What was I doing without a body pillow for so long?

I mean, I knew people liked certain pillows and sleep positions when they are pregnant, but I thought a pillow tucked here and a pillow lodged there would suffice. But they always ended up on the floor or lost in the bed several times during the night. I asked KC to pick one up during a Target run yesterday, and boy, and I glad I did. I don't think I woke up once during the night (that I remember). Not to turn over or even to go to the bathroom! Now that is saying something. And I'm pretty sure I woke up in the same position I started in. And there is no way this pillow can get lost between the sheets. With that and unisom, I'm bound to have sweet dreams. Thanks heavens for this new addition to my bed!

And to answer your comment/question Matty, I think you are right on with the angles. Sitting straight up would defeat the purpose of what I need, so they say to stay as horizontal as I can be most of the time. But they did say a recliner is okay. I like that idea. The doctor also told me yesterday that some people float around in their pool all day. How great would that be?

Oh, and no contractions this morning during monitoring! I always like to hear that.

Typing horizontally is not so easy.

Thank you everyone for you encouragement and well wishes. You guys are great! Here's the update.

So, we saw the doctor again today. The verdict is that the bedrest and meds are working and keeping me stable, which is good news. I was having nightmares that things were going to look worse. They didn't look much better, but definitely not worse. We are not in a bad situation, just trying to avoid one, which is very different. And during the appointment, the babies were as active as ever. My stomach is really creepy sometimes when we watch them moving. Mostly he girl. She was quite the spaz this morning, but I love her for it. I was relieved that the are all looking great.

The past few days of monitoring have been pretty good. Most of the time my contraction count is quite low, 0-2, and sometimes when I have a few more, my nurse, who calls me at least twice a day when I send in my monitor data, will have me administer a demand dose of meds to calm everything down. It usually does the trick. It's hard to distinguish between uterine irritability, and contractions sometimes, because they move so much, but I am getting better at it.

As far as life on bedrest goes, it's not so bad yet. We've been offered lots of help from our kind friends, and even dinners have been arranged. I'm so grateful for the thoughtful people we know, and I think KC is even more full of gratitude. We have a new system so he doesn't have to come home from work every day, though he does have to leave a little later, and possibly go in on some nights. He packs me big cooler full of lunch and snacks, and it's been working great. He is always running around getting things done, and he has a beard to prove how busy he has been. But you'd never hear a complaint from him. His priorities are me and the babies, and I am truly amazed at his patience and willingness to do whatever is asked or required of him. Here is how me set me up yesterday before he was off to work. with books to read and things to do (never mind the rest of the mess in the room.). And here is what my lovely day of food looked like. He always switches up my sandwich a little to make it interesting. What a guy.

And just in case you are curious, here is my 23 week picture. No make-up or hair-doing for me most days, so no making fun. The doctor said I'm measuring at about 35 weeks. Ha! And, the waiting is over on the stretch mark front. I'm seeing the beginnings of them now. I knew it was inevitable. Hey, any indication that they are growing is fine by me.

Here's to another couple months of bedrest, monitoring, tubes hanging from my body, counting fetal movements, weekly doctor visits, and cooler meals! We'll make it. The babies are worth every second.

Also, I didn't realize the irony of watching the Three Amigos until Whitney's comment in the last post. It was quite fitting, don't you think? Now I'm watching Bleak House. I'm sure I could find some irony there as well.

It was bound to happen.

We were expecting this at some point during the pregnancy, but not quite this soon. I went in for a routine check up on Wednesday, and found out I had been having a lot of contractions. I had suspected that, but wasn't quite sure, so I was glad this appointment as coming up to figure it out. The good news is that the babies all look great, though one of the boys is a few ounces behind the others (we are hoping he catches up by the next time we take measurements, or at least doesn't get too far behind). But the not so good news is that they did see signs of possible preterm labor, but we are catching it early enough to do something about it. The doctor did make it seem like this is par of the course when it comes to higher order multiples, and all we have to do is stop the contractions to keep the babies in as long as possible. So things are starting to change a little.

First the doctor mentioned starting me on "the pump" as he put it. Apparently, a nurse comes to the house, inserts a tiny tube into my leg or my abdomen (much like an IV) and that tube has a small computer attached to it that gives me continuous medication to prevent contractions. He would also like me to have a Home Uterine Activity Monitor so it can make sure everything is calm, and it will also alert my nurse if the contractions are coming too quickly. It's normal to have some contractions, just not too many, so they are hoping to slow them down a lot, if not stopping them altogether for at least the next couple months.

Of course that seemed like a lot of information, and I was getting a little overwhelmed. But again, they seemed like this was pretty routine, and this is why I am seeing them as often as I am. They reassured me that with these treatments, they are very successful in lengthening the pregnancy with healthy babies in the end. We are praying for that.

Oh, and they told me, strict bedrest until my next appointment which was next Thursday, but has been changed to Tuesday, thank goodness. That's right, shower, and bathroom breaks only, but otherwise, lying horizontally until further notice. They said things could possibly normalize and I might be back on my feet soon, but there is also a possibility that I stay in this achy position for the duration of the pregnancy, which we are hoping desperately that that is still 10 weeks away, at least. Since I was given instruction to stay in bed/on the couch, we've had to get creative with my meals and snacks, since I still need them pretty often to avoid feeling a little queasy. Sweet KC gets me breakfast, stashes me up with a bunch of mid-morning stuff to munch on, and comes home for lunch everyday to make me something, and supply me with afternoon snacks. Sometimes I even keep a cooler by the bed for things that need to be kept cold. It's just what we have to do right now, and we'll get used to it, I'm sure. (Even though I feel bad that he has to take on so many new responsibilities, my selfish and lonely self really loves him being home so often.) He has also been great to prepare dinners. Since it's the weekend, I feel like we can really prepare with grocery lists and meal ideas, and get things under control since it seems like we've been scrambling a little as we get into this bedrest mode. I'm sure we'll get the hang of it.

So that all started on Wednesday, and since then quite a lot has taken place. I have been on the phone with several different people, mostly people from the company that supplies the equipment, Alere, trying to get this pump/monitor stuff worked out. My nurse Elise, who is awesome, has also been on the phone with all of the same people for the past couple days. Everything was supposed to arrive along with a nurse by Thursday at the latest, but leave it to insurance to make things complicated. Apparently, they will only cover the treatment for about a month, and then we'd have to start paying out of pocket, which will be like $250/day. Yikes! Like I said, we want AT LEAST another 10 weeks of this pregnancy, and we need that money for the babies, so we didn't like this. The company that supplies the gear we need has filed for an appeal to lengthen the coverage and expect to have the results by Monday at the latest. But they didn't seem too optimistic. Elise started talking to their area rep. who didn't like that they were making us make these hard decisions. She advised us to start the therapy, while we wait for the appeal. If it doesn't go through, we might just have to stay in the hospital for the duration of the pregnancy, since they can't deny me hospital stay coverage. Not my idea of fun, but it's all for the babies, so what else can I say? We decided on that plan. In the meantime I have been taking oral Trebutaline. I don't like it at all. It makes m heart race, and my body shake and tremble. I could hardly type, my hands were shaking so bad. But it was slowing the contractions, so that is what matters.

