The Nursery..

I wanted to share with everyone pics of the nursery murals that my Mom did while I was in the hospital. She did such an amazing job. I had asked her to consider painting the nursery early in my pregnancy...little did I know at the time I caused her some stress over this. I knew she would do a good job, everything she touches is always beautiful. If for no other reason that she will work until it is perfect! As ya'll can see she is extremely talented and put a lot of love into the paintings. Even knowing how talented Mom is, I never imagined it would turn out as great as it did.

She also put the cribs together, made curtains, decorated the room, put the bedding together, got all of the laundry done, and pretty much completely organized the entire closet. On top of all of that, she did our laundry, cooked Brian breakfast in the mornings, and brought me things to the hospital. I could have NEVER gotten any of this done on my own. Prior to going in the hospital I had slowed down ALOT. Sitting or standing for any amount of time either caused pain...or contractions. After getting home from the hospital I could barely walk across the room, much less decorate a room! She really took over, saw what needed to be done, and got it done. As I've said before, I have the greatest Mom in the whole world. While she couldn't take away any of the discomfort or uncertainty I was feeling...she did what she does best. She put my mind at ease...I knew that when the time came to bring these little guys home everything would be ready and perfect. And it certainly was. Check it out for yourselves...

This is Ben's mural that goes over his bed. Notice the "Welcome to the Jungle" sign...quite fitting, huh?
Here's Jack's alligator. Pretty fitting for his personality I'd say!
And here's our little Monkey's picture for over her bed. Notice the tiara and purse! You can't tell from this picture, but they are done in sparkly paint...so cute!
Here's the palm tree, complete with 3-D monkeys sitting on coconuts. You should have seen the fits that those coconuts gave my Mom. Apparently it's pretty difficult to crack one?
Another big thanks goes out to Nana who made all of the babies' bed's bumper pads and dust ruffles. Each baby had a different color and material. They look so good in the room and with the cribs. She also made covers for a rocking chair and a glider...We sure do use those a lot.

I can't tell you how many hours Mom must have spent not only on setting up the room, but getting the whole house ready. She made trip after trip to various stores to make returns for me and buy necessities. She even put together "Command Central" downstairs in our room. This is where the babies will be located for a few months before they get to enjoy their new digs upstairs...

All the mental preparation in the world can't get you ready for having premature babies. Even all those days and hours spent in bed at home or at the hospital thinking about what was to come couldn't really get my mind ready for the emotions I would feel the days and weeks after they were born. I knew they would be little, I knew they would have to stay for a period of time in the NICU, and I knew that they would have to work on simple things like feeding and temperature regulation. I thought I was fully prepared, but now I know that there is just no way to be prepared for it all. Your heart just goes out to them when you see them in their little isolettes, or stuck under those stupid phototherapy lights. You worry about how they are feeling, what is happening when you aren't there, and how all of this will affect them in the future. You want to make it all better...and quick! It's so hard to leave them up at the hospital, but there's just nothing that you can do but let them rest and grow and get strong.

I imagine this is how my Mom felt the whole time. She gave me the best gift in the whole world...peace of mind. She let me just worry about myself and the babies and she took care of all of the things that I couldn't. I know there is no way I could ever repay her. I just home I'm half the Mom she is. I know I've got pretty big shoes to fill.

On a less sappy note, I thought I would leave ya'll with some humor. The babies are getting so big! They got a clean bill of health last week from the pediatrician. In one week they had all gained a 1/2 pound. Jack is up to 6 lbs 1 oz, Lily 5 lbs 10 oz, and Ben 5 lbs 4 oz. This week both Lily and Jack are out of preemie diapers... They are even wearing a few newborn outfits because the preemie ones are too small - YEAH! So, I go to get Jack out of the crib and I find this. Apparently he didn't have enough room in his outfit so he tried to get out. Pretty funny, huh?

Merry (late) Christmas from the family...

Don't worry, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth...we've just been extremely busy. Between feeding, diapering, laundry, napping, making formula, sneaking in a quick shower, washing bottles, making bottles, holding babies, and pacifier chasing I have really fallen behind on my posting duties. I have, however, missed it! It's funny, as each day goes by I think about all of the things I want and need to write about...and all of the sudden the day is gone in a blur. Then days turn into a week and then into 2 weeks. I then begin to feel overwhelmed about all of the things I want to say and then don't write because I worry I will miss something. The only way to solve this is to write...so here goes.

I have many stories to tell over the past few weeks. Alas, you will have to wait, though. I want to talk about Christmas! This was the babies' very first Christmas. Poor things, they had no idea what they were in for! Lots of dressing up and pictures. As you can see from the picture below they were none too happy about their photo shoot! O.K., really it was just Jack who wasn't happy... I wonder what he's thinking? "Stop the flashes... Get this stupid hat off of me... Why am I always stuck in the middle??? Where's my trusty blue pacifier??? Stop this madness!!!" Meanwhile Ben is trying (unsuccessfully) to cover his ear and Lily is trying to get away from the screaming!


We had a great holiday. What with the RSV scare we weren't able to leave the house with the babies...but never fear, again the party was brought to us...on a small scale. We had close family over on Sunday for presents and barbecue. Thanks to everyone for making the trek our way to bring us Christmas cheer! I must say, re-integrating myself back into the real world sure has been nice. Brian and I both missed Thanksgiving, for obvious reasons, and we were extra excited about having everyone together and celebrating our little Christmas miracles.

One member of our family was REALLY missed. Aunt Debbie was sick, and she was so worried about contaminating our house that she stayed away. Thank you so much for sacrificing the fun time... I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that she cared so much about all of us to keep her germs away! I must admit I've become a bit neurotic about germs coming into the house. It was a bit of a tough decision to have everyone over, but all followed our hand washing and hand sanitizing rules! We also tried to keep the babies back in their cribs, much to their dismay...they REALLY like to be held and cuddled with after their evening meal. (I mean the babies, not the family...come to think of it, maybe the family too?) Thanks to Nana and Grandmother for cleaning up the kitchen while we tended to the kiddos. Nana even found some laundry to fold!

Christmas Eve was spent with our parents. Mom cooked a wonderful Mexican meal and we all spent some good quality time together. We even had a special treat...Brian's parents moved the kiddos up to their room to do the night and early morning feeds. We actually got a full night's sleep. Well, Brian did anyway, I still had to get up and pump in the middle of the night. Oh well, my day will come. We had more presents and breakfast in the morning...not to mention the famous Christmas photo shoot...

We got good old "fusspants" to stop crying, finally! Maybe one of the others was pinching him when we weren't looking?
So, here's wishing you all a wonderful, but late, Merry Christmas!!!

The First Pediatrician Visit

All of these years Brian just thought it took a lot to get me out of the house. I can't tell you how many nights on the town began in arguments about just how long could it possibly take for me to get ready to leave. Apparently in his opinion too long, I guess? Hey-I just wanted to look good, can't help it if it took a couple of hours sometimes, right?

And then we had kids. Three of them to be exact. Three tiny little sweet babies. Then he learned just how long it can REALLY take to get out of the house. Is this my revenge? Maybe so.

Our morning started bright and early at 5:45. That is of course after feeding from 12:00-1:00 a.m. and 3:00-4:00 a.m. So we were working on very little sleep to begin with. We fed, I took a shower and got ready, we prepped bottles for the day, packed everything they could possibly need, had some coffee, changed the babies, lined up the car seats, had some more coffee, dressed the babies, fed the babies again, got the babies in the car seats, cleaned up spit-up, re-checked four times to make sure we had everything, called for directions, re-checked a fifth time and realized I forgot to put bottles in the bag, and loaded us all in the car. ON TIME! Of course, little did I realize that it would take 20 minutes to drive just down the road because I am so paranoid of driving around our little treasures! So we were five minutes late, but no big deal.

