Doctor Visit 24 Weeks

Starting this week, I will see my OB once a week.  He gave me a good report.  Last week I measured 35 weeks and this week I am mesuring 38 weeks.  I cannot believe I almost look full term at only 24 weeks!  I gained 3 more pounds since last week for a total of 25 lbs for the pregnancy.  My cervix is still measuring above the danger zone at 2.8, a little drop from last week, but he wasn't concerned.  He also prescribed a steriod shot to help develop the babies lungs, since they will be born premature.  However, he is still hopeful that I will make it until at least 32 weeks or even longer. 

The best part of the visit, as always, was the ultrasound.  Today, a consultant from GE was there during my appointment.  She was giving the tech tips on how to use their new 4D ultrasound machine (they just got it in January) more effectively and how to get better images.  It was my lucky day!  They were able to get neat images of all three at once on 4D!  In one of the pictures you are able to see how all three are placed in the womb, although you can not see every baby clearly. The tech also focused on Baby B since he was cooperating and we have not been able to get as many pictures of him. 

All three of their heads in one image.  I'm not sure which one is which, sorry!

3D image of all 3 boys. 
Baby B is the the face you see on the right side towards the middle. 
Baby A is head down (where the black spot is) to the left of Baby B. 
Baby C is on top of Babies A & B, but is hard to make out.

Baby B showing his sweet face today!

Baby B again with his hands up by his face.
You can also see Baby A's head to the left of Baby B's.

Revised Needs List

Many people have asked me what I still need for the triplets.  Shopping for three babies is definitely more difficult than one.  I have to thank my friends who have been watching out for me when they shop, whether at bargain stores, ebay, Craigslist, or local consignment stores. Since I have been on bedrest, several friends have picked up items and delivered them to me. I don't know what I would do without great friends. Below is my revised list:

2 -Snugride 30 car seats with bases (found one brand new for $58-tax included and it coordinated with the strollers, Thanks Casey for the tip!)
3 -mini convertible cribs
2 -changing tables
1 -regular fridge to put in the garage
1- vehicle that will hold 2 double strollers+ and easy access to load four car seats :)

 1-Graco double stroller  (Thanks Holly for your help!) Bought 2 used Graco Quattro Tour Duo strollers for total of $130 and they are coordinating colors!
2 -Bumbos and trays (Thanks Holly for your help!)
1 -Baby K'tan infant sling (found brand new for $20, Thanks Casey for the tip!)
1 -mini fridge to store pre-made bottles in the nursery for easy access (Thanks Sara!)
2- mini crib mattresses (Thanks Pam for your help finding one at a consignment sale!) (I love ebay!)
2 -space saver high chair with cloth seat (Thanks Sara!  Thanks Jimmy! for the great gifts!)

Graco Snugride 30 in Forecaster (The one I bought)
The strollers also have brown, orangish red, and gray.

A Day With Thomas the Train!

  This weekend we planned to take Ben to see Thomas the Train for his birthday.  I knew when I bought the tickets a couple months back that there was a possibility that I might not be able to go. I spent the weekend resting at home. Derek took Ben and Papa Daniel (Derek's Dad) went in my place. Fortunately, we came to find out that he really wanted to go, so it all worked out in the end. Some of our friends from Huntsville were also able to go. They had a great time exploring the trains, going to the petting zoo, eating ice cream, and taking a train ride with Thomas.

Seeing Thomas for the first time!

Here comes Thomas!

Ben and his friend Logan

with Conductor Bob

Enjoying some ice cream with Papa

Answer To Prayer and Bed Rest

First, I want to thank everyone for your prayers this weekend. It was a long weekend for me, as I stressed and worried over the news of Thursday's appointment. Monday's doctor's appointment could not come soon enough. We received a great report that my cervix had increased from a 2.2cm on Thursday to a 3.25 cm today.  Not only had God answered our prayers, but it was better than we expected. Anything over 2.5 cm is out of the danger zone.  The nurses and my OB praised me for putting myself on bed rest even though the specialist did not.  Everything else looked great as well. My blood pressure is holding steady and I gained 4 more pounds since my appointment two weeks ago. That puts me at a total of 20 lbs gained. I am now measuring 35 weeks pregnant, as compared to a single pregnancy, at just 23 weeks!  Our baby boys also looked great with strong heart beats and great fluid levels. The tech took the time to use the 4D and get some neat pictures! 

