Still holding on!

It's all still a little too fresh to go through all the details, but I am still baking these babes! I am off the evil, EVIL Mag Sulfate, thank goodness. The contractions are being kept to 6 or less an hour with pills around the clock. Since I started dilating when I was admitted on Thursday, I am here to stay. We now just look at everyday as a blessing and pray that we can keep hanging on. I guess every day they stay in Mommy is worth 3 days in the NICU, so putting in the time here now is the best for all.

Xoxo, Brooke

Chrstmas!....in the hospital

Excuse my medicated typing...I am waiting for the RN to come back in and hook up the gazzilion monitors again. Here is the shorter version for now:

We almost made it at home for Xmas! I was having consistent contractions that the procardia didn't phase. I also emptied my bowels 3 times which in not normal for me, but was what happened right before I labored with Brody. I called the peri office and they had me come in right away. (3:30 on Thurs) They checked my cervical length with US and it was almost gone (was 1.2cm at Tues appt) and the funneling was so large Dr.K did an exam herself. She was unable to determine dilation because it was so soft and she did not want to rupture my bag. She said she was admitting me to start the IV Magnesium and steroids for the babes....

So here I am, not getting much sleep but after they had to increase the Mag ( the first dose only brought the cx from every 2 min to every 3. I think they are around 6 minutes now and less intense, so that's good! It looks like I won't be leaving here pregnant, but will hold on to every day I can!

Merry Christmas!!

Happy 28 Weeks to Us!!!

Hooray!! We made it!! Now, bring on January 6th when we will be 30 weeks!!

Hypes and Gripes.....

Hype:
1. 28 Weeks!!!
2. No stretch marks yet!!
3. Loving Husband, Son, Family, and Friends~ couldn't do this without you!
4.
5.

Gripes:
1. Low-Carb diet, Booooo!! Much harder for a pregnant lady than I could EVER imagine!
2. Heart.BURN
3. SQUISHED bladder
4. Cold feet/shins in the shower (the belly blocks all the water!!)
5. 5-point-turn rollovers :( Oh, so painful
6. Bed Rest aches and pains, it really isn't fun...at all

I was going to stop at 5, although I could go on to 20 :)

xoxo, B

28 weeks...around the corner!

We didn't think this week would ever come, 28 weeks is on Thursday!! We had a great appointment this morning with a full growth scan on each trip. It has been 3 weeks since our last scan and they are a growin!

Baby A: was 1lb11oz and is now 2lb12oz! 88th percentile

Baby B: was 1lb15oz and is now 2lb11oz! 86th percentile

Baby C: was 1lb8oz and is now 2lb4oz! 59th percentile

All in all, they look great! A and B are still "big" and C is "average" so no concerns there. I was pretty happy last week when I didn't get the call that I failed my Glucose Screening Test, but I was informed today that I only passed by the skin of my teeth :( I was also happy that the fluids looked so good in each of their sacs today, but I guess maybe a little too good. They each have slightly above average fluid in their amniotic sacs and I guess that may also be contributing to my contractions. SO, given the high glucose and high fluids I have to cut my carb intake :( I am to go on a "diabetic diet", boo hoo!! She said I can splurge on Christmas and eat the cookies (what cookies?? I can't bake from bed!?!) but otherwise I need cut back to no sweets and only whole wheat. Since my "chef" is Ben, there is definitely going to be a learning curve! (He who has never watched what he ate or had to care about carbs, sugar, etc. doesn't exactly know what a diabetic diet is. He is bummed for sure that his go-to pasta-in-a-bag can no longer be his staple!!)

As for my cervix, it is still shortening. It's at 1.2cm now. Dr. L said that being at 28 weeks now, all that tells us is that I could go in to labor today, tomorrow or 4 weeks from now! We are hoping for the latter. The plan is to continue to monitor me weekly and if I start to dilate I will get admitted so they can start steroid shots and an IV of magnesium. I guess the magnesium may help with brain complications post delivery, but the side effects on Mom can be no fun for some. I am sure it won't phase me though, riiiight. Of course, if anything changes in between these appointments (stronger contractions, fluid leak, etc) I am to head straight in. I am happy that Dr. L is the Peri on-call over the holidays, she even gave me her pager number!! :) Let's hope that since I am armed with that it will be an uneventful holiday weekend.

If anyone has any EASY low-carb dishes you want to share with Ben, please do!!

