Thursday Update (I need to come up with a better word for these posts)

"...No eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him"

(1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT)

Lots going on of course..

I'll start with a short story...

We spent the day with the girls and then went to dinner before bath time, weighing time and the last feeding before heading home. When we were at the light getting ready to turn back into the hospital four fire trucks and police cars went flying into the premise of the hospital and as much as I thought, it can't be the hospital they are all rushing to is it...it WAS! We pulled up and firemen were rushing into the building, equipment on and hoses out...HELLO, I completely freaked out and practically ran into the hospital with all the alarms going off. Tim, being a fireman and EMT himself for a few years, did not think this was very smart, and especially since I jumped right on the elevator (I KNOW--STUPID, but if this place was burning down, I was going to go save my children and I did not have time to look for the freakin stairs...I think I was having a panic attack in the elevator and when it opened to the third floor, and everyone was just sitting around, paying no attention to anything or even know that there were numerous fire trucks outside and men running into the building with hoses, made me feel better. As long as I made it to my girls, I was ok. And within ten minutes or so, the alarms stopped and this little voice came over the system and said, "code red has been lifted"...Geeze, I'm SO glad everyone was SO worried. Blew my mind. But then it opened up all these questions and the nurse probably thought I was a nut case. I'm asking things like, what do you do if there is a fire, what do you do if there is a gunman...she was sweet and actually made me feel comfortable, but can you imagine what went through my head there for a few minutes!?!?!

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Anyway....

The girl's had a pretty good day yesterday. They were still pretty tired most of the day but did much better on their feedings throughout the day. When I seem to be their giving them their bottles or other certain, ahem, more experienced nurses, they tend to eat a lot better than when I'm not their or they have the "rookie cops" as Tim calls the less experienced nurses. This somewhat makes me a little upset because of course I want them to eat from their bottle and not "get tubed" as another reference stated from Tim. Madelynn was up to 28cc's, Claire was up to 32cc's (just over 1 WHOLE ounce) and Natlaee is at 15cc's. They are got some boobie time yesterday and Claire is a CHAMP. She has quite the suction, let me tell you! She just does so well. Natalee also does really well too, and Madelynn just like to lick and somewhat feel around to see if she is going to take it or not. She will come around. The nurses said by 34 week (next Tuesday--MY BIRTHDAY) they should really be sucking great!

Last night I got to give Madelynn and Claire baths all by myself. I can even go and take them out of their "homes" by myself now, which is wonderful.  Madelynn did great on her second bath and so did Claire. Claire barely cried at all. They are the sweetest things.

Madelynn and Claire also weight exactly the same amount, 1650 or 3lbs. 10 ounces. Natalee is at 1230, which is 2lbs. 11 ounces. SO they are definitely growing back up to their birth weights!

Natalee has had some blood in her stool (yesterday, haven't checked in today, waiting for feeding time to be over before I call and check on them) and so the nurse said it could be an infection (insert--crazy new mom who had to sit down before I freaking lost it) or a fisher on her bottom, which thank heavens was all it was. Hopefully today it will be better. To think something is wrong with her breaks my heart. They said it could just be something that upset in tummy and since she was pooping a lot, it just irritated her, but still I was freaking out. They are going to watch it and see if maybe it is something I am eating, sometimes they see this in babies who become lactose intolerant, which does run in both sides of our family, very heavily. She does not seems bothered by it at all and is still very, very active and squiggling all over the place!

Both Madelynn and Claire and IV free and only on the little sticky things for heart rate, breathing and pulse ox. We couldn't be happier! They will get their little piggy toes painted today so we don't get them confused as they continue to grow. Since we have our own little suite in the NICU now, the twins can get confused when we bring them to be held away from their "homes". (I can tell them apart, but they want to make sure everyone else can)

We took some video of them yesterday at one week old, but it was dark in the room and you couldn't see them very well, so we are getting more of them today.

My Grandma also came to see them for the first time yesterday which was wonderful! She got very emotional (these are her only great-grand children and probably will only be). I love that my grandma, who I'm super close with can be a part of this. It's something I always wanted and thought about many times as I was growing up.

We plan on spending all day with the girls today and into 2011. Last year on New Year's Eve, we spent the evening at our friends house and joked with everyone that we thought we were pregnant (since ya know IUI's work on the first try...right??) and so I didn't dare drink anything and when Tim's best friend, Nathan came in, we said, guess what, were having triplets, and everyone laughed. Nathan was sure surprised but then of course we let him in that it was a joke. AND so this year, as tonight approaches, Tim and I laugh at that joke we teased everyone with last year, and to our surprise that is just what God was planning for us. 

Happy New Year to all and many wishes to you are your loved ones all the year through!

Terrific Thursday

Just a quick update...I promise, one day I will be updating more, but for right now here is the scoop.

The girls are one week old today!! Wow, has time flown! They are doing absolutely prefect! Madelynn and Claire now have no IV's, all they are only on pulse ox, heart rate and oxygen level little stickies. Nothing more! Natalee will only have about another day or two on her IV and then same thing with her, although her IV is much better since it was put in her belly button, she doesn't have it bothering her.