Anyway, yesterday we finally got the okay to start. We got a big delivery of equipment and meds (We thought we were done with this kind of stuff- Ha!), and the nurse arrived at about 4:30. KC came home early so he could see what was going down. The nurse went over everything, including tons of paperwork, and signatures. She taught me how to insert the tube for the pump, since I'll have to change it every 4-5 days. It's a little needle that I inject into my abdomen or thigh. The needle comes out and the little tube holder stays in. The tube that I had primped with the medication that is in the little computer is attached. It is programed to give me medication as I need it, and if I need to, I can make it give me more. I also have to replace the medicine cartridge when it runs out. I'm used to needles in my abdomen, so this was no biggie. Just a little annoying to have tube and small computer hooked up to me for the next 2-3 months. I guess this is what diabetics feel like. (They really drill it into you that this computer is something like $5,000, so I better take really good care of it. There is even a special shower bag for it.) They say the pump has way fewer side effects than the oral medication. I am still shaking, but I am hoping that will go away soon. They said my body will get used to it.

So now, the monitor. It is just like the ones they put on you when they track your contractions at the hospital. I have to do it twice a day, for one hour each time. It is also hooked up to a small computer. There is a button on it for me to push whenever I think I feel a contraction. When the hour is up, we hook the small computer into a bigger contraption that wirelessly sends the data to my Alere nurse, who will call me with the results and tell me whether or not I was right with my contractions. KC usually takes care of all the computer stuff and transferring the data. When I monitored it yesterday, I thought I might've had about 3, and when we talked to them they said that I had possibly only one, and it was hardly relevant. This is great since before the meds, I was counting 6-7/hour. They are okay with 4-6 at the most, but would like there to be none, if possible. If they see a problem in my data, like tons of contractions, they'll either tell me to up the meds, empty my bladder, drink some water, and try again soon, or go to the hospital. Let's hope they stay low. I also take my blood pressure every day after the monitor, and report that to the nurse as well. We did it again this morning, and I had no contractions. I'm liking those results. I can also do an unscheduled monitoring if I feel like things are going awry.

On Tuesday at my appointment, they will have received all the data at my regular doctors office, and see what measure need to be taken. If it looks like it's doing it's job, they will have me continue as I have been doing it. Modern medicine has really helped us out with these babies, hasn't it? We are so grateful for it. We have faith that this will all work out.

Like I said, we knew this could happen one of these day. Needless to say, the pool is now out of the question. Bummer, but a lot of the aches and pains that led me there in the first place were probably due to my contractions. Who knew? Anyway, that was a lot of information, and mostly a brain dump from the last three days. Today, for one of my bedrest activities, I will enjoy The Three Amigos, my latest Netflix rental, and I can't wait. Hey, I gotta get excited about something, right? Oh, and it's nice to finally have KC here all day. I think he likes to play doctor. He's pretty good at it. Maybe I'll show you some pictures of all this stuff soon. Right now, I need to rest.

One happy pregnant girl.

I have been DYING to go swimming lately. During the first few months of pregnancy, it was the last thing on my mind. I just couldn't bare the thought of it with the dizziness and nausea. But, as the weather has heated up, and the nausea has become much better, and my belly has become significantly larger causing lots of joint/back pains etc, swimming seemed like just the thing for me. Not only does weightlessness seem so wonderful, but a little exercise would probably help that pain quite a bit. There is a pool within walking distance, but you have to be a member (which has a 2 year waiting list, and costs WAY too much) to enter. I can go with my friends when they go, and use their guest pass, which they kindly offer every time they go, and have even offered to just go to check me in, even if they aren't going to stay. But I wanted to be a little more independent than that. I was thinking about going to another nearby pool, that is nice because they have both indoor and outdoor pools. With rain being in the forecast all week, I thought I'd try this out. It's about $6.50 to get in, and that didn't seem so bad. I was about to get ready and head there, when I talked to my friend Jan, who asked if I had tried the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex. More specifically, the Aquatic Center.

I am SO glad I talked to her. A while ago I remember her telling me her kids loved it, and it is really inexpensive, and open year-round, but I had never taken the time to look into it. I quickly did a little online research, and knew this was the place for me. The prices are great! For the pool, it's only $5.00 if you want to pay per visit, but I went ahead and got the month pass for a mere 18 bucks. I'm pretty sure that is the best deal around. Also, for a family, it's only $30.00 for the whole month. They don't make you sign contracts, and it's open every day. You can sigh up for a one, three, or six month membership, and there is so much more to this place besides the pool, but that is all I looked into this time. When it's time to work off all this baby weight, I'm looking into the fitness center for sure!

So I took the very quick 10 minute drive to this place and found it very inviting. There's a competition pool, and a kids pool. The kids pool looked pretty awesome with it's mini lazy river, huge water slide, and all kids of splash mechanisms. There was also a ginormous hot tub, which of course I didn't get in, but it sure looked nice.

On the other side there was a lap pool for the more serious swimmers, and a more freestyle pool area where people could choose their own form or water aerobics, and move about as they please. That is where I hing out. I was so giddy to start swimming. So I donned my new bikini, and was all set. (Yes I wore a bikini with my large belly hanging out. I have no shame. My mother-in-law and I saw them on clearance at H&M while she was in town, and we couldn't resist. And the cute cover-ups that were on sale were roomy enough for me as well. Thanks for the prize, Janice. I want to get a lot of swimming out of it before the stretch marks make their grand appearance.)

I was a little self-conscious at first, being at least 20 years younger than the youngest person there, and showing quite a lot more skin, but as soon as I was in the water, and felt every tension released from my body, all my qualms had disappeared, even if I did hear bits and pieces of conversations about colonoscopies, and other topics that might be discussed among this crowd. With my low-impact work-out, I fit right in with the senior citizens, even looking to them for some techniques I should try. I swam for a blissful hour (taking a break to eat my sandwich). And since it's indoor, no sunburns, or sunscreen, which I am very happy about. I even enjoyed the padded benches available for the showers afterward. It's like this place was built just for me and my triplet belly. It was disappointing to get out. It almost felt like the ligaments were straining more than before as I felt the weight come back, but it just makes me look forward to going back even more. Now I know what I've been missing.

I might just make this part of my daily routine. I have a feeling that the movement of the joints, and the exercise to my muscles is going to help immensely with the growing pain I am feeling everyday, and hopefully help me to sleep better too. This place is truly a blessing to me, and I just know my money was very well spent. Area friends, you should come along!

I thought I'd also add, that a friendly lady kindly guessed that I am 8 months along. Ha! I wish!

I feel much better now.

It is just after 10 am and I am just getting up for the day.

Mission accomplished.

Sleep? What's sleep?

Lately, sleep has been more exhausting, than restful. I know what you are all thinking. That this will only prepare me for when the babies come, yadda, yadda, yadda. But hopefully then, when I actually do lie down in my what-I-used-to-think-was-comfortable bed, I may actually feel a tiny bit rested when I wake up. I usually wake up every hour or two during the night, and am pretty frustrated by morning. I think the rapid weight gain, mixed with the absence of exercise, causing pain in my back and my joints, along with the constant use of the bathroom, my tummy growling for food, and the babies saying hello in their funny yet violent ways, has really taken a toll on my REM Cycle. And it also doesn't help that KC was pulling an all-nighter at work last night to finish some overdue projects. I don't like a lonely bed. I've taken unisom for most of my pregnancy, but am trying to lay off it. It doesn't work sometimes anyway. So now I get it when I hear of pregnant people having trouble sleeping. I hear you loud and clear. But it's so true that the silly hardships of pregnancy are nothing compared to the rewards in the end. I'm counting down the days!

So now it is about 6 am, I've been awake since 4:30, ate a bowl of oatmeal, and took half of a unisom, in hopes that I sleep another few hours. Thanks for the venting session, and sorry about my complaints. I just know others out there can relate. And I definitely know it's all a small sacrifice for the little loves in my belly, but sometimes, they just gotta let mommy rest!

Bonker

When I was babysitting a few months back, it was a very common occurrence to be going about our daily activities, and then all of the sudden hear a loud bonking sound over and over coming from the sun room on the side of the house. When I first heard this, I investigated the incessant noise. While walking over to the room, I asked the kids what the noise was. Wade replied without even really looking up from what he was doing, that it was "Bonker", the aptly named red Cardinal that made a daily visit to the window. The kids were used to it, but I was stunned. Every day this poor little bird slammed himself over and over into the glass as if he were determined to get in one of these days. And he never learned his lesson either. This happened almost every time I went to their house, and we always knew when Bonker had arrived. He'd perch on the branch near the window, ram into it, go back to his perch, and do it all over again. Poor little fella.

At our house, we have a similar scenario, but it isn't always the same window or the same bird, as far as I know. But every now and then we hear a loud startling smacking sound on one of our several windows surrounding the house. They have even made me jump at times. I feel so sorry for the little birds, fearing that some of these loud smacks might lead to their doom. There was one rather loud one I remember, and it wasn't until a day or two later that I found this when I opened the blinds.

They must see the reflection of the trees or something, and just think they are having a nice flight, only to get blindsided. When will they learn? It kind of reminds me of this commercial, only it's them getting back at us for all that we put them through with our blasted windows.

A productive couple of days.

While KC's mom was here, we. . .

• Tested some chairs at the La-Z-Boy store. (I'm converted, btw.)
• Went furniture shopping for the nursery.
• Got rid of previously mentioned extra medications.
• Found some deals at the mall, including a couple shirts, and swimwear (I fantasize about the pool these days.)
• Went grocery, and Target shopping.
• Looked at paint samples at home depot. Tried one on our bookshelf. Didn't love it.
• Made kabobs and let KC grill them.
• Bought decided color of paint at home depot, along with a brush, roller, pan, and drop cloth.
• Watched Clifford (the Martin Short version) because Janice had never seen it, and had quite a laugh.
• Took naps.
• Finally bought a dresser for the nursery (also to be painted.)
• Ate some really good Chinese food, and had leftovers for lunch the next day.
• Saw the Air Force Memorial.
• Watched Passengers. Not a bad flick, but pretty predictable.
• Last but not least, gestated. This one I did on my own.(This may seem like a given, but I think it deserved mentioning. Every day is an accomplishment, and is sometimes pretty hard work.)

We were so glad Janice could stop by for a few days on her way home from Boston. She really helped me accomplish some things I've had on my list for a while. KC was pretty busy most of the time, but Janice and I didn't seem to run out of things to do/talk about, with the babies usually being the center of attention. We are planning on seeing a lot more of Janice, and many more family members in the near future, and we can't wait.

Now, I've got furniture to put together, and paint. Hurray, things are finally falling into place. But, as the nursery comes together, it seems that every other room gets neglected and/or cluttered from the stuff being moved from it to make room for the babes. Ah well, one step at a time.

Adios IVF meds!

After our final and successful IVf cycle, we were left with SO many extra medications. In cycles past, my body didn't respond to the lower doses, so we had to use a lot to get my hormones where they wanted them to be. So, my doctor, after he had learned what he thought I needed, ordered accordingly. But for some reason during this last one, my body needed a lot less medication to produce the desired result, leaving us with mentioned extras. So, as I've been cleaning and organizing, I filled a huge back full of our used sharps container filled with those wretched needles, hundreds of unused needles and syringes, and several boxes of unopened meds. A couple days ago, I finally took them to my clinic for others who are in need of some emergency extra meds like we have needed in the past. They have had some on hand to give us in a pinch, so I am glad to be able to pay it forward.


We were so lucky to have some coverage on medications. It was only about $30 per box (which we used about 10 or something per cycle), whereas if you aren't covered, it can be anywhere from $500-$1000 per box. I always felt so bad when I thought of those that weren't covered and had to use so many boxes like we had to sometimes. I think We would've spent another $15,000 without this coverage. So even though procedures weren't covered, meds were, and that as a huge help. So, if my leftovers can help someone save a couple thousand bucks, I would be very happy.


It is strange though, after seeing those things in my house for over a year and a half, it just seemed like part of the decor or something. And now it's just vanished, as if it was never there. I had my own little pharmacy. I even used one of those door organizer pocket things filled with needles, alcohol swabs, bottles of meds, and band aids to make my life easier. It was just our life, and now it's gone. Not that I'm sad about it or anything, it's just a huge milestone. But I am more than ecstatic to replace those spaces with pacifiers, bibs, and tiny socks instead. Sounds like a great trade-off. Out with the old, in with the new.

That was probably the last time I. . .

I've been saying this to myself a lot lately. As my tummy grows, simple tasks have become, well, difficult. Most recently, it has preceded thing like: paint my toenails, carry in all the groceries, or scrub the tub. And I'm sure I am bound to say it about many more things in the coming months. KC is always eager to make up for what I lack. Let's see if I can get him to give me a pedicure one of these days.

So, really this is just an update on some recent happenings. Our life seem pretty ho-hum, on the outside at least. Things are getting pretty wild on the inside. These babies certainly know how to move.The sweethearts can really turn this belly into a circus with all the weird lumps and bumps they create. I have a feeling this part will get crazier by the day, turning it more into a freak show. It's quite entertaining most of the time, except when one presses again my rib cage, or kicks my bladder in the middle of church. The little kicks are starting to look like popcorn popping from under my shirt. I always love it when they say hello, even if it is slightly uncomfortable sometimes.

The July 4th weekend was pretty fun with barbecues on both Friday and Saturday nights. The first was at the Wahlquists who moved from our ward to Virgina a while ago. It was fun to catch up with them and laugh at their rapidly growing little baby. We even got a little Guitar Hero out of it. Thanks guys!