Take care, Brooke

Truckin right along...

The last week+ since my hospital adventure has been pretty uneventful, yay!! I had my 27 week appointment and everything looked good with boys which couldn't make us happier. My cervix is very "dynamic" and we watched it shorten down to 1.5cm during my contractions. Dr. L was just happy to see that I still have cervical length left, so the bed rest must be paying off. I can't believe next Thursday will be 28 weeks, Merry Christmas to us! We never thought 28 weeks would come, and here we are, just around the corner :) We will have a full growth scan on each triplet on Tuesday. Even though it's a long morning, we love see how much they have grown! We are hoping for an uneventful appointment so that we are sent home to enjoy our last Christmas as a family of 3 together in our home <3

Yesterday Ben started organizing clothes and gear in the soon-to-be-nursery. I helped from the bed that we still have in there :) We received some preemie clothes from J (The Pitts Trips), and we can't believe how small they are!! It was fun to go through all of the boxes of Brody's old clothes that we saved as well (I saved them in case my sis Becky ended up having a boy, because then we could trade since I was sure I would get my girl! But no, she now has 2 precious girls and we will have our brood of boys!)

We seem to be set on clothes (so we think...but how does one know??) and burp clothes, we are just looking for a few odds and ends that we hope to buy used and a few things on the registries that I have been watching Ebay for as well, it has been giving me something to do!

Does anyone have (we still need 2) any of these that they are ready to part with: Kiddopotamus Carseat Snuzzler thingies?

We are fortunate for all of the gifts and donations given to us by so many friends and families, we can't thank you enough!! We have 3 car seats, 3 cribs (just need 1 more mattress) and our stroller has been ordered!!!! (THANK YOU Nana and Papa Lippincott for our ABC quad/triple buggy~ we can't wait for it to arrive!! Check it out here: coolest contraption ever. The seats hold newborns - 4yrs old!! And it fits through all doorways!! And it collapses to fit in the trunk!! We are quite excited to cause a skeptical cruising around with it someday!)

Here is a pic of my nightly routine (notice iPad within arms reach):

It's good to be home!

We had our 25w5d appointment last Wednesday and things were looking really good! I seemed to be pretty stable and the bed rest was definitely proving to help the shortening of my cervix, a great appointment all together!

Then came Wednesday afternoon/evening....I started having pretty consistent contractions between 3pm-5pm, so I continued to lay down and drink my water. By 6pm they were coming every 5 minutes so I took a new dose of meds (Procardia) that Dr. L prescribed for me at my appointment to use "as needed" for my contractions. At 7pm they seemed to still be getting closer so I took my 2nd dose. At 8pm I called L&D advice and they suggested I come on in to get checked out. Ben was especially not expecting this after such a good appointment earlier in the day, so I am glad that just a few days earlier I told him to never question me when I wanted to go in (I think I read or watched something that scared me and made me think someday I would wait too long and regret it!) So, we called a friend over (thanks Chapman's!!!) to sit at our house while Brody was sleeping.

I think we were checked into the L&D triage room by about 8:45pm and they hooked me up to monitor the contractions. They were still coming about every 3-7 minutes. The resident I saw first was very nice, but quickly got the attending to assist her, she had never done an US on 3 babies before. Soon we had a room full of observers cooing over how cute the boys were :) They were all looking good and didn't seem to be affected by the contractions. Dr. M left to go and consult the on-call Perinatologist and I started to feel a little sick...and then a lot sick. I filled up an emesis bag to the brim just as the nurse returned to give me 1 shot in my arm and 1 in my tush! I felt better soon and let her go forward with the Terbutaline and Vistaril shots. I only felt well for about 15 minutes when I started filling another a bag. Dr. M came back to tell me that I would be admitted to make sure the contractions get under control and that my cervix didn't continue to make any more changes, and also to get me hydrated and figure out why I was getting so sick now.

Once I got settled in my room it was probably about midnight. They still had me hooked up watching the contractions but Dr. M also asked for a non-stress test (NST). It took the RN some time to find all of the lil buggers heart beats and I was growing much more uncomfortable. After having them all on the monitor for about 5-10 minutes (she needed 20min) I apologized and quickly rolled over to fill another bag :(

I was finally all hooked up again by 2am-ish and told Ben to go ahead and go home so that our friend could go home and Ben could get up with Brody in the morning to bring him to daycare and then Ben would come back to be with me by the time morning rounds would take place.

