Still hanging in there.

Well I was sooo excited to announce the end of my nausea, only to be struck down with one of the more sickly nights of my life! I survived. And in fact I felt well enough this morning to make it to the 11:00 church service followed by the greasy cheese pizza date in the food court at the mall. We are sooo romantic aren't we? Anyway, I am sure the symptoms will come and go. But I definitely enjoyed a couple of days of complete relief!

Word on the internet and in my collection for multiples books, is that you will feel triplets move much earlier than a singleton. Usually, anytime after 13 weeks. So this means I lay VERY still every night just waiting for that first flutter! But I got nothin! Oh well, I am sure they will be kicking the crap out of me before long. :)

This is my last official week that I can go to work without the 'new nurse' being there. So I am going to do my best to make it in for a couple of days before the long break in my career as a nurse. I always felt a little jealous of SAHM's as I was trudging to my job in uniform every day. But I now truly realize how hard I will be working at home. And yet I can't wait!!! I have dreamed of raising my babies since I was probably 3 years old. What an adventure we have ahead of us!

An unexpected change!

I don't want to jinx anything BUT... I have been feeling great for two days!! It's an absolute miracle! At the same time, I can't help but be a little taken back and worried about why the nausea suddenly disappeared overnight! But I have been eating like a champ for two days kind of trying to make up for lost time and gain some weight for these babies. I've sure never had this problem in my life, but I can't seem to gain anything. The exhuastion remains. But a life of eating and napping is not all that bad. :)

An amazing day!

Wow - I had a great accidental meeting this morning! I went for a quick walk and ran into a woman in our neighborhood that we always see walking with her triplets! She was so nice and already had amazing advice during our few minute conversation. She will be a wonderful resource and a definite new friend! I was complimenting her Peg Perego Triplette stroller. (The top choice of triplet strollers and they cost a FORTUNE!) She said it was given to her free by another triplet mom she had met while they were in the NICU. And after a year, it is no longer working as well for them as it is heavy and not exactly what she wants. She said it is AMAZING for little babies and a great gift that they have treasured this year. They are buying a quad stroller soon as it is easier to manuever with three bigger kiddos and goes through doors easily. So she is going to GIVE the Peg Perego TO ME! Yep, you read that right. I offered her money, but she said no it was free to them and she would be happy to pass it on seats and all. I could have cried! We couldn't really afford that stroller and had sort of sighed and moved on to the next best choice in strollers. I can't even think straight. We are SO blessed.

pulled pork and a pulled belly

Wow, the floaty babies are getting so big on the side of our page! And my tummy is starting to feel quite stretched too. It's not that big and yet I wake up with lots of pulling and strains and cramps along the sides of my abdomen. It's unreal to feel this already. And probably only a teeny tiny taste of what is to come.

The cardiologist was great. No problems. EKG normal, BP normal. No return appointment made! I can check that off my list for now. Of course he may be back in my life later down the road. But for now all is well. He seemed blown away to think of three babies at once and had to tell us how expensive college is for his three. Oh boy.

I have been very sick lately. VERY. And am trying to sort out what I can keep down. Which pretty much consists of toast, cheese pizza and lemonaide. But I was pleasantly surprised to be craving barbeque as we passed Smokey Bones last night. So, we turned that car around immediately and ate some pulled pork. Not much of it, but something other than pizza made for a delightful dinner!

Of course I thank ALL of you for your comments and support. But I want to send a huge shout out to the fellow moms of multiples that offer their advice and support. I am and will use it all. You have been a great help and will be a wonderful resource along the way! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

When Life Hands you Lemons!!!

This week has been miserable. So, I am ready to move on and glad to be starting week 14!! We are headed to the cardiologist today. I hope it's rather uneventful.
Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

Renewed room!

So Pete has his master's degree now and we are moving on to even bigger and better things!! We emptied out the books and desks and treadmill and painted our old office yellow. It would make a great kid's room someday when it's time to split up the triplets. Maybe a girl's room? Time will tell! But for now it's our new guest room. It's ready for any grandma's and any friends that want to stay and visit our babies!!!

