24-26 Weeks

Goodness gosh, I'm over six months already?!? Phew! I'm loving being pregnant this time around and feel that I can go around and be that "cute little pregnant lady" that I couldn't be when I was pregnant with the girls because I was on bed rest and feeling like a whale, not too mention I didn't want to risk going into labor even earlier than I did!

How Far Along: 24-26 Weeks/6 Months! Here's my post of 6 Months with the girls!
How Big is Little Miss: Still around the size of a papaya! She is settling into sleep cycles, baby snoozes 12 to 14 hours a day. Skin is becoming more opaque and it's taking on a pink glow!

Weight Gain: Maybe +3-5, or as much as 7...not too much! But I have definitely started eating waaaay more and drinking my whole milk with chocolate at least once a day! I was weighed at the OB on Wednesday and weighed 140 lbs...not too bad!
Symptoms: Some back pain, tiredness, easily weak and tired after not doing much, some minor contractions (around 3-5 a day) but I can tell they are getting stronger.

Emotions: Fine! Every time I see a newborn, I squirm with happiness!

Best Moment of the Week: Just feeling Little Miss all of the time. I love every moment of it and cherish it so much! She moves sooo much, just like the girls did! And of course seeing her cute little self on the sonogram!

Looking at us!

Movement: All day, everyday, but most active in the evening and at night! I thought the girls moved a lot, but really, I don't remember them moving as much as Little Miss is!

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes!

Sleep: Going great when I do sleep! Of course loving naps! And the dreams...oh the dreams!

Food Cravings: Hmm...everything! Chocolate, but it gives me the worst heartburn! Apples!
Aversions: Nothing I can think of!

Gender: A Little Miss! And who FINALLY has a name! Well, it's what I have been calling her since day 1, but it was convincing Tim, but finally he said, "we can name her whatever you want!" Duh! So happy though, it's the most perfect name to me!

What I Miss: Wine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I am Looking Forward to: Hmm...the snow that is falling outside right now! Planning the girl's first birthday party! and of course growing bigger and bigger with Little Miss!

Side Notes: One person on the last weekly update commented that I was measuring (or looking like) almost full-term and just as big as I was when I was pregnant with the girls! I couldn't believe it...seriously, LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS! Haha, I am so not as big right now as I was with the girls! At 24 weeks pregnant with the girls, I was measuring FULL-TERM! This pregnancy with Little Miss is completely measuring normal and right on track. She is growing great and I am forever thankful. I may look bigger than I am, but let me ASSURE everyone, that I no way am as big as I was with the girls. Sometimes I look at my belly and really, I could just look a little fat in my belly, and not even pregnant! My belly is no way as heavy or full-feeling like I was with the girls, nor am I having near as many contractions and pain as I did with the girls. With the girls pregnancy I went downhill from Week 24 on, this pregnancy I hope and pray that will not be the case!

Anyway, here are my bump photos for the past few weeks:

Week 25 pregnancy photos with the girls, click on the link above!

Please excuse all my stretch marks...I don't know if I can post the straight on photo of my belly ever again. I mean I know I had triplets, but ugh, I just don't like the way it looks now, and really I guess it's not too bad, but I don't know!

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

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: