Week 17

We love this photo of one of our little angels.

A foot!!!!

Elle and my belly (I hardly exsist with this huge thing in front of me!! LOL)

Week 17 belly!

I am finally feeling better, only tired. It feels great to be able to really enjoy these special days. I do best in the morning or shortly after my afternoon nap. My belly is rapidly growing as the picture show. I had a bit of a scare about 10 days ago with a severe pain that had me in the hospital but it turned out to be the ligaments in my body literally screaming at the rate they are being stretched. At that time we got a chance to see our precious babies but could not tell genders just yet. I have included their new pictures- I love the ones of the feet!!! My ultrasound to tell us the genders was then moved back to February which frustrated me greatly- I am just dying to know and get things rolling.

Work is terrific as always, it's great to be able to go into work and keep busy with my projects before I leave. I saw my job posted on Career Builders and about cried, it will be so hard to leave such a wonderful place. I sure hope the next person appreciates the job as much as I have.

I went to a meeting for mothers of twins/multiples and met some wonderful people, full of good advice and lots of fun too. They are a well organized group and they have a big sale of gentle used items this spring. I will be on bed rest during the sale most likely so Dave will be on his own with that one. It fills my old high school gym full of clothes, strollers, toys, high chairs etc.

We find out the genders next week so be sure to check back and please keep the prayers up- my doctor says I'm doing well and if my only problems are some congestion and being tired I think the prayers are working wonders!

Belly Pictures

The top pic is week 14 and the bottom pic is week 13- don't know why they loaded backwards but boy is there a difference! I am still in my clothes for the most part, using lots of belly bands to keep my pants on. So far my backside has not caught up with the front but I'll tip over if it doesn't start soon! Dave isn't fond of that really. I look like I am about 5 or 6 months along and I already move slowly and have aches in my back from sleeping on my side. There has been nothing gradual about this pregnancy- we just hit the ground running. I haven't seen my doctor in about 3 weeks so I'm very excited for my appointment on Tuesday to hear how things are going.

Christmas was wonderful with the babies all receiving lots of goodies. Elle's gifts were so sweet, she got the kids the book, "Guess How Much I Love You" that I can read to them when they develop their ears in the womb. The babies got her a board book to read to them also and she said she will read to them every day! She also gave them a "Mommy Bear" which is a bear with the sound of the mothers heartbeat as it would be for them in the womb. She was so excited about all the gifts, especially the book of Cool Baby Names. She has grave concerns for the old fashioned names I am leaning towards.

Dave gave me bubble bath for use in the new tubs we will soon be getting when the bathrooms are remodeled, chocolate covered Oreos, soft pajamas and a huge gift certificate to a really nice maternity store. I won't be in maternity stuff for long at the rate I'm going so it will be nice to have some pretty things to wears while I can. It was all so thoughtful.

My parents gave the babies a bunch of adorable sleepers with animal faces on the feet and each baby received their "First Winnie the Pooh Bear".

We have been so busy talking and planning for these little loves that it just blew me away to start receiving things for them. I have wanted another child since Elle was born 17 years ago and now that we are accumulating "stuff" it is becoming more real.

Dave started the nursery this weekend, we have separated out what to keep and give away and he is installing closet systems. I have colors picked out for paint but we have to wait to see the genders and if there is a variety of kiddos coming. I can't wait to hang all the cute clothes when he is finished with the closets!!!!

Thanks again to everyone for the prayers and excitement- it means a lot to all of us.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Here they are!!!

Baby A
Baby B

Baby C

Week 13, telling EVERYONE!!!

What a fun week! The Christmas cards have gone out and we are receiving tons of phone calls. It is so wonderful to be met with such support and happiness. People at work have been terrific and my schedule is flexible for when I'm not feeling well or have doctor appointments. One of the cutest reactions to our news was our 85 year old neighbor who did a little dance and then had to sit down!

My belly is definitely growing, bigger every day. One of my books say that each baby will weigh about the same amount as two iPods by next week. I look like I have a 100 iPods in my belly right now!! My appetite is growing, I'm always hungry but I have no real cravings- well, maybe just one. I love french fries right now- who doesn't but that is the only appealing thing I can think of when hunger strikes. I have already been caught trying to hide the evidence, I buried the McDonald's bag but when Dave got something out of my car he smelled the fries!

Elle is busy with finals but has found time to make list of boy and girl names that she finds acceptable. Bless her heart! Dave and I have been busy with figuring out what car to buy to fit everyone, discussing car seats, planning on two bathroom remodels, clearing out the basement and repurposing the living room as a baby/playroom.

We are looking forward to Christmas and New Years to spend time with family and friends, we have so much to celebrate this year and into the next.