With all that said, my doctor felt like I needed to continue on bed rest. He does not want to take the risk that my cervix will shorten again, especially this early in the pregnancy. Derek and I agreed with him completely, even though we know it will make our family's everyday life more difficult.  Derek stepped up this weekend and handled all the duties at home so I could rest. I didn't even change a single diaper all weekend. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

Thank you again for all your prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for the pregnancy to be healthy and last as long as possible, for  Derek and Ben as they adjust to the changes around the house due to my bed rest, and for Chase, Tyler, and Garrett to continue to be healthy and grow.

Baby A with his hands in front of his face.

Baby A with a clearer picture of his face.

Baby B's hands and foot.  It is hard to get a good picture of him
because he is between his other two brothers.

Baby C with is left hand by his face.

Baby Shower

My sweet, sweet friends at our church threw a baby shower for us.  The hostesses went above and beyond to make it special.  I am so blessed to have such great friends here in Huntsville. I was given so many creative and necessary items.  It's hard to believe that I met most of them just a little over a year ago!

The Entrance: I love the wreaths with three rose buds!

The Hostesses: I love these ladies!

Matching Premie outfits! So Tiny!

One of the hostesses made a necklace for me.
It is a bird's nest with three eggs! Love it!

Another gift given by the hostessess.  Three sets of 1-12 month onesies.
 Each little boy has their own color. I can't wait to take their picture every month in these!

Specialist Visit

Today I visited the specialist's office.  The visit did not go very well. The ultrasound room is always very hot there.  During my ultrasound, I became hot and very light headed.  The tech stopped the ultrasound after doing a quick scan on each baby and checking each heart rate.  The babies are all doing great!  No pictures today due to the short ultrasound. :(

My cervix has also shortened to little more than 2cm.  The number they like to see it above is 2.5cm.  Less than two weeks ago I was at 3.5-4cm.  Although it can vary, this big drop was very discouraging news to me.  The specialist put me on progesterone.  Suprisingly, he did not put me on bedrest, but I have put myself on bedrest.  I hope to hear better news when I go to the doctor on Monday.  I would appreciate your prayers. I want these babies to stay in as long as possible!

22 Weeks

I've now reached 22 weeks.  Every week that goes by I get a little more excited and nervous about the triplets coming!  This past weekend we celebrated Ben's birthday by having a train party and we had family photos made, including Maynard.  I loved being able to see my family this weekend.  My parents, little sister, and my oldest brother and his family came to visit on Saturday.  My dad and sister had to head back on Sunday, but my mom was able to stay with me until Wednesday. I enjoyed having her here and she was a big help!

How far along: 22 Weeks

Weight gain/loss: 8 lbs gained.  Net weight gained: 16 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Yes

Sleep: Good. I wake up early in the morning very hungry.

Best moment this week: Having my mom here with me for 4 days!

Miss Anything? No, I am enjoying being pregnant.
Movement: Yes, they are get bigger and stronger and I feel them much more.
Food cravings: Still Mexican!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Getting sick less and less often.
Have you started to show yet? You betcha!
Gender prediction: Boy, Boy, Boy!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In, but Baby B is working hard to change that. Ouch!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: My baby shower on Sunday.

Family and Maternity Portraits

On Sunday, our family headed out to a beautiful location to meet with my friend Maria Moore and take family portraits.  I met Maria in the Newcomers bible study I began attending shortly after we moved.  She did a wonderful job capturing our family as it is now.  She also agreed to let us bring, Maynard, our dog to jump in a few shots.  Maynard is around 9 years old, which is very old for a Great Dane.  He has been part of our lives since early 2005, even before Derek and I were married.  He has begun to show his age and it was important to us to get some great pictures of him with our family.  Maria also took some maternity shoots to capture this special pregnancy. I will cherish these pictures forever!  Thank you Maria!