The girls are doing great on their feeds. Madelynn was at 24cc's yesterday, Claire at 28cc's and Natalee was at 12cc's. They are also nuzzling up to my boobies quite nicely too, which is so beautiful. They are my little birds. They eat so well, but still get tired at some feedings and have to have the rest put in the feeding tube (we were feeding tube free for a few days, so having them to have this put back in, with increased feeds broke my heart).  BUT it is completely normal and better that they get all of their feed than not. They have been very tired yesterday and today so far, so we are not stressing them out about the feedings. Completely normal for this age! I am still so proud. Their feeds go up everyday, so today I'm sure it will be higher when I get there today.

I got to give Claire and Natalee (her second) baths so far and Madelynn will get her second one tonight. Oh, how much am I in love with these girls!?

I cannot seem to stop crying. I cry when I'm with them, when I have to leave, right now, in fact just writing about crying. I HATE that someone else expect Tim or I am not taking care of their every little need. When they cry in their isolate when I am there, I think about all the time I'm not there when they do (enter a 45 crying session I just had) cry. I have to get some things done around the house, it looks like a bomb went off, but I feel so guilty when I'm not there. So every night I try to do so much so I can wake up and just get there, but I know I am already being warn down. The only time I don't cry is when I finally fall asleep with their little blankets they had all day in my arms. I thought carrying them was hard, this is by far the hardest thing I have every done, having to leave my precious babies while a stranger takes care of them and not Tim and I. (still crying)

I got to get some things done and get out of here to see them. I will post pics sometime, I'm just not in the mood. We already have over 1000 photos and its been one week.

On a happier note....Within ONE WEEK after their birth, I have lost 42 POUNDS!!!!!!!! I never did get an exact weight the day I delivered, but with all the water, and two days prior I was up to 176 lbs., I'm guessing I was around 180 lbs. at delivery. And now I weight 138 lbs., so technically I only have 12 lbs. left. I don't even mind if I stay a little higher than 126 lbs., so I am actually hoping I stay about 130 lbs. But I am proud of myself, however I didn't do anything.

OK, here are a couple of photos from Tuesday.

 We couldn't be more complete

 Madelynn down Daddy's shirt

 Heaven on earth

Sweet girls... Madelynn (white hat with her arm over her sister), Claire and Natalee (with her hand under her face)

Our First Family Photo!

Photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some photos of the girls that we took tonight. They are almost wire free...I can hardly believe it! Just blood pressure cuff, heart rate monitor, IV's and a few other things.

Madelynn and Natalee have a slight rash on their underarms and neck, could be just their preemie sensitive skin or just that they weren't washed completely right after birth. Either way, it's not much too worry about, their doctor said it should go away soon and not be worry some.

Natalee was happy in her warm home, Tim feed her, changed her and held her for awhile. I finally got to do some skin to skin with the other girls and it was WONDERFUL. I almost fell asleep a few times! It was just so peaceful, hearing them breath...oh I will speak on this later and update tomorrow. 

I just want to get some photos up and get to bed before I have to pump next.

 Here, we wanted to get the identical girls super close so we could see how alike they looked...it was so fun! We sat there just starring at them!

 Claire is on the left and Madelynn on the right (white hat).

 Claire

 Little Claire, no IV, as perfect as can be!

 Madelynn and her "stink face"...as Tim calls it.

 Claire

 Madelynn

 Claire

 Claire

 My sweet Claire Bear.

 Madelynn in Daddy's arms.

Natalee, warm in her home. She gets her Mommy time tomorrow!

Our Sweet Christmas Presents!

Madelynn Christine

3 lbs. 14 oz.

16 1/4 inches

11:15 AM

Claire Elizabeth

3 lbs. 14 oz.

17 inches

11:16 AM

Natalee Lynn

2 lbs. 13 oz.

15 3/4 inches

11:17 AM

Madelynn was born first, I heard her cry first; tears instantly. Tim looked at me and we smiled. Our first daughter is born.

Claire was born second, she did not want to breath on her own at all, but came out the easiest. Never heard her peep. She is fine though, Tim said. Beautiful and pink.

Natalee was the hardest to get out, and caused her Momma some problems pretty quickly. Never heard a peep from her either. She was clearly the strongest in the beginning. Breathing on her own right away. Such a big girl for such a tiny miracle.

Tim watched all of his daughters take their first breath. He is so strong. He was in love instantly. More tears.

I didn't get to see any of them until they were wheeled out, and then I only saw Madelynn through the incubator, and Natalee for a minute, I gave her a quick kiss. She was perfect. Oh my baby girl. I never did get to see Claire, because she went straight to a ventilator.

Things went downhill.

 

I didn't get to see my beautiful loves until Christmas morning, nearly two days after they were born. But it was the perfect packages to open up for the first time. No words can describe the thoughts I felt.

 

What better Christmas presents to open on Christmas morning than your own brand new children?
Oh, God and His glory.

My daughters. Our daughters. Our family.

 

More tears.

 

These are our children. The children we dreamed about. The children we prayed for. The children that will be forever a part of our lives and family.

 

I cannot thank God enough for his blessings. Do I deserve this honor? To be their Mommy? So many emotions. These days are hard.