The next was at with group of ward friends . The Stromsdorfers hosted and provided more meat than I ever imagined at a gathering with only 4 couples and their kids. It was all delicious, and it was lovely to sit out on their screened-in deck to enjoy the outdoors without the mosquitoes. The kids were playing in the kiddie pool, while we all chatted and laughed for hours. The weather was perfect, unlike some past 4ths when it's either been raining cats and dogs, or too hot to breath. Some went to enjoy fireworks, but we headed home. I can only handle one event per day in this body. I definitely heard some in the distance from my bed, and I thought of the years to come when I'll take my kids to see them. It isn't the 4th of July without fireworks when you're a kid. And I just want to say that even though the second picture isn't among my favorites for obvious accentuated reasons, I thought I better put it up to laugh at later. It is what others see after all, so I might as well own up to the fact that I look this way, instead of trying to ignore it. It is for my babies, and what's a better reason to get chubby.

Well, I had another appointment yesterday and it's always so nice to hear that things are looking great so far. 20 weeks is quite beyond the halfway point for us, so even though we only have a few more months to go, it still feels like forever before I get to hold the little ones in my arms. But I am glad for the little time we have left so I can get a few more things done. I don't move as quickly these days with pulled muscles, and and aching back, so time is precious.

We were delighted to see the ultrasound in 3-D this time. They are already having little baby mannerisms, and looking so precious. Of course the parents always think there is so much more to pictures than others do, but why not try to see who resembles who, and laugh at their facial expressions, even if we look like crazy, first-time parents while we're doing it. I loved seeing their little fists open and close, and gazing at their perfectly formed little fingers. There are tiny little people inside this belly of mine. It's really insane, if you think about it.

We only got some shots of the girl, and one of the boys. The other guy was facing away from us, but he looks just like the other boy, so you get the idea. Though, his little bum is right in his brother's face. I guess he thought that was good enough.

Here's the boy (with mentioned bum of other boy):

And here's the girlie.

Are we crazy to already be completely in love with these little alien looking creatures?

Thank you Fireflies

Thank you little friends for the light show you put on outside my windows every night. You just might make the miserable east coast summers worth all the sweat, humidity, and mosquitoes. You will be one of the biggest things I miss should we move away from this place someday.

Car seats. . .check!

The other day while I was talking on the phone to Melody, I was distracted by some commotion outside. I was a little miffed when I thought it was just the neighbors making noise. But I soon realized it was a huge UPS truck dropping off three very large packages on my doorstep. This is what I found.

The story of how these came about is a little funny, so I'll share. It started on a day that I felt like we simple MUST start getting on the ball as far as major baby purchases. Since car seats seem to be pretty high up on that list of priorities, we started there. We went to Babies R Us just to get a feel of what we were dealing with. There wasn't much of a variety to choose from, so I quickly glanced and moved on to other baby stuff, thinking we'd just go online to make the purchase. I'd seen car seats before, so it wasn't anything new to me, but KC was in a whole new world. He stayed in that aisle for quite some time pushing buttons, pulling straps, reading specs, lifting so see the difference in weight, and just anything else an engineer can think of when examining car seats for the first time. It hadn't crossed my mind that this was new territory to him. He was quite amazed at this new complex gadget that he'd come across. When he was satisfied with learning all he could, we went home and he started to search online. I was too tired to care about it anymore for that day, so I went to bed thinking we'd made enough progress and we'd work on it some more tomorrow. KC usually joins me a little while later since I retire so early these days. This time it was quite a while later. When I woke up and noticed the time, I asked what he had been doing all night, he responded with, " I now know everything there is to know about car seats." I couldn't help but laugh, but he was serious. He had read every forum, review, and car seat technicians advice he could come across. He found all these car seat crazy people who write on these forums, and as their signature after each entry they include how many kids they have, what kind of car seat they have/had each of them in, and whether they are rear-facing, or front facing, or when they graduated to front facing or seat belt alone, as if it were some huge milestone in their family's life. But of course it is all in acronyms that you are supposed to just know if you are in the car seat forum community. For example : DD born 4/11/05 in FF Pink Sky Britax Frontier. There was one lady who I guess you could call a "car seat purist" who kept her son rear facing for as long as possible (like those people who breastfeed until their kids are five). They usually include pictures, and this kids legs were all Indian style against the seat since he couldn't stretch out. They must've had some ceremony and shed a few tears when they turned him around. Did you know there were people like this out there?

Anyway, KC must've been so entertained that he stuck around those forums to learn as much as he could. Amidst the craziness, there was a lot of good information concerning preemies, and what the hospital technician will require when we take them home in their tiny state. When KC found what he wanted, he looked for deals, and finally found exactly what suited him in model and price. They are actually a new model that have rave reviews. He did a lot more research than I would've thought necessary, but isn't that a dad's job? I let him take the lead where he wants to, saving me the trouble of deciding myself. The bottom like is, they look like they will do their job well, and I can't wait to start using them.

Now, let's just hope they fit in the stroller frame I've finally decided on.

The new me

First of all, where did my belly button go? That's right. 19 weeks, and it's disappearing before my eyes. But that is fine by me because it means the babies are growing everyday. (Seriously, sometimes I see a change from one day to the next.) I had an appointment last Monday, and for some reason I was feeling nervous. I always feel like I'll leave learning some bad news or something. It's hard to let got of that after living that way for so long. But thankfully I left with nothing but good news about the darlings and me. Their heartbeats are all within normal range, and they arms, legs, heads, bellies, and whatever else they look at all seems to measuring right as well. It takes quite some time to do the measurements for three babies, but I enjoyed looking them for about an hour while all the measuring was taking place.They are each weighing 8-9 oz by now, and I am constantly feeling their little kicks and squirms from my ribs to my abdomen. I've been feeling them on the inside for many weeks, but now they are to the point that if I tell KC to come at the right time, he can feel it too. The doctor said that if things continue to look this good, we'll definitely make it to the 33-35 week goal that they have for triplets. I am praying for that. We are over the half-way point for a typical triplet pregnancy, and every time I remember that, I get more and more excited for the coming months. (And it's much easier to be happy and excited without the constant nausea in the way all the time-just now and then these days.) Even though it's easier to have them on the inside, all of this is to have them on the outside, and I can't wait for that day.

Speaking of the absence of nausea, there is hardly a day that I don't take this for granted. This is "the new me" that I speak of in the title. It's so amazing how your whole outlook of life can change without that disgusting cloud hanging over your head. I still have to keep on top of the food, mind you, or else it will sneak in again, but as long as I do, I definitely to feel like myself again (with a big belly, swelling limbs, and back aches of course-but I'll take that any day over feeling constantly sick.) I even made a dinner calendar and stuck by it all week. Even grocery shopping is completely different when you can take something off the shelf without gagging at the thought of eating it. So, I am grateful to be done with that, and happy to move on to getting ready for the arrival of these little ones. And I am here to say, nesting is real. It hit me like a ton of bricks. We are on pack up, put away, throw out, and clean mode in almost every spare moment we have together. Of course I have to take a nap after about an hour of anything really productive, but it's better than nothing. KC is really taking the lead on a lot of the readying responsibilities. Thank the heavens for him.


I've started to make diagrams of the nursery to figure out what we need, and lists of where to get them. Shopping for babies is harder than I thought. Not that I'm that picky, or have anything really special planned, it's just that we need to be on top of things with three coming, making me a little more anxious about the layout, and organization and stuff. But I'm sure everything will be in place soon enough, and we'll finally feel like we are as prepared as we can be. So many decisions, and so little time.