Daniel Family and Maternity Pictures

Choo Choo! I'm Two!

Ben had a train party for his 2nd birthday. We had it at a local church's indoor playground. The kids had a blast playing. I enjoyed making the banner, center pieces, and cupcake toppers for the party. 

All of the food was named according to the train theme.

We had Roundhouse sandwiches, Train Wheel pasta salad, Caboose cupcakes, a log car with pretzel rods, an animal car with animal crackers, a produce car with carrots and celery sticks, a coal car with olives, diesel fuel- tea, water tower- water, and chugga chugga juice.

Roundhouse Sandwiches

Train Wheel Pasta Salad

I order the cake topper from Etsy. It's made by Handsome Rob's by Jen.

The birthday boy blowing out his candles!

The children were given train hats and bandanas
as party favors.  They enjoyed wearing them
while they grabbed a bite to eat.

The birthday boy with daddy enjoying a pretzel rod.

The birthday boy playing with his cousin.

Ben showing off his birthday shirt
that his aunt Jennifer made for him!

Doctor's Visit

Today I had a visit with my regular OB.  I am now 21 weeks along and everything still looks great. My cervix still looked good and measured longer than it did at my previous visit on Thursday with the specialist. I also gained 8 pounds since my last appointment, just a little over two weeks ago!  That puts me at a total of 16 pounds for this pregnancy.  I have tried hard to gain weight after reading research about the importance of gaining weight with multiples. My increasing appetitite has definitely helped!

The doctor reported to us what the specialist said after reviewing the numbers and information from the 20 week ultrasound.  All he had to say was "all three babies looked very, very good!"  Derek and I left the doctor's office in high spirits with all the great news!

Baby A stretching his neck.

Baby B cooperated today and continues to show us his long legs and feet.

Baby C showing the chambers in his heart. 
The other dark circle is either a kidney or the bladder?

Baby names revealed!

After much deliberation, Derek and I have been able to name all three boys.  This was no easy task.  Each baby's name has a family name incorporated, whether first or middle name.  Ben gets the honor of revealing the names in this video:

We have not yet decided which baby will get each name.  We think we might wait until they are born.  Here are their first and middle names and who they are named after.

Chase Jeffery (Jeffery is Derek's mother's maiden name)

Garrett Ryan (Garrett is my grandmother's maiden name)

Tyler Lee (Lee is Derek's grandmother's middle name & her grandmother's maiden name)

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, we took Ben to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt some of our friends hosted.  Ben enjoyed playing and finding the eggs.  He got especially excited when he discovered the candy inside the eggs.  Mid egg hunt, one of his eggs broke open and he quickly discovered the candy inside.  At that moment he was finished finding eggs, all he wanted was his candy to be opened. 

Why is this green stuff in my basket?

This is a hat right?



A proud face as he finds his first egg!

Look!  I found one!



Inspecting the egg

Kicked back relaxing and enjoying his candy!

20 Weeks Ultrasound

Today we had an extensive ultrasound at the Specialist's office.  It lasted almost two hours!  My back was sore after laying there for so long.  The tech took lots and lots of measurements including: head diameter and circumference, crown to rump, belly circumference, arm and leg bones, feet, along with many others.  She also looked at the brain, heart, kidneys, bladder, stomach, and blood flow.  Derek and I enjoyed watching our boys move around and wiggle while she took each measurement.  At the end of the scan, she was able to tell us that each baby weighs 13 ounces a piece.  Baby A is in the 71 percentile, Baby B is in the 83 percentile, and Baby C is in the 77 percentile.  So not only are they growing on target for their age, but they are above average! We will get more details about the findings of the ultrasound when we meet with our doctor on Tuesday.

Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound. There is not a picture of Baby B. He did not want to cooperate to have his picture made.

Baby A profile: Look at that sweet little nose!

Baby A: Long Legs and hand in front of face

Baby C: Another sweet profile picture