Week 27!

HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER!!! Can you believe we have made it this far?! I do not know where I really expected this whole pregnant with triplets story to go, but we made it to week 27 and that is freaking awesome. One more week and I am to my original goal of week 28...holy cow! Things are really starting to set in and I'm going a little crazy trying to figure out what in the world I need to do to get ready. No matter what, I know when these babies come there will be lots of help and love, and we'll make it work!

So anyway...how are things going?! First, sorry for lack of week 26 update but I was:

-put on an inhaler
-in urgent care
-urged to go to the ER
-had a regular OB appointment
-got a chest x-ray
-had a clear x-ray
-found out I have an enlarged heart, nothing major, just something to watch
-took two sick days from work
-been in panic mode getting ready to go out of work (more info below about that)

Friday was a furloughed day at work, so I actually had it off too, but I mostly just rested all day, well, and won some money at possibly my last Bunko! Today I have had zero energy to get motivated, but I am here and blogging. I STILL have a nasty cold and I am taking medicine around the clock. My new favorite med is my inhaler because it really does help open up my lungs, even if it is for only an hour or two...it's the best breathing I get. Sleeping...well, who the heck knows what that is?! I get very stiff if I stay in one position to long, and I have to use the bathroom all the time, so I am up probably every hour to tinkle or adjust positions. Also new these last two days, major swelling in my feet and legs. At least it's staying there for now, but I officially have creases in my ankles (if you can call them that?!) so I am trying to stay off them as much as possible and keep them up as much as possible. Thankfully there are some good b-ball games on for me to watch!

I also made the decision that week 27.5 I would take myself out of work. I see the doctor on Monday and I am going to ask to be written out beginning Thursday the 25th. I could keep working, but with the swelling and stuff, I'm just not willing to take the risk. My number one priority is to grow these babies, even if it is really, REALLY hard sometimes. Up until I got this cold I was really enjoying life and going along great, but this cold has sent me from great to MISERABLE! I get very frustrated because if I didn't feel so bad I know that I could keep working and preparing for the babies, but that's not the case, so we do the next best thing which is take it easy. As I said, I go to my reg OB Monday and then the following Monday I go back to the specialist for another scan. I'm very excited for that scan because we have not had one since March 1st...can you believe that?! All the babies should be well over two pounds and huge, and I am excited to see what they find.

So, that is all she wrote for week 27. I just ask that you continue to pray for us and these babies...it's becoming more of a reality everyday! I am so excited to meet them and begin our new life as parents of triplets, but they need to stay put a little bit longer. It is crazy to think they could come anytime between now and 7 weeks from now, though we are aiming for 7 more! As always, thank you for sharing in our journey and for the continued prayers and support. We are almost to the finish line...WOW! And also like always, please Remember Jackson!



Oh...and another great thing about week 27?! New Moon came out on DVD which I am off to buy with my winnings from last night-woohoo!!

Week 25 (and 24, 23, and 22)

I do not even know where to start...first, so sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been really crazy with baby showers, work, setting up the nursery and battling a nasty, NASTY cold, which is still going on. But...I have finally found a few minutes to sit down and update everyone, and I'll try to keep the words short and just entertain with pictures-hehe!

Week 25 is feeling great...we are a week past our first "goal" which was week 24. At this point, if something happened and the babies had to be born, they would have a chance of surviving. Now, it would be really hard, but at least they would have a chance. From here are next goal is week 28, which was set by my specialist at like week 7, so that what we'll aim for. As for my regular docs, they seem to think these babies are never coming out and that they will have to induce me based on their exams. Contractions are a lot more frequent, and actually the other night got as close as 3 minutes. The minute I pick up the phone to call they stopped. I once again blame it all on stress because I had a really stressful day at work...long story short I messed up my FMLA and had to get it taken care of so that I could continue to work. That's all taken care of, I can continue working, the next two weeks are 4 days weeks, then a 5 day week, then another 4 day and then it is Spring Break...so I'm thinking I might be able to handle that. My main goal is to work 152 days of this school year so that I can get my year's credit and my pay raise for next year. That falls around March 23rdish, so after that, I will not feel bad about going out. And I finally have a long term sub, which is a former 2nd grade teacher from our school, and I'm actually in her room, so I know my students will have the best, and that was a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. And other then the nasty cold, which Joseph and I both are battling, things have been really good. I had 3 awesome showers and got lots of goodies for the babies! The nursery is really coming along. We have a rather long to do list (thanks Chris!) but at least it is keeping us on track.