Brian waited in the car with the kids while I went in to fill out the paperwork. Little did I know at the time that I had locked him in the back of the car...oops. So, we've all filled out paperwork at the Dr.'s office, right? Try filling it out for 3 PEOPLE! My hand almost fell off. Not to mention that it took about 30 minutes of incredibly messy and fast handwriting.

We waited in the car for them to come get us. Apparently you get the VIP treatment when you are super-cool triplets! I must admit I felt like part of the entourage. The nurse came out to get us and ushered straight in the back door and to the room. No waiting in a sub-standard, germ-infested waiting room for us!

So we met with the pediatrician, Dr. Hopkins, who we really liked. He spent a lot of time with all of the babies and was really excited to have them as patients. Who wouldn't be, they are obviously SUPER cute. They had all gained good weight, with Jack over 5 lbs! Crazy, huh? He still seems so little... They got a clean bill of health. AND, he said we could transition them to a 4-hour feeding schedule, which was the best news we had ever heard. Yeah!!! More sleep!

The whole visit lasted...are you ready for this? From the time we got there at 10:20 until the time we left at 1:00! THANK GOODNESS I remembered the bottles...the natives were definitely getting restless. Our next appt is next Tuesday for a weight check and to check out the boys' circumcisions...So we get to do it all over again.

We wanted to get right to that 4-hr feeding schedule so we started it last night. Of course, apparently we didn't discuss it with the kids because they were up all night screaming at us. Good times, so much for more sleep.

Hey guys, is this over yet???

Together at last...

Well, yesterday afternoon we made our last and final visit to the Harris NICU to pick up our last remaining child! That's right....Ben is home!!! So we cut those stinking bracelets off for good..

We got Ben home safe and sound. I drove, much to Brian's dismay... He seemed overly worried that I had somehow completely forgotten how to drive in the past few months. It's amazing how cautious you become with something so precious in the car...and how paranoid you are that everyone around you is either drunk, crazy, or Kamikaze's.

But, we made it home safe and sound and the first thing we did was warm Ben up with extra blankets and put him in the crib with his peeps. This was the first time they had all been together since before their birthday. How sweet is that? We just kept looking at them...and taking pictures of them...and kissing them! The feelings of wonderment abounded! My Mom, Brian's parents, and Nana all got to enjoy this fantastic day with us. We ate, we laughed, we decorated the Christmas tree, but most of all we celebrated our family being together at last. I think this was the best day of my life.

Ben got his first bath at home today...they are going much better these days.

Today we wrapped them all up in their blankets and put them on a Boppy Baby Lounger...That's right, they are so small they all fit on one! Brian and I took picture after picture! Ben is on the left, Jumbo Jack in the middle, and Lily on the right.

Life is so good!

We busted them out!!!

The word on the street is that we are now the proud, and very scared, owners of two brand new babies. That's right, after a LONG...LONG...LONG...sleepless night Harris Methodist Hospital of Fort Worth has deemed us fit parents and let us take our two little angels home. Great thing they started us off as new parents with no sleep, huh? I'm guessing it's not getting much better, though.

So, rooming in wasn't really all that tough. We checked in at 7:15 last night and they gave us instructions. Pretty simple, actually. You keep the two babies in your "room", and take care of them. Take their temperatures, change them, and feed them every three hours. You also have to write down everything you do. They did give us a break from about 2:30-4:30 a.m. when they took Lily to do her car seat test and let Jack come along to sleep. Of course, I still didn't sleep all that well. I'm convinced they had to search long and hard to find a bed that was actually that uncomfortable. I swear my ribs and back are sore from it today! I must admit, though, I thought they were going to give us some sort of massive instruction list or share with us the secrets of raising babies...but they didn't. What a shame, we probably could use a little advice.

Having fun in our luxury hotel suite...

We heard you could fail if you put them on the bed. Too tempting, you know we had to try....

The pulmonologist came by this morning and said that they weren't really candidates for synagist shots, which is the RSV antibody shot. Bittersweet news, I guess. The good side is that they are really healthy and they don't fall into any of the risk factor categories. The bad news is that they don't get the shot. This means we have to be REALLY careful who comes into our house until Easter. RSV is a very serious illness to babies. It's just a bad respiratory infection to you or I, but it could easily land any of our babies in the hospital. She definitely put the fear in us. So bear with us as our little ones come home and know that we can't wait to show them off, but we want to keep them safe as well. Just think how crazy cute they will be by Easter!

"Hey, I remember you!"
So now we just have little Ben left. I sat next to his crib this morning and I'll admit I got really sad. Of course, I was completely overwhelmed with taking the other two home, but it really got to me that we had to leave him behind. I'm actually getting a little teary now. I know he's not ready, but it just feels a little cold hearted to abandon him like this. We will continue to go up to see him twice per day, me in the morning and Brian in the evening. Brian's actually up there right now. On a really good note, he went into an open crib after we left and they started him on all oral feeds. I pray with all my heart he does well. I know how tired he gets while trying to get all 40 ml of his feed down, and I hope that he finds the energy to be able to do it 8 times per day. He's just a little pokey, but we really want him home with us. It sure would be better to be slow at home. We hope it will be just a matter of days. Everyone did such a stellar job sending their good thoughts toward little Lily...say a little prayer for my Bennie Bear tonight.

"I don't want to leave Ben!!!"

"Adios"....(Clearly ready for her own crib...)

"Don't drop him now!"
"Home at last!" (Can you tell it was a rough night?)

So we've had them home for almost 8 hours now with no major catastrophes. They were fussy because they were hungry when we pulled into the driveway, but we got it under control pretty fast. We grabbed a much needed cat nap this afternoon while they slept. And then we were off again. In all honesty they are really easy right now. Change their diapers and feed them every 3 hours. Pretty simple. They are preemies so all they do is sleep right now, thank goodness! At least they are breaking us in fairly easy. Of course, Jack was circumcised yesterday and he's been a tad bit on the fussy side, but not too bad...all things considered. I think we have the new parent jitters. Afraid to leave the room, constantly checking on them, jumping up to every sound. Afraid of our own shadows!

They don't seem too worried, do they?


I am so thankful to have Brian. It's amazing what a wonderful father he is already. Must be some kind of natural instinct...or GREAT role models. We've had a lot of adventures over the years, but this is sure to be our greatest. I can't think of a better person to have on my side, especially when we are ankle-deep in poopy diapers! I have a feeling this little social experiment will show us a lot about ourselves as well as each other. He's taught me a lot along the way. His kindness, patience, and empathy is what endears me so much to him and watching him with his children makes it all the sweeter...

Good night my sweetest Ben, we love you...

Good News!!!

We just found out yesterday that Jack is ready to room-in! We were planning on rooming in with him tonight and taking him home tomorrow!! I'm so happy I almost can't stand it!

I woke up early and called their nurse to ask a few questions and found out Lily had been put into an open crib and if she could maintain her temp all day then we may room-in with her as well tonight and take them both home. What an amazing blessing!

Please keep little Lily in your hearts today and say a little prayer that she will pass her temp test. We are so ready to get them home and out of the hospital. I'll keep everyone posted..

A Big Boy Bed Already?

Well, Jack has made big progress since my last post. He has now moved out of the isolette and into an open crib! One more step closer to home...

A quick explanation. Isolettes are little enclosed cribs that they use in the NICU. They are used to help babies keep and regulate an appropriate body temperature. The ideal temperature is between 97.9 and 98.9. The first step is to keep a sensor on the babies' skin to see what their skin temp is then adjust the isolette to make sure their body temp stays between those levels. They prefer for the babies to not wear clothes and just stay in a diaper. The next step is for the babies' to maintain their body temperature within the appropriate ranges and adjusting to the air temperature of the isolette. They can wear clothes during this stage. This requires that they do the work. The isolette is then basically turned off and they are monitored to see if they can keep their temps. Then...they make it into open cribs! Friday night both Jack and Lily were put into open cribs. So exciting! Jack is doing great. However, Lily has had a little difficulty keeping her temperature up and had to go back into the isolette yesterday. Not a big deal, she probably just needs to put on a little more weight and they will try it again. I heard today it will most likely be some time this week.

