Tomorrow is the day!

Here is the last belly picture you will see. After this, no one will see my belly or touch it (unless I get that tummy tuck and I'll have to show it off :)

It always cracks me up to look at my shorts like this! It is so funny looking.

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I just can't believe it is already here. I am so ready, but scared too. I am going to get up at 3am to take a shower so we can leave by 4am. Luckily, I don't sleep. We have to be at the hospital at 4:30am. The c-section is scheduled for 6:30am.

If all goes well, the babies should be in the NICU for about two weeks, but we have no way of really knowing until they are born.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, brought dinners, helped with errands, house stuff and taking care of Brooke over the past six months. There is no way we could of survived this without the help and support from our friends and family. We love you all and thank you all so much!!!!

Please pray for us that all goes smoothly tomorrow with the c-section and delivery with no complications. I pray we have three healthy girls and I have a quick recovery. I am ready to be a mom and wife again.

We'll post pictures and an update as soon as we can.

Love,

Troy, Heather and Brooke

Change of plans

We went to the doctor today and the c-section date has CHANGED!!!!

It is now next Thursday!!!! June 11th at 6:30am.

Our 9 year anniversary is the day before, June 10th, so we will get three wonderful presents.

The c-section should be very quick and over by 7am. Troy and I have to be there at 4:30am to get prepped and get my ivs started. The nurse said that Troy should be able to wheel the babies by the waiting room on the way to the NICU, so everyone can see them.

The babies weighed 4.3, 4.4, and 4.3lbs.

I had to have a steroid shot today to help develop the babies lungs faster and Troy has to give me one more shot tomorrow. Lungs are the last thing to develop in fetal growth. I also had to do all the pre-op blood work for the c-section at the hospital. It seems like all I do is either get blood drawn or get shots, but it is okay because they are almost here.

I am excited, but freaking out a little bit. After all this time, it is finally here! I tried to hold in my tears, but they came anyway. I'm sure I'll have buckets full next Thursday.

Please keep us all in your prayers. We are about to endeavor in uncharted waters and have no idea what to expect. I just hope and pray that the babies and I have no complications, they are all healthy and I have a quick recovery.

32 weeks & 2 days

We are still on for Friday, June 12th. That is next Friday!

I went to the doctor last Thursday and everything looked great. The babies are 3.14, 4.0 and 3.15lbs. Dr. Kirshon is very pleased at how close their weights are and called me a champ for making it this far without being in the hospital. I only have 1 week and 4 days left!!!! My cervix has shorten a bit, but he wasn't too worried about it. I still have my cerclage and will bleed if it shortens a lot. If that happens the babies will be coming that day.

We (or I should say Troy) are getting everything ready. We have realized that we have so much stuff! We need a bigger house or at least more closet space. We have gotten rid of all that we can and our attic is maxed out. Mostly it is Brooke's old stuff that we will eventually need. Troy worked all weekend on the room for our nanny! We found a great girl who lives outside of Austin who will be a live-in. It will be a new experience for us, but are excited to have the help.

My next appt. is this Wednesday and I promise to update the blog that day.

These will be the girls NICU hats. Thanks to April, www.themonogramminglady.com. I heard it is hard to tell them apart in pictures in the hospital, so now each girl has a color.

R for red/Reagan, P for pink/Paige and Kara gets purple.
Brooke had her End of the Year Show at Sagemont in gymnastics. Bubba brought her flowers and was so proud!

Brooke in action!

Tah Dah! She has a little Shawn Johnson body.

Brooke and her best buddy Ella.

Zaida and Runa came to visit from Colorado for some testing at MD Anderson. Troy picked them up from the Ronald McDonald House to spend the day with us. It was great to see them. Brooke is dressed up in her 1 year old Halloween costume. She was a Hershey Kiss. She likes to put the costume on and pass out real Hershey kisses! She is so crazy! She looks more like a flashy Pope than a kiss.

Troy bought Brooke a slip n slide and everyone had a lot of fun with it.

I think Troy had more fun than anyone and he popped it in less than an hour doing all kinds of spins and tricks. It was great entertainment!

31 weeks! (less than 3 weeks to go!)

I just have until June 12th! I can do it!!! There is an end in sight. I go to the doctor this Thursday and I hope that the babies are 4lbs. Their growth will slow down now because they are so tight inside. They are running out of room to grow and so am I.