And in some baby news...as of last Monday's appointment the babies weigh the following:

Abby- 1 lb 6 oz
Claire- 1 lb 9 oz
Brayden- 1 lb 13 oz

Once again the difference between Abby and Brayden is 25%, which is a little high, but he was measuring 25 1/2 weeks, so that makes the numbers off. All babies are growing and doing great! I go back this Thursday (which is the wrong day!) My doctor is out of town, so I will be seeing a new doctor. They most likely will not do a growth ultrasound, so I probably won't have new weights, but they will be checking fluid levels and making sure the girls aren't experiencing twin to twin. Also this week I have my sugar test-yuck-which I am not looking forward to. With Jackson I failed my first test and had to go back for the 3 hour test, twice!, because it made me so sick. Hopefully that will not be an issue this time...

And now...the reason everyone comes to this blog, pictures of the babies. I will include a picture of each baby from week 22 and 24 for your viewing pleasure (except for a 24 week picture of Brayden because he was not photogenic that day). And there is also a belly pic...it just continues to grow and grow and GROW.

Abby Love...
22 weeks and looking like she is ticked off at the world, but I would be too if I was holding up a brother and a sister...






And in Week 24 you can see just how squished she is...I have a 4D, but she has two heads pressing into her face, so it's not so cute...






Claire Elizabeth...
Just enjoying life in the middle of everything








A great shot...you can really see her features, which are all Joseph in my opinion!







Brayden Jae...
Wishing Claire would move her tush outta his face...And probably because of this embarrassing picture decided to not give us a good week 24 picture. Maybe on March 29th...





Then there was this very neat, and rare picture...

They normally are not all head down and especially not in one shot, but there are three heads for ya!






And finally, the ever growing monster of a belly...

It gets bigger everyday...trust me!







And that's all! I really am sorry for the lack of updates, I know many of you are anxious to hear how the babies are doing, and though I do the best I can, I promise to do better! Thank you for sharing in our journey and for all the prayers. We feel them everyday as these babies grow and practice karate, or soccer, or whatever sport they are playing. We are so thankful for all of you in our life. As always, please Remember Jackson!

Coming Soon...I Promise!

I know that I have not updated a lot lately, and I apologize, but a good update is coming this weekend. I am still battling a cold, work is getting stressful trying to get everything ready to leave and I'm just plain ol' tired. So hang with me, and I promise a good update soon, including pictures!

Before I go I need to ask for prayers for the Wagner Family please. They lost their son Andrew to SMA last night. Andrew fought the disease for so long, but his body gave out. He was born a few months before Jackson and we communicated a lot when J was here. I know how that family feels right now and I just ask that you lift them up in prayer so they can get through this. And just for the record, SMA SUCKS BIG TIME...sorry I said sucks Mom, but it does! Thank you for all the prayers for Joseph and I and these babies, for Andrew, for all families who live with this disease everyday and for Jackson. Please don't ever forget him...

Nichole

QUICK update

***WARNING...in the post below from earlier today I sound very grumpy...sorry! I've had no sleep and a nasty cold but I know everyone wanted an update on babies, so I put something up. I promise to post something great/good/or at least better once I get over this nasty cold. Thanks everyone, and love you!

And then I have to get back in bed because I've been consumed by a HORRIBLE cold. Here are the latest headlines in triplet land:

Week 22-was B-U-S-Y!
-ultrasound went great. Brayden is still the big boy at 1 lb. 1 oz. Abby and Claire both weighed in at 15 oz. The difference went from 25% all the way down to 9%...that's my Abby-rock on girl!
-Had 3 hours of contractions that stopped the minute I picked up the phone to call.
-Joseph finally felt a baby (Brayden) kick-about freaking time!
-Had a shower at work last Thursday-it was great!
-Started getting sick around Thursday night-it was not great
-Had a shower in Newberry on Saturday-it was great!
-Got the house rearranged and another crib set up-it was great!

Welcome to Week 23...one week closer to that all important week 24!
-Had a dr. appoinment yesterday-it was so-so. All the babies are fine, my weight gain is an issue, only have gained 15 pounds, remember my goal of 34?! Yikes! Right now as long as the babies are growing they are not too concerned, however, I think Muscle Milk is coming back into my diet per my honey!
-Had Jury Duty, which I got excused from in less than 4 mins.
-Still have a horrible cold, which has sent me home to bed on this lovely Tuesday, however, I know I needed to update, so this is about all you are getting.
-Next appointment is Monday with Dr. S., then the next week regular OB and a sugar test-yuck!
-The babies are VERY active now and kick all the time, and I'm completely in love with the feeling. I don't even care that they wake me up sometimes, ok well maybe a little, but it's SO WORTH IT!

