Grow, belly, GROW!



Everyday I wake up and it seems my belly is bigger than they day before.  At this point, the boys should be approximately the size of mangos and weigh between 8.5-10 oz. each.  We've got our next appointment on Monday, so we should have more specifics soon.  Here are a couple pics over the last few weeks...



16 Weeks - 10.7.11



17 Weeks - 10.13.11





Wearing the Birthday Hat around 18  Weeks - 10.19.11

 

19 Weeks - 10.28.11



When's your due date???

That's hard to say...the easy answer is that my "official" due date is March 25, 2012 but the babies will most definitely come early.  As far as how early??  Well, your guess is as good as mine!  Below are some of the targets when it comes to triplets.

• 24 Weeks (begins Nov. 26): The border of viability - triplets who make it to this point have a 50% chance of survival outside the womb.  One chart lists the average stay in the NICU to be over 110 days.

• 28 Weeks (Dec. 24): Very early preterm – viability skyrockets at this point and they have a 90% chance of survival. Average NICU stay of 57 days.

• 32 Weeks (Jan 21): Early preterm – the doctor says this should be our goal, and anything after 32 is just a “bonus”. This is also the average gestational time for triplets.  Average NICU stay of 26 days.

• 35 Weeks (Feb. 11): Preterm for multiples – our original goal was to make it to 35 weeks.  While this would still ideal, it also might not be realistic.  I'm hoping that my tall frame will equal more room for growing babies, but only time will tell!  Average NICU stay of 5 days.

• 36 Weeks (Feb 18): Term for triplets - rare for triplets to make it this long but it does happen!  Average NICU stay of 3 days.

• 40 Weeks: Regular singleton pregnancy.  Average NICU stay of 0 days.

We are definitely very optimistic at this point and have every intention of keeping these babies cookin'!  When you realistically look at the dates and timeline, it makes me realize how quickly this will go (already halfway done!), how important rest is, and how much is out of my control.  We continue to ask for your prayers for good health for the babies, wisdom for the doctors, and God's hand in this entire pregnancy.  It looks like we won't be making many plans for the holidays and will hope for a mild winter!  Thanks again to you all for sticking with us through this!

Pink, Blue, or BOTH???

When you have good news, it’s hard to keep it a secret!  We figured there was no point in holding out any longer, soooo…get ready for lots of blue!   We found out that we are definitely having three little boys.  The grandpas are going to have their hands full with little duck-hunters and bass-fishermen! 

We were told at our previous appointment on 9/30 (15 weeks) that it looked like there were at least 2 boys, but they couldn’t be 100% sure about the third.  We figured it was better to wait until we were positive before we said anything, but they were able to confirm on Friday that it’s definitely three boys!  So far, we’ve got two nieces in the family, so this will make for a fun mix.  I’ll be out-numbered at home, but I’ve never been much of a “girly-girl” so I’m really looking forward to it. 

Now to start thinking about names…

Oct.14, 2011

Just a quick update - Friday's doctor appointments went really well.  We saw both the regular OB and the M-F Specialists.  Dr. Russo estimated that I'm about the size of a singleton pregnancy at 23 weeks.  I wasn't expecting an ultrasound, but I guess that's the easiest way to find all three heartbeats.  So....they were able to confidently reveal the babies' genders!  Before we fill you all in, we wanted to give you a couple days to make your bets.  Leave us your guesses in the comments and we'll let you know in a few days...

Week 17 - October 12, 2011

Sooner or later these babies are going to force me to slow down!  While this week has been full of napping and resting in the recliner, we had another fun weekend on the go.  The babies got to attend their first Chicago Blackhawks game on Saturday with our close friends & neighbors, Mike and Erica.  We figured this would probably be my last game for quite a while and my hockey sweater was one of the few shirts that still fit me comfortably!  It was an all-around fun night - the Blackhawks won 5-2, my favorite player Jonathan Toews scored, we got to try a new restaurant that I’ll have to go back to when I’m NOT pregnant (the Beer Bistro), and we even stayed after the game to watch players head back to their cars.  Ryan loved trying to figure out who’s Bentley he was drooling over, and we all got laughs as we watched Patrick Kane climb into a huge Hummer with four pretty girls.  This is probably my favorite picture from the game…



Cousins smile for the camera

On Sunday, we had another really great day.  We headed to Rochelle for a BBQ at the Chisamore’s house where we got to see good friends, meet Seth & Jaclyn’s 3-year-old triplets, and visit with their extended family.  Jaclyn has been a HUGE help by emailing me answers to all my questions and offering advice as someone who’s been through it.  Since they don’t live in the area, it was so nice to finally meet them face-to-face.  The triplets were adorable, and it was fun to see them interact with each other and their cousins.  We figured we would leave that visit either feeling really overwhelmed or really excited, and I’m happy to report that we’re more excited than ever!  Between the Chisamores and Reinecks, there were so many kiddos of all ages running around, that it was great to see them all.  I’m so thankful for all of their encouragement, advice, and suggestions – it meant a lot to Ryan and I that we got to be a part of their day! The never-ending plates of dessert helped too...

