Almost 32 week appointment...

Well we will be 32 weeks on Christmas Eve! So far everything is still coasting. All the babies passed their biophysical profiles again today (breathing, heartbeats, and movements) and everyone is looking great. Everything on the mommy side is doing great too. The normal aches and complaints for being 32 weeks with triplets such as: they are crushing my lungs, it is getting hard to move around, the belly is a little sore, etc, but nothing too bad. If things continue to go this well we might even make it to 37 weeks... that would be so great. Keep your fingers crossed for us! Other then that no real news. Everyone at the office thinks we are doing fabulous and we couldn't ask for more.
It will be sad not to go to the lake for Christmas this year but I keep telling myself that next year we will be going with 3 little, almost one year olds, so it is all good.
Michael can't wait till they get here and he can hold and play with them. It is cute to watch him get so excited. It seems like the closer we get, the more excited he gets. Miche is about the same way. She keep poking the belly telling them to grow faster...lol
Soon... 4-5 more weeks and we will be there. I just want to make it that long and bring home fat and sassy babies. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

30 weeks...

We have made it to 30 weeks. It is hard to imagine that this much time has really passed. It wasn't that long ago when we first found out we were pregnant and then that it was three. The belly is absolutely massive (we'll get a new belly shot up soon) and the kids are just moving like crazy. My quite little Haley has turned into my tumbler. I think she just might be our little gymnast. She is constantly rolling around in there. Criton just seems to be constantly kicking, moving, and causing a ruckus. Caitlin is at the bottom of the pile and she just seems to be trying to get as much room as possible. I don't think she likes to be squished. I wonder if that will make her claustrophobic later in life? There are some movements, like the odd wave sensation, that I just can't figure out what they are doing, but it does seem like they are playing together in there.
I can't wait till they get here and we are able to hold them and watch them interact with each other. Next summer they will be about six months old and enjoying weekends at the lake, maybe even on the boat. Then next Christmas they will be almost one and able to tear into their gifts. There is so much to look forward to. So much that I can't wait to see. So much growing to watch and videotape. Before any of that though, they have 5-6 more weeks of growing in the belly. I keep saying I can't imagine it can get any bigger, and it seems like every morning we have gotten bigger. I can't wait till Tues when we get to see what their weights are now.
For now I will just keep cuddling and talking to our little ones.

4 am Play Dates...

Ok, so I have been noticing a pattern here. If I wake up about 3-4 in the morning for my bathroom break, inevitably when I go to lay back down the kids get up. It's not just one either, it is all three kicking, squirming, and turning. This goes on for about a half an hour to an hour then they settle back down and go to sleep.
Now, I am ecstatic that they are moving and playing, but since they have gotten so big, I can't sleep though it. Which means I am lying there awake, with nothing to do, as they have their 4 am playdate. I love them and want them to stay in there till 36 weeks, but when we reach 36 weeks I will be very happy to have my body to myself again...lol
I miss sleep....

The Yellow Mile...

Before I got pregnant I would sleep though the night without any problems. When I was out, I was out to the world. It was great. Since being pregnant though I get up on average about 2-3 times a night, which is really tiresome.
Well last night was a break point. I am exhausted and the bathroom is roughly about 30 feet from my bed. I woke up about 3:30am, sat on the side of the bed for a few moments, and then flopped to my side. I didn't want to get up for anything, but three little people playing on your bladder tends to make the decisions for you. I made a silly joke to my husband when I finally dragged myself up (he is a very light sleeper so I woke him up). I said this was my Green Mile... like from the movie. He just laughed and said no, it was my yellow mile. I couldn't help but giggle about it because not only did it fit, he just sounded so cute saying it.

Doctors Appointment 18 weeks 5 days

Well everyone is doing great! All the babies weigh about 8 oz which is right on target. It's funny in the beginning we judged how they were growing by length, now it is by weight. Everyone is moving around like crazy and they have change positions... They are all head up and feet down and they have lined up across the belly. Criton is on the right side, Hailey is in the middle, and Caitlin is on the left.
Since moving next to Criton Hailey has started to become a mover and shaker. The girls had a hard time getting her to sit still for measurements...lol
Unfortunately Michael still hasn't felt them move, but I have a feeling (or hope) that it won't be much longer. The belly is huge (and has become it's own entity..lol), and they move more and more each day.
It is definitely hard to do certain things now and I get worn out very easily. I can say, without any doubt, that everyone is right, this is probably going to be one of the hardest things I ever do but so worth it in the end. We are so excited and can't wait to hold our little ones.
January 14th is our 35 weeks marker. Although triplets tend to come earlier (around 32 weeks) I have talked with several triplet moms who went to 35-36 weeks, so it is possible. Our personal goal is to make it to 35 weeks. I would love 36, but at 35 we have a great chance of no NICU time and bringing the babies straight home with us, which is the goal.
For now Michael continues to be the food Nazi (trying to get me to eat everything and anything). I don't think I'll ever make it to the 4,000 calorie mark but I get close and everyone is growing well so I feel good about it.

