29 Weeks!

How Far Along: 29 Weeks!

How Big am I Measuring: Over 40 weeks...still about 42.5 inches all the way around.

How Big are the Babies: The girls are between 15 and 17 inches long and about 3 lbs. each (about the size of a squash). Their energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) They are also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

Weight Gain: Starting weight 126 lbs., currently 158 lbs.....kinda concerned why I haven't gained anymore weight in the past ten days. I'll be asking the peri about this tomorrow.

Symptoms: Coughing and nasal congestion (due to fluid in my lungs), tired, achy, peeing a lot, hungry, CONTRACTIONS, back pain, thirsty, very crampy, stretching in my tummy; just plain uncomfortable. 

Emotions: From happy to sad to guilt to anger...what emotion don't I have?!?

Best Moment of the Week: Watching Tim put up all the Christmas decorations and listening to Christmas music, and of course feeling the girls move all of the time. Oh, and the support the MOM's club have given me and my husband too, with meals, advice and support. Such a true blessing!

Movement: Everyday, all day! Love it!

Maternity Clothes: Of course, when I do get dressed. My maternity jeans barely fit me anymore, but I only wear them to the peri so, oh well.

Stretchmarks: None, amen!

Sleep: Still doing ok. I have been going to bed later at night and sleeping until like 11AM, sounds horrible but I must need it and geeze what else do I have to do these days??!

Food Cravings: Everything. I still find myself searching for recipes all day long, things I'll get to...one day, ya know when the girls are like teens...LOL.

Genders: Three beautiful little princesses!

What I Miss: Wine!!!!!! And being able to do things for myself. Going out to the store, or ANYWHERE would be SO nice!!! I crave going to Target like I crave funnel cakes right now!

What I am Looking Forward to: Meeting these girls, peri appointment tomorrow and hopefully no hospital visits. And my shower on Saturday. Snow, getting a funnel cake on Friday evening at the town's lighting ceremony (Tim said we can drive to town center and he will get out and get me hot cider and a funnel cake!).

Milestone: 29 WEEKS!!!

Here is my photo for the week...please excuse the no make-up, no hair done, very tired looking Momma! I think it's the most horrible photo of me ever taken!

28 Weeks/OB Apointment/Terbutaline Pump/Update

Sorry this has taken me so long to post. I have sooo many updates. First of all, the reason I am being late on writing anything is because my hands are shaking so badly from the terbutaline medication to help cease my contractions. I had the pump put in my leg on Tuesday and since then it's been hard to do much because I'm shaking so badly. It's hard to type, to text, and writing is out of the question. My heart rate has gone up as a result of the meds and well it's just hard to do things. I can barely put my contacts in early in the morning. The nurses and peri say that the shaking will get better so I am hoping that it does in the coming weeks, however, last night the nurse was already talking about upping my dosage, even just after 4 days. The contractions have gone down, and are consistent, about 3-5 an hour, but not 8-10 like I was having, so the meds are working for now. It works by pumping me with medication every four hours for 12 minutes and each hour on the hour with a small dose. There are many variations they can do and I'm guessing by next week I will be on more of the medication.

Here the pump in my leg!

Pump and medication.

Here is my contraction monitor.

When the nurses came to put in the pump, she listened to the heart beats and all were great, amen. She gave me basically a physical and when she listened to my lungs she said that the lower back of my lungs were not getting enough oxygen. I was SO surprised to hear this, because I knew there had to be something up because I have really been having a hard time breathing. When my mom calls, she always asks me why I'm out of bed, and I say I'm not, she asks why I am so out of breath, and I just say I can't breath. My nose is all stuffed up, which makes it even harder, and now with the meds making my heart rate go up, it's like I'm running a marathon laying in bed.  No fun. So we are definitely going to mention this to the doctor on Wednesday.

At our last appointment on Monday, my cervix was still measuring around 1.5mm and starting to funnel from the inside (meaning starting to open). Everything looked great with the girls though, amen. The peri and nurse said I was still, even with my cervix issues, doing a beautiful job carrying our girls. That made me feel so happy. They said, there are so many women who never make it to 28 weeks, let alone 30 or 32. The peri also said she expects me to deliver before Christmas at this point. We will see, I'm not too convinced that I will be having them before Christmas, I think/hope/wish/pray I can manage until January. We will see. Dec 7th is 30 weeks and the 21st is 32 weeks. It's in God's hands and I trust him he will do what's meant.

So anyway here is my survey that was supposed to be posted on Tuesday!  

How Far Along: 28 Weeks! HUGE MILESTONE FOR TRIPLETS!

How Big am I Measuring: 40 FULL TERM WEEKS!!!! All growth from now on is past what most women experience, I must say I am proud of that! Still around 42 inches around, however my mom thinks I'm starting to drop. :/

My view, laying down.

How Big are the Babies: The girls are the size of eggplants (about 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.2 lbs.). (This will also stay the same until Week 29!) Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving the babies a healthy pink glow. The babies are also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and each baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes (thebump.com).

Weight Gain: Still around 158 lbs., so that's 33 lbs. gained. Not nearly what I should be for triplets at this week, according the nutritionist but it hurts to eat at this point, but I'm trying as hard as I can.

Symptoms: Back pain (upper and lower), LOTS of contractions, thirsty, crampy, dry skin, out of breath, tired, stretching in my tummy, heartburn.

Emotions: Too many to list at list point. Trying to stay positive. Feeling very alone at times.

Best Moment of the Week: Not being admitted to the hospital after our last appointment.

Movement: All day, every day! They do not stop dancing and swimming. I LOVE IT! Feeling their different body parts poking out, it's so cute!

