Counting down!

We officially have a date to count down to! The babies will come on or before September 27th... either I will start preterm labor (no signs yet, cervix 3.9!), get pre-eclampsia (blood pressure currently 114/58!), one baby's growth slows down, or they will come by scheduled c-section on the 27th.

All the babies look great :) It's REALLY getting crowded in there, and they are everywhere! A and B are LOW, they've technically switched, B moved lower than A so is now renamed A, old A is higher than B so now called B. New B has his head right up against my hip bone and his feet up high, New A is breech as low as he can get. C is across the top, as close to my lungs as he can get. They still move, although it's hard to tell which movement belongs to who. And it's still easy to see some of them move too.

I'm working shorter days (12-6 instead of 9-6) and it is going so much better. I was really exhausted my last week of full days, and it was hard to get breakfast and lunch in. I feel like I am better able to help with the house too, I have time in the morning to do a load of dishes, or laundry, etc. I can sleep in longer and get more sleep, and take my time getting ready in the morning (because it takes me longer... I sit down to dry my hair, sit down to do make-up, etc.). When I get home I'm still tired and crash on the couch or the bed, but not nearly as bad.

OOOOh, we got in the new floors! I got this bug a month or so ago that we needed to take out the carpet in the living room and dining room and put in nice laminate floors to be more durable and cleaner. They look fabulous! The carpet was hairy and smelly and ruined by the animals, and I just didn't want babies anywhere near it. I'll get pictures soon.

Speaking of pictures, I do have some of the nursery :)

This bench is in the hallway right outside the nursery.

The changing area is my favorite :) The hot air balloon mobile flew home with us from Orlando, the day before we found out

about the triplets. The picture is a "Prayer for Boys".

The pictures are AMAZING pastels of animals created by my sister.

The bassinet was built by my great grandfather. It will move to the living or master bedroom when they get here.

The crib and armoire were purchased for my dad and have been passed down as well. We are going to use a "breathable bumper" on the crib.

The quilts were made by my grandmother.

The baseball we got at a Boston Red Sox game. We are trying to get $$ in the piggy bank already...

The clock is Noah's Ark, right next to the bathroom.

We have three new cribs in the garage that when the babies are done in the one, we'll move out the crib and armoire and move in the three cribs.

I'm really happy with how it has come together, no theme or anything, and not fancy, but generations of love and some truly special features :)

And all is well...

I feel like this blog is getting a little boring. Like every post is me being the town crier... "11 o'clock and all is well". But what can I say? Everything is still going great, we are 29 weeks 1 day and counting. We went to the doctor today and my cervix is still the same, the babies are looking huge (no measurements though unfortunately), and my doctor thinks it's going great. Still, I am getting a little tired of being pregnant. I've gained 40 pounds and the babies have got to be at least 3# each now, if not more, which makes me full term!

The babies have shifted a little in position, B is sort of breach with bottom/belly down in the middle, with A's head and C's head on either side. I feel a LOT of movement lately. Occasionally they move around down low, which I can't see, but can feel on the inside more than the outside. But primarily they move around up top, where my lungs should be. It is a little weird to see a ripple effect or poke that punches out of my belly. And Sean and I can feel them and tell body parts occasionally, like sharp little knees or elbows. It's pretty fun. Sometimes I can't even feel them, but I'll be looking down and see the little bumps pop up/out.

I am so excited to be working shorter days starting this week! The timing could not have been better, I get tired really easily now, and it's getting much harder to move around and even breathe. I also don't sleep well, so it will be especially nice to be able to sleep in an extra hour or so and take my time in the morning and eat well. Not that I am complaining (which I really try not to do) because each day they are in there is better for them! And one less day that we'll have 3 babies to care for 24/7. I am so grateful to work for such wonderful people who are so flexible and understanding.

Speaking of 3 babies to care for 24/7, at my next appointment we get to try to figure out a date to plan for the c-section! OMG!! So... I'm a bit of a numbers freak, and I don't know how I am going to choose the date that will be their birthday forever and ever. Well, assuming we make it to that date. Because obviously we'll pick a date that is optimum, at least 36 weeks or so, and there is still a VERY good possibility that they will come earlier than that. Is it wrong to take football schedules into account when planning the birth of your children?

Almost 28 weeks...

We went to the doctor again today for our routine check and ultrasound (a bit early since he is going on vacation). Everyone looks great! We are 28 weeks on Sunday (HUGE milestone, likelihood of survival is 80-90+%). My cervix is "fabulous" and staying long and strong, measured at 3.6 and 3.9. My blood pressure was 114/62, and I've gained 4 pounds since the last visit (makes it 36 pounds total, yikes). But more importantly, the babies have grown! The weight guesstimates are 2#7oz, 2#9oz, and 2#14oz! That's almost 8 pounds of babies!