 

How do you separate your love? How do you divide your time.

 

These are all things I will learn.

 

God didn't give us anything we can't handle, but these days are tough.

 

There are a lot of emotions...or I am just a hormonal new mother.

 

Maybe both...indeed both.

Delivery Day...continued...

Read Post One Here

As I left off, I heard the doctors saying that I had already lost a lot of blood in the OR, and they would most likely put me on the Magnesium Sulfate to help regulate the blood pressure. My blood pressure was completely fine during the c-section, but they expected due to the preeclampsia that it would not regulate for awhile, but they were more worried about the blood clotting at this point in my upper uterus. (still trying to figure out what to call what exactly happened) Because Natalee was just so far deep inside, when the DR pulled her out the uterus separated from the back of my abdominal wall, and that's how the bleeding began. Her placenta was not bleeding before, as what I thought they said when I came out of the OR, but it had nothing to do with her, other than her positioning inside of me.

But I went into a recovery room, freezing, freezing and freezing, that is when my blood pressure started going up. I also started bleeding A LOT. They kept pushing on my belly and HUGE amounts of blood would come out, I was so out of it though, that of course I couldn't feel anything, amen. The doctor came back, more blood...they pushed and pushed on my tummy...more blood. I wasn't clotting. My BP continued to go higher, so they said they would start the Magnesium Sulfate and I would stay with Labor and Delivery until tomorrow because of it. I didn't even care, just get me warm was all I wanted. My Mom came back, and then my Dad and my MIL, and the doctors and nurses still were pushing and trying to see if my uterus would clot, which it clearly wasn't doing.

I was finally rolled back to a Labor and Delivery room, briefly where my family was waiting. I was awake but I don't really remember much. All I remember was A LOT of needles and people rushing to get things done. I got some zofran, pain meds, the Mag started and probably a bunch more, that I have no idea about.  The doctor came back in a few minutes later and checked me again and said that I would definitely need something done about the bleeding because I was just bleeding too much. So, the doctor, plenty of nurses and surgeon assistant decided to put a balloon inside me to control the bleeding (I'll explain later). They weren't quite sure what to do, which worried me, but I was so out of it, that it didn't register with me. All I kept hearing was if they couldn't stop it then I would need an emergency hysterectomy. Hello..no way! But all I thought was save me, I have my beautiful girls, just fix me and do what you need to, but I didn't like them even talking about it.  They gave me more sedatives and went to work. They tried and tried and tried, all failing and it was becoming more and more uncomfortable because the spinal was wearing off. I was not happy and it was really scaring me. Tim stayed with me the whole time until after about an hour and half, enough was enough and they decided to roll me back to the OR and try there.

They rolled me back, I was really scared now and alone, since they said Tim could not come, but the surgical assistant was so nice and comforting. He kept me warm and they brought in many warm blankets for me because I was still shaking and the Mag was really kicking in. They put me in candy cane stirrups and I remember joking and saying, tis the season and everyone laughed. It seemed to take forever for them to get started but they wanted to call a million people back in case I needed the hysterectomy, so they waited for the anesthesiologist to be ready in case I needed more sedation. Please take your time I thought.

I was in and out of it, so really I had no idea of how seriously sick I was at that moment. The swelling in my legs prevented them from being too high in the stirrups, everything was just getting in the way. However, within an hour, they managed to get the balloon all the way through my cervix and into the top of the uterus to hopefully stop the bleeding. They then packed me FULL of gauze and stuff to help the bleeding too. Then they noticed that I was bleeding from another area (TMI) and decided to work on that area too, which meant shoveling lots of anti-biotic and something else, I can't remember right now, but it didn't sound pretty, but apparently worked great.

Finally, I was rolled back to the room and then my blood transfusions began. I had one bag, and then had another. The blood really made me feel much better, and put color in my face almost immediately everyone said. I had lost a lot they said. About 1/4 of my blood supply...after the bleeding finally stopped.

But I wasn't out of the woods yet.

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

What a wonderful day it is here for our family.

Of course I will go back and report on the things I can remember, I've pretty much been sedated much of the past two days due to the complications of my delivery, but I will start with this post. (Honestly, not in any rush to do so; I am am tired, my blood pressure is still high, very swollen and trying to heal and of course; wanting to spend every minute I can with my new sweet girls...when they let me)

We have been so blessed with three healthy, beautiful little girls. They are all doing fantastic. Much better than their Mommy still.

I will start with me, where I left off before delivery. I walked in to the delivery room, very, very emotional. I was not scared, I was not anxious, I was not nervous, I was totally at peace with what I had managed to do with these angels in my belly. I am so proud of how far I came carrying them and the health I provided each of them with before they took their first breaths. But what emotions I was having was the fact that we have worked so hard for these babies and now the pregnancy was going to be over and that would be that. We worked so hard at getting pregnant, staying pregnant and now here we were about to become a family of FIVE!!!! I just was like, this is the last night I was pregnant, the last time I was dressed with my big belly, the last waddle down the hall....those things going all through my mind.

