I had another doctor's visit today. I usually alternate the weeks I see my doctors, but next week my doctor will be out for spring break with his family. Everyone thought it best if I saw him before he went out of town. He had a great report for me. Everything is holding steady and I gain 3 more pounds! Here are more cute ultrasound pics of the babies:
You can see all three heads in this picture.
B is in the middle of the picutre, A is on the bottom right next to B, and C is above A.
Baby A with his mouth open. We watched him drinking the fluid.
The tech at the Specialist's office mentioned at my last visit how she wanted to meet Ben. Since my visit was scheduled for eight o'clock this morning, I took him with me. Ben was excited to go see his babies at the doctor. He sat beside me on the table and watched his babies on the screen. He grinned with joy as we pointed out where their heads, bellies, legs, and arms. He even waved at each baby to tell them hi! When we got to Baby C, Ben waved and then we watched as the baby opened and closed his tiny little hand like he was waving back at Ben. I have never seen something more precious in my life!
The babies seem to really be growing. They are looking a little more cramped than they have been past few weeks and this is only the beginning...
Baby A looking at us with his hand by his face.
You can also see Baby B's head to the left of the picture showing you just how close they are together.
Baby B looking a little more cramped. His legs are up and you can see two little feet.
You can see Baby A's head on the right of the picture.
Baby C's profile! He is up very close to my ribs.
It's only a matter of time before his long legs are kick them.
Baby C might take after his mommy and be a thumb sucker....
I'm now at 18 weeks. That's half way to my goal of 36 weeks! I have felt so much better these past couple weeks. My appetite is coming back, which is a good thing because I really need to gain some weight for the babies. I've even had a sweet tooth this week! I cannot believe the difference in the size of my belly in just 2 weeks! See for yourself....
How far along: 18 Weeks
Weight gain/loss: gained 2 lbs. Net weight gained: 4 lbs.
Maternity clothes: Yes
Sleep: Good
Best moment this week: Derek sold the Honda Civic for full asking price within 24 hours of posting it on Autotrader.com. Now we are on the search for vehicle to accommodate our growing family.
Miss Anything? No, I am enjoying being pregnant.
Movement: The occasional moment.
Food cravings: My appetite is increasing!! I have eaten lots of Chic-fil-a nuggets and brownies (topped with peanut butter) compliments of the law firms who brought lunch to Derek's office this week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Yes, I still get sick occasionally.
Have you started to show yet? Yes, I can't believe how much my belly has grown in 2 weeks!
Gender prediction: Boy, Boy, Boy!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Weekly Wisdom:
Looking forward to: Taking Ben to my doctor's visit to see the babies.
I made it through all three consignment sales. I made the biggest dent in my list at the last sale I went to in Chattanooga. I owe a big thanks to my sister-in-law, Jennifer, for helping me at the sale. She pre-shopped for me on Thursday by browsing the items that had already been dropped off and taking pictures of the items on my list so I could see them. She was able to shop on Friday, so along with shopping for her own boys she found me a double stoller for $40, 2 bouncy seats, a travel swing, a boppie with two covers, 3 new carseat sugglers for $5 each, and a space saver high chair. She was also able to find me a 10:00am pass for Saturday that allowed me to get an early pick on the merchandise. Since she had taken on the big items, I was able to focus on clothes for the babies, Ben, and maternity clothes for myself. After an hour and a half of shopping, I was exhausted! Thank you Jennifer for all your time and effort to help me. I couldn't have done it without you!
My modified list of large item Baby needs looks like this:
3 -Snugride 22 carseats with bases
1 -Graco double stroller
2 -space saver high chairs
2 -Bumbos and trays
1 -Baby K'tan double infant sling
3 -mini convertable cribs and mattresses
2 -changing tables
1 -mini fridge to store pre-made bottles in the nursery for easy access
1 -regular fridge to put in the garage
1- vehicle that will hold 2 double strollers+ and easy access to load four carseats :)
Baby items are slowly overtaking our house. I remember thinking how much stuff we acquired for one baby. I can't imagine what our house will look like with baby items for 3! Ben has enjoyed playing with and figuring out how to make the baby apparatuses turn on, light up, and play music. He has played with them everyday since I brought them home Saturday. I think he will be a great helper by by being able to turn them on and off for the babies. We have also practiced how to gently bounce his stuffed animals in the bouncy seats. Here is a video of him checking them out for the first time:
It was so nice to have Derek home this weekend. Ben, Maynard, and I have all missed him the past two weeks he has been out of town. He came home to a clean house and a home cooked meal, not because of me, but because his parents and Nannie came down Thursday morning and cleaned the house, worked in the yard, entertained Ben, went grocery shopping, and cooked a steak dinner for Derek's return. They went home a couple hours after Derek arrived. I don't know what I would do without their help.
On Saturday, we wanted to make the most of our time together and enjoy the beautiful weather. We took Ben to Big Spring Park downtown to feed the ducks and fish. He had a blast! For dinner, we went to the pizza place beside the park. We were able to sit outside on the patio and continue to watch the ducks while we enjoyed our delicious salad and pizza. To complete the night, we headed to the NCAA division II basketball tournament to watch UAH men's basketball team. Ben had a great time cheering for the team, eating popcorn, and enjoying a sucker. Thanks to Derek's friend for giving us great tickets (half court, 3rd row)!
Did you see me Mommy?
The bird was a little too close for my comfort, but Ben enjoyed feeding him.
Raring back to throw the food.
