8 months

The babies are 8 months old now, my how does time fly.

Wyatt had his post op appointment on Saturday and he is doing great. So that means he can start eating oatmeal, we tried once over the weekend and he was not having a good time because he was so hungry.

Likes: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, playing peek a boo, sitting in the swing, being talked to, and looking at lights
Dislikes: Physical Therapy,

Haylee
Likes: Baths, chewing on grandpa's finger, being left alone (but that is never going to happen) and likes Justin Bieber music (she stops what she is doing when he is on tv)
Dislikes: snuggling

Layne
Likes: Baths, jabbering, playing with rattles, smiling, eating, being talked to and bonfires (loves watching the fire)
Dislikes: his car seat,

Another grey hair

I feel that my problems are so petty at this point, especially after reading a couple other blogs this morning.  I thought about not even writing mine but here I go anyway.  

We had a nicu newborn appointment yesterday and I wanted to cry so bad during the appointment (but I was a big girl and sucked it up).  I did not know the answers to the questions that the doctors were asking me.  They were asking developmental questions, such as, can they pick up a toy, sit up....blah blah blah.  I did not know the answers to a lot of the questions, why do you ask, because I work then I come home and race to get them fed, bathed then to bed at a reasonable time.  On days that I have off we go to doctor appointments and weekends are always crazy.  Am I a horrible mother for not knowing my kids, it was bad enough that I missed the first time Haylee rolled over.  I worked so hard to get pregnant, then prayed and worried about staying pregnant, then prayed and worried about keeping them alive the first several months.  Now I go back to work and do not get to enjoy my kids.  I started crying today at work saying I needed to go part time because life is passing me by and I'm missing out on my kids lives.  So we have already started talks with the board members about me going part time for a year then it will be reviewed again.  If I have not said this before I am so thankful for my boss, new boss and the supportive members on the board that I work for.

So the conclusion to the doc appointment, Wyatt is way behind on developmental things (we know this), they did not turn his oxygen down because he needs the extra support still.  This means he has been out of the nicu for almost 5 months and he is on the same support that he was released on.  On a good note he has recovered from his hernia surgery and is doing good with that.  Haylee is getting hives about every other day and we do not know why.  We are still on for her heart surger at the beginning of next year.  Layne is doing well with not major problems (thank you lord).

Wave of Light

We have a date

I am pretty excited that we have a surgery date scheduled for Mr. Wyatt's hernia on the 8th.  I know that sounds crazy but he is in pain a lot and I can not do anything about it most of the time.  The down side to the surgery is that he is going back on the ventilator because he is on 3/4L of oxygen still, so that means hospital stay.  Prayers would be appreciated.

Their halloween costumes are in, it is going to be so much fun dressing them up and taking them around.  I'm super excited.  I don't know if I've said this already in a previous post but Wyatt is going to be a cow, Haylee a pig and Layne a duck.  Their aunt is making them trick or treat bags with their names on them.

Wyatt is 14lbs 11oz
Haylee Jo is 15lbs
Layne is 16lbs 15oz

Wyatt, Haylee Jo & Layne
7 months old

Wyatt and Daddy playing

Haylee dressed up for a bridal shower

Layne having a good time swinging

30

Yep, I have joined the 30 club.  Saturday night my family had thrown a surprise birthday party for me.  It was a lot of fun, I danced and had a couple drinks, while dancing it probably looked  like I was drunk but I wasn't I'm just that bad.  I love to dance (well what I think is dancing) the babies and I dance a lot together they just give me a big toothless grin.  Back to the drinks I really have not drank (anything except wine) since July of last year and holy cow after one I was relaxed (cheap date).  One of the families that I've become close to while in the nicu came to my party so that was a great surprise and then had lots of family and friends.  I just love how we have so much support.

Haylee is on day 10 of diarrhea that poor little girl, I have found butt paste and maalox mixed together is the ultimate cure for diaper rash.  We go back to the doctor tomorrow so hopefully they will figure something out for her.  She is only on formula right now so I'm not sure what the cause would be.

We are going to have family pictures done this weekend, super exciting.  The last professional family pics we had done were when they were in the nicu.  

