried but I finally had to ask her to stop because I was going to get sick. Within 15 second I was head-over the trash can, sweating and turning bright red. I had some cereal for breakfast and I guess the milk didn't quite sit with me and then having to lay on my back, it was just too much for me! I was so scared, just with the news of my urine and my cervix, I get so panicked, so quick...and there's no stopping it.

After the little episode was over, the nurse was sooo sweet and thank God Tim was there, I felt so much better and they had me lie on my side instead of my back, which the doctor said he won't make me do ever again, amen! He said, I shouldn't worry about getting sick, it's a daily occurrence there and because I am measuring so large, my body is just reacting to the huge demand these babies are putting on me, and sometimes it will all catch-up when I least expect it. I was more mad that I was feeling fine, haven't take a zofran in weeks and then boom, all of the sudden...there I was, right over the trash can again! Eww!

I guess I still get a little shocked when I see 3 babies up there on the big-screen and realize that it's my belly that those 3 babies are in! It just blows my mind! I don't think I will get used to it, even after giving birth, it will take awhile at home with them before I realize that they aren't going anywhere!

So, I am measuring...10 WEEKS AHEAD OF WHAT I ACTUALLY AM!!!! The doctor said if I was carrying one baby, I would be 27-28 weeks right now! Holy FAT WHALE!!! That shocked me!

And the nurse went through each baby, checking the heart-rates, genders and lobes of the brain, along with blood flow of the umbilical cords. The heart rates were 154 (baby A), 146 (baby B) and 148 (baby C). All brains looked great (hopefully smart little one's in there) and all the blood flow with each of them looked great! They are all 7 ounces each (which is a lot more than thebump.com states for week 17).

So, back when the nurse was taking my blood pressure and weight, she asked me if I knew the sexes and I said yes, two twin girls and one boy. So she started with Baby A and confirmed both Baby A and Baby B are still prefect little girls. She went to Baby C and then asked us who was it that told us that it was a boy, and I literally jumped off the table and said "WHY"???? I told her who and she said that she was not seeing that it was a boy. I looked at Tim and now he looked like he was now going to get sick. She looked and looked and said, "looks like a girl to me"...WHAT??? She said she would check the sonogram photos from last time and have the doctor check too, but to her it was a girl. I was devastated, to be honest, in complete disbelief.

We waited forever for my doctor to come back in and the whole time Tim and I were so nervous!! I was screaming at my tummy, that if there is a Jackson in there, he better show his stuff and make us aware, because I was not leaving until I knew what Baby C was!!

The doctor finally came in and looked and looked. He showed us comparisons between Baby A and Baby B, with Baby C and sure enough there is NO PENIS. None, what-so-ever. All of the girls looks exactly the same between the legs and it was so clear! Even the doctor said, if this is a boy, he will be laughed at in the locker room, so you better hope it's not a boy! He said a penis would look like a rocket-ship and clearly there was no such rocket-ship on any angle of our Baby C for the 30 minutes the doctor looked!

We were shocked to say the least, we didn't even want to talk about it, really. It's hard. But I have allowed myself one day to grieve what never was and I am TOTALLY blessed to have three beautiful little girls in my belly. However, I will wait until the next appointment on Sept. 27th to really believe that they are all girls. That's when I'll have the gender anatomy scan and will completely confirm gender, but even now at 17 weeks, my doctor was completely sure there would be a penis if a penis was meant to be. He also said that in the very beginning of gender, the clitoris can be very swollen and look like the start of a little penis, but really it's not. I guess that is the price you pay for trying to find out earlier, even if the nurse (who used to be a doctor) tells you that she is 100% positive of the baby's gender! Boo!

The doctor asked if we had names picked out and when we told him, he said his oldest daughter is a Madelynn...and then he says that her name is Madelynn Christine....our name too! I almost died! How cool is that!? He loved Claire and Natalee (Baby C's real name now).

We did get some really good photos of the babies and I was so happy to get profiles of their faces. (even though my camera cost me almost $1000 bucks, I still get blurry photos of these sonogram photos...makes me so mad!)

Baby C - Natalee

Natalee's "big feet" as the dr. said

See the arrow...the three lines...proving it's another girl! 

Same thing...proving those three lines means a girl!

Baby A - Madelynn

Madelynn

Baby B - Claire

Claire

WOW!!!!!!!!

First of all, we don't know what to think.

There are a lot of emotions going through our heads at this point.

We're sad.

We're happy.

We're very, very, very blessed no matter what.

But, today we had another BIG SHOCKER!

Baby C is no longer never was a BOY, even after being told that "it" was a HE 100%.

Baby C is a GIRL.

She has been very mad that we have been calling her Jackson. She is not a Jackson. She will be a Natalee.

To be honest, (and no harsh comments, please) our hearts are sad today. No matter what is now, it has been our little boy the past two-plus weeks. Our little football player. Daddy's hunting and fishing buddy. My little momma's boy. No football games or little-league.