Triplet to be moms!

I found these links from another mom's blog and LOVE these lists!!

http://mccloudpartyoffive.blogspot.com/2010/01/few-of-my-favorite-things.html

http://mottmultiples.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-i-survived-first-year-with-triplets.html

http://friesentriplets.blogspot.com/2010/01/expecting-triplets-must-reads.html

Peaches!

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

TGIF

I talked with the case manager today from my insurance company. I used to work as a nurse for a disease management program, and this seemed to be pretty much the same thing. She is a high risk OB nurse and will be in contact and able to teach things, answer questions, send resources, etc. She was nice. But the initial questionaire was a huge waste of my time this afternoon. I am getting really tired of reciting my medical history to one person after another after another. And I don't think it will end soon as I am sure I will go through this all over again on Tuesday at the Cardiologist's office. Oh well.

It's been a rough day for my stomach! I have this constant empty pit that needs food. But not only does everything sound terrible, I actually can't keep ANYTHING down. This is nothing new, but today it's really exhausting. I have never been someone to make pancakes. But I tried it today and the first two came out perfect. So - let's see if Aunt Jemima and my pancakes will stick around for awhile. The babies are hungry!!

Pete's parents are coming up tomorrow to help move furniture out of the soon to be nursery and into the new guest room. And they are going to help paint! Hubby has been painting trim for a couple of days and as much as the smell has been bothering me, I don't think I will be helping too much! But I am really looking forward to having the nursery empty. It gives me lots of room to dream and plan for babies!!

The triple decker

This is the stroller we are contemplating. It was designed by a family with triplets. The metal frame folds down into a travel bag and fits nicely into the back of our car. It holds three Graco Snugride carseats. Which allows you to leave the bases in the car and just move the seats over to the frame. It also converts to hold three toddler seats when they are older or over 35 pounds. I think we will be out walking off some frustrations often! And it looks like a manageable solution for three babies. They say it fits in handicapped bathrooms and elevators just fine. Let's hope so!

giggles

Make sure you all vote on the left for your guess of the genders! It looks like boys rule, girls drool at this point. :) I made my appointment with the cardiologist next Tuesday just to make sure a previously diagnosed bundle branch block is either nonexistent or not going to be a problem. We have to do this in Tampa just so we have an established doc if any heart related problems arise in the hospital at some point. I was blown away to see that a giggle or cough from me causes these babes to throw their arms in the air and bounce around. So all day today I have been thinking about them being startled by my every move. How weird!! It's one thing to see a baby startle - but it's hilarious to see 6 arms a legs bounce around with my laugh. Oh my. I wish we had a video to show you. And if you know me personally, you know I can laugh and of course I couldn't stop giggling during the ultrasound. It was just amazing and fun for all of us in that room!

Three BEAUTIFUL babes.

Baby A is laying face down but was wiggling and waving away. Baby B was standing on their head and moving a LOT! But she turned the image a bit so it looked better, you can see a cute little foot up in the air. Baby C was stubborn and snoozing. I coughed and laughed and you could see it's cute little arms bouncing - but it took work to wake him/her up!!



Wow!! We had a great appointment! Of course we were there for over 3 hours. But it was amazing. My BP was up due to nerves, but settled itself back down. I met with a nurse discussing our medical history, our choice for delivery, circumcision, anesthesia, and the whole nine yards! Then we met with the insurance lady, and we found out we have great coverage for pregnancy. I will have a case manager assigned to me to help things flow smoothly. Next was the ultrasound and NT scan. It was so wonderful to sit and watch the babies waving and dancing and snoozing. The heart beats were all around 178 and they all passed the NT scan beautifully! Only one was being lazy and needed me to cough a few times to bounce it up enough to see the back of the neck. The U/S tech was great and explained everything! I have been feeling a lot of weird cramping on each side and we now realize it is probably due to my overstimulated ovaries left over from the injections before IVF. I have some big old cysts hanging out in there! And then we FINALLY met the doctor. I was impressed, he was easy going and very positive. They were kind of excited because all of their triplets have delivered and they were ready for more. I was relieved to hear how many multiples they deliver, including a set of sextuplets! I do need to go for a cardiology check back in Tampa soon. And then I am free to relax until the anatomy scan in 6 weeks. We are hoping to keep these babies cooking for 32 weeks. That would be our main goal. But I am at a very high risk for preterm labor. So - for now we relax and enjoy our dreams and hopes for our soon to be BIG family!!