Once I walked into the delivery room and sat down, I was a little more at ease. Everyone was so sweet and nice. They let me just cry and get comfy. I told them I was a little scared for the spinal and they comforted me so sweetly. The anesthesiologist was so sweet too, he kept his arm on me to let me know he was right there the whole time.

The spinal was simple. I was really surprised, it was nothing like I thought. No big deal at all. I couldn't believe it, and it made me relax even more, because I really thought that would be the worst part...so the rest must be a piece of cake right?!? LOL.

I laid down, my doctor came in, we talked, it was very comfortable. I totally felt the numbing starting to work, but in a very slight way, not in over-kill, like I had imagined it to be. It was nice and slow. The sheet went up, the cleaning stuff on my belly, Tim came in and they got ready. Basically, they said, ok, here we go and that was that. I never even felt one moment of nerves or anxiety.

Within minutes, I heard Madelynn cry, and tears instantly filled my eyes. Our first daughter was alive and breathing. What a beautiful sound. Thank you Jesus! Within seconds, Claire came out, no problems at all, flew right out, but had no intentions of wanting to breath on her own. Then, our third daughter, Natalee came out from her little sack. She came out the hardest because she was all the way deep, back inside of me. Her head stuck in my back and ribs....geeze I could have guessed that! She was the smallest though, which we knew. All healthy and alive, breathing as well as they could.

Once the babies were out, three minutes total to take them all, the complications begun. I smelled the burning of my insides, hearing the doctors talk about all the bleeding. They asked Tim to sit down and not look anymore. He asked if I was ok, I was fine. The shaking began, I couldn't control that, it was completely involuntary, but the worst shakes of your life, just imagine. The pressure in my head, the back and top of my spinal column was unbearable. I had to focus on not focusing on it, while everyone was taking so long. Even I really had no recollection of how long it was taking. All I knew later on, was the babies took three minutes to take out and I was in surgery for another hour and half after they were born, and then took another trip back to the OR after that.

More to come...

Labor and Delivery Update

Well the results are in.....

My blood pressure is through the roof.

My feet, ankles, legs, thighs, belly, face, lips...everything is SO SWOLLEN!

The protein in my urine is about 3.4/4.
My reflexes are super evevated and the headaches are like something I have never expected.
Contractions still going strong, but it not the problem at this point.

SOOOOO................

Today at 10:30AM we will become parents of three beautiful little girls!!!

Our Christmas miracles! 

We are, to say the least speechless. I cannot believe this is actually happening. I don't know what to feel. I am so anxious. Through tears, fears, anxiety, emotions, all I have never experienced before...but I am somewhat at peace with what's to come. What can we do anyway? Just pray and know this is all in God's hands. But I am really ready to feel better!

Delivery will be today, December 23, 2010 at 10:30AM. And my favorite doctor will be the delivery doctor. AMEN! Today we were breifed on everything and anything that can come up. The nutritionist came, the peri (but not my fav), the neonatalogist, the charge nurse in the NICU, the lactation consultant, many nurses and some visitors! So nice to take my mind off things and visit with people. I welcome it!

We will update when we can! I am just so happy, today I will be a Mommy!!! AHH!

So here are the last phots of me today!

Montogmery County Parents of Multiples

Tim and I have been so blessed with the help of MCPOM. They have blessed us with so many DELICIOUS meals, support, and also coming over and sharing their multiple stories with us. I am speechless at how wonderful perfect strangers have been, some bringing more than one meal, some bringing four or five meals that we could freeze for after the babies are born. And I meal full meals, complete with many sides and deserts...everything has been so yummy.

To know that dinner is already made and Tim doesn't have to struggle every night to do everything, while taking care of me is just such a blessing. I cannot express how wonderful it is to have that stress taken off our backs, something as simple as a home-cooked meal.

I just had to say how thankful we are for the continued support of all our family, friends and prefect strangers. I cannot wait to give back in this wonderful organization to other women and families going through pregnancy, birth and raising multiples. I cannot wait for the friends I'll meet and to be a part of such a loving, supportive community.

Thank you to all those who have helped, are continuing to help us, and for future help; Tim and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are forever grateful!

Wordless Wednesday: Our Christmas Card 2010

Finally I ordered our Christmas cards this past weekend. If you remember this post, I recieved 50 FREE HOLIDAY CARDS from SHUTTERFLY.

We finally took a photo that was worthy enough for the card, and the cards were recieved today. I must say this is the latest I have ever sent my Christmas cards out. How horrible. But how could I pass up 50 free cards?? I did pay extra for 2 day shipping, which I wouldn't have had to pay if I was on-time ordering. But all in all I spent $12.56, saving as total of $120.89!!! So 50 cards for 12 bucks! I think this was the deal of the year!

32 Weeks!

***THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY WRITTEN BEFORE THE LAST POST, SO DETAILS ARE IN THE LAST POST***

Such a miracle to be 32 Weeks!!!! I cannot believe I have made it this far pregnant with our 3 sweet girls. I have beat the statistics so far! 50% of women pregnant with triplets give birth before 32 weeks...but NOT this momma! I am going strong, or well as strong as I could be!