Updates, Updates...

The babies have been moved to a new room. We had our own private suite all week and were extremely spoiled. They had moved us into an isolation room last Monday. It was a tight squeeze, but we were the only ones in the room so it was pretty nice. No other crying babies, monitors going off, or loud noises. We also liked to keep the lights down... AND play soft music! Yesterday we were moved to room 2 which is a large open room with quite a few babies who are all working on feeding and growing. We all have been adjusting to the additional noise and craziness that goes on in there. Oh well, I just keep thinking that we are so close to home!

All of the babies have been gaining weight this last week. Ben is still the smallest, but he's on his way up. All had lost weight from birth, which is to be expected. Apparently life out in the big world is pretty hard. Jack is up to his birth weight finally, at 4 lbs 3 oz, Lily is around 3 lbs 12 oz and Ben is 3 lbs 10 oz. Both Ben and Jack's bilirubin levels have been down and neither have had to go under the "lights" again. Ben almost had to last week as his levels had climbed to 8.9, but he got a pass from the neonatologist that day and the next day it had started to drop...Way to go little guy! All of their IV's are out, so no more big padding on their hands or feet. Of course, this just leaves them with two working hands to pull feeding tubes out of their noses! Which is what happened in the pics below!

Little Bennie....

Mischievous Lily...can't you see it on her face???

Jumbo Jack....Grumpy face, huh?


Feeding is our BIG goal right now. Jack is a little ahead of the game...our little piglet. They are fed 8 times per day. He is up to oral feeds (bottle) every feed as of today. THEN...the tube comes out and he will probably we on his way home very soon. YEAH!!! I can't wait. Lily is being fed by bottle 2 out of three times per day. This means that she is fed by bottle two times in a row then by tube the third, then two times by bottle and one time by tube, and so on. Her next step will be feeds every time. Ben is up to being fed by bottle three times per day. He's still pretty inconsistent. Sometimes he takes his bottle like a champ, and sometimes he sleeps and won't suck at all. Life is hard being the little guy. Hopefully, she Lily will be less stressed back in the isolette and will gain weight faster. Then, out into the hard, cruel world again! Ben and Lily are having some problems with spitting up, but it's getting better... Here's a pic of Lily attempting to burp...
After one or all of the babies are ready to come home, they have to pass a car seat test. This is where they sit upright in a car seat for 90 minutes with no problems with heart rate or breathing. I don't think this will be an issue because none of them have had any problems so far with this. Then, Brian and I will be required to "room-in" overnight to take care of whoever is ready to go home. This is where they just sit back and let us do all of their care...I guess this is our big test as to our ability to be good parents! (On that note, I updated the prayer list.)

Unfortunately the chances are really high that we will not be taking all of the babies home together. Most likely Jack will be first, then Lily, then Ben. Then the real fun begins. Juggling babies at home and at the hospital. Oh well, we can do anything for a little while, and the end result is SO worth it. I can't believe we're getting so close. I long more than anything to have my family together at home...I'll be glad to say goodbye to hospital life as I'm fairly sick of it. On a really happy note, our fuzzy baby came home yesterday! After over a month Kita is back and happy as ever.

Other than that, life is rolling right along. I'm feeling so much better, almost human. I saw Dr. Tabor this week and he took me off the blood pressure meds I had been on. I'm also off of all of the pain meds, just the occasional tylenol or ibuprofen. I'm still suffering from being incredibly out of shape, but that gets better every day. Quite a change from being pregnant and each day getting more difficult. Not getting a whole lot of sleep, but not sure that will be getting any better. Pumping has taken over my life...especially in the wee hours of the morning. I never knew how soundly Brian slept at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. in the morning...he looks like a little angel... (Did you catch the sarcasm and jealousy???)

Funny story of the day....

I have officially been initiated into the world of being a novice Mom. Yesterday I went to change Jack's diaper while in a hurry and forgot to take certain precautions...I found that he had left me a "present" and was busy cleaning and scrubbing his bottom to get rid of the evidence. About halfway through the cleaning I feel something warm and wet hit my left hand...I looked up and there was a steady stream hitting Jack squarely in the face. Served him right, I guess...little stinker!

Immediately after that fiasco I go to change Lily's diaper. She had left no "presents" for me. She was however, tooting. So, I laughed and made a comment about our little "tooter". About that time a steady stream of extremely runny poop shot out of her bottom. It went halfway up my arm and even hit the end of the crib. I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't has a hold of her legs she would have been jet propelled off the other end. I clean her off, go to put a diaper on her and get poop all over the new clean diaper from my hand. I actually had to call the nurse over to wipe all of the poop off of my hand. I then try another clean diaper and she pooped in that diaper as I was putting it on her. I am then laughing pretty hard...a real problem for someone who was just cut open via c-section. I then managed to get the last diaper on at a freakish speed...

Tanning beds and bottle feeds...

Wow has life become busy. I had no idea how difficult it would be to recover from a major-league c-section and months of limited activity and bedrest. It has been A LOT harder than I ever expected. Funny enough, I never really considered the recovery process, I just figured I would bounce back no problem... Think again! But, one week down and I'm definitely feeling better. One thing is for certain...can't keep me away from those beautiful babies! I spend about 3 hours in the morning with them, come home to eat and sleep, and go back with Brian for a few hours in the evening. And it still isn't enough time with them. And it still isn't enough sleep... Not to mention a rigorous "pumping" schedule every three hours...Who knew my life would ever be so crazy?

The babies are doing GREAT! Their little personalities are really coming out. So crazy, you wouldn't think something so small could be so expressive, but they are. The boys are still working through jaundice issues. They've been in and out of phototherapy. They are not so fond of it. Babies loved to be cuddled up and swaddled and the phototherapy requires that their bodies be uncovered so the light will hit as much skin as possible and that their little eyes be covered. The discomfort is evident by their squirming, whining, and wiggling. It's pretty sad to see... Here's baby Ben kickin' it in the lights...

Here's big Jack pondering life under the sun....

Our other big goal is bottle feeding, and it's going pretty well. All of the babies feeding amounts have been increased to 25 ml for 8 feeds a day. They get to bottle feed for 2 of those meals. I usually do one feed in the morning and we then do another in the evening. You will notice they have small feeding tubes down their noses and they are given the rest of their feeds through those tubes. We've had good feeds and not so good. They almost always finish their bottles, but sometimes it takes quite a while or they sleep through it! Today Lily finished her bottle in less than 15 minutes! She was definitely the big winner this morning. As you can see below...our little guys have the FUNNIEST expressions on their faces while feeding. They don't look so thrilled, that's for sure...

Little Ben one-eyeing is morning bottle followed by Jack and his look of enthusiasm... Followed by sweet little Lily!

I do have one funny story to share. Yesterday morning I was so excited that I got to give Ben a bath. I was really looking forward to this. UNTIL I started and he began screaming and looking at me like I was the devil. It broke my heart! I mean he REALLY looked at me like I was the worst person in the whole world. My little Ben. It was HORRIBLE! I almost cried. If I wasn't in such a hurry to get it over with I probably would have. So, I wanted to leave you with a pic of how happy he was after his bath and the look he continued to give me even after we were through...

Home, Sweet Home...

So sorry for the lack of posting... Apparently a c-section with triplets is a rather violent procedure and I've been recovering. I was discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon and spent my first night home in almost a month. It was spectacular.