Things went downhill for me after Ben left, I got delusion-ally ill, as I sometimes do (just ask my family, it's like an out of body experience that no one can control when I am really sick or in a lot of pain!) I think this scared the RN and Dr. M as they just sat with me and comforted me until I finally fell asleep.

I was up a couple of hours later still feeling icky but the Zofran shots were helping now, although I still was only taking fluids through the IV. At 6am we finally got the boys NST done and they performed great, the RN was very impressed!! I was still having contractions, with all the meds every 4 hrs :(

By the time the Perinatologist showed up for morning rounds Ben was back and hoping he could take me home. But, Dr. K decided that I was not stable enough and would stay another day. I agreed, I was still in rough shape!

When I woke up the next morning I was feeling much better and actually had some juice and breakfast- it was good!! When Dr. K came back for morning rounds she was pleased to see "life" back in me. My cervix was stable and we got the contractions down to 5 or less an hour which has been my normal for the past couple of weeks. I was discharged Friday afternoon with instructions to continue the Procardia every 4 hrs until I see Dr. L on Tuesday. (Many labs and tests were run and they all improved by the morning I was discharged so it was just a GI virus that kicked my butt! I am lucky the contractions came on to get me to the hospital, I can't imagine being that ill at home in my condition, the IV hydration saved me!!)

I have had a pretty uneventful weekend, thankfully, and we only hope we can stay this way for the weeks to come!! There was a time at the peak of my sickness (~3am Thursday morning) that it felt like deja-vu when I started labor with Brody and I was so scared that I was going to be having these babies, it was the worst feeling!! I am happy to be home with Ben and Brody for now :)

A few comparisions....

Brooke at 25 weeks with Brody

Brooke at 25 weeks with the Trips!

Brooke at almost 37 weeks with Brody (last picture taken before she had Brody at 37 weeks)

Again, Brooke at 25 weeks with the Trips!

I think it's safe to say that she is now going to be bigger than she has ever experienced before!

Ben.

A couple of bruisers!!

We had our weekly appointment yesterday, this one was looong as they did the growth scan on all the boys as well. They decided to make it a confusing start for the US tech, as C moved from his cozy spot on my left side to my midline pretty much underneath Baby A. They were all head down too, it was the most confusing scan to follow so far! It turns out A and B are measuring in the 95th percentile (yes, compared to singletons!) B took the lead for now being the heaviest at 1lb15oz, A is 1lb11oz and our peanut C is 1lb8oz. Dr. L said C is "normal" and A and B are just a couple of bruisers!!

I am still having a lot of contractions and the meds they gave me last week did not stop them and just made me feel crazy so I got the ok to stop them (they aren't proven to stop pre-term labor anyway). The good news is that they are not making me dilate, so I am still at home! I will continue to go in at least once per week for now, more if anything changes, and be "ultra-conservative" (Dr's orders) until at least 28 weeks, which is the day before Christmas Eve! I can't believe it is just over 3 weeks away, CRAZY!! 28 weeks is our next goal, but we really want to go farther, of course, for the health of the babes! But also because adding a Triple Birthday to Christmas week would be crazy!!

Bed rest is much harder than I imagined, especially during the Holiday Season. I did get the ok to go out for lunch or something every once and while as long as I get dropped off at the door and I can go out shopping if I am in a wheelchair! HA! I think I will stick to on-line shopping :) I am not suppose to do any of these things daily and she still wants me to be down for the majority, but at least I can get out for a bit when I feel like I am going to crack.

Thinking about it, they really have the whole pregnancy cycle, especially for multiples, all backwards. For the first 16-18 weeks I would have LOVED to be on bed rest, I was SO tired and VERY sick that all I wanted to do was lay down. Instead you muscle through the day at work and then come home and try to be a good Mommy as well. Then, just when you start to feel better and get your energy back, bed rest is ordered!! I know what's next, at 28 or 30 weeks I will be doing great (hopefully) and I will be told that I can get out a little more. Right, because I am really going to be able to get around when I am the size of a house! Oh the joys :)

I don't really have any recent pics, Ben will have to take a 25 week pic for me to post tomorrow (or soon!)

Here are a couple of pics we did at the beginning of November during a fundraiser for the Full House Moms group (Portland's Multiples Org).

