19 weeks & dr. visit

Baby A: 9oz

Baby B: 10oz

Baby C: 9oz (baby C doesn't have a hole in her head, it is the way the light from the u/s was shining). I was sure to ask!

(16oz=1lb, they are getting close)

We went to the doctor on Thursday for our big ultrasound and everything looked great! There were no signs right now of TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome) in the identicals. I shouldn't have looked it up on line because it is not good. The babies can get it at any point, but right now everything with the little ones is healthy. yeah!

Our delivery goal is 34 weeks, which is June 13th. Dr. Kirshon said if we can get to at least 31 weeks there is less of a chance of brain bleeding which is huge. There are four levels of brain bleeds and level 3 can lead to cerebral palsy among other not so good things and level four can be fatal. 31 weeks is May 23. I have to keep these buns cooking in my oven.

My weight gain is on target which is a big deal for getting the babies to a healthy weight. The books say I should be eating 4000 calories a day (non pregnant is 2200). I also have to drink a gallon of water daily. I drink the water, but I doubt I eat the calories. My weight gain should be between 59-75lbs! Crazy! I have gained 30lbs so far and boy do I feel like it. It is a chore just to roll over in bed and get up from the couch. Troy gets his work out from helping me up. It feels like I have a bowling ball under my skin.

It is official we have THREE GIRLS! We saw the proof. We are actually very excited. I feel like this whole experience is God's plan and three girls is what we were meant to have. People seem to be worried about Troy's reaction, but he is so happy. He is a great dad and an even better girl dad. He will put on fairy wings and fly around the house with Brooke, let her put bows in his hair and on the flip side let her help him with repair projects. She has used an electric drill, measured, used a screw driver, you name it. She even has her own tool belt. Two weeks ago they went to Home Depot for a class and made a jewelry box together. Like I said, he is a great dad and is very patient with her while teaching her. They will go play 9 holes of golf and he takes the time to teach her the rules and what clubs to use. About a month ago she wanted to know how a toilet worked and he took the tank off and explained everything for about 30 minutes. I think she may have a little engineer in her. He can be a softy and pamper her, but also discipline her when needed. They are at Cavender's right now picking out an outfit for her Go Texan Day at school. Troy is going to be all right.

I am having a tough time with names!!! Hopefully by next week we will have some names to share.

Troy and Brooke went to get the jogging stroller today!!! I am so excited to have it and will be running as soon as they are big enough to push them. I pushed Brooke last marathon season every Wednesday for 7-9 miles and I think that is how I improved my time so much. I should be able to qualify for Boston next year pushing three! ha!

We have had so many people to thank for so much, so I thought each week on my update I could include the thanks for the week so... here goes.

THANK YOU TO:

Valerie - bringing me lunch on Monday and sewing the strap on Brooke's leotard

Shanda - coming in from Florida with her boys to babysit us while Troy was in Tampa

Kim - pushing me in the wheelchair Wednesday while registering Brooke for school and watching her all day on Friday

Heather Jane - making a delicious meal Thursday. We loved the artichoke & sausage stuffed shells, green beans and brownies.

Shawna - making yummy chicken noodle soup, greens beans and cookies

Rhonda - what can I not thank Rhonda for. She drives me around, shops for me, spends time with me, refills my water - you name it.

Also, thanks to everyone for their prayers for our babies. Next Saturday will be 5 months (20 weeks)!!!!

Next doctor's appointment is in three weeks.

17 weeks (4 months 1 week) & new purchase

I made it to my half way point of 17 weeks! My goal is 34 weeks, so we are heading in the right direction. I go to the doctor next Thursday (Feb. 26th). On this visit he will measure all the organs, so I pray that my little ones are healthy. We'll see also if we still have three girls. I want to see pictures, so I can have proof.

Bedrest Update:
I just take it day by day and week by week. This week went by pretty fast! That is a good thing for me. I think it was because I had lots of visitors, which I love. This week and next Troy is going out of town (Vegas & Florida). My mom is staying two nights to babysit us this week and my friend Shanda is flying in from Florida to watch us next week. I am not sleeping well at all. I have to sleep on my side and my big belly pulls my back on the sides and it gets so tight and sore. All night I toss (or roll) from side to side, go to the bathroom and change my pillows all around. I can handle the long nights if my days are short. I hope for another quick week going into week 18!

Our new purchase:
Today we went to a guy's house that Troy went to highschool with who has triplets. Hans and his wife, Lauren, have 16 month old triplet boys. I was afraid that I would either have a panic attack when I left or be relieved and I was very relieved. The boys played wonderful together and Lauren gave me tons of good tips and advice. We also bought our first triplet purchase from them. It is a triplet stroller and it looks like a LIMO! We still have to buy the carseats for it. They will transfer from our car and just clip to the stroller. I am starting to get very excited.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and Valentine's Day! Troy and Brooke went to a nursing home yesterday and Brooke (along with other kids from church) sang songs. It was so good for her to serve those those grandpas and grandmas. She passed out Valentine's and even went into their rooms to give Valentine's. I was very proud of her.