The babies are doing WONDERFUL! I'll give a full update soon, but here's the quick version. All of the babies are on room air and are breathing great on their own. They are all working on temperature regulation so are still in isolettes, but there is talk of moving both Lily and Jack to an open crib soon. They have lost a little weight since delivery, but that is to be expected. All are really working on feeding and growing. They have had tubes in either their mouths or noses that go down to their stomachs to give them feeds. The suck-swallow-breathe reflex doesn't fully develop until about 34 weeks so they hadn't been given any bottle feeds until TODAY! I fed Lily a bottle this morning and she ate 17 out of 20 milliliters and Jack ate all 15 milliliters this afternoon. Ben hasn't been given a bottle yet, but we are hoping soon. Lily is still ahead of the game. Both Jack and Ben have had Jaundice issues and have been stuck in the "tanning bed" a couple of times.

The Neonatologist that is working with our little guys feels they will be home in 2 or 3 weeks, which is very exciting news.

Here is a link to some pictures...I've had a lot of requests!

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BZtmjNuxcsXFg

Positive Thoughts...

A lot of stuff sucks right now so I'd like to dedicate this post to the power of positive thinking... Rhonda, this should be dedicated to you as you are my inspiration and I still have never finished "The Secret".

I really do believe that people's lives are affected by their thinking. In some way each of us are responsible for determining our own futures simply by how we view the world. It's all about our perspective. If you choose to think the world is out to get you, everything is unfair, or you live your life constantly afraid that you are getting screwed, then guess what...you predict your own destiny. We all know people like this and sometimes it does seem like all the world is out to get them. At the same time, you can sit back and pinpoint how their reactions to life's events predict their outcomes....

Then we know those people that have good lives. They always have good things to say, take life in stride, have a positive outlook on life's events, and think the world is a pretty good place. They find humor in adversity. They laugh instead of crying. They grow with each challenge they overcome. As the saying goes, when life gives them lemons they make lemonade...

These are the kind of people I like to surround myself with. I'm so lucky to have an amazing group of friends and family that have this perspective. There is no better gift that a loved one can give you than positive thoughts when yours have started heading south. My biggest gift has been to share my life with someone who repeatedly tells me that it's all about how you look at things...(no matter how annoying it can be at times).

So this post is in dedication to all of the people that have been so supportive and have shared kind and encouraging words with us. This road has not been an easy one. The past few days have been hard, and each day seems to get a little harder. But that's o.k., what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? My favorite saying is "This Too Shall Pass". Because it will. It always does.

So...When I get down and out over the next few days I will turn my thoughts in the positive direction.

Instead of: Holy cow, how can I get any more swollen...
I will say: Wow, how neat...it's like my legs are made of big pretty balloons and keep expanding! (Said with enthusiasm and vigor)

Instead of: How can I take any more leg pain...it feels like someone has beat me...
I will say: YEAH! I love my legs and am so glad they are letting me know they are there.

Instead of: I am so tired of lying in bed...AHHHH!
I will say: It's like I'm a princess! Everyone waits on me hand and foot and I don't have to lift a hand! I don't even have to get out of bed and I can wear pyjamas all day long.

Instead of: I am going to scream if I gain one more pound...It's getting too hard to move.
I will say: WooHoo! If this were a game show I sure would be winning. Let's see how high I can go!

In my opinion, positive thinking could change the world. I only need a few more days and I KNOW I can hang in there. This is a team effort and I will not let my team down. I'm pretty sure we're making it to 34 weeks. Call it a hunch, a feeling, a premonition...who knows. This would be amazing. I just need to put in a few more hours of meditation each day. Of course, at that point I will feel free to throw in the towel, cry and scream, and beg for Dr. Tabor to relieve me of these little parasites that have invaded my body!

You know it's going to be a bad day when your first loving gaze toward your husband in the morning is met by "Wow, your face is really swollen."

Then, you step on the scale only to find you've gained a whopping 6 pounds overnight. How is that even possible? I don't think I even ate or drank 6 pounds of ANYTHING yesterday. Am I actually absorbing weight from the air?????

I don't think I'm having fun anymore.

I am swollen. I've gained around 14 lbs in the past few days. Strangely enough, a lot of it is in my right leg. No one seems to have an answer for that one! I mean it is REALLY swollen. Forget having a cankle. It's more like my thigh has run into my toes....

I have had an increase of protein in my urine. The scale they use goes up to 4+ and I am now at 3+. My liver enzymes and platelets are still good. My blood pressure is also still good. When one of those decides to take a turn for the worse...we will be welcoming 3 new members into our family! Dr. Tabor said it will not be long now...probably just days. Tomorrow will be 33 weeks! I would like to make it to 34 weeks, but not at a rate of gaining 6 pounds a day...

Not going to lie, I feel pretty awful. Hard to breathe, uncomfortable, nauseous at times, and a slight but annoying headache. But still hanging in there! I can do this, it is so worth it. Plus, there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. Not much longer now....Just think, pretty soon we will have to commit to names! I can't wait to meet the little guys, I think they are going to be fantastic, beautiful, and amazing....

Not feeling much like visitors or like talking on the phone today. Please bear with us. I just don't feel good and would prefer to sleep or stare at the wall! Not to mention I don't want to scare people with my swollen body parts. It is not pretty and I don't want you to remember me this way. I am hideous....

The new chant has to be...just one more day. That is all I can ask for at this time. Just help me to have the sanity and strength to make it one more day. We're almost there!

Almost 12 Pounds of Baby...WHAT???

That's right... I should now be considered for superhero status. Dr. Tabor measured the babies yesterday morning. Drumroll please................. 3 lbs 11 oz; 3 lbs 12 oz; and 3 lbs 13 oz. They are so big! Almost 4 lbs a piece, and so close together. What a miracle... When we started on this journey I could never have imagined how it would feel to be here and now. It feels pretty good knowing they are healthy and doing so well. And, I'm starting to get ready for them to make their appearance. We're at 32 weeks and 4 days. Getting so close. Dr. Tabor still tells me that we're taking it day by day...seems like he's avoiding answering my questions of WHEN??? He gives me the impression that things could fall apart at any moment, but without telling me in so many words. We are all hanging in there, though.

It's getting harder, not going to lie. At least I made it to 32 weeks before I got so uncomfortable. Oh well, I just keep telling myself it's not much longer and it's so worth it. It's kind of like knowing you're on mile 20 of a marathon. So close, but the hardest part is yet to come! Sorry it's been a while since I've written. I'm taking it day by day as well. I just don't feel as well. Headache one day, stomach ache the next, sleep all day some days, etc. Also, thanks for all of the calls and well-wishes. It means so much to me to hear the encouraging words and messages. Sorry if I don't call you right back, sometimes I'm just too wiped out. Everyone has been so supportive of us and that support gives us peace of mind.

I can't say thanks to our families enough, who have given time, money, and effort to make this hospital stay as easy as it can be for both Brian and I. My Mom has been staying at our house keeping things running smoothly. Her BIG job has been working on the nursery (pics to come), but she's been a big support for Brian and I as well. She does our laundry, cooks for Brian when he's there, and runs errands for both of us. Brian's parents are keeping Kita, bringing us food, helping us with house stuff, and helping us run errands as well. Nana and Grandmother have also kept us well stocked in snacks, food, and necessities. Each and every person has made this so much easier. I can't believe that I've been in the hospital 3 weeks. It feels like our lives have just been suspended.

The biggest thanks of all goes to Brian. He has been running himself ragged between spending the night here with me EVERY night, driving home, and then driving to north Dallas to work. Then he gets up and does it all over again. He has sacrificed fishing and his deer season to stay with me every day. I don't know how he is pulling all of it off, but he hasn't complained at all. I look forward to seeing him every day when he walks through that door! I have to be here, I have no choice...but he chooses to be here with me every day to make it easier for me. It's nice to have a buddy to share my evenings with.



Oh the joys of pregnancy continue to abound! Now is the part where I get to whine...