***I forgot to add that Haylee rolled over by herself yesterday but she can not figure out how to move her arm so she kinda just lays on her arm.

poor boy

My poor boy Wyatt, he has had a rough journey in his short little life already.  He has a testicular hernia right now (this is where his bowels go through the hole where is testicles drop) anytime he is gassy or has to poop it gurgles and he screams.  Last night was bad, he cried and screamed, I check it and push it in as often as possible, it got so bad that he was sweating because the pain was so bad.  I gave him Tylenol (the doctors do not want me to do this because if his bowels twist and he does not have surgery immediately he could die, they say the pain reliever will mask the problem.  I have to do something to help him though).  So he is having breathing problems also every other day his lips and chin will turn blue (on Friday they finally gave me a thing to give him treatments), the doctors say it is not allergies but a reason can not be found as to why he is having these episodes.  He should have had his oxygen weaned down twice already since he left the hospital but they can not do it because he needs the support.  I see lots of lung problems in our future.  When he was discharged the doctor said he we would be back several times before the end of the year.  I just want to do something for him but there is nothing all I can do is give him hugs and lots of love.

Haylee is wanting to roll over so bad, she will get to her side but can not figure out how to move her arm out of the way.  Layne is doing really well with eating baby food, he has lots of energy.  I lay all 3 of them on the floor together and they will just stare at the other and sometimes jabber.

Ignorance/Stupidity

People do not have filters or they just do not care if they hurt your feelings.  I get stopped all the time when I am out with all three babies because you just do not see multiples (except twins) in the town that I live in (we are the second set of triplets that live here).  Sometimes I feel like being a snob because I do not want to hear what they have to say, such as oh my gosh your crazy (thanks last time I checked I wasn't), you must be busy (yes I am all the time), there is no way that I could do it (not many people can)......the list goes on. 

 

But here is one that made me furious, why did she keep all of them (as in abort one early on).  What the hell how could anyone ask this question?  I look at the babies now and I want to ask the person which one of these sweet little faces would you get rid of?  It makes me want to cry, how anyone could be this stupid.  I know I'm rambling and this is probably not making sense.

I have only had a handful of positive comments, one of the ladies said I was blessed and she hopes that I have many more babies.  We need more people like this in the world.

Labor Day Weekend was so fun.  We went on our first camping trip with the babies and  it was a success.  They had fun and I really think they enjoyed all the fresh air.  After having a wonderful three day weekend I had to come back to work to all of this drama bull-crap.  I'm beginning to feel that I do not have to put up with all of this anymore.

In the camper while raining.
Me, Haylee Jo, Wyatt, Layne & sis

Wyatt & Daddy playing

Haylee Jo in the new hat that Daddy just bought her

Uncle Chris & Layne playing

exhaust...zzzzz....ed

So going back to work is a lot harder than I imagined.  Yesterday afternoon it took me forever to answer a customers question, my brain was fried.  Wyatt is on this kick where he does not want to go to sleep until midnight, he will close his eyes but as soon as you lay him in his crib the screaming begins.  So you pick him up as fast as possible so you do not wake one of the other two up (I've tried to let him cry, it is not in my favor).  My husband started laying him in our bed saying that he was to young to even know the difference (oh, he totally knows).  Then Layne will wake up to eat around 2-3am put him back in bed between 3-4am then Haylee wants to get up to eat around 4:30am then I have to start getting ready at 5am to get them to daycare and me to work.  Josh gave Layne a bath last night (I was a zombie) and guess what he actually laughed while Josh was trickling water over him so I run in to record it and he stops and stares at me, I did get one good giggle recorded (this is my new favorite sound ever, well until the Wyatt or Haylee start to laugh).

Oh I only cried once on my first day back, speaking of I need to get back to work.

Raise your glass

I want to make a toast.  First, to all of you lovely ladies that got me through the infertility part of my life then for your help getting through the tough times keeping my three little miracles here.  I have made friends that I will keep for a lifetime.  Second my three little miracles are 6 months old now (well they were yesterday) so they are one day closer to being one year old, how time flies.  Third, I started work today and I have not cried yet (instead I cried yesterday).  I am going to miss all those new things that they seem to do everyday.  They are all jabbering a lot right now and I love to listen to them.  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is their favorite show (I know they are young to love a show but they do), Wyatt gets mad if someone tries to turn him away from the TV when it is on.  I know that I am not the best parent (but I honestly try my best) but I think it is so funny/cute when they are trying to poop (this sounds horrible I know) they grunt....and I....just can not explain it, it is adorable (yes I know that sounds weird).  However I do not like the aftermath of their cute grunting.  Well my first lunch hour is over so I better get off of here. CHEERS.

Layne, Haylee Jo, & Wyatt ~6 months old

So Much

So much to talk about.  I have my days and nights mixed up basically because Haylee and Layne do also.  Yes Haylee and Layne are home, I hope Wyatt is going to join them soon. 