More later... See you on week 18.

Doctor's appt. & 16 weeks (4 months)

My doctors appointment yesterday went great. I was a little nervous and just praying that all of them were healthy. The pictures are 3D, so they look a little alien-ish. They are of B & C which are the identicals. The top two are of heads and the last is s body shot. They are in the same sac, but have a tiny wall separating them. You can see both of them in the last picture.

The good news:

1. All babies weigh 5 oz. (The doctor was impressed. Generally one multiple is larger or smaller than the others).

2. Baby A's placenta has moved away from my cervix. (This was probably the reason for the bleeding, so this is great news). Baby B & C share a placenta due to them being identical, so I have two placentas.

3. Baby B & C will have to be watched closely due to them being identical and sharing a placenta. One can get more nutrients, blood, etc. It is called twin to twin transfusion and there were no signs of this now.

4. I am still on modified bed rest, but I can go out to eat every now and then!!!

5. Baby A is still a GIRL and... the identicals are also GIRLS. Yes, three girls. Dr. Kirshon said he was 99% sure. We will see at the next appointment in three weeks if it changes again. I am not ready to go pink crazy yet. I was also a little sad not having a boy. I had gotten used to the idea. All we really care about are healthy babies.

Four girls!!!! Do you know what that means? It means eight pig tails, eight bows and lots of ponytail holders. Also, 40 toes to paint and with fingers that is 80! I think we will start out needing lots of diapers and then hair supplies and nail polish. ha!

I am not buying anything until 28 weeks, just to be sure. My next appointment will be the big ultrasound where they measure the heart, stomach, kidneys, brain, etc., etc. Pray for three healthy babies. He did some measuring of bones this time and all looked good.

Bed rest update:

Bed rest is TOUGH!!! I can't cook, clean, go to the grocery store, run errands, etc. Wait, did I say this was tough? Actually, it really is. I love taking care of Brooke and our home. It is also boring and lonely being on the couch or the bed all day. My sides and hips get sore lying down so much. I have had little angels helping me (friends, family, and neighbors). We have had lots of meals, which is huge because Troy was running around with a chicken with his head cut off in the evenings after getting home from work trying to cook, wash, do dishes, straighten up, bathe Brooke and put her to bed. It helps a ton! On the weekends he has been painting Brooke's new room and moving all the rooms around. It has been slow because he is doing it by himself on top of doing the grocery shopping while taking care of me and Brooke. He is a great man and doesn't complain at all. I also have Brooke taken care of each day and that is such a relief. She is having fun and having a normal life. Thank you so much Kim and Maci!!

We are truly blessed to have such great help. We thank everyone so much!

Brooke's sibling class at the hospital

Brooke had her sibling class at Texas Woman's Hospital today.
There were four girls in her class and they had to go around and introduce themselves and tell what their mommies were having. Brooke went first and said her name and then, "Two boys and a girl." The reaction is always great! You always hear some gasps. I don't think people totally believe it coming from a little girl. We always have to say, "Yes, it is true." They had to adapt the class a bit for her since the others were only having one baby.

Brooke learned how to properly hold a baby, change a diaper and what kinds of toys were safe for them to play with. We then took a tour of the hospital to see a labor & delivery room, the waiting room and nurseries. We didn't get the tour adapted so that we could see the operating room for the c-section or the NICU. :)

I thought I was being proactive by scheduling this class early, before I may go on bed rest. Well...I had to be pushed around by Troy in a wheel chair! He had Brooke on his shoulders and was pushing me for the tour of the hospital (or Brooke rode with me). It was Troy's first time pushing one, so we ran into some door ways. I could get used to being pushed around and it was so wonderful to get out of the house! The world is still going on with out me :(

Oh, it was so embarrassing, I ran into a doctor that came to my aerobics class. She couldn't pin point at first how she knew me and then we figured it out. I went from teaching aerobics to being in a wheel chair!

Brooke did a great job at the sibling class. She got a certificate and a "Big Sister" shirt.

15 Weeks! Only 17 more weeks to go!

My brother's wedding

Troy, myself and Brooke before the ceremony. We had a great weekend even though I couldn't do much besides sit around. I was happy to see my brother, Bobby, get married and see Brooke as a flower girl for the first time. My doctor was not going to let me go since it was in Louisana, but when he found out it was only 2 1/2 hours away he was okay with it. whew!