Maternity Clothes: Yeah, everything, but like I said last week, I don't really get dressed much these days.

Stretchmarks: None! Whahoo and proud of that too!

Sleep: Doing pretty good, sleeping is not that bad, surprisingly. Now that I don't have to wake up and take meds anymore, I can sleep pretty good. I still get up three to four times to use the bathroom, but the pump in my leg isn't causing any pain or keeping me awake like I thought it would.

Food Cravings: Hmm, everything still.

Genders: Three beautiful little princesses!!

What I Miss: Shopping on Black Friday! :( Also, wine and feeling comfortable!

What I am Looking Forward to: My shower on Dec 5th! And then ordering the rest of what we need on-line asap with all our gift cards! And on-line Christmas shopping!

 Milestone: 28 Weeks pregnant with triplets!! Whahoo!

And here are my photos, taken this evening, not actually on Tuesday! Terrible, I know.



Tim put the flash on, but I don't like the way our tree looks when the flash was on. Oh well.



Christmas Cards!

I was so excited to see this post by a fellow Blogger which gave me a great idea for my Christmas cards this year...well how to get them much cheaper than I could have! Shutterfly is offering 50 Free Holiday Cards to Bloggers!

This made me so excited, I love making things on Shutterfly, it's super easy! I made all of my own wedding albums and got such great quality, used as many photos as I wanted and it was finished in no time! I LOVE my wedding albums, and I love when people as me if I did them, and I proudly can say yes, with Shutterfly's help!

So here are some of my favorites cards from Shutterfly's Holiday Season Collection 2010. I will be coming to a conclusion on which one we'll choose after our maternity photos are done in the first week of December (hopefully I make it that long). I am so excited. I wanted to wait until I was as big as I could be before I had my photos done, with enough time to be safe and not go into labor. I will also be having a close friend of mine taking photos in the coming week and then again right after Christmas, because I want to get my belly in all the stages. I hopefully will never be pregnant with triplets again, so I want to remember this special pregnancy and have something to show the girls when they are older. But I thought I really would love my Christmas card this year to show our growing family!

And I am not a fan of "Happy Holidays"...I must have a card that says "Merry Christmas"!

This one is my favorite...because we never gave up hope on having a baby, we always believed God had/has a plan for us.

And I love black and white photos, as in this one seen here...they are my favorite type of photos, because sometimes colors don't match up perfectly, and I cannot have things not match!!



And this one is cute, found here, since it says "Holly Jolly"...



And I love simple ones, just like these, found here and here.





To get your own 50 FREE Holiday Cards from Shutterfly, go here for details. Enjoy!!

At Home Monitoring!

Today I received my very important package of my Home Monitoring Device! It arrived right on time this morning and a have the sweetest nurse who is my contact for helping me through this. It was super easy to set up, just a lot of pieces and such and of course I was here alone trying to do it myself, but I am a big girl and I managed.

I have to take my blood pressure before starting to monitor and monitoring is twice a day for an hour each. However, if I am feeling really bad and want it on, for however long, I can. That makes me feel good, because at night I contract soooo much and I would love to have it on and send it all my info for them to see really what goes on at night.

Also, I had stated that my insurance is not covering this, but my doctor's office is picking up the tab. My maternity benefits are great, but it doesn't cover anything at home. How that makes any sense is beyond me. The insurance will cover me staying in the hospital for months to be monitored and get injections, but not at home. Weird, our lovely system. So, my terbutaline pump is not covered either, which the doctor wanted me on by today, which I was devastated at yesterday. This is life or death for these babies and because of my insurance my sweet little girls are in jeopardy. It was a bad day yesterday. 

But last night when the nurse called me from the Home Monitoring place, we talked about the whole situation and she said that even though the doctors say they won't cover the at home pump, they most likely will. They always start with covering the monitoring device first and then when they see things that are not as well as they should be, they will almost always cover the pump too, so that I shouldn't worry; if I need it, I will get it. I was so happy to hear that, because I had been given so much negative news yesterday and, well all week, that I needed to hear something positive.

God does work miracles. It's just such an emotional roller coaster. My eyes are so sore from crying these last few days. To say this is a difficult time, is an understatement. But everyday that goes by is another day these little girls are growing right where they belong, inside their Momma. And I much rather be at home, with my pooch, kitties and my husband then in the hospital yet. I know it's pretty much inevitable at this point, so I am just trying to enjoy everyday here at home. I am hoping that there will be no change in my cervix come Monday morning at my next appointment, and I can at least make it through Thanksgiving with my family. I feel better knowing that contractions will be monitored and the doctors and nurses can see what's going on from my cozy bedroom.

So we will see. Trying to put some other posts up too, to keep my mind busy while I lay here. I mean I can only watch so much TV and my eyes do not want to read pages in a book right now.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning after the first monitoring hour, I had to re-do another hour because I had already gone past my limit of four contraction an hour. When I re-did it I only had three, amen. The nurse described me once again as having an irritable uterus, but that is not that uncommon having multiples. She called the doctor who upped by limit to six contractions an hour rather than just four.

I just did the evening monitoring, and the nurse called and I had SEVEN contractions, so once again, drinking more water (after I have already drank 4 QUARTS today) and then waiting 20 minutes, going potty and monitoring again for another hour! Phew!

So we'll see what happens. Will keep everyone updated. Thank you to all who pray for our family, it is so appreciated!!!!!

The Girl's Nursery - Part Three

The girl's room was SO packet full of things, we could barley walk in, but now I have organized every last thing I can right now, so it is opening up and really starting to come together. I have washed everything and put larger clothes in numerous bins, all correctly labeled and stacked in our guest room, along with other things that the girls won't use for the first few months.