Bed rest officially sucks. I'm REALLY tired of bed. The good thing is that I don't have many options as sitting, walking, and moving in any way have all become pretty darn difficult. So, I guess bed it is. Thank God for the egg crate. My hips and sides ache from lying on them, but that's nothing compared to my butt. I think it has flattened out. Pity. Also, I had to get a shot on Tuesday and it left a bruise the size of Montana with a lump the size of a golf ball underneath. That's really fun to lie on, right? Boy am I a weenie, huh? 3 weeks of bedrest and I'm ready to throw in the towel. Could you imagine if it had been longer? I'd REALLY be annoying. It's pretty easy to keep me in bed when it's so hard to get out!


Pitting edema. I no longer have ankles. They are a thing of the past. It's hideous. My feet and legs look my Grandma's did at 92. Good times. The eggcrate actually makes patterns on the backs of my legs and sometimes it takes an hour for it to disappear. GROSS. I also have big swollen man hands. Yes, man hands. Not to mention a grossly swollen neck and face. I am a shadow of my former self. Oh yes, and I now snore. I mean really snore. I wake myself up in the morning....

Can you say weight gain? I didn't gain any weight for the first 2 weeks of being here. During the past 5 days I've gained almost 10 pounds. All in water. All in my hands and feet, I'm sure. I'm like a human water balloon. Hopefully I won't pop, that would be really messy. I can no longer tell anyone how much I weigh. I believe it is called self-preservation. If I don't admit it then it isn't real!

So as I start week 4 of being here, I wonder what the next week will bring? Babies??? I wonder each and every day when I wake up if today is the day. Crazy, huh? They could come at any time and I am starting to be ready. I hope they come before my body REALLY turns on me!

32 WEEKS!!!

Can you believe it? We made it...all of us. Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but there really hasn't been much to report. Every test they have given me has been the same...nothing getting worse. I've felt more contractions, but at this point I just will because my uterus has stretched to epic proportions. They won't do anything to stop them anyway.


I'm definitely getting more uncomfortable. Harder to eat, A LOT more tired, etc. But that's o.k., not much longer. Plus, I would rather feel uncomfortable now than the babies have any complications when they decide to make their appearance...I'm sure that would be much harder. So, we wait. We will be taking each day as it comes.


So why was I so anxious for week 32 to get here? Week 31 was a big week for fetal lung development. Before last week the air sacs and branches in the babies' lungs were present but not functioning. Last week Dr. Tabor checked the babies twice to see if they were breathing in there and they were. So exciting. Now they are just getting bigger. If they were born this week they would be small, and they would be considered "feeders and growers". Chances are they wouldn't need that much help breathing. It's funny, the bigger they get the more I feel like I need help breathing!

Apparently their movements will get to an all-time high this week and their growth will slow down after this week. Dr. Tabor said he will be measuring the babies again this week-either that or weighing them when they come out! I'm really looking forward to seeing how much they've grown. I've had a bit of a problem gaining weight and eating as you can imagine...just no more room for food these days, so I hope they have continued their good weight-gain. That was one reason I was supposed to gain so much weight early-on. They sure do feel bigger and their movements are quite a bit stronger. As I'm sitting here writing, someone keeps repeatedly whacking at the computer which is resting on my big belly!

One of the boys has the hiccups A LOT. So much so that I feel a little bad for him. He's had them up to 4 times a day and they shake my whole belly so I know they have to be uncomfortable, right? The other boy has them occasionally-maybe once every 2 days or so, but the little girl NEVER has them....too squished? I hope not.

All is well...

31 weeks, 2 days! Whew....

Well, it's been a good week so far. I've felt really good which has to be a sign that things are holding steady. Still have some atrocious heartburn, but I've been pretty comfortable and not too bored. Brian brought be the softest and fuzziest blanket last night so I'm cuddled up with it right now! I've got my mp3 player, my laptop, and a good supply of books. If I could only have my sweet Kita to cuddle with me I'd have it made. I've had a pretty good case of missing her the last few days.... She's getting the royal treatment at Brian's parents, so I know she's got it made. Dr. Tabor won't let me have wheelchair privileges yet so there's no chance of sneaking outside to see her. She's MUCH to wiggly and big to sneak in here. I had to include a pic because she's just so pretty! Of course, this didn't help me stop missing her....

Blood work was done this morning and my liver enzymes are the same..Yeah!!! The protein in my urine was actually a little better yesterday...which I didn't even know was possible, but I'll take it. Contractions are still at bay, thank goodness. Headaches have been gone for the most part as well. I sure would like to make it through this week without any of last week's dramas. I just don't know if my heart can take another emergency!

Dr. Tabor said he'll be doing another sono either this afternoon or in the morning. Unfortunately pre eclampsia doesn't just affect me. It can cause problems with the placentas, which can affect blood flow to the babies. So he's going to check them out and keep an eye on them. One thing is for sure, they have been incredibly active and rambunctious the past few days. Baby boy on the right has had the hiccups 3 times in the past two days! It's so fun to feel them move. Sometimes they really get going and it's like a wrestling match in my belly.

31 Weeks!

One more week down!


31 Weeks. Day 11 in the hospital. 7 days until week 32. Time may have actually slowed to a crawl. You know it's sad when I was disappointed about "falling back" because that meant an extra hour to endure! It wasn't that big of a deal, though, because I slept right through it. Someone magically came in and changed my clock in the middle of the night so I didn't even notice. Genius.


I had a good weekend with lots of visitors. I really appreciate everyone that stopped by to hang out for a little while. Mom and Dad, Rhonda, Allison, and Nana and Bob came by. Last week Mom, Rhonda, Mary Jo, and Grandmother came by as well. Today Mary, Kris, and Heather from work made the LONG haul to come see me. It was great to gossip and just hang out with the girls. Thanks so much for taking time to come see me and give me a much-needed break from the boredom! Also, thanks to everyone who has called to talk, it means so much to me to know ya'll are thinking about our family.

No big news to report, which is a GREAT thing! As of yesterday my liver enzymes had actually improved a little bit-yeah! I continue to have mild pre eclampsia, very inconsistent and high blood pressure, protein in my urine, and now am apparently developing a little fluid in my lungs...but I actually feel pretty good so I am not complaining. I was a little uncomfortable yesterday, I do have 3 babies in there after all, but it's just not that bad. I'm getting a cough which is annoying because my abdominal muscles are so stretched out they are practically non-existent. Ever tried to cough without using your abs...fairly difficult. BUT I'm still not ready to give up the fight! Those babies aren't ready yet and neither am I. I told Dr. Tabor this morning they needed AT LEAST one more week and he said we would be taking it day by day. The great news is that I have had absolutely no problems with contractions in several days.



So life is good in room 382! I thought I would leave ya'll with a list of the BEST things about being in the hospital on bed rest. It's not a bad life....

• People send you flowers! I LOVE flowers...not going to lie. Thank you so much to Rhonda and Terry- Debbie, Eddie, Ross, and Rachel- and Keith for the beautiful arrangements you sent. They really make a difference! They are pretty to look at, they smell good, and the nurses come to visit me more to see them! I'm pretty lucky to get flowers just for lying around in bed, right? Have I mentioned how much I love flowers.
• Adjustable, egg-crated, side-railed bed (aka my Cadillac bed). I didn't realize exactly how difficult maneuvering both in bed and off the couch had become until I got here. This bed is fantastic! The side rails help me turn and sit up. The egg crate keeps my butt from going numb as well as my hips and back from hurting. It does, however, leave funny imprints all over me...which slows down my daily stretch-mark hunting sessions. AND it adjusts. Not comfy in one position? You can change it with the simple push of a button... This is the sweet life.
• Friendlier toilet. No more painful knee cracking! I can now get up off of the toilet without fear of permanent damage. AND...if I do happen to get stuck, help is just a push of a button away. I'm assuming they bring in a team of highly trained people to help you off...but hopefully I won't have to go there.
• Excellent room service. While at home by myself during the day I would often get stuck on the couch thinking...."Man, I really wish I could have some _____, but it's just too hard to get up and get it." Problem solved. I have this magic little button that I push and then this magic little voice lights up my room and says "How can I help you". Wow, this must be what it's like to be rich. Ice, water, drinks, food, towels, you name it...it is just a button-push away. I also get fresh linens and my room cleaned daily. This is greatness.
• Hospital food. That's right, I'm one of the bizarre people in the world that loves hospital food. It's pretty good here. I've had things like barbecued chicken, vegetable lasagna, turkey tetrazzini, great sandwiches, etc. Plus all the Shasta, saltines, juice, milk, and ice cream you could possibly need. AND the best snow cone ice ever, even better than Sonic.
• My very own tub of Grandmother's spinach dip and Nana's chocolate pie. I left this for last because it is by far the best fringe benefit I have found so far. I am a princess. I get to sit around and eat yummy spinach dip and the very best chocolate pie EVER....I know all of you are jealous!