Updates!

We just finished up at our 23w6d (24 weeks tomorrow!!) appointment for my cervix check. Well, despite being very good for the last week my cervix still shortened again :( I was though, able to buy another week at home and not be admitted for the Holiday weekend. I am going to start taking Terbutaline regularly (when I was at L&D last week they just told me to take it if my contractions "changed") for the next week and continue with the bed rest. It's still not "strict" as I can get up for meals and such and the Dr also said if I was dying to get out of the house for a bit one day, I could do that too. My Mom on the other hand has given me her "orders" which are "lay, pee, lay, eat, lay, pee, lay, eat..." :)

The Dr covering for my regular Peri Dr was very nice! He explained a lot to us and made us feel comfortable with the next steps. Even though Terbutaline is very controversial as to if it really helps with pre-term labor or contractions, there is no harm in trying. Also, the boys again looked great! He was very happy with the measurements they took to look at the trip to trip transfusion, but reminded us that we are not out of the woods for that until 30 weeks.

Another change for us moving forward is that my wonderful Husband will be home taking care of me from now on. His entire clinic was laid off after today due to a company buy-out, with no future positions posted for most (including Ben's IT Admin position). It was not the news we wanted to hear given our current circumstance, but we have been focusing on the positive and now feel that this probably also happened for a reason! (Just like these trips, right!!?!?) If it comes to the point where I have to be admitted to the hospital I will be much more comfortable knowing that Ben would be available to bring Brody (and himself) to visit me much more than if he was working all day. There are many more positives but I won't list them all right now as to not overwhelm Ben with his "honey-do" list I have been making, heehee.

We send lots of love to all for a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

23 Weeks!

Wow, 23 weeks!! Next week will be our first milestone (24=earliest viability) and we are looking forward to making the next milestones as well (28, 30, 32, and 34 would be grand!!!) It has been eventful to say the least since I last posted. We had a great baby shower and will post pics on that really soon, I am still waiting to get some more pics from others ;)

Grandpa and Grandma Waind were out here for a nice visit last week as well. They helped us prepare the guest room for the conversion and set up Brody in his 1st big boy bed!! I will update his blog too ;) It was great to have them here to help us out and be at our babies shower! Auntie Haley drove in the same day (Tuesday) they left for a visit and to hang out with Brody while we worked, and boy did it turn out to be a blessing she was here!! (keep reading....)

Wednesday morning I got ready for a work conference that I was going to attend after my 23 week US and Dr appointment. The US showed all the boys looking great and even "chubbing" up a bit! They didn't look so skeletal, which made me happy. Dr. L was not so happy to see that my cervix had shortened over 1 cm since my last check 2 weeks ago. I am still a few mm away from being in the "danger zone." I was told to do the bare minimum over the next week and lay down for most of day. She is having me come in on Wednesday for a cervix check and said "hopefully it won't be changed, I don't want my partner to have to admit you!" (she will be out of the office) Yikes! Admit me?? Just where I want to spend my Thanksgiving! So, to home I went and started the horizontal orders.

As the day went on I realized that every time I got up to use the restroom or get something to eat, or move to the couch to visit with Brody and Haley, I would have constant contractions. After dinner I was laying on the couch for almost 2 hours having contractions about every 10 minutes. Nurse Haley said I better call L&D advice. They wanted me to come in and get checked out, which has always been our fear- do we wake Brody up and take him with? Call a friend?? We were lucky this time that Haley was there to save the day :) The night ended with a Terbutaline prescription to stop the contractions and more orders for rest. The good thing is that these contractions aren't causing me to dilate, but I am wondering if they are what is causing my cervix to shorten?? We will see on the 24th if all this rest is helping things out~ lets hope so!!! Thank you Haley for 2 days of constant Brody (and Mommy) care!! I am not sure that is what she had in mind for her visit, but we couldn't have appreciated it more!

Baby Shower

3 lil' monkeys!! We can hardly wait ;)

There was a delicious spread catered that included a special meal just for me to help me reach my daily protein goal!! SO SWEET..and YUMMY!! I have really been craving a good steak lately too, posting this picture is making me drool :)

Of course we had to play the the "guess the poo" game...I usually do awful at this game, but being so close to Halloween and my restriction-less diet- I won!! I named 8 out of 10 candy bar "poos" correctly.