Brooke did such a good job as the flower girl. We were all so proud of her. If you know Brooke at all she can be pretty shy and reserved, so I didn't know how she would react with everyone looking at her. She was perfect! She dropped her flowers slowly and even sat on the stairs by the bridesmaids during the ceremony. At one point she told the "ring boy" (as she called him) to "shhh" when he was trying to talk to her during the ceremony.

We had lots of family members who came to Louisana for the wedding and what a group photo this was!

This is where I sat during the whole reception. My bootie was hurting after sitting for the whole weekend and I had to change shoes quickly. Brooke and I did a little dancing while I sat in my chair. I sat by the dance floor, so I could enjoy the entertainment from everyone dancing.

14 weeks (3 1/2 months)

I made it to 14 weeks! My belly actually seems kind of small in this picture (smaller than it feels for sure). My first goal is 28 weeks, so I have a long way to go. At 28 weeks the babies will be tiny, but will have a better chance of survival. 28 weeks will be May 10th! It seems so far away!!!!

My cerclage surgery on Monday went well. I haven't had any more bleeding and that is a huge relief. The bottom of my belly gets really heavy feeling and I get super tired, so I pretty much just sit down where ever I am. I go back to the doctor Thursday, February 5th.

unexpected doctor visit

Troy has been in Canada all week and I have been holding down the fort with the help of my mom who spent the night Wednesday. She got us dinner and helped give Brooke a bath and put her to bed. She even took her to school on Thursday, yeah mom! It was a huge help for me. In the evenings I start feeling very heavy and get lots of pressure in my uterus area.

Thursday started out great. I got a massage, a pedicure and did a tiny bit of shopping before picking Brooke up from school. After school I layed down for over an hour and then went to Rhonda's for dinner. When I got home, I had to change Brooke's sheets and then put her to bed. That is when it happened... blood! I went to the bathroom, blew my nose and there it was (not from my nose). Scared me to death.

I couldn't find the doctors number, my husband is in another country and I am pregnant with triplets and bleeding! I found the number and spoke to the doctor who asked a ton of questions. Luckily I wasn't having any cramping and the bleeding had stopped. He wanted me to come in first thing this morning for an ultrasound to make sure the babies were okay before doing the stitch on Monday.

I was so worried about Brooke and her busy Friday that I didn't have too much time to worry about the babies. Brooke had her last class at gymnastics today and they had a preformance. I didn't want her to be the only one there without a parent. All the parents take pictures and video tape and they get a medal. It made me cry. She even started her cooking class today! There was so much scheduling to do! It all worked though with the help of my mom, Troy and friends Kim and Jamie.

I called Troy on the way to the doctor this morning and he said he was driving to Detroit to catch his flight. I sat in the waiting room and he walked right in! He checked out of his hotel at midnight drove three hours to Detroit and caught a 6am plane. I cried.

The babies all look good. Dr. Kirshon said their heartbeats and growth looked great. He thinks the bleeding was caused from baby A's placenta covering my cervix (not good). The baby is fine, but any stress could cause lots of bleeding from the placenta. Monday I will get my stitch and that should help. This weekend I am to do nothing. I can't even go to Troy's mother's funeral tomorrow.

The doctor said I have to slow down and just be a recluse. I told him I have slowed down. I am used to going and going. Running marathons and exercising all the time. I would think a stroll at Target would be slowing down. He said no more strolls at Target unless I am in a wheelchair!

What a change a year makes. Last year this very weekend I ran the Houston half marathon with my best time ever. I followed with the Austin Marathon and now I can't even walk around Target! What a difference a year makes.

I am telling myself that it is not that much longer. The countdown to June! The nurse gave me a long talking to about how much we have gone through to get where we are and I agree. I just really thought I had slowed things way down, but I guess not when you are carrying three babies.

I will let you know how Monday's surgery goes.

Disney/Florida Trip

We had a great time visiting the Beardens in Florida and going to Disney World. Brooke loved playing with Tanner & Tucker. Troy was able to play golf with Jeff and Shanda and I did some shopping. It was a great vacation!

We waited an hour to see Belle and Sleeping Beauty and it was worth it in the end. Brooke's eyes twinkled when they talked to her. It was magical!

Brooke got her first lanyard and collectors pins this trip. People collect all different Disney pins and then trade them with staff or other vacationers. Shortly after Brooke got her pins she saw a little girl who had a collection and her eyes lit up. The little girl was older and so sweet, right away she asked Brooke if she wanted to trade. This is the pin that Brooke got in her trade.

As soon as we got to Animal Kingdom Brooke and Tanner couldn't wait to get their faces painted. Brooke had a sparkly rainbow and Tanner was Pluto.

This is Brooke at our hotel having a sassy pose with Mickey.

Brooke LOVES seeing the characters. She just stares at them and gives them big hugs. It is so sweet!

This is the castle at night at Christmas time. It was amazing to see.

Magic Kingdom's Main Street decorated for Christmas! Beautiful!!