Just cheerleading, ballet, dancing, poms, gymnastics, basketball and softball...and lots of it! I pray they love sports like their Mommy and Daddy.

So, now, we have THREE PRINCESSES. Lord, please shine your light upon our home.

I feel bad that the twin girls will be identical and the other won't look like her sisters. I didn't want that. I never want that one to feel left out, or not look like her twin sisters.

Don't get me wrong, I thank God every day, multiple times a day for these beautiful babies, no matter their sex, but to us, today, it is a heartbreak for us as a family.

I promise to post about my whole OB Appointment later this evening, because there is A LOT to post about, but for now, I just want to have some time with my husband and family and to pray.

Please pray for us (especially in about 13 years from now), we are blessed and we know it. All that matters is healthy babies, hands down, 30 fingers, 30 toes...they will be beautiful, loved-to-the-fullest and we will love them all the same.

3 beautiful, little princesses!

Belly-button and Kicks!

Today I woke up and looked down on my tummy as I do every morning to say good morning to my little peanuts and I noticed something funny....my belly button sticking out!!! Totally freaked me out but I kinda pushed it back in...LOL...and then proceeded to take out my belly ring! Oh no...no more belly ring...I NOW HAVE OFFICIALLY HIT MOTHERHOOD! 

I called my mom immediately, and said, "mom....MY BELLY BUTTON IS POPPED OUT"...and she just laughed and said, "yup, that's what happens, hunny!"

All day I kept looking at my tummy and even now, it is stretched and as flat as it can be and soon will be all the way out, all the time! Lovely! Yuck, is really what I think.

Not to mention, all the scars from my previous surgeries are now stretching to capacity also...I hope they told tight and don't pop open, because sometimes I feel like the skin on my tummy could literally POP open these days! It's so weird, but I am guessing it's because it's stretching so much so quickly!

Also, today, Tim and I were sitting on the couch and felt Madelynn (Baby A) most likely (since it was so low) kick twice. As soon as I felt it I grabbed his hand and put it on my lower belly and sure enough, another big kick! It's getting tight in there quick!!

When my mom stopped over this evening on her neighborhood walk, I showed her my belly button and she said, "geeze, you look 6-7 months pregnant!" (And she said my tummy still looks cute even with a semi-popped out belly button!)

I guess it's all because I have been eating SO MUCH lately, the peanuts are really gaining weight and growing, along with my tummy on the outside! Makes me smile from ear to ear but it still so freaky!!

Can't wait until tomorrow for my OB appointment to see how much weight I have officially gained and to see how big the babies are! I hope we get some good pictures this time!!

Wordless Wednesday....HOLY CRAP!!!

The average diaper changes for triplets each month is

900....

so, for the first year, that's

10,800 DIAPERS!!

***HOLY CRAP!***

(anyone who is generous enough to provide us diapers before and when these babies are born, I THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!)

17 Weeks!

How Far Along: 17 Weeks!!

How Big are the Babies: The babies are the size of onions, about 5.1 inches and 5.9 ounces! Their skeletons are hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cords are getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints (http://www.thebump.com/).

Weight Gain: Well, hmm....starting weight - 126 lbs., today - 134 lbs.!!

Symptoms: Well, on a GREAT note, I have gone 11 DAYS without taking ONE ZOFRAN!!! Hello, 11 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jumping for joy! No nausea, no vomiting...nothing! One happy girl here!

And how amazing is this, the constipation has gone away completely since I have stopped the zofran! A-----MAZING!!!!! Some backaches which can be bad sometimes, still thirsty, dry eyes and HUNGRY all the time!

Emotions: So happy this week with completing the registries, finding out about my showers and starting the nursery! I'm on cloud nine!

Best Moment of the Week: Registering! I have waited my whole life to be a mommy and finally my dreams are coming true----times 3!!!

Movement: I think Tim and I felt the babies move on the outside for the first time on Sunday at his Mom's house. It was like a wood-pecker in my top right-hand side of my tummy going to town...I turned to Tim and was like, "FEEL THIS"...and his eyes lite up and he said "I FEEL IT!!!!" It went on for about 30 minutes and then stopped! Definitely was strange! Looking forward to feeling them more and more on the outside and not just pushing and prodding on my organs!

Maternity Clothes: Of course. I put on a pair of maternity capris that I got at a yard sale in June and man were they tight on my tummy!! It was not comfy and I though they would be able to last me the next month or so until I needed pants, but I don't think so at this point.

Stretchmarks: No, amen.

Sleep: Still ok, some nights are better than others. Some nights I wake up so thirsty, which makes me have to pee so much more, but I still get my best sleep after Tim leaves for work in the morning because I can roll around in the whole bed.

Food Cravings: Wine, beer...LOL...just the normal stuff, pasta, pickles, bread and butter, oh I did eat a lot of peanut buter and jelly this week, with potato chips and apples. And of course my ice water with lemon, all day long, everyday!