Yep, I didn't even wait to sit down to sample the cake ;)

I know I have said this before, but I have the BEST work family!!! It was decided to have the shower earlier than one carrying a singleton would typically have, as they didn't want to end up having a shower that I couldn't attend. The girls transformed our empty treatment vault into a Baby Shower for 3!! We got royally spoiled with great food, company and gifts! Everyone really went above and beyond, Ben and I are so thankful for their generosity. We have many young babes and kids within our clinic, and almost a handful more on the way! We are seriously contemplating converting this empty vault into a daycare center :)

We never got a group shot at the shower, but here is a bunch of us at Dr. Wynne's 2010 Halloween Party (one not to be missed!!):

Like I said, the BEST work family!!!

11/3/10: 21 Week US

We had our 21 week US that included a growth scan this week, all the boys are looking great!! Baby A is still the biggest and he weighed in at 1 lb 1 oz!! Babies B and C were not far behind and 15 oz and 14oz. The scans are getting quite entertaining- there are limbs everywhere!! For a bit Baby B was sitting on Baby B's head, it was cute to say the least. Mama has also been doing quite well, just the sames aches and pains as before~ completely manageable though! At the appointment they also enrolled me in the pre-term labor program. I will now be having weekly phone consults with a nurse to make sure I am not having any regular contractions or new/different symptoms that should be discussed in between my routine US and Dr. appointment that I have every-other-week.

It is hard to believe that my next scheduled appointment will be at 23 weeks...just one week before our 1st big milestone, 24 weeks!! I guess they call 24 weeks "viability" as there is a 50% chance that if something happened and the boys came early they would have a 50% survival rate. 28 weeks (Christmas) is then our next goal and every week after that will make us very, very happy!! The plan is for me to hold on tight between between Thanksgiving and Christmas as this is our most crucial time, so you can expect to find me more "down" than "up" during this time. On-line shopping on Cyber Monday will definitely be my attack for the Holiday this year :)

20 Week Belly

The boys are growing!! At least I hope so at the rate Mommy is growing ;) Our next appointment is on Wednesday and they will do a full growth scan again.

I met the Pitts Trips yesterday and they were soooooo cute!! J and P were doing great as well, they have had their 4 week old identical triplet boys home for 2 weeks now! They answered a lot of questions and gave me lots of hope :) I adored the boys sleeping side by side, but didn't snuggle any of them, babies that size seem to look most comfy in Mom and Dad's arms.

Happy Halloween!
Brooke

More water please!

I have been working from home all day today as I was instructed to increase my fluid intake and have decreased activity today in order to stop the *contractions* I was having every time I stood up yesterday evening. Since they were not rhythmic and were brought on by a change in position I am hoping these small changes will help. I try to pack a lot into the shortened hours I am in the office these days and I have failed to make hydration a priority, not anymore!! Anything I can do to prevent permanent full restrictions I will do, promise!!

I have been able to get a lot done without the multiple distractions that arise in the office on any given day, but I thrive on those distractions and I am not ready to give them up yet :) I also need to find a lap desk or something, my laptop on a pillow on my lap is not cutting it for long hours, I need to find one of those trays/tables on wheels they use with hospital beds! Does anyone know if you can rent one or something??

Over the last week I have been researching stroller options (I am sold on the ABC Buggy from New Zealand) and making registries online, yes, multiple registries; it's only fitting right?? We are lucky to have things from Brody, hand-me-downs and loaners from great friends (thank you!!!) and even some scores from a garage sale I went to that was from BBB triplets as well, that was fun! I really feel like we haven't done much to prepare yet though, I think in the back of our mind we know that we just need a place to put them when they come and the rest will fall into place ;) I am now 20 weeks and OVER half way there! There is no painting of the nursery yet because our house is up for sale and we are not sure if we will still be in here when the babes come....yes, we are crazy for trying to sell right now!! (again, for multiple reasons ;) )

I promise I will post another pic soon, I have definitely "popped" recently. One of the nurses at work asked me if I grew another baby over the weekend when I showed up Monday morning!

19 Week US and a Birthday

Here are the most recent profile shots of the boys from our 19 week ultrasound and perinatology appointment. They are all looking good! There was not any sign of trip-to-trip transfusion :) Dr. L was very pleased.