Layne was home for a week and we had to take him to the emergency room because he was retracting, nasal flaring and head bobbing.  I felt sorry for the poor guy he was working so hard to breathe.  We spent 7 hours in the ER, basically because there was a miscommunication between the lab and nurses.  Layne was crying a majority of the time, he was tired (he went a good 10 hours not sleeping) and very hungry (when I finally got to feed him they came in made him so upset he threw up all over the place).  He was re-admitted into the NICU for a week (he had fluid on his lungs).  The day he was back in the NICU I spent the entire day there again, I cried most of it because I'm just really tired of that place (not that I won't miss the nurses and everyone there) I want my kids to be home with me so I can see them all the time.

They are so funny together, during the day I will lay them next to each other and they just stare at each other.  Layne is my social one he makes noises at her all the time.  He is also my smiley guy.  They both have reflux and there is nothing that we can do except prop the head of their beds up so they do not lay flat on their backs.  We have to clean lots of sheets and clothes up after projectile vomiting (DH hates when I call it that but that is what it is).

For the babies being so small their stuff sure is big.  Our house is not very big and it is getting smaller and smaller.  We had to move a dresser out of our room to make room for pack n plays (for them to sleep in until I'm comfortable with them being in their room), now I have no idea where to put my clothes (not that I really care because I do not even have the energy to do laundry, our family comes over to do it).  We have had lots of help from our families (we are very thankful), I have found 15 minute naps are so refreshing (any sleep is great sleep).

Wyatt is 6lbs 6oz, Haylee is 7lbs 6oz and Layne is 8lbs.  I can not believe they are so big.

Part time to full time

Over the weekend I went from a part time parent to a full time parent. Layne came home and things are going well. He is on oxygen still so that has become a challenge we usually just leave him in one room all day so we do not have to move the tank around (basically because I have to have DH do it).
Wyatt is on the lowest setting of oxygen thus far. I breast fed him for the first time yesterday and he did really well.
Haylee Jo had a lot of fluid on her lungs and they are giving her a daily dose of lasics. She looks and acts way better I didn't realize that she felt as bad as she did.

Birth Announcement

This is the birth announcement that I sent out a couple weeks ago.  Sis is the one that designed and printed them thru her graphics business.

Appreciate

Last night I was thinking about my life while holding Wyatt. I believe God wanted to teach me a lesson on appreciating life and not to take things for granted.
I was infertile so that I would appreciate being pregnant.
The babies are in the Nicu so that I appreciate every second I have with them. The two things above made me appreciate my first mothers day that much more.

I have not posted anything in awhile so here is a quick run down.
Wyatt is back on the ventilator because he had surgery on his eyes last Wednesday. He has stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity with disease. If it would get to stage 4 he would be blind. Hopefully the surgery will help. He is still doing good with digesting milk.
Haylee is taking a bottle every other feed. She is doing pretty well with breathing. She only has heart rate and breathing drops every once in a while.
Layne is taking a bottle every feed now and they just turned his oxygen down today (hopefully he is going to be off oxygen with in a couple weeks but I'm not going to count on it). After I feed him his 9am bottle we talk and sing and he smiles so big (I think he is going to be a morning person).
Oh I should add that everyone is out of their incubators and in cribs. Pretty exciting huh.

got milk?

A few things you are very strongly encouraged to do when your baby(ies) are in the NICU is to breastfeed/pump, visit them (but not all the time because they will sit you down and tell you, you need to take a break) and do kangaroo care.  I do all of the above as much as possible, however the pumping thing is kinda not working out for me.  I really try not to stress about it but how can I not, I can not supply enough for all three of my babies and guess what I have to figure out who does not get the milk.  So I pick the one that is the healthiest, that means Haylee Jo does not get any of it (unless I have some left over then she gets one feeding).  I know that my posts are not exactly the happiest lately and I really should be happy I have 3 beautiful babies that I love so much it hurts.  But I feel so sad right now.  We had a meeting with the doctors today to go over the babies from head to toe. I know that Wyatt is sick but I forget just how sick his lungs are pretty often, well they reminded me today.  He is going to be in the NICU for quite awhile after Haylee and Layne are released.  The babies are 8 weeks old now and they have 4 weeks until their due date (their tentative release date). The one thing I have always wanted was to be a mom, but I'm only a mom when I'm at the hospital when I leave I am the same person I always was.  I'm really sorry that I'm just rambling but I'm typing as things come to me.  Well thank you for listening/reading, I feel a little better now.  I just want all of you to know that I love your comments and I am here for all of you if you need me.

Things I have learned

I have learned a lot in the past couple weeks. Some things I could have gone my entire life without knowing and others I'm glad that I do know now.