A recap of the past 12 weeks, part three

Dave and I went to see our new doctor and just loved him. He spent well over an hour talking with us about mulitple pregnancies and addressing our questions. We scheduled an ultrasound at the hospital on their "big" machine for December 10th. I had bought a few books on mulitples and began reading which helped ease my worries of how my body would handle it and what I can do to make sure they are as healthy as possible. We knew that they would be born prematurely and were slowly dealing with that- the thought of leaving the hospital without your baby/babies is scary and sad. One of the main ways to ensure the health of our little ones was to add calories to my diet. I will not say the amount of weight I am to gain, but I will be a large marge when this is all over! I am trying to eat as many good calories as possible but I haven't felt good for quite some time and it's hard to eat.

At our ultrasound on Dec. 10th we were excited and nervous. We had not seen the little angels in a few weeks and were wondering how things were progressing. We were thrilled to see all three and they finally looked like babies- with heads, arms, legs etc. The technician made us a video of them and it's so hilarious. Babies A and B are active and moving around and Baby C is laying there with what looks like an arm behind it's tiny head and the only movement is the heartbeat. That is when it all hit home for us that all three are fine and will make it through the pregnancy. We finally officially felt we had triplets!!!!!!! A doctor from the practice came in to go over the ultrasound again and she told us that each baby had it's own home (amniotic sac) and own refigerator (placenta) and that is wonderful sign that all three will grow at an even pace and the outlook is very good. We are so happy to have an instantly large family and we are fighting over who gets which baby already! I keep reminding Dave and Elle if they claim a baby they have to keep it, at all times, no matter what. That means the little one goes to school, work, job sites, prom whatever! I will hopefully be able to post pics and the video soon.

A recap of the past 12 weeks, part two

I made it to exactly 6 weeks feeling fine and then I began having complications. I had two previous miscarriages, each time growth had stopped at 6 weeks, and I just gave in to the thought that it was over. Dave met me at the doctors office for an early ultrasound, one week earlier than scheduled, and he too had seemed to accept that this was probably over. I cried in the waiting room and as the ultrasound began and no one will EVER believe the shock we had when the doctor said he found 3 heartbeats. They looked like little flashes of light within 3 seperate dark circles. We were stunned, all of the sadness and worry went and was replaced by our atonished faces. The doctors office put me on bedrest and I was to come back in a week for another ultrasound. I worked from home and that was a life saver- it really helped pass the time. My mother came out almost daily to help with meals and just straightening up. Dave and Elle both worked hard to keep the house up too and I really appreciated all the help.

The next week we still had all 3 heartbeats and I was allowed to be veritcle again! I still took it easy but was thrilled to leave the house and receive a bag of baby information, complete with a pacifer and tiny, little diapers. I was told the name of some specialists to contact regarding a mulitple pregnancy and began researching which new doctor I would see.
Within days I began morning sickness, I looked and physically felt horrible but I had never been happier.

All was well for almost a week and then the complications began again. I had not made an appointment with the specialist yet so I went back to my infertility doctor who check and said all three were doing fine but to lay down for ANOTHER week. This time there wasn't as much work to keep me busy and I began to have migraines which the doctor said was due to the medicines I was on to sustain the pregnancy. I was uncomfortable but always had the idea of my babies in my aching mind and eventually I felt better. I made it off of bedrest and was seeing my specialist soon!

A recap of the past 12 weeks, part one

After a very long and painful journey with infertility, we were finally at the day of our blood test, October 21, 2009. My blood was taken and I asked the office not to call us, under ANY circumstances, and to wait for Dave to call when he had time. When it's negative news, you need to be prepared, alone and sitting down. I would then call Dave when I finished work at 2pm. I began crying at 2:01 that day, on the way to my car. I started calling him but there was no answer. I sort of hoped he was waiting at my car with good news but he wasn't so I started home. He finally called as I was driving. He was at a job site near our home and was trying to get there before me so we could celebrate together! The test was positive!!!!

The doctors office was so excited that they called Dave earlier and told him as he sat in his office with his partner. He had known for hours and was plotting how to tell me- one choice was to wait by my car! He decided he would be at home when I arrived but got held up. I called the doctors office to get my numbers (pregnacy hormone) and they were high. She said that it could be one or more. I began day dreaming of twins! I use to walk around the house saying to myself, I want to fill this home with children, and my chance was on it's way... little did I know how full this house would become.

Well, the news just pulm wore me out and I slept for a hour or so. Next was to tell Elle that she will now be a big sister, finally! Being the hip parent, I texted her and she responded in all caps that she was thrilled too! After that we just went about our business, never acknowledging the possibility of more than one baby. My ultrasound was scheduled for November 7th and I was to continue my medications to sustain the pregnancy.