All three wanted to climb on mom!



Boys will be boys!



So far this week has not been quite as smooth.  Monday, I let my boss know that I’d only be working through the last week of November before taking it easy and being home for a while.  That’s right at the 24-week mark which is some of the most crucial time for the triplets and their survival.  Tuesday I ended up coming home early from work with some dizziness and a headache.  I’m not sure if it was the warm, stuffy afternoon meeting that did me in, but I came home and slept for a few extra hours and that seemed to help.  I have my next doctor’s appointment this Friday, so I’ll talk to the doctor about it then. One of my biggest concerns is preeclampsia which is affects only 5-8% of singleton pregnancies but 1 in 3 with multiples.  It seems a little early to start worrying about it, but some of the signs can be changes in vision and headache so it’s just something to be mindful of at this point.  Other than that, we’re taking things one day at a time and trying to eat and rest as much as possible.  We’ll keep you posted on Friday’s appointment! 

Week 16 - October 3, 2011

First and foremost, Happy 30th Birthday Dad-to-be! 

Wow, a lot has happened since our last post...and what a great few weeks it's been!  This past weekend, Ryan and I returned home from a relaxing vacation with my parents in Vail, CO.  The weather was absolutely perfect - sunny, 60-70 degrees, cloudless skies, and beautiful fall colors.  The aspens had all turned to stunning shades of yellow and gold and looked beautiful next to the evergreens and blue sky.  I did take it easy with the decrease in oxygen at the higher elevations, but we still managed to explore, shop, and hike (slowly).  Ryan celebrated his birthday a little early with a fly fishing trip, and we even took a 17-mile bike ride (downhill & paved) down Vail Pass.  In the van on our way up the mountain, we met a man from Cary, IL who knew our "honeymoon friends" Charlie & Kristine and even attended their wedding - what a small world!!!

Once we got home from the trip, we had our first appointment with Maternal-Fetal Medicine at CDH.  It's a team of doctors who are technically acting as consultants, so its likely that I'll meet a different doc each time I go.  We had a really amazing ultrasound that took around 20+ minutes per baby.  This was still not a Level 2 Ultrasound which is typically done around 20 weeks, but did give enough detail to start measuring things like head circumference, arm & leg lengths, etc.  We were able to see the chambers of their hearts, brains, bladders, and kidneys, so needless to say, it was pretty awesome.  All three are looking very healthy and are growing ahead of schedule at this point.  I was 14 full weeks plus 6 days at the appointment, but 2 of them were measuring at 16w0days and the third at 15w4days which is great!!  At this point, they should each be 4-5 inches long or approximately the size of an avocado.  It's still a little early to tell the genders, but we're hoping it should be soon so start placing your bets.



The only picture we got of all three. I'm not sure what we see
with A, B is legs in the air, and C is the top of the head/brain.

 



Profile of Baby A who is upside down

 

Baby B's profile




Baby C's profile





Picture of Baby C's brain - looks like a scary
skeleton for Halloween!

 


Baby A is upside down with head down and feet in the air.

Friday afternoon, I met with another Sycamore mom of triplets, Angie.  What a great afternoon - I got tons of advice, information, encouragement and even a bag of maternity clothes!  Most singleton pregnancies would never fill out the clothes, but I'm guessing I won't have any trouble.  It was great to look through her baby album and see those tiny, adorable little ones...who are now 8!  It's so nice to hear first-hand about the joys and struggles of raising three babies at once.

We rounded out the weekend with my baptism on Sunday.  I was baptized as an infant but felt it was important to be baptized as an adult as a way to publicly proclaim the work that Jesus Christ has done in my life.  We've been attending Harvest DeKalb since we moved to Sycamore and truly feel like it's our church home.  I got to share my testimony with the congregation and was then baptized by full immersion.  These past few months have been filled with so much learning and growing that the timing felt perfect - we're just so thankful that we've been blessed with these three little ones, there's no way we can take any credit for the amazing things that God is doing!

I already made reference to this, but finally, to top it all off - today Ryan turns the big 3-0!  I have a feeling that this is going to be a pretty incredible year for him...and all of us!