Today I have an appointment with the peri and then we have to go back to the hospital for the next round of steroid shots. Since I got them six weeks ago and have stayed pregnant, and they only last about 6 weeks, they want to give them again, today and tomorrow.

How Far Along: 32 Weeks!!!!!!!

How Big are the Girls: Hopefully we will get the measurements and weights of the girls today at our appointment. (same as last week) 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 (thebump.com).  But I think our girls about about 4 lbs. now, but we'll see.

How Big am I Measuring: Still about 45 inches around; way past any 40 week pregnant woman. HEAVY, HEAVY BELLY!

Weight Gain: I think since my last appointment I am up another 5-6 lbs. My legs, feet, ankles, face, lips...everything on my is swollen. My mom said last night how my fingers were swollen too, but I don't think so. My face and lips are for sure though! So I still don't know if it's all water weight or a combination of the girl's gaining and water. But whatever it is, so far I have gained 51 lbs. Phew, scary!

Emotions: See last week. Sacred for this c-section. I mean I have had surgeries before but never been awake for any of them. I know my anxiety will be through the roof! Only 2 weeks and 6 days away...so I guess I have no choice but to accept it. I know as soon as I hear those sweet little cries, I will be fine and a whole new set of emotions will be here! I can't wait, I'm just nervous, the closer it gets.

Issues: See last week. Same thing, expect swelling is getting worse and worse. I used to wake up and the swelling was almost completely down, however each day it's getting worse and worse and today when I woke, it was barely down at all from last night. Going to ask peri about this today.

Best Moment of the Week: Staying pregnant for another week!

Movement: All of the time. I thought it was starting to slow down a little bit but I was wrong, they still move and stick out their body parts all over my belly, it looks so funny!

Maternity Clothes: Same as always...only when I go out, very few times these days, but my maternity jeans are SO tight, I can barely get them on and then when I try to take them off, my legs are so swollen that Tim has to pull them off of me. Horrible I know.

Stretchmarks: Well, this is a whole other story for this week! I do have stretchmarks...I must admit! My lower belly, under my belly button is SO FREAKING ITCHY, and when I finally took a mirror to look closely at it, I saw all these lovely stretchmarks. :( There's a bunch but ya know, I really don't care to be honest, I knew they would come, I mean, hello, I am pregnant with triplets...I think it may be impossible to carry triplets past a certain time and not except any. It's just so itchy and sore. I guess because it's like new skin forming, I cringe just when I touch my skin, it hurts so bad.

Food Cravings: I can't think of anything special this week that I had to have. Just eating whatever is available at all times! Oh, well Tim did have to make me bacon and egg sandwich for three days...it was just so good!

Genders: 3 beautiful little princesses whom we CANNOT wait to meet!!!!!!

What I Miss: Wine, sleep, feeling comfortable.

Sleep: Terrible, up using the bathroom every single hour, it is so hard to get comfortable and to turn over is like a monumental task. I'm serious, with no stomach muscles and Natalee and Claire's heads right on my upper uterus, it is SO Painful, unlike pain I have never felt before! The only thing that gets me through is knowing that they are growing and getting bigger, hence why they are stretching my uterus so much! 

What I am Looking Forward to: Meeting these little girls, it's all I can think about these days! We are getting so close!

Milestone: Hello....32 weeks pregnant with triplets!

And here are my photos for this week...coming tomorrow....SORRY! Just think BIG WHALE!

Labor and Delivery Update

Well here I am...in the hospital. I had my 32 week post all written out ready to go, minus the pictures and I was going to post when I got home, but things changed. Instead of just coming over for the steroid shot and leaving, I was being admitted before even leaving the peri's office.

Here's the deal...blood pressure has continued to rise each day. Today it has been in the 150's/high 90's to 100's...not good.

The swelling in my legs, ankles and feet is getting worse and worse, each day. Today was the first days that I woke up with the swelling still there, normally it goes almost back down by the morning, but today not so much.

And the biggest thing of all, I have A LOT of protein in my urine which I have never had before. A LOT, like OFF THE CHARTS, super high.

My reflexes are up too, about a 3+/4, which is another sign of preeclampsia.

Cervix is still around 1.4, the least of our concerns now.

The girls are looking perfect. Everything could not be better with them. Madelynn is over 4 lbs., Claire is right at 4 lbs., and Natalee is 3.5 lbs. They are breathing perfectly, and doing such a great job. Madelynn is measuring two weeks ahead by her head and femur sizes.

So, I came to the hospital, got the first round of steroid shots for the girl's lungs, since it's been six weeks since I have had them and I stayed pregnant, they wanted to give another round of them, apparently they only work for about six weeks. They are doing a 24 hour urine monitoring test to test the protein in my urine, but the peri said, this normally does not get any better, and will most likely make me deliver on Thursday. We won't know the outcome of the urine tests until tomorrow evening around 8pm, so basically, it will be like, ok it's not any better, so we'll deliver you tomorrow (Thurs) morning. PHEW!!!!!! They are also running a million blood tests, and one already came back low..my platelet count...which also is a sign of preeclampsia. It went from 177,000 on the 7th of December to 127,000 today.