When I took these photos, we hadn't put up the closet doors yet, after Tim finished spray painting them. I totally forgot. I know things will continue to build up but that's ok, I will stay on top of it! Just wanted to post an update!

We got this dresser super cheap and Tim put it together a few weeks ago and I just wanted to add something else to it, so at Michael's this week, I found these flowers, un-painted. Took me no time at all to paint the flower's purple and then paint the middles yellow, and glue together. I put them up over the weekend, and I love them!!!!!

My sister bought this little sign for me because I love that song and wanted to have the words written on the wall, but this will do.

One of my favorite gifts from Tim's Nana!

This was in my room my whole life and everyone knows my love for Pooh, so this was a must in the girl's room!

Still waiting on A LOT more stuff to either come in packages that I have ordered online and/or possibly at the next shower December 4th (if I make it...keeping my fingers crossed).  My list that I had wrote a few posts ago about all that we still need, is still growing after I think of things!

OB Appointment- 27w Shock

Yesterday, well once again it was quite the shocker! I am slowly learning that I have no control over things in my life, and for a type a personality, that is not something I deal with well.

We had an appointment at 1pm at our DR. First the nurse (we had one of the good nurses, the one who came to the hospital after the fall and the one who found no boy parts on Baby C) always checks my cervix, and we were all talking and not really paying too much attention until she says, "you were here last Wednesday and what was your cervix measuring?" I looked at the screen and realized the line she was measuring was NO WHERE near as long as it's been. I said, "it was 4.0, picture perfect." She then said that the longest she was getting, only 6 days later, was around 1.5 mm. I was shocked. 6 DAYS!!!!!! I didn't do much of anything this weekend. Most of my chores were sitting down or laying on the floor in the girl's room telling asking Tim to do things. Everyone at the office kept coming in the room, asking "girl, what have you been doing???"

The nurse then asked me if I have been given the steroid shot to mature the girl's lungs and I said no. Then I asked if I could get it here, and she said, "well normally they send you to the hospital, give you the shot and monitor the contractions for 24 hours." Again, I'm like say what, because of course my contractions are the worse in the evening and at night. So, we waited and waited and the doctor didn't even have to look at my cervix, he just looked at the photos, came in and said go straight to Labor and Delivery. Grrrrreeeaaat!

Also, I have been on the procardia every six hours around the clock, which isn't doing anything, and I did the 48 hours of the indocin, which I guess didn't hep at all. To me, looks like it all made it worse. The only other things I have been doing different this week, is that we propped the bed up (due to the heartburn and I started going to physical therapy 2x a week...all per doctors orders).

The nurse did check all the girl's stomachs, bladders, fluid levels, heart beats, umbilical-cord blood flow, and everything looked fine with them. Amen.

So, since I knew it was going to be a long evening and food would be scarce, we stopped by Burger King before heading next door to the hospital. (I hadn't had lunch yet and it was like 3:30pm...and with counting every calorie these days, I needed to catch up for the day)

We checked in, got settled (in the exact same room we had been in when the ambulance took me up to L&D before) and the monitors went on. Oh those lovely monitors! I tried to talk them out of putting the heart beat monitors on, since everything looked fine and perfect one hour before, but of course it's hospital procedures. So on they all went.

They kept the monitors on for a few hours, then took them off and just kept on the contraction monitor. The contractions continued to get closer and closer, as usual and I thought for sure they were not letting me leave. I also go the HUGE steroid shot in my butt, which HURT SOOOOOOOOOOO BAD! Phew, I thought I would be fine with going through IVF shots everyday, but phew, this shot took my breath away. The nurse did awesome giving it to me, it was just the amount of fluid and the aftermath. My whole leg went numb and I could feel it all the way down to my toes for almost an hour. Then she mentioned that it is a two part shot, so either the doctor says I can go home and will have to come back tomorrow for the other butt cheek to get punished or I stay overnight and get the other one tomorrow. That was the first time I heard that I could possibly go back home for the evening.

We waited an waited and as the contractions got closer and closer, I was pretty sure I wasn't going anywhere, but to my surprise, they let me go on very strict orders. Not allowed to move, take two procardia every 6 hours, watch the contractions like a hawk, be back at the doctors tomorrow at 4pm and back to the hospital at 5:30pm, with a bag packed to stay. At the doctors, they are going to check the cervix again, and basically go over all of our options at this point. Possible cerlage, possible hospital bed rest, but it looks (just from what everyone was saying) like it will be a terbutaline pump (hospital or not, I don't know) but we will find out today. I can't IMAGINE being on a terbutaline pump at home...if you remember what I posted in my other post when I fell and was at the hospital two weeks ago. That drug is hell. But of course my contractions were super close together all night long, so we'll see.

SO we will see what goes on today. Please pray for our family, that's all I ask. These girls cannot come anytime soon. I will not let it happen. Strap me to the bed. Do whatever to me. I don't care. I will do anything. We don't really know what to think at this point. We are very scared. Just believing God knows what's best and praying things will work out. This is just all a shock. Now I really know why the doctors said to have everything completely done by week 25, and yet we still have so much to do and so much to get. But all that seems like nothing now, I have way more important things on my mind.

Will keep everyone updated as quickly as we can.

CAR SEATS!!!!

AHH, I just love them..even in pink, I can't help it!!!!!