Sleeping... or lack of

Sleep has seem to become a relative term. I am still getting up two times a night to go to the restroom, and it seems if I am not up doing that I am up changing positions. I have never been a back sleeper I have always been a stomach sleeper, but that doesn't work when you got three little ones in there. I go from side to side all night long. It wouldn't be that bad except after about an hour or so on one side, I have to switch to the other because my hip hurts. Now some people would say invest in more pillows... but I already sleep with two body pillows and about five other pillows of various sizes and softness. I am just barely half way there and the babies will be starting their growth spurt soon, so I will have to figure something out soon. Perhaps another pillow topper on the bed...lol... (there are already two on there now).
It could be much worse though so I am thankful that I at least get broken up sleep instead of no sleep at all.

Babies are a Rockin...

The babies movements and active time has increased. I am feeling them a lot more now, unfortunately Michael isn't able to yet...hopefully any day now. It seems that Baby A and B invade each others space more and baby C has got all the room. Little does he know that soon they will all be crowded together.
The Belly is stretched already and is a little achy. Makes me a little worried about the coming months of how it will feel. I have heard all types of comments about the pregnancy supports from other multiple mom's and they say none of them are really any good past 4-5 months. So Michael and I are talking about making our own that will work. I'll let you all know how that goes when we get there.

14 weeks and 4 days

Today was eventful... I have been having this lower pelvic pressure all weekend and wasn't sure if it was normal or not. I called the Doc last night and they wanted me to come in today to get checked. It turns out everything is great and the pressure pain is just due to the weight of the uterus/ babies.
They did start checking for the sex of the babies today. They said it helps them keep better track of who is who. They are pretty sure that baby A is a girl and baby C is a boy... baby B is a little more difficult and she thought it might be a girl but was really ify on it. They said they will keep checking to make sure. I am ecstatic! We wanted a mix of both so much and it looks like we'll get it.
All heartbeats were great. Baby A was fisty and all over the place, B and C were sleepy and just rolling here and there... but everyone is great so we couldn't be happier.
I couldn't believe the size of my uterus though. It is about 3 inches above my belly button now and the belly is huge. We will have to get some pictures of it up here soon.

Diaper Testing

We are still going to do the cloth diapers but most I have found only fit 8lbs and up. With triplets there is no way they will be 8lbs, so we have conceded to use the disposable until they get to 8 lbs. Which means we had to look at all the different disposable options.
I never liked Pampers so those were out from the start. With Jasper I started out using Huggies until they changed to the cloth outside and I hated them. So I switched to Luvs. I absolutely loved Luvs and used them for my daughter as well. So, of course, the first pack of diapers I picked up were a pack of newborn Luvs. When we got home I took one out to investigate it, and of course they have changed over the years. Not badly but different and the price was good. So I figured that would be the diaper we used until Michael and I went shopping yesterday.
We went through the baby section and ended up in the diaper area where we started discussing at looking at all the diapers. They had a generic brand called Parents Choice at Walmart. It was 6 more diapers per pack and $3 less. Now if it was just one baby that might not make a big difference, but with triplets it adds up quickly. Now when buying anything generic we are kinda careful because there are things that the old saying comes into play, "you get what you pay for."
So we decided to buy a pack, bring it home, and test them ourselves.
The Test... First we took one from each pack and compared them by feel. Miche and I thought the Luvs felt softer. Michael said he felt the Parents Choice was thicker. So we went onto the wetness test. We took red colored water and a measuring cup to do this experiment. We started with 1/3 cup of liquid in each. Both absorbed it well but the Luvs you could feel a slight wetness on the inside surface which would be next to the baby. The parents Choice was bone dry. So we tried another 2/3 cup... The Luvs did not hold up much at all. It was extreamly wet feeling on the inside and if you pushed down the liquid came to the surface. The Parents Choice, surprisingly enough was still bone dry on the inside and out. It floored us. We didn't think it would hold up to the Luvs, and instead it surpassed the Luvs by a lot!
So from our experiment we have decided to get Parents Choice diapers until they are big enough for cloth.

formula..bottles..diapers...so many choices!

Maybe it is because I had my first two children so young, or perhaps that we have made the world more complicated, but there seems to be way too many items to choose from. You sort through review after review to see what others have said about certain products. You look to see what is recommended most. You even prod those who have had children recently to help guide you in choosing the right type of bottle. Does this sound crazy to anyone else besides me? Truly, it does not need to be this complex. Ultimately the babies are going to decide what they like and what they will use...they always do.