First and foremost, I am glad to know that my hubby is proud of me.  We are not big into sentiments but on the way home (from the hospital) a couple days ago he said he was proud of me, I had a really bad day and he thought he needed to tell me.  We are a team and I hope it stays this way for a long time/forever.

That I think I'm a good mom (not the best but good), the NICU is a dark place. My babies have been there for 7 weeks now and I have only seen some of the parents twice or not at all.  One baby is addicted to drugs (it cries all the time) and another didn't have a name for a week then once it had a name the parents gave it up (social workers have to come in and approve anything that has to be done to the baby).  It is a sad place but that is where I get to hold my babies so I am happy about that part of it.

I know who my real friends/family are.  I can not believe some people are so low to talk bad about you behind your back especially when you are depressed about something or are having hard times.

When I watch The Little Couple I know almost everything Dr. Jen is talking about while she is at work.

People are so kind.  Some people that I am acquaintances with are praying for my children and sending us cards. So wonderful.

The March of Dimes is a great charitable organization. One that I do not think gets enough publicity.

Health insurance (or any kind of insurance for that matter) is not there to help you, it is there to give you a headache when you need it the most.

A couple days or a couple ounces is a lot to a preemie.  Things are completely different from week to week even hour to hour.

I'm sure there is more but I can not think of it right now but I can always add to this list later.

Easter babies

I know that I am almost a week late on my Easter post but better late then never.  The nurses (Carrie and Catherine) were wonderful helping us fulfill our Easter wish.

Wyatt 33 weeks gestation (6 weeks old)

Haylee Jo 

Layne

Our first family picture

Wyatt, Layne & Haylee Jo

Tears

I have a constant lump in my throat lately most of the time I do not cry but last night I could not hold it in anymore.  I cried for hours.

Wyatt is doing so so much better.  Mainly because they figured out what is wrong with him, his thyroid did not develop so he has to take meds for it for the rest of his life (that is fine with me, he is alive).  He is going to be my big guy even though he weighs the same as Layne he just looks bigger.

Haylee, it really has been a roller coaster ride with her lately.  I had to go thru my first resuscitation with Wyatt and it was horrible for me, so I had a little talk with the other two that mommy could not take that phone call anymore.  Little miss is going to be my rebellious one because they have had to resuscitate her three times now.  The second time was Saturday night and while bagging her, her lungs would not inflate with air like they wanted. Once they got her stable they took an xray, she had a small leak like Wyatt did.  It will close with time.  She did really well for the rest of the day.  Well last night she decided to stop breathing again they bagged her and this time it took them along time to get her breathing.  They are running all kinds of tests to figure out what is going on.  She does have a murmur (PDA open) like the boys had but they say there would be other signs that they look for before they say that is the reason.  So today they are going to do a head ultrasound to look at her brain.  It is aggravating to me that all the tests they ran so far are coming out okay and they say the reason she is doing this is because she is premature.  If it is in fact the only reason they can come up with it will just take her growing and getting older to fix the problem. What if she does it again?  I am just sick to my stomach writing about it, the good thing is I have not been there when they have these little spells (it is usually in the middle of the night or right after I leave).  I assume I would be a mess and would just be no help at all but I could be really calm until it was all over, who knows.  I will try to update later with the results to the ultrasound.

Layne had surgery last week on his PDA.  They told me this was a pretty simple and common surgery done in the NICU.  It was still hard, surgery on the heart is not just an everyday thing that I have to go thru especially on a 4 week old (31 weeks gestation).  It only took them 20 minutes to do it and he was off the ventilator within 24 hours and was breathing better than Wyatt and Haylee.  The incision is sore but that is expected.  He cried the entire time they were taking him to the OR, we assumed it was because he was being separated from his brother and sister (if that is the case it will make things challenging when they are growing up).

One of the doctors made the comment that they really want to see them as the grow up because we all believe they are telepathic.  When one sets off their alarm the other two follow suit (they drive the nurses crazy).  They are all on high humidity air and the boys weigh 2lbs 11oz and Haylee is 2lbs 9oz.

Happy 5 week Birthday babies. 