And I am also happy to report that my doctor is happy with my weight, and isn't extremely concerned about me gaining a million pounds (which is what it seems like sometimes). I have gained sufficiently so far, and they think they babies are doing fine. Phew. I mean, it's not like I'm depriving myself or anything. Frequent meals are quite necessary, so I think things will just take care of themselves at this point. I might actually miss this eat-whatever-you-want phase, even though in the earlier weeks I vowed to hate food for the rest of my life. Hormones mess with your head sometimes, wouldn't you say?

Decisions, decisions.

What's been weighing on my mind lately:

• What stroller to get. Whether to get one that costs about $200 that might be crappy, or one that costs $1,000, and hope that it's worth what we paid, and everything in between.
• What car seats to get.
• The layout of the nursery, and all that I want to buy for it not wanting it to be over-crowded, but very functional at the same time.
• What van to get and how much we think we could get for my car (that I love and I am very sad to sell.)
• The invaluable rocking chair that I'll spend hours upon hours in.
• What to put on a registry (seriously, it's kinda hard to know.)
• What extras to buy (bumbos, boppies, swings, bouncers, moses baskets, pack-n-plays, etc.) without having regrets that they just take up space after only being used for a few months.
• How many thousands of dollars all of these things (plus hundreds of other things I haven't mentioned) will cost us.

Normal new parent questions and concerns, right? But that is just what's on my mind TODAY! Everyday something new creeps in and gets jotted down one place or another. And I feel like once I've decided on something and I can finally check it off, I have second thoughts and I'm back at square one. I've heard about a lot of things that have worked for people, or things they swear by, but we're trying to figure out just what we'll need for our unique situation. Who knows, maybe most decisions will have to wait until the babies are here and we can see just what specific needs need to be met. We still have time, but my excitement seems to be hindered by my feelings of unpreparedness, so we better get crackin'.

Bottom line is, these decisions big or small, mean babies are on the way, and that always makes me smile, and sometimes cry at the same time. Lately a song that has been coming into my head lately in "Beautiful Mess" by Diamond Rio (thank you Jonny for introducing me years ago.) And I bet that will be the theme of my life for years to come. I feel like I'm going crazy sometimes, but these babies already have me wrapped around all 30 of their little fingers. I wouldn't have it any other way.

It may be a while before I take a trip like this again.

I just don't see it in the near future, what with three infants in tow. So I am very glad I was able to take this one and enjoy it as much as I could. I had a wonderful time with both families. KC was only there for part of this endeavor. And, of course, in true vacation post fashion, I'll give you a bulleted post describing each day to make it easier on me. It started with KC and me flying from Baltimore to Denver, Colorado.

Friday 6/5 (The Robinson cabin adventures begin.)

• We caught an evening flight, around 5:30. I tell you, flying is quite different when you're pregnant.
  
• We arrived to find Nicole waiting at our terminal. We didn't expect a welcome party. We had dinner together in the airport and later found Camille, our Luggage, and then our rental car and made our way to the cabin that KC's parents had rented in the mountains. (It was WAY past my bedtime, and we were driving some pretty curvy canyon roads in the dark of night, but I made it. Phew!)
  
• We settled in and had a nice night of sleep. KC and I lucked out with our own room.

Saturday 6/6

• We began the beautiful day by looking around the Stanley Hotel, where the view of the valley was great. We also saw the Stanley Steamer museum where we learned a little bit about old steam powered cars.
  
• We packed a cooler and drove through the mountains to the shuttle that took us to Bear Lake, where we walked until we found a nice place on some rocks to sit and have lunch. I even had a little shut-eye there.
  
• While the others hiked another trail, my tired self, and a few others went to see the visitors center. We heard it was covered in snow, and since I was only equipped with flip flops, knowing that anything requiring more than that would be too tiring for me, I was glad I opted out.
  
• While the others took a tram up the mountain, I wasn't feeling quite up to it, so KC and I got some Mexican food, and met up with everyone after.
  
• We had a nice dinner of grilled pork tenderloin, and watched The Muppet Movie and had a good laugh.
  

Sunday 6/7

• The weather was insane. It started to rain and hail so bad you could hardly see the cars in front of you. We got a call from the other car in our party to look at the funnel cloud to our right. Sure enough, it was less than a mile from us. Not a tornado, but the closest I've ever come to anything like one. Pretty fascinating. We heard there were several real tornadoes in the area. I'm glad we didn't cross any of those.
  
• We made it to KC's Aunt Carolyn's house safe and sound, where more relatives joined us, including Grandpa Carlson, and we got to have a little belated birthday celebration with him.
  
• We ate a great dinner, took some family pictures, and played some Boggle, said goodbye to Camille who had to fly out already, and made our way back to the cabin, almost 2 hours away.
  
• We found Nacho Libre on TV and laughed pretty hard, and then I fell right to sleep.

Monday 6/8 (Colorado Adventures end, Utah time begins.)

• KC and I finally went on the tram up the mountain, and enjoyed the gorgeous view, and feeding the friendly chipmunks.
  
• Drove yet again toward Denver, but this time ended up at Grandpa's house. We had lunch with relatives, looked at old pictures of the fam, and made our way to the airport.
  
• KC was heading back to MD and eventually to Orlando for business, and Cisco, my bro-in-law and I were going to Utah. Our terminals were right next to each other, and our flights were scheduled to take off and land at the same time, yet we were on different airlines, and his was delayed, poor guy.
  
• It was a short flight, but the turbulence was never-ending, it seemed like. I was quite relieved to get off that plane.
  
• My mom and Dad picked me up and were amazed at the size of my protruding belly. There was quite an amount of construction and traffic, taking us longer to get to Melody's, than the length of my flight.
  
• Melody had dinner ready, and I got to see the little ones! Julia had grown like a weed, and the baby Gabriel was more darling than I could've imagined.
  
• Matt, Cortnie, Jack, Drew, Julie (who I met for the first time!) Lili, and Jeff also made an appearance. It was so nice to see all these faces. They were kind of shewed, however, at about 9:00 so I could get right to sleep. I'm pretty strict about my 9:30 bet time. Luckily Melody, and Jonny didn't have a problem with that (or maybe they were too nice to admit they didn't).

Tuesday 6/9

• I was up for a while before anyone else, but when Julia woke up, she came to cuddle in my bed for a while. She did that most of the mornings I was there. I wish she would come here and do that every day.
  
• We went to Amber's where we also saw Cami and all their kids. I had to run to a haircut appointment with Amber's neighbor, and then returned to the fam.
  
• We went to lunch at Zuppa's, which is very good, and hung at Amber's some more.
  
• We went back to Melody's (my usual home for my visits to Utah) and she made a delicious dinner. We watched something or other, and went off to bed again. It doesn't take much to exhaust a person in my state. Sounds like an exciting trip, doesn't it? Well it was.
  

Wednesday 6/10

• Like I said in my previous post, I found out about my grandpa's passing while in Colorado, so the funeral was scheduled for today.
  
• We started our drive to Logan, and were again driving through rain. Seems like a reoccurring theme during my whole trip.
  