A certain patient may have gotten her hand slapped a bit though, I was like, Ben was "telling on me" to the Doc. I guess it's not good to be in as much pain as I am by the end of the day and my body telling me to slow down.  I am suppose to start listening! Now that the nausea is gone I have been back to leading busy days at work and not shortening my days or time on my feet as much as Dr. L would like me to. The hardest order to follow is that I am not to pick up or carry Brody anymore! I am lucky that he has been ok with holding my hand more lately, but he doesn't quite get my restrictions (although he does love to give my belly and the babies "raspberry kisses").

It was rather funny when I returned to work after the appointment and was updating some of the Drs that are at my clinic.  They said I should get a recliner in my office, stay off my feet as much as possible, make people come to me, and use the phone more rather than my feet. That all sounds great in theory...  I just need to train myself, as these are hard habits to break! About 30 minutes later I went to the break room to fill my water and on autopilot decided to take a lap around the clinic and check-in with everyone (something I usually do multiple times a day).  I was rounding the back hallway thinking to myself "this is probably one of the things I shouldn't be doing".  Of course I run in to one of the Drs and she asked what I was doing so far away from my office.  I replied sheepishly that I wanted to check-in on the machines and she yelled back in passing "just call them"!!!  I am lucky to have such great friends at work who genuinely care about my well being and support my adjustments that will hopefully enable me to make the long haul.

I also had my 29th Birthday yesterday and Thank You everyone for the well wishes, I felt the Love!!! I had a full day of meetings and such at work so I was happy that Ben got some great take-out and a YUMMY cake.  All I had to do was eat and relax with my feet up.  It was just what I needed! ;) I am lucky to have 2 boys at home who love me so much!I will be blessed to have 3 more in my life!

More calorie talk

Now that the nausea is at bay, I have been finding myself craving foods that use to be my staples but have been ignored the last few months. I went through Starbucks last week and got the protein plate and a half-caff latte, it was SO HARD for me to not order a skinny vanilla latte! I actually felt weird when I ordered a pumpkin spice latte, I didn't say "non-fat" or "only 3 pumps please" like I normally would if I was being wild and  not ordering my normal skinny, but I couldn't resist saying "no whip," I still think some things are just unnecessary, even if I do need the calories! I will probably change my mind as I get more accustomed to this new way of ordering :) (I am almost beside myself thinking about ordering a eggnog latte next month without saying "cut with skim please"!! WAIT- I can have eggnog, right?? If it's steamed? It must be ok!...right??)

I had another "experience" at the salad bar at my work today. Kaiser has a big salad bar that has many healthy choices to help us THRIVE! It was a staple for me pre-pregnancy, I would get a nice spring lettuce and spinach mix and top it with sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, grape tomatoes, scallions, pickled peppers, garbanzo beans, and light balsamic vinaigrette...it was delish! When I craved a salad for the first time for lunch today I knew I had to alter it in order to help me cut away at the 4,000 calorie goal. It ended up something like, lettuce, chicken, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, eggs, garbanzo beans, black olives, pickled peppers, sunflower seeds, and....full-fat ranch!! For as many years and times through a salad bar as I can remember, I can't recall ever choosing full-fat dressing of any kind, I am sure I did as I know light dressings have not always been so commonly around and I haven't always been so picky!

That said, I think my Mom really enjoyed cooking for me last week, I wasn't hovering to see if she was going to add cheese or butter to the veggies, etc.

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be the same after this experience!!

17 Weeks....then and now!

17 weeks with Mr. Brody (thinking I was HUGE!!!)...

17 weeks with the Trips!! Now, I know I said I would never take a picture in these pants again...but I have found that they are already nice and stretched out for me! Just what I need right about now ;) We had an appointment with our Peri Dr yesterday and she said my uterus will probably be measuring full-term by 20 weeks - yikes!! The almost 3 hour long ultrasound appointment was very positive with all of the boys measuring the same size and looking good! We looked closely at their hearts, spine, skeletal system, abdominal organs, and all that good stuff - it was a marathon appointment for sure! Now we will go in every other week for a scan to look for any signs of trip to trip transfusion - please pray we will bypass that all together. She said if we continue to do this well over the next month she will be optimistic that our 2nd half will be just as good - that was inspiring :)

 

Hopefully I can hide behind these stripes for quite some time, teehee.