My 3 hour glucose test did not go so well. Troy took me last Monday at 8am after fasting all night. I wasn't able to eat until noon. More than 12 hours with no food for any pregnant lady is not good, not to mention one with three babies inside of her. I had to get my blood taken and then drink the sugary drink when I got there. I was supposed to stay at the lab the entire three hours, but after sitting up in a chair in the waiting room for about 20 minutes my back started to get knots. The girls that worked there were so sweet and let me lie on an examining table. It was hard as a rock and I used my books as a pillow, but it was much better than the chair. Troy and Brooke dropped me off and then he left to go eat breakfast with Brooke and drop her off at school. The girls at the lab said I could leave and just be back each hour, so Troy and I drove around Friendswood and came back each hour. I failed two of the hours (borderline) and passed the other two, so now I have gestational diabetes. I have to monitor my diet (only proteins, veggies and limited carbs & fruits) and prick my finger four times a day to check my blood sugar level. No more sweets and if you know me, you know that is a tough one. It's all I had left. I can do it- only three weeks. I am just tired of monitoring for contractions, pricking my finger, drinking a gallon of water daily, and even taking my three vitamins each day. I do feel blessed because it could be much worse. I'm ready for my life to be back, but I don't want the girls to come before their time. I want them to be as healthy as can be. I'm starting to get excited and nervous too. We will be bringing three babies home! THREE! ahhh!

My sweet family!

Troy has been a single parent for the past five months and has done a great job keeping up with everything on top of working. He does a great job taking care of his girls.

Brooke wanted to be in my belly picture.

Here's a close up... There is no more belly button, lots of veins and some new stretch marks. You can also see a ring around the belly from my XL shorts being too tight and making a line around my belly. Ouch!

Me and my Boo! I love her so much!!

Babies are getting big!

This is baby C, Kara Grace. I couldn't figure out how to turn the scan, so just pretend she is lying down. The object in front of her face is a leg and foot, but it is not her own. The poor dear kept getting kicked in her face by one of her sisters during the ultrasound. Can you imagine how crowded it is in there?

Here's the good news!!!

The girls are all over 3lbs. Whoa hoo!

Reagan Faith 3lb 3oz (a)

Paige Anne 3lbs 2oz (b)

Kara Grace 3lbs 6oz (c)

Dr. Kirshon is thinking that either one or all could be five pounds at birth. That is great, but just crazy. Fifteen pounds of baby in my belly. ouch! He also said I should lose about 20lbs at delivery due to their weights, the placentas and all the fluid. yeah! I will be able to breath!

My cervix looks good, blood pressure was normal (106/68), and no signs of preeclampsia. I do have to take a three hour glucose test because mine was a little high at the last appt. I won't be able to eat after midnight until almost noon on Monday. ahhh!

Here is the BIG news.... ..

My C-section is scheduled!!!!!

Friday, June 12th at 6pm

There will be a party in the waiting room at Woman's Hospital for all who want to attend :)

We couldn't get the early morning slot, so we'd have to either wait until Monday or do Friday evening. I thought Friday would be better for anyone who wants to come in town, or come after work. Plus, it will be easier over a weekend with Brooke. I'll be in the hospital for at least three nights. Here's the kicker, I can't eat for 8 hours before the procedure! I can't go two hours without eating now. I'll be so excited and nervous that day that I'll make it. The glucose test on Monday will be my own test to see if I can make it without eating.

I just need prayers that the babies stay healthy and I keep them in until the 12th. I had a scheduled c-section with Brooke and the little one showed up a week early (my water broke), so no one was at the hospital to welcome her until after she was born.

It is getting really exciting and I feel much better. Now, it is time to get to work on organizing all my stuff. We no longer have a study downstairs. That room is now nursery #2. It has all the baby equipment and it is full of swings, bouncies, etc. It looks like we are opening up a day care. I have to get everything organized and put away because they are coming! yeah!

29 weeks!!! Happy Mother's Day!

I made it another week, so I am 29 weeks and that means only five more to go!

I am feeling much better and vow to have a better week. Last week was tough emotionally-lots of tears, but this week will be much better. It is so hard to be cheerful when you are extremely uncomfortable, in pain, lonely and sleep deprived. I go to the doctor on Wednesday and that gets me out of the house :) :) :). I'm hoping my girls will have hit the 3lb mark.

Our goal is 4lbs!!!