Thank you!

Well, I am 27 weeks as of yesterday. Wow. They haven't been moving as much lately, but I still feel them each a couple times a day. I was completely surprised by a shower at work this week, everyone was so thoughtful and generous! Then we had a planned one this weekend with friends and family. I had a blast! It was so great to see everyone, and it was just really fun. These babies are so blessed!

I now feel like the nursery is pretty well prepared... if god-forbid they came home tomorrow (which we all know they wouldn't) I feel like we would have enough to manage initially.

Not only is the nursery more ready, it is also a whole lot cuter thanks to some FABULOUS pastel drawings by their future Auntie Steph.

I had a great time with my friend Mary, who is expecting her second boy and a week ahead of me. She stayed with us for the weekend and was so much fun and a huge help with a couple projects. We can't wait to get together again and leave our husbands with 5 baby boys (well, one is essentially a toddler) while we do something fun :)

So far so good...

Had a doctors appointment yesterday and all is looking good!  A was about 1# 10oz, B 1# 8oz, and C 1# 10oz.  It is definitely getting crowded in there, all the body parts are mingled (separated by the 4 cell layer membrane).  It's hard to get a picture of one's face without hands or another baby's feet in the way.

I'm still doing well, I gained about 5# in the last 2 weeks, which makes the total about 27#!  I am still working (almost) full time, I dropped my Mondays which were 1/2 days.  We'll see how long it takes for me to drop another half or whole day...  As long as my cervix is staying nice and long (we are at 4.1 or 4.3, they worry at less than 2.5), then I should be able to avoid the dreaded preterm labor.

I still don't know if we truly understand what we are going to go through... I don't know if we will be able to comprehend three babies until they are in front of us.  We have no idea what to expect, except the unexpected!

24 Weeks!!

It's our first major milestone!  From here on out, there is a chance for survival, it's the first goal on our timeline to meet.  Next we need to get to 28 weeks, then 32, and then 35 :)  And even farther if we can!  I am so optimistic these days (though the pessimism still surfaces every once in a while) because things have gone so well.  I hope the pregnancy continues to be as uneventful as it has so far, and I give all the credit to the prayers that have been said for us.  The more of you that tickle God's ear about us, the better I feel our chances are.  

The babies are kicking a lot, some days/times more than others, but getting stronger and stronger.  I think it would be so much easier to track movement with one baby, I think I know who is making what movement based on location, but I can never be 100% sure, and I always worry about missing the movements on one.  I love feeling them though, it is so surreal.  Sean has been able to feel them a lot too.  

The other pregnancy symptom I've experienced lately is that I am ravenous.  I had been worried since my last appointment I had actually lost 3 pounds, after having gained 22 until that point.  But I bet I am about to get a growth spurt, because I cannot get enough to eat.  I literally had 3 platefuls of yummy brisket and rice (thanks Pat and Susan!) tonight.  THREE!  and I could probably eat more... I usually have 2-4 small pancakes for breakfast if Sean makes them on the weekend, and this morning I had 7 blueberry pancakes!  And I've probably eaten a whole watermelon today too.  And that is just today, I've been like this for the past week or so.  I try not to eat a bunch of fast food, I am trying to eat a more balanced meal and trusting my gut with whatever sounds good.

I've been on a bit of a shopping kick lately, buying lots of things for the babies.  I of course go by the baby section every time I'm at Target, and buy a thing of diapers at the grocery store when I go (which isn't as often as I should), but some of the biggies I've bought in the last few weeks are the crib mattress (on sale!), 2 foam changing pads (don't need the covers) so there is one for the nursery and one for the rest of the house, and some clothes at TJ Maxx (on clearance!) and Gap (on sale).  I also bought some cute non-necessity things I had been watching for a while.  Now I have at least one outfit per baby for every size until 12 months.  I try to buy clothes for each age... so at TJ Maxx for instance I bought at least 3 outfits in the 3-6 months, 3 in 6-9, and 3 in 9-12.  So I won't be loaded with 0-3 or newborn, and have nothing to put them in from 6-12.  I can't believe how many outfits I am going to need... it is so hard to shop for 3!  Every time I make purchases (and sometimes I don't even care if there are 3) it seems like so much, but once they make it in the closet it sure doesn't look like that much per baby.  I sometimes buy three of a kind where they are exactly the same, but I also look for things where I can get the same outfit in three different colors, so they will have some "coordinating" outfits too.  

On a non-baby topic, we had a fun 3 day weekend (too short!) but really missed going to Colorado Springs for the 4th of July to see Grammy.  It would have been really fun, and I am so sad we couldn't.  Maybe we can make it up to Colorado with the babies before next July, but we are for sure going to make getting there for the 4th a priority for next year...

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 :)