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!

First OB Appointment!!

Today was our first OB appointment at Greater Washington Maternal Fetal Medicine and meeting our doctor, Dr. Thomas Pinckert. Basically you can only be referred to this practice if you (the mother) is/was very ill, the baby is very ill/has large defects or you have more then 2 babies. They don't even do too many twin pregnancies unless there is a problem with the mother or the babies, so they really specialize in 3 or more pregnancies. Dr. Pinckert described the practice as the patients who regular OB's don't want because they are too complicated. It's like the ICU of pregnancies. Nice, but glad to know I'm in good hands.

We got there right as my appointment time was beginning....I felt horrible for being late, because even on-time, is late to me, but I couldn't stop reading Facebook get out of bed this morning. We waited and waited and I was getting impatient filling out one hundred five forms. The sonographer took us in and was super nice. The room was awesome, such high-tech gear and huge flat screen TV's!  NICE! She said they would try a "regular" sonogram first and see how well the photos came out, but they would probably do a vaginal one. I was fine with either. I just wanted good photos. She said most IVF patients could care less about vaginal ultrasounds....haha, we are so used to those stirrups!

The "regular" sonogram gave some good photos but the vaginal ones were great. She put on the color option to see blood flow, which was really neat and we got to see them from every angel, for quite a long time! We finally got to hear the heartbeats and it was music to my ears! So wonderful to hear them each for the first time! I was so excited. Baby A's heartbeat was 169 bpm, and Baby B and C were both 164 bpm. It's amazing, simply amazing. We could also see two clear yolk sac's with the identical twins, which was good to see, looks like they are both very healthy. All babies were measuring 8 weeks, 2 days, which is exactly what I am!

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Identical Peanuts A and B

Peanut C

All 3 Peanuts!!!!!!!!!

Still unbelievable to see that there are THREE babies in my tummy! Still blows my mind! I think it will for awhile!

Next, Dr. Pinckert came in and spent almost 45 minutes with us! I swear I was wondering who was seeing all the other patients, since he was in the room so long. He did a "regular" sonogram to see some things for himself, talked a lot of about thing we should know and answered all of our questions.

Looks like I am going to have to start taking a HUGE amount of vitamins, not just a pre-natal vitamin, but like hundred other vitamins too. The babies will be taking everything, my blood, oxygen, nutrients, vitamins, and so women who carry 3 babies or more (high order multiples) need LOTS of supplements. I am not looking forward to that because the pre-natal vitamins make me SO constipated as it is and I only take one. I will also have to up my Levothyroxine for my hypothyroidism, and will need blood work frequently to monitor my cholesterol levels.

He talked a lot about bed rest and recommend that I stay off my feet when I can, do not lift anything over five pounds and no super exercising. No worries there. He told Tim, if it was possible to make sure I only work a part-time job or something off of my feet...hmmm, ok. Doctor's orders. Of course, he isn't paying our electric bill or buying us a new car (ahem) mini-van, so I will do what I have to do. However, a side note....my lovely husband received a BIG raise today from his wonderful boss. Such a wonderful, wonderful man; we are so beyond blessed to have Tim work for such a wonderful company and wonderful man. So whatever it was, Tim's great work ethic or the fact we are having triplets, or both, I am VERY proud of my husband's hard efforts for our fastly growing family!

There were a lot of other things mentioned, like staying on the Endometrin and Estrace for a few more weeks and the possibility of some other lovely things, that I won't get into at this moment, because I am not even close to wanting to google anything right now. But for example, things such as stitching up my cervix...OHHHH BOY!

Oh and I will be monitored every two weeks, so my next appointment is Monday, July 19th!