I have to have on the lovely blood clot machine thingies on my legs, which are making me sweat like crazy. IV in my arm and monitors on my belly. Luckily I only had to have the girls on the monitors for an hour or so, and now I just have my contraction one on, so hopefully I can get some sleep tonight...yeah right!

Just a whole bunch of changed plans...here I thought I was in the home stretch and going to make it two more weeks....now I might be having three Christmas miracles...ON THURSDAY!

I will try to keep everyone up to date on everything, more on here than facebook. Sorry, I just can't stand facebook most days.

Please just pray for me and our growing family. This is going to be a hard few days! 

Wordless Wednesday: My Poor Feet and Legs

This might scare a few of you...I apologize in advance. However the photos do NOT do the real thing justice. It may not look that bad to some, but my gosh, in person it is HORRIBLE!

My right leg is much worse than my left. It is so sore, especially right behind my toes..and where my feet meet my ankles...I can't even walk..I feel like an elephant!

If you push my skin in, it stays that way for five minutes or longer (it's called edema). Tim thinks it's funny, but I do not.

And it's only suppose to get worse as the weeks go on, and my blood pressure continues to rise! :(

31 Weeks!!!

Another week passed..AMEN!!!

How Far Along: 31 Weeks!!!

How Big are the Babies: (same as last week) 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.

How Big am I Measuring: Really pushing out there...well over 40 weeks, measuring 45 inches around!!! Each of the girls are over 3lbs. now, so that's between 9-11 pounds of just babies that I'm carrying...so far!

Weight Gain: WOW, let me tell ya, with all the water I am now retaining, and the girls growing so fast each week..I have gained more weight in the past week then I have ever! Currently, I am 170 lbs. I know a lot of it is water, but still, phew! I thought 150 lbs. was a lot, but here I am still gaining....ekk!

Emotions: Up and down, since I literally feel so horrible these past few days, it's been hard to keep my spirits up. I know I am in the "home stretch" here, and I knew it would be hard, but let me tell ya, this is like nothing I have ever done before. I have three human beings in my belly, my uterus is SO heavy. I lay on one side, it hurts, I lay on the other, it hurts, I sit up for five minutes, my feet and ankles swell to unimaginable proportions. The swelling hurts so bad, I had no idea. You push in my skin and it stays that way for five minutes, sometimes up to an hour. I can't breath because of the weight on my lungs, I'm completely congested due to the fluid on my lungs because of bed rest. I'm constantly changing my terb pump medication, and monitoring until the wee hours of the morning...because I always go over my threshold of 8 contractions per hour, so that then means, I take a "demand dose" of my med, eat a small snack, drink some water, pee and get back on my monitor for another whole hour. I have been getting NO sleep what-so-ever, then I get a headache because I am purely exhausted. I have never in my life felt this exhausted. Every task is a chore. Getting out of bed is a chore. Taking a shower is like the hardest thing in the world each day. I constantly shake due to the terbutaline.


I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks but geeze is it hard. My body is done, but yet I still feel like I could make it a few more weeks. It's 3 weeks and 6 days until my scheduled C-section, that seems like tomorrow and it also feels a hundred days away.


Issues: Contractions all day, everyday, they get harder, stronger and worse each day that goes by. Yesterday morning I had 13 in one hour on my monitor! Phew! Luckily with my terbutaline pump, the nurses can change my meds easily and quickly, whenever they want. So even today, I was complaining that the contractions are SO bad at night and so they upped my meds for my 9PM, 12AM, 3AM, and 6AM doses. So thankful and hoping it will let me sleep a little better...if it doesn't do the opposite and keep me up, from the jitteriness.

Also, my blood pressure is going up more and more each day, which is not good. It's kind of expected at this point, but still it will put me in the hospital very quickly, so my home monitoring nurses are watching it very closely.


Best Moment of the Week: Staying pregnant and knowing these girls are getting stronger and healthier each day!


Movement: All day, every day. I LOVE feeling them all of the time, it's my highlight of the day.


Maternity Clothes: Of course, I have a few items that fit me these days but since I only get dressed to go to the peri once a week, so I really don't care. It's undies, a sports bra and a tank top for me each day.


Stretchmarks: None and praying it stays that way. I am very proud of my skin!! LOL!


Food Cravings: Anything! I always have to go to Burger King after my peri appointments...it's one of the few highlights of my week! We have been so blessed by the number of meals being delivered to our home, almost every night from MCPOM's...and everything has been sooooo good! I look so forward to see what's for dinner each night when a stranger shows up with something warm and wonderful! So appreciative, it's beyond words!


Genders: Three little princesses!!


What I Miss: Sleep, wine, and feeling comfortable!!!!!!!!


Sleep: None, what-so-ever. I'm a zombie!


What I am Looking Forward to: The girl's birth, Christmas, my birthday, everyday that goes by at this point is great! I look forward to each day because it's one day behind me, and one day closer to meeting these beautiful girlie's!

Milestone: 31 weeks pregnant with triplets!

And here are my photos for this week:

The circle on my belly was from my monitoring session, it takes the circle forever to go away!

My Sweet Husband!

He's tall, thin and handsome.

He makes me laugh.

He loves the Eagles, the Phillies and Penn State.

I think I like this boy.

He didn't mind my expensive food taste.

He had a house, a car, a puppy and a career.

It's the simple things he does and knows.

He is smarter than I think.

I feel safe with him.

My protector.

My best friend, so easily he became.

He asked me to be his bride, I said yes.

Never a doubt in my mind, he is the one.

He had me from hello.

We married and our life began.

He knew my history of endometriosis, but it didn't bother him.

He said, "we'll do whatever we have to."

He went to every appointment.

He was always there by my side, asking the important questions.

Still making me laugh.

He gave me shots, cried with me and prayed me with.

He was strong.

He said, "we will not give up."

And we did not.

We prayed more.

He held me, through all the pain, not knowing what the future would hold.

Never did we think what was to come.

Three heart beats, oh my.

He came to every appointment.

He would be the father of our three little girls.

He was ecstatic.

We kept praying; God is good.

He came up with some silly ideas; like one big crib.

He spent hours with me in Babies R Us, and Target too.

Carrying out all of our gifts after 3 showers.

He painted the room, and puts things together.

We pray for healthy babies every day.

This pregnancy is hard, on both of us.

He is the soul provider for our family right now.

He is there by my side.

He cleans.

He vacuums.

He cooks, very well indeed.

He does laundry, little pink socks and all.

He brings me anything and everything I want.

He gets stuff from upstairs or downstairs when I forget, even multiple times.

He still makes me laugh.

He holds all of his girls in his arms each night.

He empties the cat boxes, even though he hates it.

He feeds the cats.

He takes care of the dog.

He goes to the grocery store with my long list.

He is a strong man.

I am so proud of him.

I am so blessed to have him in my life.

To have him be the father of our children.

I love you, Tim, with all of my heart and soul.

And I thank you for the man you are.

You are going to be a great father.

30 Weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I CANNOT believe I am 30 weeks pregnant with these little girls! What a blessing! Every two weeks, or well everyday at this point is a miracle and such a blessing. I just want to give these girls the best opportunity to be as healthy as possible before they make their arrival.

How Far Along: 30 WEEKS!

How Big are the Babies: (same as last week) 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.

How Big am I Measuring: Well over 40 weeks, about still about 42.5 inches around.

Weight Gain: Well last week I was 158 lbs. at the doctor's office on Wednesday and this morning I weighed in at 162 lbs! Whahoo! At this point the girls are gaining a 1/2 lb. each week! So, that's 3 1/2 lbs of baby I'm gaining, and along with still eating, weight is going up!

Emotions: Ok, this week. Things are stable and that's the best I can ask for at this point.

Symptoms: Coughing and nasal congestion (from fluid-filled lungs), swollen feet, BACK PAIN (the DR thinks Natalee is pushing on a nerve...big surprise there!), tired, crampy, LOTS OF CONTRACTIONS, thirsty, and just plain uncomfortable.

Best Moment of the Week: Having a meal delivered almost every single night! The support has been wonderful and we are so blessed by so many strangers. I am truly speechless!

Movement: Every day, all day. Night time is the worse, Madelynn constantly has the hiccups! But of course I love watching my belly take on crazy, weird positions. It moves constantly, like three squirmy fish!

Maternity Clothes: Of course. I only wear like one or two outfits these days, when I do get to venture out of the house.

Stretchmarks: None, amen and I hope it stays that way!

Food Cravings: Everything and everything. If I see a commercial with something good, I am dying for it. This week I am really craving hamburgers and pizza, kinda the same thing throughout this whole pregnancy. I just want Italien food like crazy!

Genders: Three little princesses!

What I Miss: Wine, feeling comfortable, getting good sleep, and doing things myself.

Sleep: Ok, not great but not too bad.

What I am Looking Forward to: Our cribs coming in!!! I cannot wait until they arrive and we can pick them up. I can't wait to see them set up in the room with everything! AHH!

Milestone: Hello....30 WEEKS!!! That's awesome!!!!!! I so hope I can make it to 34w6d, I will be so proud of myself!

And I actually got to take a picture with my hair done and make-up on this morning on our way to our peri appointment.

My 3rd Baby Shower!

On Saturday I had my final and last baby shower, thank goodness I could make it. My MIL threw it at her house and it was nice to see everyone from Tim's side of the family. I love his family and I think I see them more than I see my own extended family. So it was just a small shower with family and a few close friends.

We had some really great food and Tim's Aunt Terry made our beautiful cake, unfortunately though my camera was acting up and would not self focus...I later realized it was because of the low battery..whoops! So we only have a very blurry photo of it, but it said "Welcome Babies" in purple and green!

We got some cute gifts, which included hair barrettes, socks, clothes, onesies, burp cloths, swaddle-me's, breast pump with hundred accessories and one of our cribs! Tammy, my MIL, bought us one and my parent's just bought us one also, so we now will have two...and hopefully soon! I cannot wait until they come in and Tim can start putting them together! We aren't going to worry about the other one for awhile. The girls will be in their pack-n-play for awhile, and then we'll move them to one big crib and then maybe do two in one, and one in the other for awhile. We'll just have to wait and see, but we are so blessed not to have had to buy all three.  Also, Tim's sister, Megan sent us the single and double snap-n-go strollers this week, since she lives in NM and couldn't be here for the shower.