I get an email each Saturday when my week changes and this week it said each baby should be about 15.5 inches from head to heel. Ok, now if you do the math that is (15.5 X 3= 46.5 inches). That is almost FOUR FEET !!! FOUR FEET of babies are IN MY BELLY! You wouldn't believe what that feels like when they are rolling around in here. Four feet! By the end of this pregnancy I could have the length of myself in my belly.

Check out this BELLY!

Everyone who sees me in person says my belly is much bigger than in the pictures. Gravity is starting to pull it down, either that or the four feet of babies. I think I am going to have a raffle or a BBQ benefit afterward to raise money for a tummy tuck! Maybe I will have a bake sale. I can't wait to be able to run and exercise again, but there is no amount of exercise or weight loss that will get rid of the extra skin! I have been researching it. It is not pretty. The pictures on-line are scary! I possibly can have insurance pay for some of it if I have muscle separation (which is common). Some girls had 6-7 inches of muscle that did not come back together! It causes severe back pain and hernias. Great! Well, I might be buying their clothes at Goodwill, so I can save up. j/j :)

Happy Mother's Day!!
Troy made me a delicious steak and King Crab Legs!!! It was so yummy! I also had salad and even sat outside. It was so nice! (Look at my little Brooke in the background).

NANNY & SLEEP
We have a night nanny lined up that will help for the first two months. It is SO, SO expensive so we want to have her as little as possible. She has worked with triplets before and will teach us how to feed all three, get them on a schedule, bathe all three, etc., etc. We will also be able to sleep! What is that? I actually don't think I sleep anymore. I think I just rest in between going to the restroom and rolling from side to side. I know it is getting close to morning when I hear the birds chirping (it is still dark outside). The sun starts coming up next and then Troy is getting ready to go to work. I have it all down. Once I hear those birds, I think here comes morning...and I don't think I have slept. Some days I am really groggy, but others days I am used to it. I tried Tylenol PM the other night, but I was still up half the night. Maybe I need a bigger dose now that I weigh so much more. Hmmm. It's a thought.

LOOKING FOR A DAY NANNY:
We are looking for someone to help with the babies in the fall (maybe by August). I really don't know what to expect having three babies and a 4 yr old, so I don't know if it will be full time or part-time. Hopefully part-time. Please let me know if you know anyone. Brooke will be going to Pre-school Tuesday - Friday at the Methodist Church and I can't imagine getting her ready and me ready along with three babies feed, ready and in car seats by 8:30am. I have to pick Brooke up at 2pm. I will be here during the day, so I just need a helper. Eventually, I want to be able to get out a couple hours a day to go to the gym and run errands. I need someone to help with the babies and do light housework while they are napping (washing bottles, laundry, picking up). Mondays Brooke doesn't have school, so I would love that to be our day and take her on an outing. The person would have to be able to stick to a schedule, keep things organized, like to stay busy and of course be trustworthy, love children and be responsible. Let me know if you know anyone.

28 weeks! Only six more to go!!!!!!

28 weeks was actually Saturday, but I am just getting to updating my blog. I haven't felt very good in the past few days both physically and emotionally. I usually wake up feeling good, but Saturday I woke up with cramping and had contractions right away. I took a shower in the morning and packed my bag just in case. I am very uncomfortable, have a hard time breathing, and my ribs ache from my stomach pulling on them. It is just going to get harder and harder over the next six weeks. I haven't gotten much sleep and yesterday I had a headache all day and was nauseous. By the end of the night Troy was looking up symptoms for preeclampsia. I talked to a nurse and I had to monitor again. I didn't have blurred vision, so that was good and means I probably don't have preeclampsia. Whew! It must have been exhaustion.
Today is a new day!! I slept better last night and actually feel really, really good today. It is amazing what a few nights of no sleep can do to your body, but it is also amazing what a decent night sleep can do for you body and mood. It certainly gets hard lying on the couch all day, but it is also really tough being alone all day. It makes the day go by so slow. Please send me an email or pictures of what you are doing. It doesn't bother me at all, in fact, it makes me feel better and more connected. I need to hear about other things beside the Swine Flu or what is on The View, Ellen or Oprah.