And finally...super excited that this is MY doctor, though I hope I'm not her first surgery! Abby and Claire share a placenta and are at risk of developing this twin to twin stuff, but Dr. Stephenson monitors every two weeks...and now there's a treatment. It's a great article if you have time to read it...

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/02/23/1266352/better-chance-at-life-before-birth.html

Now me and babies and cats are going back to bed. I hope to put pictures up soon, but you know, I'm sick, I'm tired, I need my rest, I'm carrying triplets, I'm working full time, I'm getting a house ready for triplets, I'm a wife, and I got a new Blackberry...so I'm busy. Please take a minute to remember that precious angel of ours...Jackson Cole, love you baby boy!

Week 21 Is Here!

The weeks are flying by, kind of anyway! Happy to report that we have made it to week 21 which is one week closer to the all important week 24-yay! It's getting harder to post about each week because there doesn't seem to be much going on...I am still able to work, I go to the doctor's every Monday and babies just continue to grow. This week's appointment wasn't the best by any means, but it went fine. Dr. Hilton did the ultrasound and she played around but didn't do any measurements or anything. All babies had good little hearts just a beating. I'm always so nervous that first moment, but then I calm right down. This week I measured large again, but not nearly as big as last time. I am now measuring 31 weeks, up from 29 last time, but it has only been 10 days, so I grew 14 days in 10 days-hehehe. Next week is a specialist appointment and I hope it goes as great as the last one. I also hope to be able to report that Abby is packing on the ounces! They have really started kicking harder, and I can see it when they kick-along with feel it of course-and I can normally identify which baby is kicking. Brayden is by far the hardest kicker, he is the biggest after all. I feel Abby the second most because she is all the way on my right. I don't feel Claire very often and I think that is just because she is stuck between the two. As I typed that she gave a little kick, hers are normally up high or down low depending on how she is laying. I can also tell when she flips and goes head down because the pressure is horrific. And of course anytime anyone looks at or touches my belly they all stop what they are doing, so I'm sure that is an indication of things to come right?! So, there is some neat little baby info!

What about me you ask?! Well, I gained another 2-3 pounds this visit. I actually forgot to write down my weight from last time, but according to my calculations I've gained around 14 pounds, which would actually put me up about 5 pounds this time...oops. Guess that shows that the babies are growing, growing, growing. At this point I think Brayden and Claire are over a pound and Abby is got to be pretty close. Over the next 7 weeks they'll pack on the pounds and get close to 3 pounds each (hopefully). My cervix is nice and closed with no baby putting to much pressure on it, which is great. I'm not really sure when to expect to start thinning out, but for now it is doing great! The only negative to my appointment was low iron, which was to be expected, I actually held off a longer then some. So, because of that I have to start taking a daily iron supplement, nothing major, just a pill. Really, other then that, I'm doing great, well once you get over the back pain, shortness of breath, lack of sleep, constipation (hey, I've shared worse with you!), and stress the of preparing for 3 babies. I've said it once, I'll say today, and probably for the rest of my life...I would not have it any other way though. And, for your viewing pleasure, here's a week 21 shot. Joseph zoomed right it on the belly for you...



And with that, I am off to my Mom's for dinner, yummy. So thankful for wonderful family and friends who are taking such great care of me, the babies and Joseph! As always, thanks for sharing in our journey and I'll check in soon. The next couple of weeks will be fun...I'm surprising (don't tell him!) Joseph with Monster Jam tickets for Valentine's Day, which he so deserves for taking such great care of me, I've got not one, not two, but three (that's my number) showers coming up this month, I get a paid day off to report to Jury Duty and get dismissed, and March 8th is when they have written me out which is like 3 weeks away-wow! So, things are just getting interesting. Specialist on Monday for hopefully an awesome report and great pictures. As always, please Remember Jackson!

Pictures!!

I have PICTURES! Does that help make up for being so behind with the update?! Hope so. I have zero energy at the moment, so I will upload the new awesome pictures and probably not say too much tonight. After an unscheduled visit to the doctor's (everything is fine!) I'm pooped and I'm working really hard on staying off my feet and laying down to try to relieve some of the pressure and swelling (not pre-eclampsia swelling like last time, just three babies bearing down on me causing swelling swelling). Anyway...here are some great pictures from the ultrasound on Monday. All babies are doing great. The tech was great, she took fun pictures first then did her measurements, which I really liked. Joseph got to go, along with my mom, so it was a great visit.