Wyatt with his little dog Doby 3-21-12





Haylee Jo with Huey the cat 3-21-12



Layne with his dog Spot 3-21-12



Heart aches

I know that I'm not updating nearly as much as I would like but honestly I do not know what to say when I have the chance to sit at the computer.  My heart hurts! I just want my babies to be well and home with me so when they cry I can hold them and console them instead of just watching with tears in my eyes because I can not just pick them up and make everything better.  I want a kiss to be their medicine that will make everything better.  No this is not the case.  They had to sedate Wyatt today because he is so uncomfortable with his breathing.  The doctors told me this was going to be an emotional roller coaster ride my first thought oh the last 5 - 6 years have been an emotional roller coaster ride trying to conceive them I can take it.  Hell no, nothing prepared me for this.  DH keeps saying we have to stop comparing how Wyatt is doing to how well Haylee Jo and Layne are, I'm trying not to do this but it is so hard.  Their doctor sat me down a couple days ago and told me that I have to rest and take care of myself, how can I do this when every time I'm not there I call for an update it is something worse than the last time I was there.

The story on Wyatt.  He has a small leak in one of his lungs and his right lung keeps collapsing.  They are giving him steroids to help with inflammation (the ventilator causes inflammation but he needs it to breath) in turn the steroids are going to stop his growth (which they assure me they keeping a close eye on).  He is so stressed that every time someone even lifts the blanket off his incubator to take a peak at him his stats go crazy.  So in turn I can sit next to his incubator but I went 2 days without even seeing him.  I finally saw him yesterday because the nurse had to get some blood from him and I asked if I could just look in on him when she was done.

Haylee Jo and Layne are doing so good, do not get me wrong I am so thankful they are doing so well.  They have their days where they do not feel well but all in all things are going well.  They are both on a high humidity breathing machine (this is the last step before they can breath on their own).  By the end of today they will both be maxed out on how much breast milk they can have by their weight (they increase their milk every 6 hours and they are fed every 3 hours).  I know it doesn't sound like a lot (which it isn't) but they are going to eat 20ml (which is 3/4 oz) every 3 hours.

Quick Update

Sorry that it took me so long to update, I have spent everyday in the NICU since they were born.  Things have been a roller coaster ride.  I will just give you an update on where things stand today. 
Wyatt needed a blood transfusion today the only reason it was needed was because they are drawing so much blood from them for tests that their little bodies can not keep up.  He weighs more than he did at birth he is not 2 lb 6 oz.  I did skin to skin with him at the end of last week, it was pretty wonderful.
Haylee Jo is probably doing the best out of all of them but they said they may need to do a blood transfusion and she is the smallest. She now weighs 1 lb 10 oz.  Since she is the one that is most stable I have got to do skin to skin with her 3 times now.
Layne just got off the ventilator this morning and had a really good day.  He weighs 1 lb 14 oz.  I have not held him yet but DH did today, he was really nervous but really liked it.
They all have a heart murmur (which is very common with how premature they are), Wyatt & Layne were given meds to fix it and they are watching Haylee but think it is going to fix itself.



Introducing Wyatt Michael (Baby A)



This is Haylee Jo (Squirt aka Baby B)

And finally Layne Joseph (Baby C)

SURPRISE They are here

Late Saturday night my water broke Josh rushed me to Jerseyville Hospital to make sure it was not urine.  They confirmed that it was my water and I was dilated to a 1.  I was only 27 weeks gestation.  They air lifted me to Barnes and wanted to keep me on strict bed rest I started having pretty good contractions around noon on Sunday.  They checked again and I was dilated to a 4 so they got everyone together immediately and did a c-section.  We have a boy Wyatt Michael 2lb 3.5oz, a girl Haylee Jo 2lb 3oz, & a boy Layne Joseph 2lb 2.5oz each 14" long.  They are all in NICU at Children’s doing surprisingly well.  But prayers for them are much appreciated.

I will post more later but it has been very crazy lately.

So much to write about

Let's start with Friday's OB appointment.  I've talked about my blood pressure on here before but now they are really freaking out about it and I do not believe it is that bad.  The range is from 122/84 - 140/86.  So I had to do a 24 hour urine test (and blood work), so that meant they wanted me to start Saturday morning and come back with it on Sunday morning.  WHAT, my baby shower (that I have waited forever for) is Sunday.  So we came to an agreement I could start as soon as they gave the jug to me.  That is what I did.

Saturday morning I got to take my hour and half drive back to St Louis to drop off my pee and I also had my glucose test done.  I want to say that the stuff you drink is not bad at all, the only bad part is how fast you have to drink it.  Wait an hour with the babies dancing around then have blood drawn.

I've decided that I'm going to make Baby Shower day a separate post.

This is one thing that I have not talked about on here much or at all.  I agreed to be a part of a study when I started going to the RE at Wash U.  Basically what they wanted was a swab and blood work here and there.  Also after my fresh cycle of IVF they wanted the embryos that did not continue to grow and I've had to fill out several surveys.  Anyway the main reason I agreed to do this was because if I have a daughter I do not want her to go through what I have trying to get pregnant, I hope we become more educated on infertility.  So if it seems like I have a lot of blood work done that is the reason.