• We made it in time for the family viewing, where I was able to see my grandpa for the last time, and many faces of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. that I hadn't seen for ages.
  
• We went to Grandma's house for a little lunch (that I desperately needed) before the actual program began. And I am so glad we did because I wouldn't have gone to the house otherwise, and I just love being there.
  
• The funeral was quite memorable. Julia was entertaining us quite a bit with her little dances in the isle and on the front pew. Grandpa loved to see her dance, so Melody let her, and I'm so glad. At one point she spotted me and started saying quite loudly "Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!" I had some silent chuckles over that. I am just so happy that she recognizes me even though we only see each other every 6 months or so.
  
• We all went to the burial sight, where Taps was played and grandma was presented with the flag that covered his casket. One the back of the program was the charming statement, "The casket was selected personally by the occupant who did not believe in burying and expensive box in the ground." That's my grandpa for ya. Always good for a laugh.
  
• We all gathered again for a delicious luncheon lovingly prepared by the relief society. It was so fun to sit and chat with everyone about our memories of this great man.
  

Thursday 6/11

• We got a visit from Bree, Reese and Lindsey, cousins who wouldn't be able to make it to the baby shower my sisters planned for Saturday. They brought the cutest gifts, and we had a great time catching up.
  
• Cami and Amber also dropped by while their kids were at some day camp.
  
• We went to see Matt and Cortnie's new and amazing home. I loved it! You'd have to be millionaire in Maryland to live in such a nice place. Yet, another reason to move.
  
• Not sure much else happened except the usual laughs from Juju. She certainly can entertain an auntie. I could kiss her all day and never get tired of that perfect face. Gabe was also making some priceless faces of his own, and I just loved his little one month old floppiness.

Friday 6/12

• We decided to go out for a little necessary/unnecessary shopping. I was much too successful, and spent too much, but isn't that what vacation is for?
  
• We adults tried to rest, while Julia kept us entertained talking through her entire nap. Well, I was entertained. I don't know if mommy was.
  
• We "painted" with water on the back porch, during which we were laughing to tears at Julia's wit. She's loved taking bites from both of our apples, and trying to also paint my arms and legs. We also had some tramp time with is hilarious because Julia's mane gets even wilder.
  
• Jonny brought home some Chinese food. While we were eating, Julia came in to grace us with poop coming out of her diaper onto the floor. I couldn't stop laughing, but those who were still eating, weren't as amused.
  
• I think we watched a little Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which I love.
  

Saturday 6/13

• We couldn't let a trip go by without Kneaders french toast for breakfast. Mom and dad came back from logan the night before and had Grandma with them, so they, along with Matt, etc, Lili and Jeff all joined us. It was nice to eat two giant pieces of that dense breakfast guilt-free.
  
• We went to my mom's house and tried to rest before the baby shower. Mom decorated for cute with her and my old baby blankets. She set up a cute little table with small dishes and Julia loved making people sit and play with her. She would even "Toast" and she clinked her cup with her guest's. And I may have taught her to fake burp, and love when she does it. I seriously can't stop laughing when she does it. I guess you had to be there.
  
• The shower my sisters planned what so great. I saw so many great friends, and more family. I am still overwhelmed at everyone's generosity and kindness for thinking of us. We are finally starting to feel a little like there will be some babies around here soon with the gear starting to pile up. It was kind of surreal as I would look around thinking that everyone was actually there because I was having some babies. It really is still setting in. If it's possible, I'm even more excited now.
  
• I slept at my mom's house that night since we were all going to gather again on Sunday. I was little bit of a brat, as can sometimes happen when I'm extremely tired, and I want to go to bed hours before anyone else, and on top of that I forgot my unisom. But with dad to the rescue and Walmart a mile away, I took that pill and was asleep in no time. Sorry to the unfortunate people who had to witness my nighttime antics.
  

Sunday 6/14

• Dad made me a delicious grits breakfast like old times, which I loved.
  
• I wasn't planning on church, but with Mom, Dad and Grandma all going, I thought I'd be quite bored home alone. We went only to Sacrament, and it was great to see some friendly faces. This was my old ward after all.
  
• We watched "Once" which my parents hadn't seen yet and loved. I loved it the second time just as much.
  
• The fam came over for a big lasagna dinner. It's always so fun, even if it is a little hectic, when we all get together.
  
• I went back with the Rejholecs.
  

Monday 6/15

• With not many plans we thought we'd make some calls to see what everyone was up to. Cami suggested we go to Thanksgiving Point since she has a pass and could get us all in half price. Mom, Grandma, Corntie, Jack, and Jillian all joined us. It was a gorgeous day, and we loved walking in the beautiful gardens. The kids loved following the map.
• We headed home for Julia's nap time. She probably didn't have a proper one again.
  
• We decided a dinner out was in order, so we Met Jonny at the Olive Garden. Julia is quite hilarious when she eat/licks her lettuce leaves. Gabe slept like a sweetheart the whole time. Such a great baby.
  
• I hate packing when the trip is over, but it had to be done. I was not happy camper.
  

Tuesday 6/16

• I tried to relish in my last moments with Julia for who knows how long. I know I'll see a lot of family in the coming months, bu Juju my love isn't likely to be one of them. It was hard to not break out in tears this whole morning. But of course, Melody and I couldn't hold them back as we said our goodbyes at the park-and-ride where my parents picked me up to take me to the airport.
  
• I got on my flight safe and sound. I know I'll see mom and dad in a few months, so it wasn't so bad so say goodbye to them.
  
• It was a long day of traveling. First to St. Louis, then a 2.5 hour layover, then to Baltimore. I bought a mini dvd player in Utah to keep me occupied, and it really helped. Like I said, flying is not my friend at this point. Although, I tired not to let what was left of my morning sickness get in the way of this trip. With my constant supply of Zofran, I was able to leave with only good memories.
  
• KC was a ray of sunshine at the baggage claim after that long and sad day. I missed him SOOOOOO much. He couldn't believe how my belly had changed in just a week. The most noticeable difference is my belly button rapidly disappearing. Weird.
  
• We looked at pictures, and videos while I narrated my favorite parts of the trip to him.
  
• I'm pretty sure I slept quite well from my long and exhausting day. Back to life, back to reality.
  

So, there are of course more pictures to show, along with some of my favorite videos. I'm going to miss being with Melody all day. We have a dream to live by each other one day. That day will not come soon enough. I'll miss Gabe's newborn smiles, and his little voice he's discovering. I'll miss Julia's kissed, even the wet, slopping, right on the lips ones. I'll miss her calling out for "Mimi" when she wanted me to play with her, or any of her little words and sentences for that matter.

This is Julia being a little monkey. I have about a dozen other videos I want to post, but it's being difficult. This one should tide you over until I upload the others.

"Bountiful, Plentiful, and Adequate."