This is Tim's Aunt's (minus one, who lives in FL), his Nana and me (my MIL is next to me in the pretty sweater).

We still have a lot to get though...bumpers, mobiles, a glider, a diaper pail, a monitor....and so much more! I used a few gift cards for a few other things, but with three babies, it's amazing how fast that money goes! None the less, we are so appreciative!

It was a great shower! And we are so thankful for all the wonderful gifts!

Poolesville's Holiday Lighting Ceremony

I know, I know...bed rest...blah. But because of my fluid-filled lungs, I am supposed to be up breathing some fresh air once a day, and even though it was bitterly cold, like in the mid-upper 20's this evening, I bundled up and went to the town's Holiday Lighting Ceremony. It was even flurrying all afternoon and some into the evening, so it was cold! Last year my sister and I went and it was fun for a small town gathering. But this year, my mom, dad, Tim and I made it a family night. My sister had to work and couldn't join us!

Bundling up was hard, I don't have any jackets to fit me these days, but I squeezed barely into my ski jacket, amen.

They have awesome ice sculptors, a holiday train for the kids to ride, Santa in his workshop, church choir's singing carol and lots of yummy food. It's small but fun. This year there were actually a lot more people than last year. I was really surprised! You can also walk the town's stores and get good deals but there's really not that much to see or shop. I pass on that each year.

But one thing I don't pass on is all the home-cooked food! This year there was homemade hot soups, brisket sandwiches, country ham sandwiches, hot dogs, funnel cakes, hot cider/coffee/tea, and roasted chestnuts. Everything smelled so good! I ultimately decided on the brisket sandwich, vegetable-beef soup and then a funnel cake. I ate one funnel cake and then got another to take home, but Tim ate it. The hot cider was delicious too. Tim got a brisket sandwich, a hot dog and chicken corn chowder, which was amazing. I should have had that soup, but he got the very last bowl served! It was won.der.ful!!!!

And of course the lighting of the town too! I didn't get too many photos of the lights because I had too many things in my hand (cider, funnel cakes, camera, gloves) and it was freezing, so I was ready to head out!

OB Appointment and Sonogram Photos - 29w1d

Well yesterday afternoon we had our peri appointment....and surprisingly things are still going quite well. God is good! My cervix is still measuring around 1.5-1.8 and still opening from the inside, but no more than it was at our last appointment. Amen.

As for the girls, everything looked great with them. Another, amen! They are growing normally and the only thing that worried me was that Baby A and Baby C are weighing small. The doctors are not concerned because developmentally they are right on track, but they are behind Baby B and that I don't like. They have all been very even this whole time and even though the measurements are only an estimate, it still worries me a little. I trust in the doctors though. Their heart beats, fluid levels, tummies, blood flow and umbilical cords all looked perfect. We got a lot of 3D pictures, especially of Claire, Baby B. She definitely has her daddy's lips and nose and looking at the comparison between Claire (one of the identical twins) and Natalee (our singleton), they look exactly the same, which I think is cute. I can't wait to see if they really do overtime. We can never get a picture of Madelynn since she is so low in my pelvis, burrowed like a little squirrel still.


 This one you can see part of Claire's hand over her face.

 Love her little peanut nose and sweet lips!

I did gain 3 lbs which wasn't too bad for 9 days, since I am supposed to put on about 2.5 lbs each week. Also, my doctor said that it looks like I will, hopefully, be able to make it four more weeks. I was so surprised to hear that, but it made me so happy. Of course, what's four weeks from this week...my birthday (34 weeks, exactly)! I would be so happy to be pregnant past my birthday, but I do not want them to come that day!

The home monitoring is going well. I love being in constant contact with my nurses a few times a day and if I need any help on anything they are right there to help. It's such a reassurance and makes me so less stressful. The terbutaline pump is going well too, much easier than I thought it would be. I am getting my dosage upped today because the contractions are getting harder and much more frequent, especially at night. That seems to be the biggest issue these days. The pump works by giving you "big doses" every four hours and a baseline of the drug every few minutes, so they are going to up my baseline and hope that helps keep the contractions down between the "big doses."

And my lungs are still the same, the best thing I can do is get up and get some fresh air each day and take deep breaths. If the congestion gets worse, of course they are worried about pneumonia, but of course I'll be calling if it gets worse. Right now the congestion and coughing is bearable, just annoying. I'm trying to convince Tim that "getting out and getting fresh air for a little bit" means he can drive me to Target for a few minutes, but he is not going for it. Boo. Even the grocery store....just anywhere!!!

After the appointment, I totally knew if I asked Tim to go to eat at one of his favorite places, he would go for it, and he sure did. We went to Five Guys and OH MY GOSH, it was so good. I don't think I have ever been able to eat a whole cheeseburger there and some fries, but let me tell you I had no problem this time. I wish I could go there everyday. Gosh, it was good. So maybe I'll use some of Tim's favorite places to eat, a way out of the house or bribe him to get to Target...just don't tell him that!

So all in all, a good appointment and again we are so blessed to make it another week!! Whahoo!