Feeling the moves...

I finally felt the babies move!  I'd been wondering when I would start to feel them, and I'm pretty sure I'm feeling them now.  Apparently I was oblivious to the "fluttering" and only feel the legitimate kicks.  We bought some Praise Baby CD's a month or so ago and I put them on an ipod.  At night when I'm going to bed or on the couch I plug one ear-bud into my belly button (getting harder and harder to make it stay) and the other anywhere I can, and play them music.  On Wednesday night I "plugged in" and was laying there when B definitely kicked me.  He was on top because I was laying on my right side and I felt it a couple times before I called Sean in, he only had to wait a minute or two before he felt it too.  An obvious bump on my belly.  I think I also felt A and C too, but they were on the bottom and it was harder to tell.  I think I have felt them a few more times, and B more than the others... maybe he is a future Soccer star :)  Feeling them in there makes it seem so much more real... up until now it has only been evident on the ultrasound and by the growing belly.  Definitely happening now!

We have the nursery painted (well, Sean painted it), and will get pictures up as soon as it is together :)

20 weeks and counting...

I cannot believe we are at 20 weeks now.  We had a fabulous trip to Boston last week (congrats Steph and thanks for having us!), and a doctor's appointment on Monday.  All is looking good, I have gained 22 pounds total (yeesh) and the babies are 12-13 ounces each.  They are moving around a lot, even though I can't feel them yet.  My blood pressure is great, my cervix actually got longer, and I feel fine (although my feet are super swollen, which is apparently normal).

Two weeks ago we got the baby furniture in (thanks Holtzes!!) and it's a good thing we waited to paint and buy fabrics because we decided to make some changes.  We are going to paint this weekend and when we get the furniture in and curtains up I'll post some pictures.  We (I think) finished registering at Babies R Us (have a love hate relationship with that store, and it was Sean's first experience there), but they don't carry the car seats I want or some of the other bigger items.  Our Preparing for Multiples class was interesting, I'm glad we went, though some of what was discussed we already knew from reading our books.

I'm on every 2 week checks now for my cervix, but so far they have also always checked the babies too.  I'm very spoiled by the every 2-3 week ultrasounds and can't imagine only having one or two for the whole pregnancy!  So far we are very blessed that everything is going so well.  Next goal is 24 weeks, then 28, then 32, then 35... Continue to pray for us as unfortunately, things could change at any time, though I am more and more confident that we can do this!

Boy oh boy, it's BOYS!

Well, we were pretty sure after the 15 week ultrasound that they would be, but sure enough it was confirmed today at the 18 week appointment.  So it's official, we'll be the parents of 3 triplet boys.  We thought for sure there would be a mix, but we are excited about 3 little boys.  They were 8 oz each, and already have bigger than average heads!

As of today my belly measures 40 inches, I can no longer button any of my pants!  I can still wear them, just with the help of the Bella band around the waist band.  I need to get a body pillow to help me sleep, the belly pulls on my back :)  Otherwise, no pregnancy symptoms or problems!  I haven't thrown up for 3 weeks, just the occasional bit of light-headedness when I haven't eaten or had water in a while.

We are going to a Preparing for Multiples class this week, we need to go to Babies R Us and finish registering, and hopefully we'll get the nursery furniture in so we can paint and put the nursery together.  I can't believe how fast time is flying by...

14 weeks

I've been shopping and planning more lately.  I've spent so much of this pregnancy being afraid, afraid that something will go wrong, that one or more won't make it, fearing for the worst.  I am trying to give up the fear, knowing that God would not have given us this miracle, this blessing, this challenge, without us being capable of handling it, whatever happens.

So for the first time since we found out about the triplets I've been buying some things.  Yesterday I bought some receiving blankets and clothes at Target, today I shopped online for clothes and toys, and a few days ago I bought some baby CDs and a couple toys.  I even dragged Sean to USA Baby the other day to look around, I knew Babies R Us would be too overwhelming for him, it is for me!

I have a small bump now, though I call it a "bulge".  If you didn't know I was pregnant, you'd think I had packed on a few pounds (which I'm sure I have, but I don't get on the scale except at the doctors!).  I'm hoping that soon it will look more like I'm pregnant... but I'm not ready to be huge yet.  I also got a belly band the other day, which I haven't worn to work yet, but probably will this week.  Not only does it give me some flexibility with my pants, but I think it smoothes and makes the bulge look more bump-like than fat-like.

Next week we have our next doctor's appointment, I am excited to be more sure about the genders of A (guessed a girl) and C (pretty convinced a boy), and know B's.  That's all for now :)

bye bye first trimester!

Wow, I have to say I thought it would take forever to get to this point!  I almost feel like I've been pregnant forever already, and there (God willing) is so much farther to go.  I am still in normal clothes, but some days I look "fatter" than others.  No bump yet :)  I feel so much better to have this part under my belt, so far so good!

We had our 12-week check up on Monday and all looks good.  My cervix looks great, though at this point it is too early to expect a problem.  The babies were soooo active!  They were bouncing around and moving their arms and legs, A even looked to be kicking C at one point!  I could have watched the ultrasound forever.  They did measure the NT even though we declined screenings and they all look ok, I had to cough to get a couple babies to bounce in their sacs, which is funny because I had a cold last weekend and coughed and sneezed all weekend long!  I thought what a rough ride they must be having :)  We even have gender guesstimates... C got a pretty resounding BOY, and A they waffled on, but settled on GIRL, B had a cord between the legs :)  We don't know anything for sure, but they should be more definitive next appointment (15 weeks).