I just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful, positive feedback lately. You have all really lifted my spirits!

first 'real' appointment

Tomorrow is a big day...huge. We head to St Petersburg in the afternoon for the first official appointment with the high risk OB. I am nervous as usual and yet will be so happy to finally have a direction to go with this pregnancy! I feel like a lost little lamb these days. The RE was great. But I don't know anything about the babies, and don't know if my symptoms are normal, and don't really know what I should be eating. I have so many questions! It will be a huge relief to sort some of these things out. It is supposed to be over a two hour appt with the doctor. So I should be good and exhausted by the time we are home. But, I promise to update my blog with the juicy details!

Buddha Belly

Please excuse the dirty mirror!! After several requests...I am finally brave enough to post this 11 week triplet belly photo. I took this as a private photo for a friend. But so many people are emailing and begging for a photo. And I am constantly looking online for belly shots of other triplet pregnancies. So I might as well share. And seriously, this is nothing. Imagine how huge I am going to be!! And yes I told you, they are some chunky monkeys already!!
As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

Please Respond

I am trying an invitation only blog - I don't know how it works quite yet. But let me know if you got in to read this! Thanks.

bye bye for now

I think I am going to take a little blog break for awhile. I LOVE having a place to vent and share my thoughts with the world. But I am growing very tired and defeated from feeling negative vibes about our triplets. It is a very exciting and special time in my life. I have enjoyed the good feedback - but have heard my fair share of negativity. So - take care and stay tuned for more info in the future. It's time for a break.

Baby Wise

I have heard from several friends that know of mothers with multiples and they recommend the book Baby Wise and sticking to the schedule and methods in this book. So a friend (thank you Erin!!) sent me some books today and it was one of them! I read the chapter on multiples OUT LOUD to Peter last night. And it all makes perfect sense and we are planning to use this advice to the max!

It mostly says that new babies (especially triplets) need to be put to bed awake and to learn to self comfort. And it focuses on getting you to push sleep at night and focus on feeding during the day. This means never letting them fall asleep in their swings and not rocking them to sleep. Which - again all makes perfect sense. But boy will it be hard for me and for the grandmas to not rock those precious little ones to sleep!!

Okay - it's not that you can't ever rock them and they can't enjoy their swings for goodness sakes. But it makes a whole lot of valid reasons to teach them to fall asleep on their own etc. There is not enough time or energy to rock or pat three babies to sleep every time we put them down. It was very interesting and I am super excited to read that the author had their own set of triplets!

There is a plan layed out on how to feed three babies on your own vs. 2 feeders and 3 feeders. I was just glad to read that you could do this on your own if need be. But it talks about social feeding time and I am looking forward to that with grandmas, Peter, myself and my friends!!

I was very down in the dumps today. I think the nausea gets to me and sometimes makes me feel useless and defeated. But, right when I was at my tearful low, the doorbell rang. The mailman had brought me two packages. One was the books and some diapers and goodies!! And one was a prayer shawl, like a little lap blanket from my parent's church. I have been in a service when they prepared a shawl for someone that was ill. Someone stands up and explains who it is for and throughout the service they pass it around for each person in the church to lay their hands on the blanket and pray for the recipient. It is one prayer filled, blessed, knitted, soft blankee! Talk about a tear jerking afternoon and a huge pick me up! I have been cuddled on the couch with it wrapped around my belly all day.

3AM chat.

I am up again. I am nauseated and wide awake every night. And then I am exhausted during the day. Yuck! But I am not so worried tonight. I am just trying to snuggle and stay warm! It has been unbelievably cold in Florida this winter. We have been breaking records for two weeks! Don't worry, I will be complaining about the heat before we know it.