I also got to see the babies today. Dr. Tabor did a sono to check them out. They are so big and beautiful. They look even more cramped, but so am I. They will just have to deal with it, as will I. I can put up with it for as long as they will let me!

One day at a time.

I'm beginning to think the goal of being in the hospital is to give me a heart attack. Yesterday was crazy and scary and gave me a good dose of how quickly things can change. But...good news...no babies just yet!

They ran my labs again this morning and there had been no significant changes. My liver is still acting crazy, but no more crazy than yesterday. It looks like they will just continue to check it. If it stays the same then they won't take the babies right now.


Alright, this is a super embarrassing subject but I'm going to tackle it anyway. Apparently my urine is a major topic of interest and concern around here. One indicator of pre eclampsia, which is where your body begins to become toxic, is protein in your urine. They test this by having you collect your urine for 24 hours...and they like to let everyone in the entire hospital know by writing "24 hour urine collection" right outside your door. That's not embarrassing. The levels are higher than last weeks, but not at dangerous levels.

So that's where we are. In some kind of weird limbo. I could last several days like this or they could decide to do a c-section tomorrow. I'm serious, this is enough to drive someone crazy. I think the statistics at this point are that each day they spend in me that is 2 days less they will spend in the neonatal intensive care unit. And of course all I can do is lay here and rest...and collect my urine. Good times.

So let's all start a silent chant...9 more days, 9 more days, 9 more days! That gets us to 32 weeks. I can live with 32 weeks. But until then it is just one day at a time. And each day seems to be slower than the next. Each day depends on how those tests come back. I have faith in my body. It has never failed me yet and I don't think it will now. It can hold strong for just a few more days, right?

30 weeks 4 days and counting

I haven't felt well with a headache and nausea the past day. Come to find out it's the ugly monster pre eclampsia. We are now walking a tight rope.

Dr. Tabor ran multiple tests this morning after he came to see me and my liver enzymes were high. He called me in my room about an hour later and told me we would most likely be delivering the babies today, pending the results of a few more tests. This was REALLY rough to hear. He re-ran my blood work 3 hours later and called to tell me that the levels stayed the same so they are closely monitoring me and taking it 12 hours at a time. So we have at least until tomorrow morning.

This is crazy. I can't even begin to tell ya'll the roller coaster that we've been on. I've been pretty doped up all day because of the medicine they're giving me for the headache/nausea. It makes things a little harder to process, as you can imagine.

Please pray that there are no changes for the worse. I'm just not ready to give them up yet. We made it through today, and will be facing the same thing tomorrow. I just want a few more days...

Back from the dead?

Well, I'm a little roughed up but I'm hanging tough. Sort of. Thanks for every one's prayers and good thoughts. We made it through a tough and scary weekend. I am still alive to talk about it!

I got a little sick Saturday night and began having pretty massive contractions. I was put on Magnesium Sulfate (aka drug from Hell), for 24 hours. I had some issues with the drug levels being too high in my blood, which didn't help the situation any. It might have been the hardest and longest 24 hours of my life. But...we made it through. All of us. I'm keeping these kids in here as long as I can and they sure as heck better be worth it. I'm talking multi-millionaires, Nobel prize winners, or something. We made it. It was pretty scary, though. I would really prefer not to do that EVER again! It took 24 full hours to get them under control, but they managed to do it.

Words cannot express how glad I am that is over and how much better I am beginning to feel. I do, however, feel like someone rolled me down 3 flights of concrete stairs. I'm really weak, sore, and tired. I feel quite a bit better today and I expect that each day will bring more strength. I so appreciate all of the support and strength my family and friends have given us and can feel all of ya'll pulling for us! Thanks for all of the calls and well-wishes, Brian passed each one on to me.

There are a couple of good things to report. First, no pre-eclampsia. I got the results late Saturday night and that was great news. Second, I really haven't had very many contractions since then so hopefully they are under control. I'm actually having WAY fewer then when I was at home. Unfortunately, all of the contractions I did have changed my cervix a little. But, for now everything is status quo. I'm back on the contraction/blood pressure med and starting to get used to the way that it makes me feel. I also had a good nights sleep last night for the first time. I've been fairly uncomfortable, but even most of those issues are resolving, as they have done in the past.

Unfortunately, I may have bought myself a nice hospital stay until the babies arrive. We'll see. In all honesty I have been scared to ask Dr. Tabor. It is the one question I have completely avoided. I'm afraid of the answer. More than anything I just want to get everything regulated and under control...then maybe I'll get up the guts to ask. I will do whatever he wants, though. Hey-what's a few weeks anyway? They really do take great care of me and I feel so safe here. I can't imagine what would have happened if I had been at home when the events of Saturday night began to unfold. I really credit Dr. Tabor for getting me in here when he did because I think that kept the babies from coming on Sunday. So, I defer to the experts and will do as I'm told.

Again-thanks for every one's positive thoughts they really keep me going. Time has definitely slowed down and I feel bad for complaining about being bored earlier! Anyway...now ya'll get to hear about my crazy hospital life! I'll see what kind of trouble I can get into around here just to keep ya'll interested...

Sort of like Quincy Carter filling in for Tom Brady...

Brian here so this post won't be as entertaining as you guys are used to. We are at the hospital still and Steffie has been having contractions since Friday. She went on magnesium sulfate this morning to regulate the contractions and we some difficulty getting the dose regulated. She was pretty out of it most of the day but has been better for several hours.
We need Steffie's now famous cervix to stop dilating and the contractions to slow down so we can keep those babies in Steffie's ever expanding belly a little longer. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as the next couple of days are going to be very important.

Hopefully we can post good news soon,

Brian

Well, yesterday was an exciting day. It started out like an average visit to the Dr.'s office. I felt pretty good, nothing out of the ordinary or anything. Brian was able to take me and was excited because we were fairly sure that they were measuring the babies. Again, just a regular old day.

Until I go into have my vitals taken and my blood pressure was sky high. I believe it was around 152/90. Not so much of a good sign. Oops. Wonder how that happened? I had been having some swelling in my hands and face at home, some light-headedness, congestion, weight-gain, and headaches at times and had chalked it up to just being pregnant. We actually have an inherited blood pressure cuff and I had checked it a few times just to make sure-and it was always fine. Of course, we inherited it because the previous owners didn't think it worked so well....guess I might agree with them now.

So we go in to the room and the sonographer comes in (a newbie) and begins the measurement process. Now I had never had her before and she looked so completely overwhelmed I felt very bad for her. To her credit she really tried to figure who and where and what everything was, but it is HARD. There are 3 moving and cramped big babies in there and it is really hard to see what is what, who is who, or even what is who's. We could clearly see she was struggling...which is always a tense situation to be in. I guess the experienced sonographer hadn't made it in yet and she got thrown into doing this... So after about 10 minutes and lots of uncomfortable silence she pushed back her chair and said that she was sorry, but she was going to go tell Dr. Tabor that she wasn't ready for triplets yet and left. We both felt really bad for her. Then I looked at Brian and said, "Should we tell Dr. Tabor that we're not ready for triplets yet either?"