I have waited my whole life to bring home a baby from the hospital and soon enough, in less than 8 short weeks, hopefully we will be bringing our three beautiful little girls home in these super cute car seats! I have to admit, Tim and I were overwhelmed with emotions once again when we finally got all three out of the boxes and sat them next to each other....WE'RE HAVING THREE BABY GIRLS IN 8 WEEKS!!!!!! I couldn't help but just be giddy and jump up and down!!!  We are so blessed but we still can't believe this is our life!!

My Master's Degree Diploma!

At least it didn't take me as long this time to frame AND hang on the wall. I think my Bachelor's Degree took me over a year to get framed. My Master's Degree...only 6 months. I'd say that was BIG progress!

According to the 2004 Census, only 9.4% of US citizens have a Master's Degree or higher and that statistic I'm very proud to be a part of! Anyway, I LOVE it and I am proud of myself, if I do say so!

DIAPERS and WIPES!!!

We have been so blessed to have been given SO many large packs of diapers and wipes!! I don't know if anyone remembers this post here, but this is not anywhere close to what we'll need in the coming years. I counted the newborn diapers so far...and if we go through on average 30 a day in the first month or two, we have enough right now for roughly 12 days! Some of you might be laughing but this is no laughing matter to us; it is our new reality!

We have a good amount of #1 size diapers, a few packages of #2 and one package of #3.

So far we have... (actually this was minus three packages of size 1..I turned around after taking the pictures and realized I forgot to add them) 

Very thankful we still have another baby shower on December 4th!

27 Weeks! (Late)

Sorry this is late. I can barely keep it together these past few days. Many things have changed. I still have a lot of updates to give, but I just wanted to get this post done, since it's two days late and I don't like being late for anything!

How Far Along: 27 Weeks!!

How Big are the Babies: The girls are the size of eggplants (about 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.2 lbs.). (This will also stay the same until Week 29!) Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving the babies a healthy pink glow. The babies are also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and each baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes (thebump.com).

How Big am I Measuring: 39 weeks, measuring around 42 inches.
Weight Gain: Starting weight 126 lbs., currently 158 lbs.

Symptoms: THIRSTY, lower back pain, headaches, my eyes hurt, stretching in my tummy, heartburn, contractions (all day long, everyday), sore hand joints, not being able to move or get up.

Emotions: Everything you can imagine. Lots of tears this week, anger, frustration...followed by guilt, loneliness, trying to keep it all together. Just everything.

Best Moment of the Week: Even all that I am going through, knowing the girls are doing good and are perfectly on track, gives me some comfort. Also, getting the steroid shots for the girl's lung maturity made me feel better knowing they will be better off with it, if they do end up coming early.

Movement: All day, everyday. They dance like crazy. My belly makes the weirdest shapes, especially when the contractions are strong. I love feeling them move though, and everyone loves watching it.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, although I wear the same things everyday now, a sports bra, a tank top and panties. Even if I go out, I just put on a sweatshirt, my soft maternity pants and uggs...LOVELY, I know! Why get dressed to just lay in bed all day though!?

Stretchmarks: None, amen! (except those on my chest, but they are few and light)

Sleep: Some nights are great, some are horrible. It's weird.

Food Cravings: Bread and butter, apples and caramel, cereal, and WATER! Man, I have been so thirsty lately.

Genders: Three little princesses!

What I Miss: Feeling comfortable, wine and good sleep.

What I am Looking Forward to: Making it another week, and as long as I can. Day by day at this point.

And here are the photos of the week. My face is swollen and red, it has been a bad few days, so I was not going to straighten my hair and put make-up on for a photo.

Can you believe we still need SO much more?!?

Even after two very generous showers, we still need so much more before these girls come and with the recent events I am getting worried that we won't be ready for when they do make their big arrival! I know some things can wait, but I am not that kind of person, or at least it's hard for me to not have everything exactly in order. If it's not, I will worry and stress over things not being bought or done. That's just me, call it OCD, I know.

Monitor



Curtains


Blinds – JCPenneys (purchased with gift cards)


Baby Towels (just have a few currently)


Baby Wash, Desitin, Baby Lotion (only have a little bit currently, but Target has the best prices on their name brand)


3 Cribs (or at least one)


Diaper Genie and lots of refills (or other diaper pail)


Burp Cloths (currently we have about 25, with triplets, I heard you can go through 30 A DAY!!!!!)


3 Crib Mattress Pads


Baby Pouch Carrier (at least one)


2 Boppy Slipcovers


Glider for Nursery

Strollers  (my SIL is going to purchase, WE LOVE YOU MEGAN!!!!)


2 Hampers


3 Bumpers


3 Mobiles


Baby Safety/Grooming Kit




For me:

Nursing Bras


Nursing Nightgowns

Breast Pump (going to get from a family member, hopefully)

UGH, just stressing BIG TIME!!!!!

OB Appointment -26w1d

Today I called my nurse and said I was having horrible contractions and cramping. Last night from around 6:00pm, it was literally horrible. I could barely keep track of all my contractions because they were all so close together until around 6:00am this morning when I finally fell asleep due to exhaustion. The cramping was weird too, I haven't had any cramping with the contractions, but every time I went to the bathroom last night, I would have these painful cramps too (like you would get right before the start of your period). I drank about a gallon of water and had taken on all my medications for the contractions on-time, so I was really worried.

But of course, I don't like to freak out and call, or get everyone excited, but after I got over to my Mom's, she was not going to take no for an answer, so of course when I called, I was told to come in right away. Great, just what I wanted to do.

My cervix is still BEAUTIFUL..measuring right at 4mm. Couldn't ask for anything better. All the girls are over 2 pounds, heart beats were great, and their fluid levels are all perfect too! The doctors are so impressed with my progress through the pregnancy, it's only me who is having all the problems. I rather it be that way though.