I pulled tags off of our handfull of baby blankets and towels and odds and ends in the closet today. I am hoping I, or someone else, will be able to wash and put away everything once we get closer to the end of this pregnancy. But for now I will remove tags and have fun filling the closet with cute stuff! We don't have much, but have some cute gifts and a few little purchases. We have a LONG way to go! After reading of some mothers being on bedrest as early as 16 weeks with triplets, I feel the clock ticking in my ear. On one hand we have SUCH a long road ahead of us. And on the other, time is flying by.

I emailed a woman that runs the local mothers of multiples group. They set you up with a local mentor and have oodles of resources and activities. I browsed their list of multiples discounts today. And thankfully most companies have discount programs for diapers, formula, food, toys, clothes and you name it for families with triplets or more. We could use help with all of that!! It is going to be expensive doing this all at once. But a great friend just reminded me that they have three kids and kind of wish they could have reached all of the milestones at the same time. Multiples are a blessing. And we will survive this just fine!! Thanks Jodi!!


It has been very interesting hearing everyone's opinion on triplets. But seriously. I don't want you to say ANYTHING if it isn't positive! I am so tired of hearing how much work it's going to be. Don't people realize we live this and we know this?! I think it's rude that some people actually laugh at us as if some joke has been played on our lives. We are madly in love with these little babies. All it took was one look at three little beating hearts and kicking legs, and we are hooked!! We are thrilled and excited and of course nervous enough. There is no option but to be elated and start getting organized and ready so we can try to salvage as normal of a life and routine as possible. And any of this negativity is going to have to leave our lives.

On the other hand, we have some VERY supportive friends and family and already are figuring out who is going to be involved in our children's lives and future. (and who is not!) I have been triplet blog browsing like a mad woman and KNOW that fun and happiness and organization is possible. And although it will be a madhouse, it seems that life will still fly by and a couple of years from now we will wonder where the time has gone.

Feeling better and worse.

Emotionally, I am much better this morning. It is another sunny day and I am feeling calm and excited for babies again. But, I can't believe how nauseated I have been all day. It just won't pass today. I am glad to be home. We don't have any patients this afternoon so I didn't have to go in to the office at all. I need to build up the energy to get to the post office - but otherwise it's sweatpants and snuggles with the cat today.

I sure can't wait for this!!!

worries

I have whined about worries for weeks now. Imagine my worry now. It keeps me awake at night. During the day my attitude is positive. I am excited and calm. But, once I wake up for my 2 AM pee. I am up. I worry if they are all thriving, will they all make it, will they all be healthy, will we be organized enough, will I be able to keep the babies in me long enough, will we have help, will my blood presure stay down, will I have gestational diabetes, will that big triple stroller fit in the back of our Murano, am I a bad mom for shoving three babies in the back seat of a murano, will that cat leave the babies alone, will Peter and I have time to pay attention to each other, will I be on bedrest early, will I make it long enough to decorate the room myself or will Pete have to do it on his own, how will that treadmill fit in our garage? LOL Yep, in case you are wondering - this is my life. But all in all, I have an extremely calm attitude and know that with a little breathing and a lot of prayer, our lives will be wonderful. We will have the beautiful family we have dreamed of for so long. And we really can't wait for it all to be here.

The furniture I like.

We love this changing table, it has a drawer! And we LOVE this crib. Someday we will buy them. It's WAY too early. But they are pretty, sturdy and actually quite reasonable. Can you imagine buying three? I have heard Babies R Us gives a discount when you buy multiple items. Yay for that!

Chunky Monkeys!

I feel too fat to post belly pix like some people do to show off their cute bumps. BUT, I kind of pulled my skin tight and looked sideways in the mirror yesterday and I REALLY look pregnant, it's a significant ball of babies! Wow. I don't think it will be long until there is NO skin to pull anywhere. Imagine how huge that belly will be soon.

The floating trips are baa-aaack. The newer ticker wasn't working. And grandma and daddy missed the babies. I gave in.