On a really good note...
We went to the doctor last Thursday. The babies are doing great and really growing beautifully! I feel so blessed that all three are growing equally, are healthy, and I haven't had any complications.
Their weights are: A (Reagan) 2.8lbs, B (Paige) 2.10lbs, and C (Kara) 2.7lbs

I still have to keep them cooking because right now they would have between a 90-95% survival rate which is wonderful, but I want a solid 100%.

Dr. Kirshon was really pleased and said he was amazed at how well the girls are growing and especially that they are so close in size. Usually one triplet is much smaller and can even stop growing. If all continues to go well I will potentially have a c-section at Woman's Hospital on Friday, June 12th. I will know more at each appointment. He is hoping for around 4lbs each. That would be wonderful!! I go back next Wednesday and we'll see how they have grown.

I am starting to worry about Brooke and our adjustment of adding three additional babies to our house. I am very excited about the babies and I know that Brooke will be a big help and will be just fine, but it is just going to be such a big change. She has been the center of our world and my baby for 41/2 years. Our family unit is getting ready for a huge change. I know some of my friends who cried when they were having their second babies. Not because they were unhappy, but because everything they they knew was about to change. I am starting to feel that way, but I am not adding one more baby to Brooke's world, but three! I know in my heart it will fine, but my heart aches for her. At the doctor on Thursday I had to get a glucose test. Troy, Brooke and I were in the lab and while the lady was taking my blood she said, "She sure is going to be neglected." Right in front of Brooke! What??? Troy was upset and said, "No she will not." I was just stunned. People say the most inappropriate things. I know that they don't mean to hurt your feelings and lots of times don't know what to say when they learn you are having triplets, but many things are hurtful. We don't need to hear again that it could be worse, it could be eight or how are you going to do it, I couldn't or too bad you won't have one boy. We feel like God chose us to have these babies and it is an honor to carry them, no matter how hard it is. I know that He will provide for us and already has put so many people in our life to help out through this journey. I already have lots of angels who bring us dinner and care for Brooke. I know we will have more once these little girls are born. I wouldn't have been able to make it through the past five months on this couch if it wasn't for prayer and trusting in God's plan for our lives.

It is going to be crazy around here when they are born, but it will be wonderful too. I am looking forward to it!

I will add some pictures on the next update. The ultrasound pictures didn't look great this time. They look so adorable on the screen, but if they are moving when the picture is taken then their nose looks really wide or they look alienish. I will also put a picture of my belly. It is getting HUGE! I can't bend over at all. If I attempt to, I look like a giraffe trying to get a drink at their watering hole if you have ever seen it. They spread their legs very wide and then bend over. My XL maternity yoga shorts are leaving a ring around my belly! I figured out why the skin around my belly and below hurts so bad... stretch marks!!! I got a mirror to see under my belly and there they were! Whew! It burns so bad. Brooke likes to rub stretch cream or oil all over my belly (and then we do hers).
Have a great Cinco de Mayo!

27 weeks & Cheetah shower

I have made it to 27 weeks (only 7 more to go). YIPEEEEE!!!

I feel pretty good physically. My back is still doing good, no more knots and my monitoring is going well. The most contractions I have had are four (in an hour), which is good. I can have up to seven. My skin now HURTS! All around my belly button and below burns really bad like a bad sunburn or a oven burn. I guess it is from the stretching. It hurts just to touch it. I'm still not sleeping that well, but if I get two nights a week of decent sleep I feel lucky. I spend my days on the couch taking it easy. I'm drinking my gallon of water a day and just waiting until June 13th!

CHEETAH SHOWER (my running friends) on Sunday...

It was so nice and I really enjoyed seeing my running buddies. We have been running together over five years at 5am and we have run multiple marathons and half-marathons over the years. They are a great group of ladies.

Dolores, Shawna, Nonie, April, Lisa, and me!

Just some of my Cheetah girls.
What a precious cake AND it was delicious!

Three bows, so cute!

Brooke helped to open presents. She'll be a great big sister.

The 3 girls will have their own burp cloths, so cute!

Brooke even got some gifts. She really loved this princess castle bag, little did she know that there were gifts for her inside. She got her own "Big Sister" burp cloth that she can use with the girls.

Care Calendar (Meals)

Some people were asking about the Care Calendar for meals, so I'll include the information. The meals are such a HUGE help to us! Just huge!! We didn't think we needed a meal everyday, so on the calendar it only allows you to sign up on T, Th, Sat & Sun. If you would like to do a M, W, or F just email me and let me know. Troy ususally just picks something up those days.