The doctor called and said that I passed my urine test and glucose test.  I am soooo happy, I really was not ready to go on bed rest yet (if at all).

**UPDATE**  I forgot to note that at my last appointment I was 25 weeks 5 days and I measured that I was 33 weeks, so that is a good thing.

Quick Post

The question about how do I know which baby is which has come up and here is my answer.  Baby A sits low.  Baby B is high on my right side.  Baby C is high on my left side (to the point where my belly looks deformed because it sticks out really bad on that side).  Most of the time I can tell which baby is moving but when they get behind my belly button is when I can not figure out if it is B or C (most of the time it is C just by what the ultrasound tech tells me).  They do not switch places because they are all in their own sacs.

Random Stuff

Just some quick stories that I do not want to forget.

I really really want DH feel the babies kick before anyone gets to feel them, I'm not sure if this is ever going to happen or not.  On Sunday the babies were dancing around, once I figured they were not going to stop anytime soon I called DH over to sit on the couch with me.  I put his hand very gently on my stomach and we sat there, I finally feel a good kick from the inside and ask if he felt it he said no.  Again I felt another good kick again he did not feel it, I tried to explain to him what they would feel like to him (just little bumps) and told him to concentrate.  But he felt nothing.  So hopefully the kicks will get stronger and he will feel them eventually.

Just a little bit later Baby A was movin and a groovin and hit my bladder.  I didn't have to pee before but now I had the urge, I was waiting just a second hoping the baby would move off my bladder so I could get up (straining to get up and having to go is not a good combo).  What does the little turd do?  Gives it another swift kick, this one made me tear up and I yelled for DH to help me get off the couch before I peed all over.  I made it though.

For Valentine's Day I got DH a chain for his chainsaw (yes I know I'm pretty romantic) and two children's books (one is a golden book titled "The Happy Man and His Dump Truck" and the other was a book titled "Daddy Loves Me").  I figured he would kind of think it was stupid for me to give him children's books but he actually liked them.  Oh about the dump truck book, the story is not very good but I loved the cover and the title, DH seems happiest when he is driving his dump truck around.

One last story that I almost forgot, I bought a card for my best friends two kids (a 4 year old and almost 2 year old) I put a picture of my last ultrasound in the card.  The 4 year old put the picture in a picture frame and set it on her dresser.  She said they are going to be her best friends forever.  This made me cry, I'm an emotional mess.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentine's.

24 weeks 5 days

How Far Along: 24 weeks and 5 days

How Big are the Babies? A & C are 1 lb 9 oz and B is 1 lb 5 oz (a week ago)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think I'm up 14 lbs now (I've lost track)

Maternity Clothes: I have waited so long to wear Maternity clothes and I have to say that I HATE maternity pants, they put me in a bad mood because they are so uncomfortable.  So I wear yoga pants everyday (not the same exact pair).

Gender:  We will find out when they are born but it is really hard to leave the OB office without knowing, but I give myself the same speech every time.  It does not matter what gender they are as long as they are healthy.

Movement: They move a lot, actually Baby B is freaking out as we speak.  But I like to feel their movements.

Sleep: I want to sleep all the time but it doesn't happen, I probably only get a good solid 4 hours of sleep a night the rest is me in the bathroom or trying to get comfy.

Belly button in or out? In, but it will pop in the next month.

What I miss: Sleep and being able to bend over.

Milestones: the nursery is almost done, the carpet and new ceiling fan is all that is left for the construction part of it.

Food Cravings:  Nothing in particular right now.  I have cravings for soda (dr. pepper, caffeine free of course) often though

Aversions: Chinese and mexican food

Symptoms: nausea sometimes, swollen ankles, sore nipples, back pain (on the left side), fatigue, moodiness (when I'm hungry or tired)

Best Moment this week: My baby shower is being planned (didn't think I would ever make it to this point and I'm going to enjoy the day)

Funny Moment: I bought ugly shoes that have velcro so that I can put my own shoes on

What I'm looking forward to:My baby shower

Does it seem early in the pregnancy for my ankles to be swollen already?

24 week appointment

I am officially 24 weeks along now and 76 days until c-section day.  It seems like time is starting to slow down again, which I'm thankful for.

I'm not sure if all OB appointments go the way my appointments do but here is another story for you.  Ultrasound went great the babies were dancing around while the tech tried doing her thing.  I am more than positive that Baby A is going to look like my husband side, because it has a full jaw line with a bigger nose (not like a huge honker but well he has a nose bigger than I do).  Baby A weighed 1 lb 9 oz, Baby B 1 lb 5 oz, & Baby C 1 lb 9 oz.  According to babycenter.com babies A & C are ahead and Baby B is right on track.  I am more than positive that the ultrasound table was designed by men because a woman would not make them so uncomfortable.