Derek was adamant that he was not leaving until Tuesday morning to return back to Columbus, GA. He had to finish an audit, but he wanted to go to my doctor's appointment Monday morning. He missed two appointments while he was out of town and it was killing him to not go see his babies on the ultrasounds for himself. Monday night I was able to "cook" him one another home cooked meal before he left compliments of a great friend who brought two casseroles over earlier in the weekend. I am looking forward to him being home for good after this week.
I'm now 17 weeks and measuring 30 weeks. This past week I have really started showing. Many of my friends who see me consistently could not believe the difference they saw in a week or just a few days time. Everyone is telling me that I now look like I am pregnant.
I have also started feeling better. My energy has picked up, but I still tired easily. I rest everyday while Ben takes his nap. I am no longer constantly nauseous. That began to let up during the 14th week. I still get sick occasionally (about once a day), but I'll take that over being constantly nauseous any day. As with my pregnancy with Ben, my heartburn has returned. I can only hope this means that I will have three little boys with a heads full of hair just as Ben did.
Ben just 24 hours old. Check out that full head of dark hair he was born with!
(Forgive me! I had to slip in one of my favorite pictures of Ben.)
The doctor had nothing but a great report for me again. My blood pressure is great and holding steady. My cervix continues to look good. This is one major thing they are monitoring closely at both doctors' offices because cervix incompetence is very common in multiple pregnancies. I also gained two more pounds since the last visit bringing me to a total of four pounds gained during this pregnancy! The the doctors words were "Keep doing what you're doing. You're doing great!"
I get a kick out of the nurses and ultrasound techs' behavior at the office. They are all very interested in my progress and ultrasounds. Two weeks ago a nurse asked if she could come in and watch during my ultrasound because she had never seen a triplet ultrasound. This week I had not one, but two techs in the room. Dana, the tech that told us we were having triplets has followed our pregnancy very closely. If she doesn't do the ultrasound, she comes and asks to see the pictures. This week she was not scheduled for my ultrasound, but she wanted to be in the room so she could help confirm their genders. Two weeks ago, she thought their might be a chance that Baby A was a girl. I think she was disappointed to see that Baby A is clearly a boy. Derek and I on the other hand are still very thrilled to be having three boys!
I went to the Specialist today. The babies are all doing great. I love watching the ultrasoulds as they move around. I watched one baby reach up and scatch his face with his hand and another opening and closing his mouth. They have also grown so big that they are beginning to bump into each other. The tech was able to get some really good 3D pictures as well as the "potty" shots to determine the genders of all three. It's official! I'm a boy mom. I will be queen of the house! Even our dog, Maynard, is a boy. I couldn't be happier to have a house full of boys! I will have new ultrasound pictures every week because now will be seeing both doctors every two weeks, but on alternating weeks. They want to keep a close eye on me and babies.
Baby A "potty" shot
Baby B "potty" shot
Baby C "potty" shot
Sweet Baby A with his hand by his head
Sweet Baby B's face- look closely and you can see the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Sweet Baby C's profile with his hand at his mouth. It was difficult to get a clear 3D picture.
I am at the half way point of the average triplet pregnancy of 32 weeks but, my goal is to make it to 36 weeks! Here are my belly shots from this week. There is definitely a difference from two weeks ago. I decided to start adding a front view shot to document how wide my belly gets as well.
How far along: 16 Weeks
Weight gain/loss: gained 2 lbs. Net weight gained: 2 lbs.
Maternity clothes: Yes, mostly.
Sleep: Good
Best moment this week: Attending Cove Church Women's Retreat on Saturday.
Miss Anything? Derek, he's been out of town for work.
Movement: A few little flutters and movements!
Food cravings: I don't crave anything. It's more about what I can stand to eat, which is Boost High Protein shakes, cheese pizza, fruit, milkshakes, Luna Protein bars, crackers, breads, and fruit.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Yes, I'm still getting sick. :( Peanut Butter and I love peanut butter and waiting too long in between eating (I try to eat every 2 hours).
Have you started to show yet? Yes
Gender prediction: Boy, Boy, Boy!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Weekly Wisdom: Accept help when others offer even when it's hard to.
Looking forward to: Consignment sale shopping!
It's consignment sale time and this soon to be mom of four is hitting as many as she can. Usually I only go to one consignment sale a season to buy clothes, shoes, and maybe a toy or two for Ben, but this year I have a lot more planning to do. I plan to go to at least three sales. One I have already attended and bought a few summer clothes and shoes for Ben along with a few newborn sleepers. I caught myself buying gowns because the thought of snapping three sets of pj's at every diaper change did not sound efficient, especially in the middle of the night. I was able to find one very cute premie sleeper that I had to buy. Ben was in newborn clothes for a little less than a month, so the thought of little babies is a totally new idea to me. The next sale I am planning to go to is the Huntsville Moms of Multiples sale also known as MoMsMart. I am so excited about this one! I hope to find some great tools and some cute matching outfits. The last sale I am planning to go to is in Chattanooga thanks to my wonderful sister in law who gives me her extra pass. I thought I would share my shopping list because it makes me laugh to see it.
The Shopping List
2 Twin strollers that hold infant car seats (Ben loves to ride in the stroller)
2-3 infant car seats (Ben's is really heavy and with 3 to lug around I would like light weight seats)
2 Boppies and extra covers
2 bouncy seats
1-2 travel swings
3 space saver high chairs
2 Bumbos and trays
Baby K'tan double infant sling
Newborn and Premie sleepers/clothes
Although this list is mostly big ticket items, I will also have my eye out for good deals on smaller items. Wish me Luck!