So that's the funny story of the day...now onto the rest. Dr. Tabor came in and did all of the measurements himself and was really happy at how all of the babies look. They are really doing spectacular. Great weights and movements and getting so strong. This is such an amazing blessing for us as this is obviously our first concern. We want them to be healthy. There are A LOT of complications that can happen for them and we are so happy that none of them have. It is so amazing and nerve racking just to carry and have one baby so you can imagine what comfort it gives us to know how great our 3 are doing so far. We discussed the contractions and he was a bit worried and sent in Alaine the nurse practitioner to re-do the Fetal Fibronectin Test, re-do the blood pressure check, and manually (yuck) check my cervix. This is where things really begin to seemingly go wrong. Same high blood pressure and now we find out my cervix is dilated 1 cm. WHAT? No way. Not my crazy strong cervix of steel. Apparently carrying around 10 pounds of baby and all of their junk is starting to create some wear and tear. Huh. Not sure how to react to this news. So she tells me I can get dressed, that Dr. Tabor will come back in to check on me, and leave the room. I get dressed and we sit and wait. Where we were previously laughing and joking there is now silence. I have been so spoiled with nothing going wrong and am a little punch drunk after this latest news. I actually thought for sure he would stick me in the hospital right then

BUT he didn't. He came back in and explained that pregnancy induced hypertension is a common complication, for women who carry singletons and especially for those with multiples. He said he was more worried about a condition called pre-eclampsia which is basically where your body begins to become toxic. This is not the greatest thing to have so we are really praying for this to stay away! The other indicator is protein in my urine, and I did apparently have a trace amount yesterday-which may or may not be normal. However, the definitive test is a 24-hour collection. So he sent me home with a jug to keep my pee in. The funny thing is that it has to be refrigerated! He also put me on bedrest which meant Brian would have to take my pee to the refrigerator and dump it in. Does this test the bounds of love? And I pee a lot! I couldn't help but laugh...such a bad wife! The other issue addressed was contractions, especially since I was dilated to 1cm. Again-bedrest. He did say that this was not uncommon because I am carrying around so much stuff in my uterus. But the contractions were concerning and if I were to have more than 4 an hour I would have to come back up to maternal observation and be hooked up for monitoring. He gave me a little pep talk on the way out and sent us on our way home.

I had 3 strong contractions on the way home. Upon getting in bed I had 4 contractions in 40 minutes. I am now obviously VERY freaked out by contractions (even more so than before) so we loaded back up, called, and headed back up there!

Ahhh...Maternal observation, otherwise known as hell. Just kidding-it was a better experience than last time, but still not great. They HAVE to do something about those beds, they are basically just stretchers and I'm fairly sure I would have been more comfortable on the floor. At least we didn't wait for over an hour just for a room like last time. They had to hook up four monitors, one heart rate monitor for each baby and a contraction monitor. They got a really good look at my contractions, though. Some were really strong, and for a while they were coming every 3-5 minutes. Not good. AND to top it all off we found out that the fetal fibronectin test they did earlier came back positive. WHAT? Fortunately a false positive is WAY more likely to happen than a false negative, but still a little freaky especially when you are having contractions. Man, what a day, huh?

That's when we found out I was getting admitted. I must say, I was a little teary-eyed because it was so shocking. But I am so happy to be here and I cannot tell you the weight it takes off of my shoulders to have constant monitoring. It makes such a world of difference. I didn't realize how worried I had been about things until I got here and really felt a lot more relaxed because they are always here and I've already seen Tabor twice. We are SO lucky. From the time I was told I was to be admitted to the time I was in my room was only about 20 minutes. So FAST! Somebody up there knew how uncomfortable I was in that stupid bed, right? Within 5 minutes of being in my room (private, quiet, and very nice) they had my vitals taken, I was hooked up to the monitor, I already had my anti-contraction/hypertension meds, and was amazed at how nice and attentive all of the staff were.

I was told yesterday it was just for the weekend, but we will see. When Tabor came by this morning he made no mention of how long I would be here. I know it has everything to do with what my blood pressure and contractions continue to do. So far they both have been down considerably with the meds they are giving me. I have had a lot of flushing, have been hot, and had a headache last night from the meds but all completely tolerable and getting much better with each dose. In fact, I almost feel back to normal. Again-I still feel pretty good and love my adjustable hospital bed and unlimited supply of pillows! It's actually so much better than the couch or my super-tall bed at home. I'm still not that uncomfortable at all. Amazing, huh? I've got 10 pounds of baby in me and don't feel that bad. My stay also has a lot to do with the results of the urine testing, I should get that back tonight.

Brian actually got to stay with me last night and that was such a huge relief. This is the first time I have had to stay in a hospital overnight in 20 years. I had a really hard time sleeping, but I'm not sure if it was because of the new environment, all of the excitement of the day, or his snoring. AND he was out of reach so I couldn't tap him to get him to roll over! I tried my hardest to avoid taking anything, but by 2:30 and after 4 hours of staring at the clock I was getting a little restless. I tried listening to my meditation CD, but the batteries died! So I think I fell asleep around 3:00 or so and apparently woke Brian up with my snoring. Now that's not embarrassing. I think he's making it up, personally. Send your good thoughts toward Brian. I know this is hard on him and will be harder if I have to stay longer. After all, I have a full staff waiting on me hand and foot and he will have to be navigating work in Dallas and driving to Ft. Worth to see me. And let's not forget Kita...she's been a little spoiled the last 10 weeks!

Sorry for the crazy long post, but a lot has happened and this should catch everyone up to speed on what I know. Hopefully we will know more tomorrow-and hopefully it will all be good news!

Jinx?

Well, I guess it's my own fault that I opened my mouth on the last post and bragged about how great everything was going. When will I ever learn?

We've had a few set-backs. I'm writing you from my brand new fancy hospital room. That's right, I've been checked in. Hopefully it will just be for a few days. I mean I wanted to get out of the house and all, but this isn't exactly what I was hoping for... Can you believe it, I got put on bedrest AND put in the hospital all at once! Talk about no warning whatsoever.

As of now I'm just here for the weekend for observation. It seems some things went haywire this morning so they wanted to get me in here for a few days to start some meds and make sure they were working. Definitely not an emergency situation at this point, more of a precaution. I'll catch everyone up on the full story with details, but I'm a little tired tonight. It has been a long day. I have a great room, I'm nice and relaxed, and Brian even gets to stay! Hey-it's like a fancy camp out with a flat screen TV! The nurses have been fantastic as well, and to tell the truth I am a little glad to be here because you know how much the contractions have been stressing me out. So, before you go to bed tonight say a little prayer for us and the little ones.

Oh yeah! I do have good news to share. Tabor measured the babies today and we have great weights! Little girl is 3 lbs 5 oz; little boy up left is 3 lbs 6 oz; and little boy up right is 3 lbs. Yeah!!! They all look fantastic and are crazy active.

I'll catch everyone up on things as I know more. Good night...

Patience is a virtue that I don't have...

Sitting at home alone is not good for impatient people. At least not good for this impatient person.


I am WAITING for week 30 to be over. This is my first big goal. It's SO close. It's actually on my Dad's b-day, November 1st...7 whole days away. Please, please, please pray for all of us that we achieve this goal! Not that the babies would be completely out of the woods for any complications, but they would be very close. Good weights, more developed lungs, and stronger.


Hopefully this won't jinx me, but it hasn't been all that awful. Obviously, I'm uncomfortable at times for a variety of different reasons-but none of the extreme side effects that I had read about. Lots of women seem completely miserable and I just haven't been. Now don't get me wrong, I am extremely whiny and pitiful at times, but looking back (which is always the best view) I have been SO lucky. With the one exception of the contractions. They drive me CRAZY. I don't care how much they tell me not to worry about them, they still make me worry.