Still waiting for the anemia results, on meds now for the bile acid in my liver/gall-bladder, and still on the procardia every six hours for the contractions. I did the 48 hours on the indomethacin and, well, that obviously didn't do anything for me.

The doctors do not want to use up all the medications now at 26 weeks for me to stop contracting because they are afraid I will become immune to them and then when I really need them, they won't work.

So, instead, they are going to start the home monitoring device through our phone line to monitor the contractions in the evening and then maybe they will believe me when I say they are 2 MINUTES APART for hours upon hours EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

We will see, all I can do now is still more of the same, take all my meds, stay in bed, drink gallon after gallon of water, eat everything and anything, go to physical therapy and monitor the contractions page after page in my notebook!

26 Weeks!

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

How Big are the Babies: The girls are the size of eggplants (about 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.2 lbs.). (This will also stay the same until Week 29!) Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving the babies a healthy pink glow. The babies are also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and each baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes (thebump.com).

How Big am I Measuring: This week, 38 weeks showing and 41.5 inches around


Weight Gain: Starting weight 126 lbs. and currently..154 lbs. Officially on bed rest now, so I expect my weight gain to go up faster now!


Symptoms: BACK PAIN, sore boobies, sore joints (esp. in my hands), sore feet, swollen feet and ankles, out-of-breath very easily, tired, heavy belly, pain on top of my uterus (just Natalee growing and getting so heavy on me), HEARTBURN and of course, CONTRACTIONS (all day, everyday, probably more like 50 a day now!!).

Now I am taking Procardia every six hours and started the Indomethacin every six hours for 48 hours also (about half way done with that one) for the contractions. The Procardia wasn't helping enough by itself, so the Dr.'s are hoping the Indo will help re-regulate my uterus, so we'll see.

Also taking another med for the "excessive bile acid" that came back very, very positive in my liver and gallbladder. This will help with the extreme itching that I am having and even after 24 hours, I can feel a difference. Amen. Hopefully, it will help with the gall stones too.


Emotions: Ok, feeling pretty good. Getting more and more excited to meet these little girls! And after this weekends events, I am really scared that I am going to be back in the hospital sooner than later and not make it to 34w6d. I am terrified we won't have everything done or in order before I have to surrender myself to the hospital bed rest. Sticking with positive thinking and prayer!
Best moment of the Week: Hearing the girl's heartbeats after my fall in the hospital...music to my ears. Every test that came back related to the girls, I was so happy everything was perfect.



Movement: Every moment it seems, not just random kicks, but full movement where it feels like I have three little squirmy fishies in my tummy...I LOVE IT!!


Maternity Clothes: Everything!


Stretchmarks: Just the few on my chest, that's all! :)


Sleep: Still the same, terrible during the night and heartburn is the worse then. Peeing a lot and still not really falling asleep until around 5:15am, and then I sleep til almost noon sometimes. Naps (when I do take them) during the day are great, I can sleep forever.


Food Cravings: Hmm, this week, bread and butter, Krispie Kreme Doughnuts, but I think that's it for this week.

Genders: Three little princesses!


What I Miss: Sleep, wine and feeling comfortable!


What I am Looking Froward to: Physical therapy twice a week! Boy has it been nice to go in and have a back massage!!

Audrey will be such a great big sister!!

What to pack when we go to the hospital???

I had been planning on posting this post for a week or so...I guess something was telling me I should get started in thinking about what I need to go to the hospital...no matter how long my stay will be. I asked my good friend, Melissa what she brought because I knew she would have a detailed list, and it has really helped me get started on thinking about what we need.

Because I could be going to the hospital at anytime and could possibly be there for awhile, before I give birth, some things on my list are because of that possibility (hence, may not be needed for someone just going in for a few days). I have a few other lists too for reference, along with Melissa's and so I wanted to share to see if I was missing anything important.

For Me:

Camera with charger cord and USB cord to upload photos
Video camera with charger cord
Laptop with charger cord
Books
Notebook
Copy of my Advanced Directive
Agenda Book
Insurance cards/ID/Purse
Charger for Cell Phone

Socks
Underwear
Winter Coat
Uggs
Numerous Comfy Clothes (something to come home in, go outside/stay in day to day (if there for awhile) and/or to visit babies in NICU)
Nursing Bras
Nursing Tanks
Slippers
Headband and hair clips
Blow Dryer/Straightener

Brush
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Contact Solution/Case
Sanitary Pads
Shampoo/Conditioner
Razor
Shower Cap
Hair Shine
Belly Cream
Body Lotion
Nipple Cream
Nursing Pads
Soap
Deodorant
Make-up
Medications/Vitamins

Pillows
Blanket
Milk storage bags and bottles for pumping in hospital (use hospital pump while there, per NICU Nurse)

For Tim:

Charger for Cell Phone
Pillow
Blanket

Change of Clothes (Boxers, socks, slippers, t-shirts, jeans, long-sleeve shirts, winter coat, shoes) 
Razor
Deodorant
Toothbrush/Toothpaste

Extra water bottles and snacks!!!

For the Girls:

Car seats (carriers) with bases in the car, already strapped in
Diaper Bag (diapers, desitin, wipes, changing pad, binkies, bottles and formula (if needed))
3 Going Home outfits, with socks, onsises and hats
Winter Jacket pouches for the ride home in car seats
Baby Blankets
Extra onsises (for staying in NICU)
Extra hats (for staying NICU)
Their "lovies" (for staying in NICU)
Burp Cloths

Ok, I am sure I have missed things, but as of right now, this is what I have.