Now to my OB appointment, I would say 90% of the time I get a student or resident that comes into the room and talks to me before the doctor joins them.  This time was no different I had a know it all resident that I almost killed.  She asked me if one of the ultrasound doctors talked to me this time or the time prior.  I said they came in after my last appointment but didn't really say anything they were just trying to get Baby C to cooperate (which didn't happen).  She then looks at me with a shocked look on her face saying so they didn't talk to you about the anatomy problems with two of the babies (she actually said which babies but I couldn't tell you which ones, I was about to hyperventilate at this point).  I utter the words no what is wrong with them (trying to fight back tears, thinking that I wish DH was here with me right now). She looks at her paperwork, it didn't really say so she goes to the computer to find the information.  Guess what she wants to chit-chat while she is logging on, hello I'm on the verge of tears I do not want to talk about what I'm doing over the weekend.  She reads FOREVER then all of a sudden says "Oh there isn't anything wrong".  This is about the time that I see my pregnant ass is jump off the table to strangle her scrawny neck.  Instead I ask if everything looks okay with the other baby and she says yes.  She then goes on with her other questions asking when I plan on going on maternity leave.  I said I hope to work until the week I deliver, she has the nerve to laugh and say your so funny.    Give me a break I'm not going to plan on stop working until it has to be done because I want to spend as much time with the babies as possible.  The OB eventually joins us and nothing exciting happens during that time besides he told me in two weeks I get the glucose test done.

23 weeks

Okay so I'm 23 weeks tomorrow but close enough.  I just have some super exciting news to share with all of you.  Baby B was moving around a lot so I gently laid my hand on my stomach and I felt 3 good solid kicks.  I was sooooo happy I can not wait for DH to feel it.  Hopefully the babies will continue moving when he places his hand on my stomach because I have tried to catch it for days and I do not know if I was putting to much pressure or moving to fast but they would stop every time.

On another note, I can not buy Lucky Charms cereal anymore, get this I ate almost the entire box today (there is probably only one bowl left).  All I have to say is I probably gained weight so the doctor should be happy.

Name Game

Since we are not finding out what the genders of that babies are we are going to come up with 3 boy names and 3 girls names.  Since I figured it would be easier to come up with girls names we started with boys.  Well I was very wrong, we have all 3 boy names (and an extra one just in case) and only 1 girl name.  So we decided that if we have more than one girl we will come up with the name when they are here and we can see them, maybe we will be inspired by the way they look.

Boy Names:
Wyatt Michael (Michael is my husband's middle name and FIL first name)
Layne Joseph (Joseph is my father's first name)
Matthew Adam (My husband's little brothers name was Adam Matthew)
Jake Joseph (One of my favorite movies is Sweet Home Alabama and the characters name on it is Jake Perry, so I couldn't help myself) If you put two and two together I'm sure you have figured out that I will have a Matthew Perry also but that is okay.

Girls Name:
Haylee Jo (The name started out as Baylee Jo but do not want some mean people making fun of her initials so it turned into Haylee)


We got a lot accomplished over the weekend, the nursery is empty and the paint color is picked out.  I feel so good that stuff is actually getting done now, so I do not cry from being overwhelmed every time I think about the nursery.  Now I have to figure out how to get 3 cribs to fit into that room but it can be done so I'm not going to stress.  Thank you Sis and Court for all your help.

The promise

6 week ultrasound (3 little peas)

8 week ultrasound (little peanuts)

10 week belly pic

10 week ultrasound Baby A

10 week ultrasound Baby B

10 week ultrasound Baby C

12 week ultrasound pic (We used this for our Christmas card)

13 week belly pic

15 week ultrasound Baby A front view

15 week ultrasound Baby B

15 week ultrasound Baby C

16 week belly pic

19 week ultrasound Baby A

19 week ultra sound Baby A feet & butt

19 week ultrasound Baby B

19 week ultrasound Baby C feet only (would not show its face)

20 week belly pic

My doctor appointment on Wednesday went very well.  I gained 4 pounds so I did not get into trouble this time around. DH and I picked out a class to take at the end of February and I'm super excited about that.  Had the same doctor (for the first time) that I actually had at my first appointment and I really like him, he is down to earth and even asked me what baby names we had picked out.  Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

RANT & the weekend

This post was going to just tell you about a dream that I had and how my weekend went but I have to blow off some steam first.