As for Mom, I am doing good. I am now off the Zofran for nausea, yahoo!!! But a fun new side affect has surfaced - acid reflux - YUCKY!! I am taking Zantac for now which is helping. The Doc advised me to lighten my load as I have been having a couple of side affects that she does not want to see progress this early and could cause bedrest, double yikes!! So, in order to preserve myself I am trying to work from home when the opportunity arises and shorten my days when possible. We have been very blessed to have Grandma Sharon out here for the last week taking great care of the 3 B's. I don't have to lift a finger and I am very well fed, we will be so sad to see her go tomorrow!! Brody is especially going to miss their time together, they have had sooo much fun all week long!

Thanks again for all the well wishes, they really help! 

- Brooke

Oh Me Oh My! Soon there will be 5!

We had our 15 week ultrasound last Thursday on the 30th and this was a big one.  We were looking forward to this one because we had a good feeling that we would find out the sex this day, but given my family history, we knew what to expect.  3 more Boys to add to our family!  Here are a few Ultrasound pics.

Mom is feeling a little outnumbered, but knows that her boys will take great care of her!  We have Grandma Sharon out here this week giving us some great assistance and Brody is loving every minute of it.  This little guy is getting so big and is going to be the best big brother.  Here are a couple newer pics of him and Mom this weekend.

Mom still has not been feeling that great, but we have big plans to get out to some pumpkin patches soon and have some fun.  We also wanted to say Congratulations to another Portland couple, The Pitts Trips, and their successful pregnancy and birth of their Identical Triplet Boys!

- Ben

14 Weeks!

I don't know who asks to see my growing belly more, my Mom or my sister Sam! Here you go ladies!! We had an unexpected trip to the Perinatologists this last week, everything turned out to be ok, just a major scare for us!! We realize that it was probably the first of many scares, but I don't think it will ever get easier. I was sent home for some rest after a couple hours of bleeding, she offered a bed rest prescription, but I kindly declined :) The Dr measured my uterus and said I am measuring between 20-22 weeks already!!

Since we had this extra appointment the US techs wanted to take another "guess" at the sex. Babies A and B were not very telling, and then there was C, showing a very small glimpse of what might be the beginning of a baby pee-pee! I didn't have much to say and quickly changed the subject ;) Ben, on the other hand, is now convinced that we are having 3 more boys, YIKES!!! Time will tell I guess....

Brody is such a lover these days, when you ask for a kiss he really goes for it!!! We have been talking to him more about being a big brother, at times he shows excitement, others...not so much. We were leaving daycare last week and he stopped to wave bye to the babies like he always does. He then said, "I love babies!" With excitement I said "How would you like 3 babies at home??" Brody said "No Mommy, no babies at home." This got quite the rise out of the daycare teachers of course.

xoxo, BBB

12 Week 5 Day Ultrasound

We had an ultrasound and appointment with our Perinatologist on Tuesday and everything is looking great! They did a nuchal fold scan where they measure a pocket of fluid behind baby's neck to make sure it is within normal range, this is one of the signs they look at for chromosomal abnormalities. They all measured normal so no further genetic testing will be done, phew!! I hate those tests.

The babes were quite impressive to the sonographer who said if they continue to scan this great they might just be her favorites! Baby C did seem to have the most spunk this time around, he was moving all over the place, it was magical to watch. The US measured them all at exactly the same size- 13 weeks, which is also great news! They also noted that they were all drinking the amniotic fluid and their stomach, kidneys and bladder all appeared to be working away.

We don't see the Perinatologist until October 5th, after which we will have an US and appointment every-other-week. In the meantime, you can expect more pictures that we will get from going to Ben's work, the US techs there are happy to scan me- not many people get to see triplets very often. I will be checking next week again to see if the genitalia are prominent, at this last scan they were undifferentiated....I take this as a huge positive, I still have a chance that they will be girls! The tech gave me a 51% chance, I was so ecstatic and all Ben could do was laugh at me :)

Our prayer list and some wishes upon a star!!

We are well into our 12th week and couldn't be more excited! Making it to the second trimester is our first "milestone" to be proud of in our book ;) Yes, there are MANY more milestones to meet and a looooong way to go, but for now we are happy with our progress.

We have many things to be happy for but also have a very long prayer list. Here are a few of our daily prayers....

1. To maintain the health and strength to carry these miraculous babies long enough for a safe delivery. NO 2010 BABIES PLEASE!!!