My email: heathermelmore@gmail.com

Meal sign up website:

www.carecalendar.org

ID & Code

13435c

7272

26 weeks!!! (61/2 months)

“The Longer the blessing is in coming, the sweeter it will be when it arrives. That which is gained speedily by a single prayer is sometimes only a half weighted blessing but that which is gained after a tug and many an awful struggle is a full-weighted and a precious blessing. The blessing that costs us the most in prayer will be worth the most.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I have made it to 26 weeks and that means only 8 more weeks to go. At the last doctors appointment we had a good check up, but the babies weren't being very photogenic, so no pictures. Here are their weights...

A 1.7, B 1.11, & C 1.11

They are moving on up there! We hope to get them to at least 3 1/2 pounds.

Everything else looked good and I am still monitoring for contractions each day. Today I had FOUR during my session! I am only allowed to have seven and this time I actually felt one of the contractions and saw it on the screen! It made me a little scared. I am just hoping I don't wind up in the hospital. It would be really hard on Brooke, Troy and myself. So far, so good.

Yesterday I got out of the house from 4pm until 11pm!! It was wonderful. My neighbor, Jamie, had a surprise birthday party, so I walked across the street and just sat and lied down on her couch. I got to visit with friends and neighbors like a normal person. It is amazing what you miss and what means so much to you.

Things I miss: taking care of my house (even washing clothes, straightening up, grocery shopping, & going upstairs), taking care of Brooke (making her lunch, giving her a bath, picking her up for a hug, having her sit on my lap & taking her places), I miss taking a bath, sleeping all night, my car, running & exercising, going on dates with Troy and cuddling with him, sushi, and seeing my toes.

My back is much better so maybe I am getting used to the weight. It is really tough to get up from the couch or bed because of the weight, but at least my back isn't in all the knots. Praise God! I get out of breath talking now and my nose is always stuffy, so that doesn't help with the breathing. I also don't sleep at night. I almost dread going to bed because I know it is going to be a LONG night. Last night I was up from 3:30 - 6:45am. Luckily I have an iphone because Brooke slept with me. I was able to check my emails, the weather, text, look on facebook and finally get up for a snack. I finally went to sleep from 7-10:30am. Troy kept Brooke occupied which was wonderful. He is awesome! I can't do that during the week because I have to be up with Brooke, so I am just tired and groggy all day.

Next Sunday my Cheetah girls (running friends) are giving me a shower here at my house. They are so sweet and I can't wait to see them all.

Troy and Brooke had a date Thursday night to see Disney on Ice. They had a great time and are really bonding. She picked out Troy's shirt and said that he looked very handsome. Troy was beaming. It was so cute! When they got home and she showed me this picture she said, "It would have been beautiful if you were in it mommy." How sweet is that! I just love that little girl so much. What am I going to do with three more?


Brooke and her friend, Claudia, at our neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. I didn't even recognize myself in the background!!!

The Easter Bunny came!!!

The meals are still coming every week and are a blessing to our family! Thank you so much to everyone who has signed up on the carecalendar. It is the best thing ever!

24 WEEKS!!!! & Baby Shower

I'm now 24 weeks and that is HUGE a number because the babies are viable. They could live now! We certainly don't want them to be born anytime soon because they would be in the NICU for months with lots of complications. We are still hoping for 34 weeks, but now that is only 10 weeks away! I can count down each week!

Here is a 24 week (6 month) belly picture!

This belly keeps on growing!!

Baby Shower!!!!!

Brooke and mommy at the shower

Brooke even got some presents!
Brooke's shirt says, "I'm the Big Sister of Triplets!"

Hostess Picture

Amy, Jamie, April, me, Julie, Kim, & Rhonda (we are missing Nancy, Carrie & Amber)

Brooke got a NEW purple soft baby. Now she has triplets.

She named them Sarah, Tinkerbell & Dora.

Pasadena Girls

Rhonda, Misty, Me, April, Amber & Julie

The pretty table

Look at the diaper cake and the food was delish!!!

Presents

lots of things in 3's, lots of diapers, and adorable clothes

The "B" shirts continue, thanks to April.

Everyone will be able to tell the girls apart!

Kara, Paige, Brooke, Reagan

I love them!!!

I got some really great things!

Thank you everyone!!!!!

I go to the doctor this Wednesday for an appointment, so we'll see how big the girls are getting.