Famous Last Words

-Super Long Post-

As I said in my NICU post just on Thursday, "I will not be back in Labor and Delivery until January 10th!"

Well I should have never said those words.

On Friday I was at my mom's house, visiting with her and all the kiddos in the day care center, just relaxing and sitting in the rocking chair.  She has a new sweet baby boy that is about 4 mos. old and I was holding him the rocker almost the whole time, so I wasn't doing much. I asked two of the older kids to take the baby excersaucer in the other room and they did but I didn't see where they put it. Once it was the end of lunch time and almost nap time, I got up and lifted my laptop and was carrying it in the other room (with the screen open, so I couldn't really see where I was walking) and BOOM, I fell straight over the excersaucer (which sits high off the ground, obviously) and fell head first on to the carpet. I mean, seriously, eating carpet fibers, like hello rug burn on my face! I screamed in a loud cry/scream once I hit the floor and luckily my mom was only feet away and got to me quick. I was screaming and she just picked up the phone and dialed 911. I finally was able to roll over and get off my stomach pretty quick, and my whole left side was killing me. My jaw was immediately killing me (almost dislocated, we found out later) along with my head throbbing, I was all tangled in the computer wires and I just couldn't move in fear I had hurt one of the girls, especially Baby C/Natalee, since she is horizontal laying across the top of my uterus, right where I was carrying the laptop and fell, with it pushing into her.

To say the least, my mom was screaming on the phone to 911 and the ambulance took a few minuted to get there and by the time they did, I was shaking so badly, they thought I was going into shock. They kept asking me if I was cold, but I was just so scared. My body hurt and I was so worried. I knew I would have been ok and would not have gone to the hospital if I was not pregnant but due to carrying three babies, they loaded me up right away and gave me no choice but to go, which of course I was fine with.

Luckily it was right at 12:30pm, when many of the parents pick up their children (before nap) so everyone was there and all the kids had no choice but to see the EMT's pushing me out on the stretcher. My mom had called Tim and he was already on his way to the ER, and my mom was making phone calls to get everyone picked up so she could get down to the hospital too. Of course, since the day care center is attached (but separate) from my parent's house, an ambulance with lights on out front is never a good sign and of course everyone was wondering what was going on. I was a little embarrassed but of course knew it was the right thing. I was still shaking so badly, but my blood pressure was good and my pulse was normal, I was just so scared.

I am so blessed that my mom has such wonderful parent's in the day care who stayed with the other kids until their parents were able to come pick them up so my mom could go straight to the hospital. That was so nice of them, and everyone was so concerned and still calling my mom today to see how I was. Such sweet families.

I did settle down, once being in the ambulance for a little while. The EMT's were so nice and concerned, but made me feel really better. All I was concerned about was getting the fetal heart monitors on me asap to hear to the girls.

Luckily I didn't have to wait in the ER at all, I went straight to Labor and Delivery. I got settled into triage and the nurses put the babies on the monitors and it was literally music to my ears. I was so happy to see Tim too. Just having him there, made me calmer, along with my mom of course. Within 30 minutes of getting there, I heard the nurse on the phone with one of my doctors (the lady Dr. I really like) and she said I was staying 24 hours. I was surprised but not really.

I was then moved to a real Labor and Delivery room and had a pic-line put in, blood drawn and all the monitors back on.  I had a nurse from my practice come and do the sonogram, and it was the lady who found out that Natalee was not a Jackson, she was so sweet. The sonogram looked perfect, everything looked great with the girls. Praise God. They didn't measure my cervix since they had just done this on Tuesday and it was almost 4.0 mm, so we are praying it stays that way even with all the contractions. The blood work hopefully would show none of their cells or the placenta cells in my blood, since there was trauma to my stomach, they tested for this. Later it came back negative, amen.

The monitors were driving me crazy because my skin is so sensitive to anything and the stretchy material was not making me happy. I had one for each baby and then one for my contractions.

Of course, I know my body and I know my contractions, and I knew that once the afternoon hit, I was going to freak everyone out with the way I contract all afternoon and evening and that's exactly what happened. Around 2:30 or so, my contractions were getting stronger and when the Dr. got into my room with the nurses and they started getting all concerned, I asked how close my contractions were and they said, well every 2-3 minutes, sometime closer!! The nurse said, I was contracting better than many of their patients getting ready to give birth. I knew this was normal for me, and so I didn't freak out really, but of course since I was at the hospital they had to do whatever they needed to make the contractions stop. I even heard the nurses and Dr. say something to the extent of, "...if she doesn't have to stay for the duration of her pregnancy..." In my mind, I was like, say what, but I was not going to even acknowledge them talking about it!!! I knew I was getting that horrible medication that makes you go crazy and I was right.

I got a shot of the Terbutaline, which in five minutes I was totally a different person. That stuff is NO fun at all. My heart was racing a mile a minute, I got so hot, couldn't stop moving back and forth and I was shaking like I was having numerous seizures. I couldn't do anything and the only thing that helped was ice chips until about 45 minutes later when my body slowed down a little. The contractions stopped completely, which was good. Then every six hours I was to get the Procardia, which didn't make me feel great but it was MUCH better then the other stuff, but definitely does not work nearly as good for me. I still was having and still am having many contractions through the medication, they are not 2-3 minutes apart, but still close and very strong.

When Tim went home to grab some stuff, he was in the elevator coming back up and the other dad in the elevator said, "oh, are you having a boy or a girl", and Tim said "three girls, but not quite yet"..and he said the guys eyes popped out of his head! He couldn't believe that Tim meant triplet girls!