These are the names my grandpa jokingly gave my babies during one of our last phone conversations. He was driving through Bountiful after one of his hospital visits when I called to tell them the news. He was always good for a laugh, and he was joking until the end. For instance, during one of the daily phone calls to my mom, (she spent several weeks helping take care of him in Logan during his last days) she was in his room doing this or that, so I routinely asked how he was. She had the phone on speaker, and he said that he was doing fine, and had a great time celebrating his birthday yesterday. This happened to be one of my sickest days, so I hadn't remembered. I jumped and gave him a hearty "Happy Birthday!" To which he said sarcastically, "Thanks for remembering", with a little laugh that followed I'm sure. He would've laughed heartily as he used to, if he'd had the strength. But the fact that he said he was "fine" when I know he probably wasn't, says so much about him. He always saw the glass as overflowing.

My Grandpa Scott passed away on Saturday June 6 2009, just a couple of days before I had scheduled a visit. I got the news while in the Colorado Rockies with my in-laws where there was hardly any cell phone signal. I guess my Dad was inspired to call at the exact right moment so I could find out. He had been suffering from cancer for the past 2 years or so, and it had worsened significantly in the last few months. I remember when I heard that he was given an estimated 2-5 years left to live. It was hard news to take, especially when it was about someone who I love and admire so much. It always seemed like my grandpa would live forever with his ultra-healthy lifestyle, and great physical shape. But, other plans were in the works. I do feel incredibly blessed to happen to be in Utah the exact week that the funeral was taking place. I would've been so sad to have missed it. Which likely would've happened if it was at any other time.

It was one of those funerals where you laugh while you're crying, and the memories came flooding back. My grandpa certainly gave all of his grandchildren a childhood to remember. He gave us a one dollar bill every time we saw him, a birthday check in the amount of our age every year without fail (keep in mind, he has a LOT of grandchildren), random trips to the store where he would declare that we could pick out anything we wanted, exciting Christmas gifts (one that comes to mind was a high powered microscope that I cherished), a prize cabinet in his house that we got to choose from every time we would visit, a pack of clove flavored gum, or endless cans of pop whenever we wanted, and there aren't too many kids that can say that their grandpa took them for rides in his very own little airplane. If I was without sunglasses, he had a spare, if I didn't know the time, he'd find a watch for me. He was a true magician in my eyes, and I couldn't be more proud to call him my grandpa.

I have so many special memories, but I'll only name a couple:

Years ago, when I was probably 10 or so, they were visiting for the 4th of July I think. (It could've been another summer holiday, but it's doesn't really matter.) Most of the family, including Grandma, had gone to run, or support the runners, in an annual race. I was feeling under the weather, and remember lying on the floor in the living room. Grandpa was reading the paper as usual, and then folded it up and asked if I would like to go for a ride on the new tandem bike that my parents had just bought. Feeling like fresh air would do me good, I jumped up. He led the way, and we rode that bike all over. I was amazed when we ended up at the grocery store that was about 5 miles away. As a kid, that distance seemed like quite a feat on a bike, since I had only been there by car. He let me pick out a doughnut and chocolate milk, and he got some breakfast for himself. We rode to the park where there was a large pond with a trail around it and through the rest of the park. We rode until we found a picnic table, and ate together. I remember as we rode, that I would sometimes close my eyes since he was doing the steering, and just take deep breaths as the wind blew on my face. All the feeling of sickness I had that morning magically disappeared while I was on the road with him. How sweet of him to take a young grandchild on such an adventure just for the fun of it. He never said no to an adventure.

When I decided to attend USU after high school, I was pretty excited for the changes that were to take place. That excitement quickly turned to depression for some reason, as I realized that this college experience wasn't quite what I had expected. I would cry every day wondering why I was so unhappy and felt completely alone. One day as I was overlooking the valley, I spotted part of my Grandparents' house next to the Logan River. It immediately hit me that I wasn't so alone there after all. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. I didn't have a car yet, but my mom told my grandma of my struggles, and she offered to come pick me up and take me to dinner with them at a fun restaurant in the canyon. From that point on, I was with them at least every other day for dinner out or in, food network watching, playing Upwords or other games (I won once, which is kind of a miracle when playing with geniuses like my grandpa), to work out in their exercise room, do laundry, or even to sleep there on the weekend so I didn't have to feel cramped in my dorm all the time. It felt like a warm haven. Once I was talking to them about how my roommates were probably so sick of my taking up the tv with all the food network I was watching, and by the time I left that night, grandpa had a little spare tv, and a set of headphones for me to use as long as I'd like. I felt on top of the world with the freedom of my own television. Another time when I was there for dinner, Grandpa had made us a special stir fry that I remember loving. As he served my plate, he said kind of quietly, "Emeril's got nothin' on me." I'd rather eat his food than Emeril's any day. Since that short, but very influential time when I lived in Logan, I usually refer to my grandparents as my college buddies, though I did make a few good friends while I was there. When I decided to go to culinary school, they were so excited for me, and Grandpa even offered to drive the cross country trip with me, saying it would be fun. I didn't take him up on that, feeling like I was already a burden being with them as much as I was, but I'm sure we would've made quite a few good memories on that voyage.

One more. At my wedding dinner, guests were invited to take the mic and say a few words about either of us. I'm am thanking the heavens that KC's friend Nate has the entire thing on video because he and my grandma both stood up, when I really didn't expect them to. Especially Grandpa who seems to be more of a listener when there is a crowd. I remember when he stood up, I was amazed and honored, and hung on to every word.

Oh, there is so much to say, but I have to stop somewhere. I am so glad he started a blog. It was always such a learning experience when I read what he had to say. I kept a few posts unread so I could have something to read when he passed on. I guess I'll have to get to those now. He was always so delighted to get comments, and would even email a little thank you note for them occasionally. And it's no surprise that his final post was about hope. He was a man of great faith, a true example to me during difficult times. While I've lived far away, we've kept quite a little email correspondence going and I've loved reading through all those. I sent an actual letter a while ago after I got to see them in January. He wrote an email in return and my grandma informed me that he taped this picture I sent of KC, him, and me to the lamp on him desk. She wanted to put it somewhere else where she could see it more, but he wanted it right where he put it. He led an incredible life. My mom wrote the life sketch that she read at the funeral, and I'm going to post it as soon as she emails it to me. It's so amazing, all that he's accomplished.

I was able to spend a lot of time with my beautiful grandma while in Utah since she was staying with my parents post-funeral. She is so brave. I can't believe how she keeps a smile on her face. She constantly had her journal out writing quotes and memories of grandpa, sometimes weeping as she did. But she has such a great way of mourning in happiness. Even as a widow, she dresses in all the colors of the rainbow, and puts a flower in her gorgeous curly hair. She even wore red shoes to the funeral. She is a great example as well. She has heartily volunteered to help with the triplets when they are born, and I couldn't be happier to welcome her into my home and learn from her.

I have another post in the works about my entire trip out west, but this has been on my mind so much, that I couldn't let another day got by without writing it down. I miss you and love you everyday Grandpa. Take care of my little ones until they are ready for me. I will be sure to tell them everything there is to know about you. (For more great pictures, go here.)

This time, they showed us the goods. . .

and it looks like we are having identical twin boys!

I may be biased, but I am pretty sure girl, boy, boy triplets might just be the best combination. Yeah, we're pretty excited.