First off, I am so sick of people being rude to me then saying I am taking it the wrong way because I am pregnant/hormonal.  No, because I would have been pissed off about this before I was pregnant.

Secondly, the whole belly issue, yes I am getting bigger but I hate that I am on display all the time (do not get me wrong I am proud of my babies) but I do not want to be touched until I tell you that you can.  Then when I finally take my coat off so you can see it (yes I am cold but I am showing you anyway) I get the comment oh your not that big for having triplets.  I am a bigger person so I am not going to show like someone that is the size of a twig would.

I know this is going to offend people and I am sorry for that, but this is how I feel.

So on to my nice weekend that I had.  We went to Iowa to DH's grandparent's farm, while we were there Grandma and I went to visit the American Pickers little shed (and when I say little I mean little) and I met Danielle (the secretary). 

While there I had a dream (in color) about one of the babies, it was so wonderful I was talking to them and they were cooing and holding my fingers.  I wish that DH could have experienced it.

Monday DH & I were both off of work so we went to register on the way to the stores I told DH that it felt like a dream that it was actually my time to do this.  Once we got there it was so overwhelming I just hope that I asked for things that I need and enough of everything.  I went to bed at 7 last night because I was so tired and could not think anymore.  Oh also we stopped at a hardware store and got paint samples (picking out paint is hard), I do not even have the room empty yet and I'm already looking at paint, goodness.

I hope by the end of this week to post pics (belly and ultrasound) that I have been procrastinating.

Half way there.

How Far Along: 20 weeks 3 days

How Big is Baby? between 10-12 oz each

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  up 7 lbs (which I'm in trouble for)

Maternity Clothes: yes

Gender: ??? (not going  to find out)

Movement: Yesterday was the first day that I felt them a lot (it was the best thing in the world)

Sleep: I sleep really well during naps (probably because I'm so wore out) but at night I toss and turn a lot and my hips still go numb
Belly button in or out? In but it is getting very shallow

What I miss:  Food, I loved food before being pregnant but now I have so many things that I avoid.
Milestones: Feeling the babies move

Food Cravings:  Nothing in particular but when I crave something I eat it for sure

Aversions: Almost everything

Symptoms: nausea and tired and expanding waist line

Best Moment this week: Well it wasn't this week but on Friday going to the ultrasound and seeing all of their toes (Also to see they were growing also).  This weeks moment was feeling them move around.

What I'm looking forward to: A massage tomorrow it is much needed.

The biggest town that I live near (which is where I work) population is about 9,000 we have two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.  I'm just setting the scene so you know that it is not a huge city, I found out that there are 26 girls at the high school and one girl at the middle school that are pregnant.  How is this happening (well I know how it happens) but I do not understand where the parents are?  I know that people say that it is because we have nothing for teens to do in this town but I managed to find something to do when I was younger.  I'm mad and sick to my stomach knowing that I tried so hard to have a baby and I am in debt up to my ears from trying to conceive (it is completely worth the money) and these girls accidentally (if that is the case they may have wanted to be pregnant) got pregnant.

I'm just so full of stories today, I work for the county and yesterday I was in the office that has the death certificates.  A lady called asking for a stillborn babies certificate, she said that she was 23 weeks pregnant and started cramping went to the bathroom and had the baby in the toilet.  I cried for this lady and said a prayer, then I said a prayer for my babies.  

I just do not understand what God's plan is for these women.

January 6th appointment

19 weeks 5 days

Had a full anatomy scan today it took 3 hours (some of which I made her stop so that I could stand in the bathroom because I felt sick all morning) and everything looked good, they were having a hard time with each baby but Baby C was the problem child and they have to get a couple more measurements at my next ultrasound.  All the babies are measuring ahead (the ultrasound tech said the goal is for that babies to be above the tenth percentile because triplets are normally not far from it) in the sixtieth to seventieth percentile which is really great.  Baby A weighs 12 oz, Baby B weighs 10 oz & Baby C weighs 12 oz.

Then on to the OB appointment (this was another great doctor) they talked to me again about my weight, I need to gain more.  I told them to tell me what to eat and I will do it because I really do not know what else to do, they said to wait until my next appointment and they may make me drink shakes with my meals.  At this point they are not super concerned because the babies are growing.  They measured my belly and she said that I am measuring at 25 1/2 weeks and that is good also.  The doc asked if I was cramping or had really mucousy discharge, I said I cramp everyday.  So she wanted to check my cervix and it was high and closed.

I'm really exhausted from the appointment so I think I'm going to take a nap. Have a nice weekend everyone.