...took out Gender Predictions....

What I Miss: Wine.

What I am Looking Farward to: Seeing the babies this Friday for another OB Appointment and getting moving on the nursery! And cooler weather...having my air-conditioning off, apple pie, apple cider, decorating for fall!

Weekly Wisdom: Put it to God and all things will prevail. 

Questions: ???

And here is my baby bump photos of the week:

Registries!!!!

We have been wanting to start our registries for some time now...we have decided to register at two places because of out-of-town guests, cheaper prices at certain stores and just the logistics of all the stuff we need, I thought it would be easier. But we were waiting to find out the sexes to really get started, even though  have been looking at baby gear and baby stuff for as long as I can remember...I guess ever since I stopped looking at wedding stuff (after the wedding).

So, we have decided to register at Target and Babies R Us!

Some things were clearly cheaper at Target so we registered for those things there, but Target didn't have everything I wanted so we had to do two stores. I really hate that I can't touch and feel things and pick it up and look at it, shopping/registering online, which Target doesn't have much baby supplies and stuff in the store, so it sucks to pick out things online (and not to mention boring and no fun what-so-ever). I guess if I was just having one baby, maybe, but let's be honest I need to look inside a diaper bag, look at compartments and see the sizes, see if it's big enough to pack for three babies...ya know things like that!

So Tim was less then thrilled to go to BuyBuy Baby, Great Beginnings, Babies R Us and Target (we hadn't decided at the time where to register, other than Target) but he sucked it up and got into it, just like when we registered for the wedding. He LOVED registering for the wedding gifts and this baby stuff just intimidated him a little but he really got into it!

Babies R Us was packed with new parents with their little bundles of joy and pregnant mom's to be with not-so-excited hubby's following along. I bet some of the people watching me scan 10 of things (like bottles, nipples, diaper packages, bibs) were thinking, what is that woman doing...but hey, I AM HAVING TRIPLETS! We registered for so many things and hadn't finished yet when our scanner said "registry full"...LOL, so they had to upload it and we begun again loading it up!

I am glad to say that we finally finished it and kept it as budget friendly as possible, because I am always looking for good deals and ways to save, even if other's will be buying some of these things...I want people to get a good deal and know that I spent a lot of time researching where things were the cheapest! For example, the car seats that we have decided on for the girls are $114.00 dollars at Babies R Us and $80.99 at Target! Umm, hello! Also, the snap-and-go strollers were almost $15.00 dollars a piece MORE at Babies R Us than at Target!

I did a little research about some things, but to be honest, everyone has a "favorite" bottle, binki, nipple, breast pump, car seat, and frankly, something works for everyone, so I didn't feel it was necessary to have the best of the best, but more what works for us, our babies and what I have seen work for the families that I have nannied and babysat. I don't need Dr. Brown's bottles, a $250.00 dollar infant car seat or a $500 dollar crib...just all unnecessary in my eyes! I wouldn't have considered these things even if we were just having one baby. It just isn't me!

It's really difficult because we need to put all the babies in one room and even though the room looks big empty, when we started measuring for the super over-sized cribs, things got tight, quick!! I was worried, and still am that everything isn't going to fit, but we have come up with some good ideas to fit everything (which will be discussed in the Nursery part-one post...coming soon). So originally the cribs I wanted, would just barely fit but logistically if we wanted to turn the cribs (long-ways out), we wouldn't have been able to (see below to understand) so we changed the cribs to another, but there is one that is cute too and it's 3.5 inches shorter in lenght..and cheaper, so we'll go with that one! I didn't care for the crib too much plain, but there was a photo of it all decorated in a nursery and it was super cute!

Also, I did not want the cheesy themed bedroom set...ya know the ones that come in a big bag...just not me. I like simple and elegant, so even though I have picked lilac and light blue for the bumpers and the walls, the bumpers might change...just don't know at this point.

This is the one I originally wanted:

Or this one:

But, here are some of the things we registered for:

The cribs will be this:

Madelynn and Claire's car seats (which I hate pink, but there are NO purple ones made by Graco, oh well):

Jackson's car seat:

High chairs (conserving space):

The pack-n-play:

The swings (2):

Glider (not super happy with this but oh well):

Bathtub:

Bumpers:

Strollers:

Baby A, B and C - Names!!!!

A while back I gave the names we had been thinking about, in this post, but honestly we hadn't put a whole lot of thought into it since we didn't know the sexes yet, and struggling over finding the prefect names, didn't seem like a reasonable way to spend our time. No arguing over names when we didn't even know what was in my belly! However, we did love all those names, but when from the moments after we found out that we were having, TWO PRINCESSES and A PRINCE...they had names immediately and are no longer Baby A, B and C to us!

 

So their names are as followed:

 

Madelynn Christine (Baby A)

Claire Elizabeth (Baby B)

Jackson Timothy (Baby C)