THANK YOU

We received the money to buy three beautiful cribs as a gift last night. We are beyond happy and excited and relieved and blessed! With three babies in one little room - that's most of what will fill the nursery. A little paint, a changing table, a diaper champ, and a closet full of clothes and the nursery will be done. CHECK!!! Wow. How wonderful is that? THANK YOU mom and dad!!

3 limes!

Your babies currently enjoy a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and have skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

dizzy!

I had to remove the floating babies widget. With three babies, they spin WAY to fast and it was annoying me. Sorry!!
"Who knows what the summer breeze might bring..."
-The Wonder Years

we found a doctor

My OBGYN does not see triplet pregnancies, bummer. But we officially have made an appointment with a high risk OB doc in St Petersburg near All Children's Hospital. It's only a 40 minute drive from our house. So - that's not bad. And it seems more logical than trying to have them delivered from the one and only high risk doctor in Sarasota who will probably ship them to All Children's anyway!! We see him on the 19th (my mom's birthday)!! And I can't wait to get in and get some good looks and a direction to go with all of this.

For other good news...I get to stop my progesterone suppositories!!! HOLY YAY. I freakin HATE them. :)

And then there were three.

Want a little support and attention? Post that you are having triplets to your 350 closest friends on facebook!! And simultaneously send a mass email to family and friends. Wow. We had an overwhelming response. And it made a fun night of Pete and I holding our laptops and laughing as the comments started pouring in. It was REALLY helpful to hear all of the happy and positive comments and it made an otherwise nerve wrecking night - MUCH more bearable!!

We have all kinds of people trying to tell us how to save money and what to read etc, etc. But, let me tell you. Right now I just want to focus on being healthy and calm and in my happy place. That includes a long stare at the soon to be nursery. Where are we going to put THREE cribs? Thankfully - we don't have to worry about that until the kids are kicking each other in the head - a LONG time from now.

I sent a text message from the RE's office to the Doctor I work for telling her there were three kicking little babes. And without much conversation, she had already pulled out the info to post my job in the newspaper and monster this weekend. I am SO thankful for that. I need to be home and taking care of myself, and I really needed her understanding and support. I came back to the office DREADING the conversation that Peter and I think it's best for me to stop working SOON. She didn't even hesitate, and is super excited for us! She has been here for us through all of our infertility struggles and IVF. And she knows how hard we worked for this miracle!!

So - I was on a high tonight and barely noticed any discomfort. But now at 2 in the morning...I feel like crap again. I really have been super sick with this pregnancy...and NOW we know why. I bought the little seasickness bands for your wrists today. I don't know if they really work or if they just hurt bad enough that you forget to puke. But, I was surprised to see that the box clearly gears them for morning sickness now. Hey - I'll try anything!!

Are ya'll sitting down??

I had left out one little detail from the last ultrasound. There were actually three sacs. But one hadn't seemed to have survived as there were only two fetal poles and two heartbeats. (clearing throat) But today there are three kicking thriving babies in there!!! OMG!

Yep - we shall soon be a family of 5. We are nervous and shocked and OVER THE MOON with excitement.

I just can't stop thinking about my ultrasound tomorrow. I am kicking myself for not making that appointment for yesterday or today. I have been nauseated all day today. I think my nerves are not helping the situation. Say a prayer for healthy babies! We can't wait to see them.

Working on patience.

I am once again starting to freak out awaiting my next ultrasound on Wednesday. I am ready for another look!! It's been SO cold here in Florida this week. It actually seems like winter! My husband brought home out new rocker/recliner for out living room today. It will work perfectly for rocking a baby or two in comfort. I can't wait for that day!!

Prunes

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, these babies are making major progress. Body lengths will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

Speaking of prunes...

Happy 2010!

Let this amazing year begin! I can't wrap my head around the changes that will take place this year. We have already come such a long way working on creating our little family. It should take us on quite an exciting journey and we feel very blessed and hopeful for happy and healthy babies.

For those of you still TTC and gearing up for more cycles. I wish you all the luck and hope for a successful year. Great things come to those who wait!! I hope everyone rang in this new year with love, hope and happiness!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
~Oprah Winfrey