The funny thing is, I actually like being pregnant. It might have been easier with just one, but would it have been as exciting? I think not. Do you know how wimpy people are that just have one at a time? Not to mention extremely inefficient. I'm still plugging along, at a much slower pace, but not ready for them to be here. I wonder when it will happen? When I will decide I have had enough and I want them out? I like them, which is good. I love feeling them bump around and know when they are awake or sleeping. Besides, I know they will be a lot more needy when they escape! It's really crazy to know that we are almost to the point when it could happen at any moment.

I have been thinking so much about this during the last few days. Right now the easiest option is still for them to hang out with me a few more weeks. I can't tell you how many times during the day I calculate and recalculate dates and weeks, and try to guesstimate when they might show up. I've even asked the Magic 8 ball and it keeps giving me different answers no matter how carefully I word the questions!

So what will it be? When will they get here? Will I really make it to 36 weeks? I just have a feeling I won't. I'm not sure why but it just doesn't feel like I will go quite that long. 33-34 weeks has been stuck in my brain since we started on this journey so many months ago. Wow-that's not far away. About 4 weeks. 28 days. Thanksgiving.

I think I might have reached a state of discomfort that will allow me to let go of them by then. It is still very tolerable now. I'm swelling a lot more. It's fairly painful for me to get out of bed in the morning. I have to uncurl my puffy, swollen, aching hands-muster A LOT of energy to roll over-stand up-and put weight through my aching knees and screaming feet. Then I just sit on the edge of the bed trying to get up enough energy to waddle to the bathroom...yet again. I pretty much waddle everywhere now. Apparently putting on over 60 pounds pisses your lower body off. Things just don't move like they used to! I had read that I would have problems putting on weight the last few weeks because it would be hard to eat, etc. No problems here.

I haven't had problems sleeping until the last week or so. It's actually not because I'm uncomfortable. I have to get up every hour to go to the bathroom. Huh. I just assumed that people couldn't sleep because they were ginormous and uncomfortable. I wish I had space diapers sometimes. I definitely don't feel rested in the morning, but I'm going on a few weeks with no REM sleep so I guess that makes sense. I do catch myself snoring in the mornings after Brian leaves...PLEASE no one tell him because I've been on his case about his snoring for years! I now have a permanent red mark across the bridge of my nose because I wear a breathe-right strip to bed every night... The most bizarre side effect is the fact that the inside of my nose swells up and I can't breathe. Does this make any sense at all? It's almost a little cruel, isn't it? Is there any doubt that God is a man? Apparently all of the extra hormones that are flying around in my body make mucous membranes swell. Oh yes, and the infamous carpel tunnel. I am having some tingling/numbness in my right hand-but no pain. But-like I said, everything is tolerable, and sometimes just funny. And it will go away!

I was very worried about being out of shape and completely worn out after they were born. I just don't see how that will be possible, though. Think how much energy it takes for me to do anything with all of this extra weight. My heart is constantly racing during normal, every day activities like taking a shower or folding laundry. I'll probably lose a good 40 pounds just with their births when you calculate their weights, placenta weights, blood-loss, amniotic fluid loss, and let's not forget all of the extra water I seem to be carrying around. Can you imagine what it will be like to stand up for the first time without my huge belly? Talk about a center of gravity change. Will I fall over? So crazy.

All dressed up...

So I tried to sneak out of the house on Saturday night. Don't worry, I had permission. I just wanted a few hours out of the house that didn't include a trip to the Dr., WalMart, Target, or Market Street (the only places I have been in WEEKS). Needless to say my social life is definitely suffering. Not a lot of party invites coming my way... Not that I actually fit into a lot of party clothes!

My friend Emily from work is getting married and she had a couples shower on Saturday at a friend's house near ours. Perfect, right? Not too far away, comfortable environment, no stress, and we can leave whenever we want. I had been looking forward to going for several weeks and hoping that everything would work out where I could. I would get to see a lot of friends that I have worked with for several years and enjoy some much needed non-solitary time. Brian even rushed home from the deer lease to take me (such a good hubby!). Emily has been a good friend to me and I wanted to celebrate this exciting event with her! She has been so supportive during my pregnancy and it would be good to actually see her instead of talk on the phone or e-mail. She will be the one taking the babies' first professional photos as well, check out her website... http://gigglesandgrins.smugmug.com

I took it easy all day Friday and Saturday. I mean REALLY easy, pretty much in bed both days. I swear I did everything I could. Drank my water, relaxed, ate my protein, slept, did my meditation CD, etc. You get the point... I took a shower, got ready, and was even ready EARLY to leave...by the way, that never happens. I felt really good, and if possible, even a little pretty (and of course puffy) in my very large maternity outfit!

Apparently I didn't clear this plan with my uterus. Or maybe, it was just as excited as I was to see old friends? Who knows? One thing I'm beginning to figure out is that sometimes there is no rhyme or reason as to what the heck it does. Anyway, I started having contractions...again, not labor contractions or anything, but still contractions. Even though I've been told that unless they are increasing in frequency and strength I shouldn't obsess about them, they completely freak me out and I want them to STOP immediately. The only thing I can do about them (sometimes works, sometimes doesn't) is to stop and lay down and relax. So that's what I had to do. Instead of go to the party.

So Brian and I took it easy the rest of the night. He takes excellent care of his entire crew...the one that is here, the ones that are on the way, and the fuzzy one. We relaxed, he picked up dinner, and we watched a movie. Overall, a pretty good evening with my two very favorite people...Brian and Kita! It is easy to get down when you get disappointed, but life is all about the perspective you take. I was sad, but I still had a wonderful evening. Besides, nothing in the whole world is more important than taking care of my babies! I just think how lucky I am that an evening spent at home can be so great, even when you are just doing the same things you do every night. It's all about the people you are fortunate enough to spend your life with, and in that department I am more than blessed.

Desperation?

All right, maybe not desperate, but at least a little on the sad side...

I need some new websites to look at. Badly. I've sunk to new lows in the last week and need some direction. Anyone out there have any help for me? I consistently stalk triplet websites, my e-mails (just in case), and a few friends' myspace pages/blogs. However, I have in the last week actually browsed the following:

• Websites showing before and after tummy tucks. Not too bad, actually. I'm keeping my options open as well as planning for the future...
• Weather in Mexico. Boy am I dreaming.
• Spa services and prices. Yeah right, like I can leave the house to actually do anything. What are the chances I could get them to come to me? Or actually afford it?
• Ways to remove callouses from my heals. Really a pedicure would cure this, right?
• Wrinkle creams.
• Raised toilet seats at WalMart and Walgreens. It's getting much worse.
• Protein content of every food under the sun. I had to up my protein intake to get weight on these little guys. I am beginning to hate protein and may become a vegetarian when this is all over and done with.
• Oriental rugs. Just curious.
• C-section videos on you-tube. YUCK!!! This is not what I signed up for.
• Postage stamp options. Just wanted to see if they had any cool ones.
• Jobs. Just wondering what might be out there? REALLY missing working.
• Mini vans. No way am I doing this. I don't care how convenient it is, I will get more of a workout getting them into a SUV. I wanted to be fair, though, and prove that I was not totally close-minded. This book is closed now.
• And yes...the Brittany Spears saga. Now that 's just pitiful.

Does anyone have any sites they would like to share? I need some direction. Either that or I am going to have to become a major Internet shopper and Brian would not like that.

Thanks to my friends at work for coming to visit me last night. Mary, Heather, Kris, and Theresa came to keep me company and watch Grey's Anatomy. It was great to see you all and catch up on what's been happening at OCH. Thanks for making the long trek, I really appreciate it!