2. For trusting that we have 3 healthy babes growing inside me without going through any of the genetic health scares we endured when Brody was just 15 weeks gestation, of course everything turned out perfect but it was a scary 2 weeks that I hope to not experience this time around. (we have our 1st genetic screening test, the nuchal fold scan, tomorrow morning. I should have a good picture post to share after that!!)

3. Praying for continued stability with our careers during these tough economic times so we can provide for growing family! (including not too early bed rest for me)

4. That this little glimpse of feeling good I have had the past few days is going to be the
new trend for the 2nd trimester and not just a fluke because I have had a long weekend of rest and no work! (I haven't even taken a Zofran (for nausea) yet today and I feel pretty darn good!!)

These are just the tip of the iceberg and I am sure I will post many more as days go on, we are lucky to have so many friends and family keeping us in their prayers :)

Now, just a few things off my wish list! I should say OUR wish list because I'm SURE Ben shares them as well!

1. That I somehow won't get as big as house, even though I know it is inevitable.

2. For 3 baby girls! (***note to self, remember to change this post if our gender US shows 3 baby boys, which would be just as nice ;) )

3. For no stretch marks!! I got pretty big when I was pregnant with Brody and lucky me, I never got a single one! I bounced back really easily, am I naive to think I could be so lucky again?? I have heard it is genetic and my Mom never got any either, but can genetics trump triplets when talking about stretch marks?? I am hoping so. I have been looking into preventative measures and have heard good things about products by mama mio skincare. Does anyone have any experience with these products or something similar? I made a wish list on their website, but I haven't made any purchases yet...not sure how long I can wait though! I will probably have to go through many bottles!

Brooke's Wish List at Mama Mio

4. That mini-vans are all the rage in 2011!

5. That all Brody's well mannerisms and contentedness rub off on his little siblings, we could not ask for a more perfect big brother!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH BRODY!!!

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!!

xoxo,
Brooke, Ben, & Brody

11 weeks!

Ben made it home today to catch me before I shed my work clothes for the night, can you believe this belly at 11 weeks!?!!! So what's new? Hmmm, I am still feeling really nauseated :( I wish I could say that had improved, but hopefully some day! We had an US last Friday at Ben's work and they were all looking great, more baby like and less blob like! We were happy to see them all measuring the same size and their umbilical cords seem to be nicely spaced for the time being, each taking ownership of their own corner of the placenta. I am really too tired to add much more, but maybe this weekend... :) xo, Brooke

p.s. I am planning on teaching Ben how to blog so that he can help me keep this interesting! After 24 months of me uploading approx. 1, 523 albums of Brody to our Picasa site, he took it upon himself to upload his 1st album the other night, so I figure I better take full advantage and get him on here too, so stay tuned!!

4,000 calories!!

So the book my OB suggested I read after learning of the triplets has a chapter on nutritional guidelines that gives the goal of consuming 4,000 calories a day!! I guess the idea is to plump up the babes as early as possible in case of an early arrival, knowing that there is no way a mother carrying multiples is able to fit much into her belly towards the end of pregnancy term. Makes sense I guess, but I haven't been able to stomach 4,000 yet! Ben is always trying to help and brought home dinner....and dessert tonight! He has once again proven why I love him so much!!! haha. Honestly he takes the best care of me and I couldn't be more proud of him as a Daddy and Hubby :)

I am going to see a nutritionist next week to help me come up with a plan to keep me and the babes healthy and growing, I will let you know how that goes, for now....it's time to eat!

9/10 week comparison

Ben took this picture on Saturday before we went to a housewarming party, I am about 9.5 weeks and looking like I should already be in my 2nd trimester! Is it the trips or that my body knows what to do since it has been through it before?? My guess is probably a little bit of both.

Here is me at 10 weeks (I didn't have a 9wk pic) with Brody. I have vowed to not take a pic in the same outfit every week this time, it started getting to me last time around when the pink band on the pants kept getting wider and wider, and the zebra strips could barely cover my belly button by 30+ weeks! Who am I kidding, anything I take a pic in now will never fit me this time when I am am 30 weeks!!

I think it's funny that I don't have any belly pics or pics at all between 6 and 9 weeks with either pregnancy- I am too dang sick! I get right into "comfy" clothes when I get home from work and the last thing I want is Ben snapping my photo! By about 9 weeks he gets fed up and has me smile for the camera ;)

This is what I do to let Ben know I am done with the pics already!! Love you babe!