I am doing pretty well.  We had a super-fun trip to DC the weekend before Easter, and I managed to not be sick at all until the day we left.  Unfortunately that started another round of daily vomiting, but I'm currently at only 1 day in almost the whole last week.  Hopefully I am nearing the end of that :)  I can also sense a change in my appetite.  I went through the first trimester eating barely anything and never knowing whether I would feel sick or whether the food would make me feel better.  Now I am almost always hungry, and not nearly as particular or sensitive about what sounds good and what doesn't.  I think the babies must be screaming for calories!

Right now I feel like we can do this, but I have absolutely no idea what to expect.  I don't know when we'll deliver, I don't know how long they'll be in the NICU, I don't know what we'll do once they get here, I don't know any of this because I've never been through it before, not even with one.  Since I don't know what will happen I am making up my own expectations to keep me optimistic and positive, however "realistic" they may be... I expect to carry three babies as long as I can with minimal complications, I expect to deliver at 35 weeks, I expect the babies to spend less than a week in the NICU (though I'm hoping for take-home babies), I expect that we will be able to take care of all three babies at home and love every minute, and I expect to go back to work when I am able.  Whew.

bad blogger!

OK, so I apparently stink at this.   I am still a victim of morning to all-day sickness, I am usually sick at least once a day, and this weekend it was up to 3 times in the day.   Oy.  I feel a lot better after lunch typically and so far I've only lost it at work once :)  And, I am definitely seeing a bigger belly than I would usually tolerate.  Clothes still fit, but only because I like them roomy anyway.  Otherwise, morning sickness, exhaustion, frequent trips to the bathroom, and mood swings are about my only symptoms :)

So Monday I had my second appointment with the new doctor, and I am so pleased with him.  He is so nice, and even though we were still one of the last people there, he was still asking us questions and not rushing us at all.  We had a quick abdominal ultrasound and saw the three babies and their heartbeats (first time abdominally!), the rates were 175, 178, and 175.  I always get so nervous that one won't be there anymore, but then once I see all three I make them look for more, just to make sure!  He said I could come back in 2-3 weeks, he asked how my stress level was, if I needed to come back in 2 weeks, or if 3 would be ok.  I said three was fine, but since the receptionists were all gone by the time I got there I had to call for an appointment.  Which I forgot to do until today, and he is booked until 4 weeks!  I don't know how that will go...

Otherwise life is good :)  We still stress about insurance, finances, still can't believe this is really happening to us, etc. but we are dealing.  Every day is different, with new worries, anxieties, excitement, or whatever.

I had an interesting case at work last week, an indoor/outdoor 8 month old cat whose owner was out of town for 5 days and came home to find a couple nails looked infected and she thought he may have been digging under a bedroom door.  But as soon as I sedated him to clean his toes up, it didn't look like that was the case.  The first nail on one food was completely gone, including the bone attached to the nail.  There was a hole where the nail/bone should be.  This digit is not a weight bearing digit, and is the least likely to be affected by trauma.  The rest of the nails on that foot looked completely normal.  The other affected nail was the second digit on the other foot, but I could see the nail protruding through the crusty discharge, so I thought it was still present, but as soon as the crust was cleaned off the nail popped right off the pulp (or blood supply) of the nail.  The nail pulp was still attached to the bone, and the skin was still around it.  Again, all the other nails on that foot looked fine.  I didn't think this looked or sounded at all like trauma, and more like an immune-mediated condition.  I sent photos and consulted my favorite veterinary dermatologist in Dallas, and he agreed.  The most likely diagnosis is considered VERY rare in cats, and unfortunately no good treatments with a generally poor prognosis.  The only cat he has ever seen with it was euthanized at 1.5 years old.  Very sad for the kitty cat, we'll see what happens...

That's all for now, I'll try to be better about updating!

Still at home...

I'm still at home sick.  I'm 99% sure I have the flu, one of my coworkers has the exact symptoms of fever, cough, congestion, sinus infection coming on, etc. and tested positive for Influenza A.  I can't be on tamiflu, so Tylenol will have to cut it.  The fever has come down, and I'm feeling a little better, with a little more energy.  But I still have a horrible cough and congestion.  The nausea was back today, but I may have contributed by taking too many medications at once.  Bleh.  Tomorrow I'll go back to work with the help of drugs, definitely not all taken at once again.

Yesterday was the first appointment with the Perinatologist, our new high risk doctor.  He confirmed that there are still 3, growing and with more similar heart rates now.  They appear to be "triamniotic, trichorionic", which means separate sacks, placentas, etc. so they are probably fraternal.  They are called "spontaneous" because we weren't on any fertility medications.  We go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound and bloodwork.

The biggest risk is going to be preterm labor, which he says is higher for me because this is my first pregnancy and my uterus hasn't stretched before.  The other cause of preterm labor will be the cervix, so they'll be checking it as we go along and there are some treatments they can do if we need to.  He doesn't believe in bed rest, which is HUGE for me.  Basically I can work as much as I feel up to it and can.

I asked about expectations, we wondered what the likelihood of losing one would be, and he said it will more likely be 3 or none.  Basically, if one starts to have issues then it is a bigger risk to the other two, and could result in the dreaded preterm labor before they are viable.  The crucial week to get past is 32, where survivability is essentially the same as full term, and the biggest "danger zone" period is 18-20 weeks.  He said we should expect that they will spend time in the NICU, something I'm dreading already.  We will now have September babies if we are lucky, not October, as the doctor won't let me go past 35-36 weeks, and hoping to get past that 32 week mark.

I think that is all for now :)  Trying to rest and recuperate before going back to work, especially since I'm at the e-clinic this weekend so no more time off until next weekend :(