Baby Bed and Doctors Appt

Well we found a really great deal on a baby bed yesterday. They'll stay altogether in this bed until they are about 2-3- months old, then they will have to go into separate beds. That's the time most triplet moms say the kids start rolling, kicking, and wake each other up.
It's strange, I see the babies every 1-2 weeks on the ultrasound, heard the little heartbeats, and even have started to feel the little flutterings of them, but for some reason once Michael got the baby bed all put together it just felt more real. It doesn't make any sense in my head but it is what it is.
I had another doctors appointment yesterday. Everyone is doing great! Baby A heartbeat was 157, Baby B was 157, and Baby C was 158. The cervix looked great with no changes and my blood pressure was up slightly but still in a decent range. They don't seem to be too concerned about it right now and my 24 hr urine came back great (to check for spilling protein..a bad sign for the blood pressure). My iron and calcium were a little low, which they said was normal for carrying triplets. So I am starting iron pills twice a day and have to boost my calcium intake.
Everyone has been really pleased with my progress so far so that makes me happy. I worry a lot. I think a lot of that has to do with being a nurse and knowing way too much...it can be a hinderence at times.
Our next appt is in 2 weeks. Then they will do another full scan on the babies and we will get more pics :)

Belly Wonders...

I had my last child almost 15 years ago and I have never been pregnant with multiples before, but some days it just feels as if aliens have taken over my body. My food tastes seem to have dramatically changed. I love seafood but last night I made a huge seafood dish and then after a few bites I had to back off. It just didn't taste good to me at all and everyone else thought it was really good. Of course that is just one example but it has been like that with a lot of things. Michael just laughed and said it was part of him in there (and he has different tastes then I do). One of his favorite sandwiches is peanut butter and bananas...he suggested I try that next (I never cared for it before)...lol.
We are one day away from 13 weeks and I am huge already. They tell me that by the time I am 20 weeks that I will be the size of a full term belly. I don't mind so much, just wish I could sleep for more then 3 hrs at a time without having to get up and rearrange pillows and positions.
I couldn't ask for a better husband through all of this though. Michael has been great at helping me with everything, getting me up, taking care of all those little needs, and a great support/ cheer section. I will feel bad for him when I go on bedrest though...I think it will be rough doing all of it on his own and taking care of me. Hopefully I won't get any strict bedrest though this, then I can get up and do some stuff here and there to help.
Miche wanted to homeschool this year, so after a lot of researh and family debate we have decided to give it a shot. We got all her school books yesterday, and even found some ways to allow her to continue her studies with Japanese. She is excited about the arrival of new baby brothers and sisters. She keeps telling us she is going to take them over, and we just laugh saying after two nights she is going to be hiding in her room...lol.
Jaz has been practicing driving, and from what I hear he's doing good. If all goes well he will joining the military in Oct this year. He can't wait...I just hope he stays safe.

11 Week Ultrasound of the triplets

The baby on the left is baby C at 11 weeks (baby A is on the right)

This is baby B at 11 weeks


This is baby A at 11 weeks


Now my husband thinks that A is a girl, C is a boy, and he is unsure about B...
I think A and B are boys and C is a girl....
Anyone else want to guess before we find out for sure?

Cloth Diapering

Well we have been doing some research. Since we have found out there are three little guys joining the family, we have been looking at ways to cut costs all around. One of the things we have been looking at recently has been cloth diapers vs disposable. Now with my other two kids I used disposables and never really thought about it. Through our research I was astounded by the cost difference. For the first 3 years of disposables, for triplets, the cost would be around $10,000! That blew us away. The cost of cloth diapering all of them would end up around $2000 total... that is an $8,000 savings. So after a lot of looking around, reading some forums of cloth diapering moms, we have decided to go this route. Will it be easy? No. Will it create more work? Yes, but it will be worth it in the long run.
I think the route we will try first is the pre folded diapers with the fitted diaper covers, and disposable inserts. We'll let you all know how it goes!

Doctors Appointment

Well we had another doctors appointment yesterday. The babies look great and everyone is doing well. We got the "triplets" talk...the good, the bad, and the scary. Most of it we already knew because we have been researching it since we found out so we are as prepared as possible. The doc mentioned something though that caught us both off guard. The is a procedure called a transabdominal cerclage that they highly recommend to prevent preterm birth. Basically they make a large incision in your abdomin (maybe large because we have triplets?), then pull out the uterus, tie the end of the cervix that is closest to the uterus, and then put everything back. They said that even if I had preterm labor, that the cervix would not open if we did this. Well Michael and I talked about it quite a bit and came to the conclusion that we will not do this. Even though they say they have had great success and haven't lost a baby yet... that's yet. It also sounds like a hard surgery while being pregnant, especially with triplets. We will do the bedrest and whatever is required of us instead. There is just too much risk in our minds for the other and a study was done with almost 3,000 women who have never been diagnosed with incompitent cevix (as I have not), carring triplets, and found this proceedure made no difference in this group of patients.