The nurse I had for the afternoon was strange, she was all in my family's business and I didn't like that. But then the new nurse that came on for the evening and night was great! She took all the monitors off of me, and washed my belly because she noticed how itchy I was and then instead of using gel she used lotion to put the monitors back on and did such a great job caring for each baby and calling them by their names. She would say, "now, Madelynn, stay on the machine like a good girl and mommy will be so happy to take you off and get some sleep.." It was so sweet. All evening and night she would talk to them by their names, so sweet.

I got to get an ambien, which I thought would be great, but really didn't do anything. I also got to take off all the girl's monitors around 11:00pm due to their good behavior and strong heart beats, which was so nice and then I finally fell asleep, between pee breaks and medication times.

This morning I had my other blood work done, the hemoglobin study and bile acid levels (which I was going to post about Friday afternoon, but now I will later in the week) and hopefully the results won't be too bad. The anemia is getting worse and the bile acid is a definite, we just don't know how bad it is. We had to put the girls back on the monitors this morning for some time, which all was fine. Amen. 

Of course I am more bruised and sore today, but that is expected. My jaw is sprained and my teeth don't touch when I bit down on my right side. I have bruising on my left wrist, left shoulder, right wrist (due to the needle pricks and pic-line) and my left knee and shin are bruised too. I mean I hit hard, head first, and it hurt. When my parent's got home last night, they checked the laptop and the screen was all messed up, it was completely sideways, the wrong way, so it wasn't like I just dropped it, I literally fell right on it at my tummy while my whole head crashed to the carpet. SO graceful, I tell ya!

We finally got to come home around noon. We stopped by the grocery store and when we got home, I took a shower and snuggled up in bed. Let me just say, I have never wanted my own bed more, it was heaven! I ate a huge lunch and went straight to sleep. (In the hospital they were giving me like no food, I even said, why can't I get a high calorie meal, instead of just the regular one...totally ignored though by the weird nurse.) We got some Krispy Kreme doughnuts which was wonderful, I could have eaten all six in the box I know!

Needless to say I am on the Procardia from now on every six hours and really not suppose to do anything, especially carry anything while walking now! LOL! I am really taking every precaution now because I am so worried that these contractions are going to make me go to the hospital sooner than later and I do not want to have these babies until they are ready and I just feel like this was my wake up call.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the sweet NICU head nurse that gave us the tour and met with us with the Neonatalogist came over and saw us this morning and was so surprised to see us! I said, I should have never said, see you January 10th, because I sure didn't think it would only be less than 72 hours before I was back! She was so sweet, and said that when she saw our name, she just had to come by.

So I hope I will not be back to the hospital for quite awhile, but I am slowly loosing hope for that. Power of prayer, positive thinking and bed rest will hopefully help me get through these next couple of months.

Thank you to everyone who called Tim or I or someone in my family, texted, emailed, came to see me, (thank you so much to Rachel, my sister's sweet friend who bought me beautiful flowers!!!)...everything meant so much to us! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and we thank you for your care and concern! Love to all of you!

OB Appointment and Sonogram Photos - 25w

On Tuesday, we had our OB Appointment for 25 weeks. I can't believe it's been 25 weeks and I have 9 weeks and 4 days to go until we meet these little princesses. Time sure flies by but it also helps that I have shaved off the last five weeks of a full-term singleton pregnancy.

Everything with the girls is good. There heartbeats were all strong, in the 140's and 130's. The didn't measure them this week, just checked heart beats, umbilical cord blood flow and amniotic fluid is the two sac's.The babies sure moved a lot. Baby A/Madelynn and Baby B/Claire were at the very bottom of my uterus and now Baby B is all the way at the top of my right rib cage, right where all the pain is that I am having, which I mentioned in my 25 Week post. So how she got from upside down in my lower left pelvis area to upwards in my right rib cage is beyond me. Baby C/Natalee is is laying across my top belly area with her feet right in Claire's face on the right. It is so funny, we couldn't get a picture of Claire without Natalee's feet in her face.

My blood pressure was good, weight was 152 lbs. I had the glucose test too, which all went fine. The drink was super easy to drink and just tasted like water with extra strong kool-aide in fruit punch flavor. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was but it didn't even make a difference in me. I got the call the next day and I passed! Whaaahoo!

However, the blood results once again confirmed that I am still "very" anemic now. Even though last time I was only "slightly" anemic, now I am apparently am "very". Interesting, so now I am to stop the OTC iron tablets and go on a prescription supplement. I was really surprised at this because I have been feeling ok, not nearly as bad as I was in the beginning with all the fainting episodes. I thought I was just weak and tired and worn-out from really being 37 weeks pregnant, isn't that expected...but I guess I will be feeling even better with more energy in the coming weeks. We will see.

When Dr. Pinkert came in, he checked my right side where I have been having all of the pain and found the gall stone in my gall bladder that we guess has been causing all the pain. Since Claire's head is pushing up against my large intestines, liver, and gall bladder, which is pushing against my rib cage and lungs...it's just a mess right there and the gall stone isn't helping. Of course there is nothing that they can do about it until after the babies are born, and it could just stay that one, or become larger, or become many more, which would probably make my gall bladder come out along with the babies. I could care less, I just don't want all the pain, but he assured me it is just going to get worse as the babies get larger and larger. Oh well, I am just glad that we know where the pain is coming from. So we will see, they will monitor it each time now too.

I know that it is not uncommon for pregnant women to get gall stones, but I honestly think that it's because I have been eating so many foods that I normally don't eat...well that I don't eat regularly and so much of. Fatty foods, whole milk, fried stuff...all stuff I would somewhat shy away of or eat a very small portion of once and awhile before I was pregnant but now, I eat as often as I would like. I know that has something to do with it.