The latest

So I guess this blog is non-stop about the babies, but with my life and my body revolving around them, there isn't much else to blog about. But now that I'm starting to feel significantly better (I hesitate to say that because it always gets worse the day after I do), maybe I'll get out more and have more to say about the world around me, instead of just inside of me.

So, back to the little ones. They are certainly growing, and my belly is here to prove it. And so do the ultrasounds that show us how much they look like people these days. We had one on Thursday, and I was dying to find out just what kinds of babies we need to prepare for. Since I was almost 15 weeks at the time, and we read and heard from many people that it is possible to see at 14 weeks, we thought this would be the day. I asked the technician, and she was very blunt in telling us that she has NO way of seeing that yet and she needs at least another four weeks. I tried to stay polite, and told her that my nurse simply told me to ask this time, because it might be possible. And she basically said, sorry sister, that ain't happening. I think she was just lazy, and didn't feel like looking around. It kind of made me look stupid and naive, but I was only going by what the facts say. She was a different tech than we have had the past couple times. I liked the other one better. This one was little too, um, businesslike, for me. Luckily, the doctor was coming in next.

We have met two of the four doctors in the team, and I like them both. When he came in, I was still festering a little at not knowing what the genders were, and I told him that we were hoping to find out today. He promptly told us we'd take a look. He was so kind to just take his time, and let us see the babies plenty more than the tech did. He said he was even being entertained, making up captions for the little actions they were doing as he went along. He started with the singleton. That little one had enough room to do all kinds of flipping around, and with his educated eye, he concluded that we have a girl! Here she is!

It took a second, and then I realized what he said. A little playmate for me, and a daughter for KC to play his ukulele to. I shed a couple tears as he was looking at the others, just thinking about a little girl in our family. I can't wait to start collecting bows, dollies, and tutus.

Just how many bows dollies and tutus, we don't know yet. You see, the others were so snug, that there was no way they would budge to show us the details. We only had to see one of them to know both, but as much as they were moving about, they were covered up right where is counts. So maybe next time. Identical boys, or two more girls? Who knows. Either combo sounds great to us.

My body is changing at such a rapid rate that I'm amazed, even though this is my first and I don't know any different. I feel like people are now really starting to notice and it's apparent that I'm pregnant, and not just gaining weight. People at church stop me every week and ask about it. When they find out it's triplets, they either seem very excited, or immediately start praying for us. I understand now how the world is a little different with a big protrusion hanging off your body. We got a full dose of that reality last week when we went to get sushi. We walked into the restaurant, only to be greeted by the hosted in her sweet Japanese accent saying, "Wow, very pregnant!" I was only 14 weeks people. And I'm already getting stares. I just smiled and thought to myself, she has no idea just how pregnant I am going to get in the months to come. This should be interesting.

Also, I should make a couple things clear about the whole weight gain thing. I appreciate all the comments and reassurances, but I think what people don't realize is that we are probably only going to make it to 33-35 weeks, depriving us of those crucial last weeks when the babies seem to gain the most weight. That is why we can't rely on the fact that they'll gain the most at the end, and that is why early weight gain is key for a multiple pregnancy. When they get bigger, and need more food than they do now, my stomach will be tiny, and I won't be able to eat enough to provide all they need. So they won't be able to gain as much weight as possible unless I pack it on. I am trying to gain now, so they have a storage to grab from when I can't provide it from the food I am taking in. Does that make sense? It's a whole different ball game, this triplet thing. But we take it a day at a time, and I'm happy to say that things couldn't look better according to the doctor. It's always a relief to hear that. Hopefully it stays that way.

Packin' on the pounds.

So, apparently I have to gain some weight. A lot of it, actually. We are reading this book to make sure we do everything we can to keep these babies in as long as possible, and get them as big as possible before their blessed arrival. Well, I should say KC is doing most of the reading and relaying all the most important points to me. It's quite nice.


But I tell you, it is really something when your husband is constantly telling you, insisting rather, that you need to eat more, and gain more weight. I guess the chapter on proper weight gain was an eye opener to him, and now he is bound and determined to help me gain the recommended 50-60 lbs! Yikes, those numbers scare me. Of course, I was in denial when I first heard that that is what is recommend for a triplet pregnancy. I'm not really one who is accustomed to eating a lot. Before I was pregnant, I was very aware of when I was full, and was content to stop there. Of course now I can, well have to eat quite a bit more. Actually, I'm amazed at how much I can pack away. But honestly, 50-60 lbs? The more KC reads about how much the weight gain influences healthier birth weights of babies, the more he monitors and makes sure I eat often, and eat the right things, because it is pretty hard to do this myself. I get so full so fast, and sometimes, food is just torture. He sometimes coaches me through every bite if he has to, and provides positive reinforcement when I've eaten to his satisfaction. I really can't complain about this guy. Who doesn't want a husband that tells you that he'd like to see you gain weight?


Hopefully soon, I'll be taking in those extra calories like it's nobodies business, and it won't be hard to put on the extra pounds. Who knows, maybe I'll gain more that recommended amount by, um, accident. But just remember people, when you see the whale of a person that I will become, just remember that it's the doctor's orders, and it WILL come off when I know these babies are here safe and sound, and I have control of this body again. Working out seems like such a luxury right now, since I have been told to even stay off the elliptical. I am only aloud light walking and swimming, until further notice, when they might take those privileges away as well. I never thought I would miss my workout so much. But again, eating as much as I want, sans exercise seems like a dream right? I better enjoy it while it lasts.


Right now, while they are small, I guess they don't need all the extra calories and weight that I am putting on (seriously, my behind gets bigger every day). But it helps to know that I am building up a fat storage for when they need more than I can provide. Hopefully they will eat this body out of house and home, and leave me with just a little to work off. I can dream, can't I? I just keep telling myself that that is such a short time in the long scheme of things, and my babies deserve my undivided attention right now. Even if it means putting my pride aside, concentrating on every bite, and becoming a very large person for a time. That frame of mind took some getting used to, but I think I have finally decided to embrace the changes that my body is going through. I might never do this pregnancy thing again. I might as well enjoy the perks now.

As productive as I can be.

So, we didn't do much as far as holiday festivities, but I do feel like we got a lot done on the house. I'm trying to consider that a success, even though a lot of it has been undone by now. And the fact that I can only do about 30 minutes of anything before a pounding headache kicks in, or I'm just plain out of breath. Or, of course, I have to eat. So that I was able to vacuum, deep clean the kitchen, start cleaning out the closet in the soon-to-be nursery, finish my book, and throw some laundry in, sounds like a great weekend to me. KC did a ton of work inside and outside, including giving my car a good inside cleaning. Gotta love him. So, until my 2nd trimester energy kicks in (if that ever happens), I'm calling it productive, and I'm quite proud. But I have to say, the best part of the weekend was having this view from my horizontal position on the couch, instead of the usual lonely one when I stare at the computer most of the day.

Oh, and just to update you on my scary eye, it now looks like this.

Or this when I'm looking at you.

I guess it's the kind of thing that looks worse as it gets better. It surprises me every time I look in the mirror since I don't have any associated pain and I forget. I was reading up and it looks like I'm going to have this bad boy for another couple weeks or so. I hope I don't scare any little kids in the mean time.