Here's Abby Love! She was facing us, so this was the best picture we have of her. She's looking at all of you saying "hello all 5 blog readers!" Abby weighed in at 10 oz. this week and was measuring 19 weeks 4 days. A little bit behind, but she continues to grow and we are saying some extra prayers that she'll put her Mommy at ease and catch up next visit!


Here's Claire Elizabeth! She finally flipped to head down (maybe that's the added pressure, thanks girlie!) and is right in the middle of all the action. Claire weighed in at 13 oz. this week and is measuring right on track, 20 weeks 1 day (I think...it's a lot of numbers to remember!). Anyway...Claire has always been the most photogenic of the group...why you ask?! Here's one more of her...

YES she's sucking her thumb and I'm completely in love with this picture!

And, last but not least, here's baby boy...


Big ol' Brayden Jae! Yes, I said big. He weighed in at 15 oz. (that's almost a pound people!) and was measuring ahead at 20 weeks 5 days. He's going to show those girls who is boss that's for sure!

So, as you can see, we had a great appointment with great pictures. Makes me very happy to have great pictures to share with y'all. The difference between Abby and Brayden is 25%, which is higher then they like, but he's measuring ahead, her behind, and it's not helping the situation. Dr. S. assures me they are all doing great and we can't expect them to be equal. I do ask for prayers for me to stay calm and enjoy this pregnancy (and maybe throw one in there for Abby to catch up and make me feel better too). So, that's it for now. Saturday marks week 21...bring it on! As always, thank you for checking in on us and for all the love, support and prayers, you will never know how much it means to us! And as always, please Remember Jackson! Now, I'm off to put my feet up and eat ice, yes, I'm in love with ice, but not fresh ice, ice that has been out for a little while and breaks really easy...yes, I love it. Just one more thing for poor Joseph to try to keep up with!

Worth the Wait...

So, I'm only 2 days behind with my weekly update, but I promise once we get through the week 20 details pictures of the nursery! You better not start scrolling down looking for pictures...it tells me if you read this stuff or not!!! Anyway...week 20 marks a pretty big week for babies, if anything were to happen that required me to go into the hospital or anything like that they would do it. Before this week, I'd be on my own so to speak. And unfortunately I've known (well, followed blogs) of many people who had their water break at 18 weeks and they were sent home because there was "nothing they could do" and stuff like that. So, being in week 20 makes me feel much safer that they will do everything for these babies-YAY!

As for babies, well, they have really picked up on their kicking and moving, though still not enough for Joseph to feel. I know he wants to feel them so badly, and I want him to too, but these are stubborn little babies I tell you. I know in the next few days/weeks they will really be kicking and everyone will be at ease! According to my book this week the babies should be about 9 oz. I'm thinking this is going to be pretty close to what they weigh. I go in today for another baby scan, so I'll have an update on that later! Really, there is nothing new to report. We are all doing great and I'm so thankful for such an easy pregnancy, considering it's triplets and all. My biggest problem is back pain, but it's so worth it...it's really not even worth mentioning!

So...on to what everyone really wants to see this week (until I say I have pictures from my scan, which I can't say b/c I haven't the last few times!). Due to the Winter Storm of 2010, which amounted to maybe an inch of snow and some sleet/freezing rain, Joseph and I (supervisor of course) worked in the nursery and it's pretty much done. There are a few things here and there to do, like get cribs, add some more stuff to the walls, paint a special something on the wall, etc. but for the most part, it's done! I decided to just show the finished product, but first, here is a brief run down of what we did...

1-had to prime it with a tinted primer, remember horrific green
2-started painting
3-measured for chair railing to make sure paint was at right levels (why? two toned!)
4-touch up painted to make sure everything was right
5-hung chair railing...that was a choir since the gun thing broke!
6-touch up on railings and walls
7-put room back together
8-hung some of the decals that we had

And here is the finished product...


Joseph and I are super thrilled with how it turned out! We went with a monkey theme, but only in bedding, I don't want everything monkeys! We thought this was a theme that could be used for a boy and a girl, and once we get the cribs and bedding in there I think it's really going to look great! So, there is the nursery! If we are Facebook friends you can check it out from start to finish over there later.

So, that's it for now. School was cancelled today, so I'm off and work was actually cancelled for Joseph too, so we have a day together to do nothing but hang out, relax and go see the babies! I will try to update later tonight on babies, but if not tonight, then soon I promise. As always, thanks for checking in on us and sharing in our journey...we are so happy you are a part of it! Also, please always, Remember Jackson!