Anyway, here are the few photos that were worth putting up. The rest are just blobs and way to hard to explain what is what and who is where.



This is Claire with Natalee's foot in her face!



Natalee

Natalee's foot

NICU Tour!

Today we had our NICU meeting with a Neonatalogist, head nurse and then a tour of the NICU, Labor and Delivery and Postpartum.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous, even though I have shadowed in a unit when I was a freshman in college and on the Neonatal Nursing path, but obviously I am not a Neonatal nurse (I couldn't pass Chemistry, so social work it was for me, and that was God's plan for my life and I don't regret it one bit). But, it's just not the same when you think about your own babies in the NICU.

We met with the doctor first, which he was super nice and so knowledgeable. He and the head nurse answered all of our questions and went through everything imaginable that the girls could go through between if they were born today all the way to 35 weeks. Of course if they stay in until 34 weeks 6 days, there is a lot less that could go wrong--we hope. But of course even with a full-term baby at 40 weeks, things can go wrong, so I was glad to hear all of the things that could happen and what could be expected.

They went through all the labor and delivery things, the "teams" for each baby and that it will be a very packed delivery room. No matter what day the girls are born, they will 100% go straight to the NICU for monitoring for however long they need. Until they are breathing room air, they will not go home. The soonest they could go home would be 35 weeks, hence the reason why I wanted to have them the day before 35 weeks. I will stay in the hospital for 3-4 nights and if all goes well they very well could go home with. (keeping our fingers crossed)

We took the tour of the NICU, which was amazing. Everything was so quiet and I was so glad to see that all the girls would be placed together and we would have our own little section of the NICU, which was super private and huge. This is clearly not the first set of multiples that have been born there, so they are very well prepared.

Of course we have to leave them there and go home, we can come at any time of the day or night, spend the night, call 300 times a day if we want, bring anyone we want as long as we escort them, and so on. I was very glad to hear all of this. It made me feel very comfortable. Plus the hospital is only 20 minutes from our house.

The postpartum area was very nice too. Huge room and a private setting, each room is for only one family.

The whole thing really made my heart calm. I know we all will be in good hands and in a personal and loving setting.

I know it will seem like tomorrow when we are back, but I have a lot of confidence that I will make it to 34w6d, even with all the contractions every day. I am not one to freak out, and many of my contractions are very close together, but I HOPE I can make it all the way to my C-section date! Positive thinking!!! Still 9 weeks and 5 days away, it seems like tomorrow and I'm sure when I walk into Labor and Delivery on January 10th, it will have felt like we did this tour a week earlier!

Can't wait to meet these little girls!

25 Weeks!

How Far Along: 25 Weeks!

How Big are the Babies: The girls are the size of eggplants (about 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.2 lbs.). (This will also stay the same until Week 29!) Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving the babies a healthy pink glow. The babies are also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and each baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes (thebump.com).

How Big am I Measuring: This week, 37 weeks showing and 41.5 inches around, that means I added a whole inch to my belly in ONE week!! 

Weight Gain: Starting weight 126 lbs. and currently..151 lbs.

Symptoms: BACK PAIN (I get to start my physical therapy on Saturday and then I will be going twice a week...I SO HOPE IT HELPS!!!), dry skin, sore boobies (but nipple cream is my new best friend), sore joints, sore feet, swollen feet and ankles, out-of-breath very easily, tired, heavy belly, pain under my right side of my chest that is SO painful (I literally cry), HEARTBURN and of course, CONTRACTIONS (all day, everyday, probably more like 50 a day now!!).

**Found out today what he pain under my right side is: First of all, Baby B's (Claire) head is pushing up against my large intestines, live and gall bladder, WHICH my gall bladder has ONE STONE IN IT!!! Ouch, but I am so glad to know what it is that is causing all my pain! The basically is no room right up on that side and my lungs and ribs are there too of course, and it's all just a mess and there is nothing they can do about it. The stone will not go away and could become many more by the time the girls come, which means that I might have my gall bladder out with my c-section! LOVELY!**

Emotions: Ok, feeling pretty good. Getting more and more excited to meet these little girls!

Best moment of the Week: Seeing everyone at my 2nd shower, seeing Saw 7 with my best friend, and opening all the fun gifts we received! I was jumping for joy after we put the pack-n-play together, I thought it couldn't get any better and then we opened the car seats, and I almost had a heart-attack, they are so darn cute!!!!!!! Ahh, I am soo excited! I can't stop looking at it and thinking I have waited my whole life to bring home a baby in a car-seat and I get to bring home three baby girls in car-seats!!!!!!! Whahoo, we are so blessed!! Still cannot believe it!

Movement: Every moment it seems, not just random kicks, but full movement where it feels like I have three little squirmy fishies in my tummy...I LOVE IT!! 

Maternity Clothes: Everything!

Stretchmarks: Just the few on my chest, that's all! :)

Sleep: Still the same, terrible during the night and heartburn is the worse then. Peeing a lot and still not really falling asleep until around 5:15am, and then I sleep til almost noon sometimes. Naps (when I do take them) during the day are great, I can sleep forever.

Food Cravings: Hmm, this week, still choc. whole milk, eggs with ham and cheese I have every morning with apple cider and I did eat a lot of guacamole and chips this weekend while watching football.

Genders: Three little princesses!

What I Miss: Sleep, wine and feeling comfortable!

What I am Looking Froward to: Meeting with the NICU tomorrow and getting the nursery more and more in order!

And here are my photos for the week: