Breakfast Conversation

This morning as I was getting ready for the day I had the girls sitting on my bed eating Cheerios and watching Handy Manny. Here is what I heard from the bathroom...

A "What's in your nose Lela"
E "Boogers, Meme"
A "Oh, you got boogers in your nose Lela"
E"Yup"

Then a little later when I was making our bed guess what I found...a booger...YUCK!

Fun at the MOA

We were lucky enough tonight to get to spend an entire evening with just K at the Mall of America! They have some really fun rides there and he just had a blast. It was amazing to me the different personality that came out when he had both Mommy and Daddy's undivided attention. We all really enjoyed our evening. The girls got to spend some time with Sue and that is always a great for them.

This was a big eye opener for Jon and I that we need to start spending individual time with all of them. It was great to just focus on one kid and it was such a breeze to be out and about. It was definitely a great evening and the best part about it...Kis sound asleep in his bed with no night time hassle tonight. We must have wore him out at the mall! I forgot my camera so there are no fun pictures of Daddy and K riding the Race Car ride but the memory of the look on K's face is forever imprinted in my mind!

The pictures are some of the rides we went on tonight! So much fun!

Fire?!?

Bed time has been getting harder around here lately. We switched the kids to big beds about a month ago and at first they were very good about staying in their beds and going to sleep. Now they are fooling around most nights and the consequence is that they get there binkers taken away.
Tonight, Jon went up for the third time to calm them down. He caught E out of bed and had a big discussion with her about not getting out of bed no matter what unless Mommy and Daddy are there! E replies to Daddy..."not even for fire, daddy"?
These kids are cracking us up more and more every day!

Ba Pa & Dessert

We have Sunday night dinner at my parents house every week. This has been a family tradition for a long time now. I like it because I don't have to worry about dinner and my mom is an awesome cook so we always have good food and usually get left overs too!

The meal always consists of appetizers, main meal, and dessert. The kids have come to learn that at dessert time it is time to climb up in Ba Pa lap and share his dessert.

Giraffe's Make Noise?

I took this Giraffe picture at the Portland Zoo a few years ago. I thought it turned out great!

One of the kids favorite things to do at night before they get their PJ's on or before they take a bath is to run around naked! I am sure it feels great to get that diaper off so we have been letting them do this.

Last night we were over at Grandpa and Grandma's house and they have a great big fireplace that is fun to run around. They did their usual 20 laps and then we got creative. I would give them the command like "Run like a cow" so the kids would all run around and moo like a cow. So we were doing a ton of different animals and noises and then E wanted a turn to think of one I told her to go ahead so she yells out "run like a giraffe" the next thing I know she takes off running goes about five steps stops in her tracks and asks me "what noise they make" I laughed so hard, it was just really funny! I told her just to hold her head up high and flap her arm up and down. This seemed to do the trick!

I have been having so much fun with them lately. I just love this age and I wish I could bottle some of this time up so I could revisit it again and again as I know I will miss it!

MRI's are Evil!

So I have mentioned in a few posts now that I have MS. I was diagnosed with this in 1998 and it really does not bother me to much. I usually have an "episode" every 2-3 years so I can't complain. At these times they put me on a Steroid IV and I am usually feeling better in no time.

I went off my medication to get pregnant and I have not gone back on it yet. I just get so fearful that the meds are going to destroy my liver or other organs. My neurologist seems to think I am doing fine off the medication but he did tell me that I need to have an MRI every year (I pushed it to every two years and he was fine with this).

MRI's are not painful but if you are Claustrophobic like me they are very very hard to do. I usually have to have a good dose of Valium when I have these done. Last time I had a MRI was in January of 2005. It went fine but I did not have a strong enough dose of Valium because I was still very uncomfortable.

It is time for me to call and make an appointment to get another MRI done. I have been putting it off for a few weeks because I am just trying to breath from the 4 months of intense school and then the surgery. However, I think I need to call...wait I mean I know I need to call. My goal is to get an appointment set for sometime in February. The last two times I have gone, my mom has come with me and she sits in the room at my feet while the procedure is being done. This gives me a little comfort.

It is not as easy to get these things scheduled anymore because I need to find someone to watch the kids, someone has to drive me there, and then I need a good 3 hours after to sleep the Valium off. However, these MRI's are important and I need to make that appointment.

I will post once I get it all set up. This blog is holding me accountable.

2.5 & Reading?

While I was at work today I got a call from my mom (she watches the kids for us on Thursdays). She told me that I better watch out as A is already reading at 2! She said that while she was getting ready the girls were sitting in the other room together. She heard this

A "Lel (this is how she says E) I will read to you"
E "Okay Meme you read"
A sings "The Wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, etc."

My mom peeks in on them to find A holding the Wheels on the Bus book that we own and singing the verses as she looks at the corresponding pictures.

These kids are so darn cute!

Pomp & Circumstance

So it is over...it is officially over! This afternoon at 3 PM I participated in the graduation ceremonies for my Master's Degree. It felt great! To be honest with you I just did not feel like it was that big of a deal as I started the program in January of 2002 and I think I have forgotten all of the hard work I have put into this degree. It is something that I never thought I would do. I mean I never thought I would go back to school. I really dislike school and studying, however, I am an overachiever and this program was really intriguing to me.
In fact, the day I found out I was having Triplets, I had school that night so I headed over to school after my appointment. I now ask myself why because I really did not get much out of it as I was to preoccupied but I was dedicated to school. The plan was for me to finish school before we had kids. This would have been very doable if it would have been the normal singleton pregnancy but since we had a high risk pregnancy I had to take some time off of school. Two years to be exact. My Hubby & Me!

I am proud of myself and this accomplishment. I am grateful for my family and friends who helped me to realize that even if I did not think this was a big deal it was, it was a very big deal. I am proud to tell my children that I have a Master's degree and to be a role model to them on why school is so important in our world today.

Today, proceeding in with all of my classmates and walking past all of the professors, family, and friends who were cheering all of us on, helped me to realize what an accomplishment this was. I have a Masters degree...wow, who would have thought!

My Dad & Mom with me!

Our Road To Triplets (Part 7)

To all my faithful readers, it is now time to finish this story.

So that next morning Jon and I headed into the Doctor's office. They proceeded to do the level II ultra sound and told us that all the babies looked good and they were all between 4-10 and 4-12. We were happy with these weights. After the ultra sound we headed across the hall to see another doctor. The nurse told me to get changed so the doctor could do an exam. I was not thrilled by this as I was so big and uncomfortable but Jon helped me to get undressed. When the doctor came in he asked me what had been going on. I told him all about the blurry vision and the high BP. He then told me that there was no reason to do and exam and to get dressed. He said it was more important that I head over to the hospital to be monitored at this point. I think he knew that I would have the babies that day but he did not want to alert us at that point in time.
When I stood up to get dressed I notice that the seat was wet where I had been sitting. The nurse came in and took one look at that and laughed. She told the doctor it was a darn good thing he was sending me over to the hospital as I was "leaking"! I was so embarrassed but she thought it was great.
We got over to the hospital and I got all checked in. The doctor came in and told us the news that it was time to deliver the babies. We were going to have the babies and it was June 1st, 2004. We had to wait for awhile as they were trying to get some room cleared up at the NICU to make room for our babies. Jon got all dressed up in his scrubs and my mom showed up to offer her moral support. My cousin Heather also arrived as we wanted her there to be with my mom while she waited when we were in surgery.

Mommy & Daddy waiting for the surgery!

At around 6 PM they came and got me to take me to the OR. They told Jon to hang tight in the room and they would come back and get him once I was all set up. I remember being wheeled into the Operating Room and it was very cold in there. They told me to sit up so they could get the spinal in. I sat up and all I remember is this doctor trying to make me bend in half and it was not working as I was so large. The first time they put the needle in I could feel it in my left leg and once I told them they immediately removed it. The next time they stuck in my back it worked find. They laid me back down and started to prep me for surgery. Jon came in and was sitting by my head. I knew I was not numb at this point as I could still feel everything. When the doctor came in I started to get a little nervous and when he asked me how I was doing I told him that I was not numb (I was really freaked that they would cut me open and I would feel it). The anesthesiologist did not believe me when I told him I could still feel everything down there. After the third numbing test they told Jon to go stand in the corner and they sat me back up to give me yet another Spinal! Yikes, I was getting nervous that it was not going to work and they they would need to put me out for the birth of my children.

This is the nurses lined up to take the babies once they come out!

The third time was a charm and now I just think three spinals for three babies! Anyway, the surgery proceeded. The anesthesiologist was very nice and he took our camera from Jon and started taking incredible pictures. I will not share those here as they are a little graphic but I have been told that they belong in a medical journal on Triplet C-Sections! I remember the doctor asked me what order I wanted the babies to come out and I thought this was a weird question but we told him we wanted them in order of baby A, B, & C! It felt like it was taking forever for them to get baby A out. All I wanted to hear was a little cry as I knew if they would that they were breathing on their own. All of a sudden I heard A cry a little cry.

Mommy seeing A up close for the first time!

The doctor held her up and I thought she was awesome. He said she was a good weight for a triplet pregnancy as she weighed in at 4-12. Two minutes later E came out and she cried right away too. They held her up and showed me her and she was amazing too. After they took E out Jon said that I let out a huge sigh of relief and the entire operation room laughed at me. The doctor was amazed that I could say I had relief when I had another baby inside of me. However, she was in my ribcage and it hurt so I was so relieved when they got her out.

Mommy seeing E up close!

Last but not least we met our little boy! He cried right away too. We were told that all the babies were doing great and they all were healthy.

This is mommy seeing K up close!

As they started the process of stitching me up they packed the babies up so they could transfer them to the NICU. I told Jon and I was fine and I wanted him to go with the babies. As he followed the babies out into the waiting area he was met by my mom and cousin. They were both thrilled at the news and all three of them followed the team of professionals who were transporting our babies to the NICU.

This is the babies in transport to the NICU! This is also how my mom and my cousin first saw the babies!

I remember being in the recovery room and feeling so good because I no longer had that huge stomach full of babies. The nurse kept asking me if I needed any pain medication and I just kept telling her that I felt GREAT! My cousin came back to see me and report that the babies were all doing great and they are all beautiful and healthy. She gave me the play by play of what was happening at the NICU with the babies. I was thrilled that everything seemed to be going so great. My mom and Jon then came back and gave me the same report. They said that they had all the babies checked in and things were going well. Then the nurse asked if I would like to be wheeled over to the NICU so I could see my babies. I was very tired but so eager to go. They wheeled me all the way over to the Children's hospital. I was so happy that I was able to see my babies. I just wanted to hold them but I knew I needed to be patient.

My three spinals all started to wear off and I had an rough night. Plus they stuck me back on the Mag because of my BP so I was feeling pretty crabby through the night and most of the next day. Once the doctor came in to check on me I begged her to take me off the Mag.. By 7 pm I was off the mag and feeling like myself again. I spent the next five days in the hospital recovering and visiting the babies. I started to pump for breast milk and this was a very slow and painful process. The day I left the hospital we transferred the babies to a special care nursery that was 5 minutes from our house. This made things a lot easier on Jon and I.

The babies spent exactly 4 weeks in the hospital on a feed and grow plan. This gave me a great deal of time to get some rest and to heal. I don't think anything can prepare you for bringing three babies home and it was hard the first few months but we had a lot of help from family and friends. What an incredible journey it has been and I have no idea why God blessed both Jon and I with these three incredible gifts but I am so grateful he did. I tell people all the time that I would not have it any other way.

We Love Suckers!

Every night after dinner we offer the kids dessert or I guess you could say we bribe them to eat their veggies and meat with dessert. We usually give them the choice of what they can have and most nights they choose suckers. Suckers are now the hottest thing around here. The girls have now learned that if they eat a blue sucker their tongues will turn blue. So now they both only want Blue Suckers. Goofy girls! Here is a photo shoot from tonight!

E's Blue Tongue!

K being silly!

A thinking her tongue is blue!

E showing Grandma her Blue Tongue! (Lucky Grandma!)

Our Road To Triplets (Part 6)

So I have had so many requests to hurry up and get back to the triplet story that I figure I better get writing and I apologize for taking so long!
So 29 weeks rolls around and we had an appointment scheduled for Monday, May 3rd to be exact. I was very uncomfortable as I was getting so big and I had a baby stuck in my rib cage. We first that day we had our 3rd or 4th level II Ultra Sound to make sure the babies were growing and looking good. We got a great report from that ultra sound.
Next, we moved across the hall to have an appointment with the doctor. Everything was fine until she decided to check my cervix. Apparently, this was not fine. She immediately sent us over to the Hospital were I was to be monitored. I started to bleed at that point. I was having a lot (I can't remember how many) of contractions per hour. I was giving the shot to help develop the babies lungs and told I needed to stay over night because I would need another shot in 24 hours. I was then moved into a more permanent room and this is when the Magnesium Sulfate drip started. I HATE THIS MEDICINE. It is giving through an IV to women are in Pre-Term labor. This drug made me feel HORRIBLE! I remember I was soooo hot. Jon had to go home and get a fan for me because I really thought I was going to die from the heat. Jon was so cold in my hospital room that he had to wear a t-shirt and two sweat shirts just to stay warm. This drug also caused my vision to be all out of whack so I could not read or watch TV, basically I all I could really do was lay there in the hospital bed and watch the clock tick. My impression was that after I had the second shot they would allow me to go home and be on full bed rest (only to get up to go to the bathroom). I was so mistaken. When the doctor came in the next day she told I would be moved to the Antepardum ward and she was not sure if I would go home before the babies were born.
The good news is that I ended up with the best room in the entire hospital. It had a wonderful view of downtown and it was HUGE.

There was a microwave, refrigerator, VCR, and a pull out couch for Jon to sleep in. It also had an extra phone jack so Jon was able to work from the hospital. Between Jon and my mom I always had company to visit with. They did a great job to make sure I was not alone. Jon slept at the hospital with me every night I was in there. I was so grateful for all of the support.
It was very hard to be in there and on the Mag.. It made me very irritable and I felt lousy and very uncomfortable. I am sure I was not very pleasant to be around but for some reason I always had company. At my low about day 5 I looked at Jon and told him that I would rather be dead than laying in that bed. I felt miserable. Then the doctor came in that day and told me that he thought I could make it another 6 weeks~! YIKES. After the doctor left the room Jon excused himself and came back 20 minutes later with Ice Cream and gifts. He felt so bad for me. Now, not to be mistaken, I knew that the best thing for the babies was to try and relax and let them gestate and long as possible. It was just that the meds were making me crazy.
I remember that everyday was all about numbers...like today we are at 30 weeks 3 days, etc.. There was a calendar on the wall and every morning the nurse came in she would rip off another day...that always felt good.
They would monitor the babies twice a day for about an hour. It took a lot of time to get set up because they always had to make sure that they did not have the same baby on two different monitors. There heartbeats were generally the same so it was hard to tell. Also, the babies would move around a lot so they would fall off the monitor and then reappear. They would monitor me also for the number of contractions I was having. Being so pregnant I never felt my contractions. So I had not idea if I was having to many.
About the 5 th or 6th day of my hospital stay I started to have a lot of contractions at night. They started to give me Terbutaline shots. Jon hated this medication because it would make me shake all over. However, it would stop contractions so it worked. A few nights of this and the doctors suggested that I go off the Mag Sulfate and get hooked up to a Terb. pump that would automatically give me the medication every few hours. This my friends was my ticket home! That is right after 10 days on bed rest in the hospital I got to go home. I have never been so happy to be home in my life!

At home my cats kept me company.

I went home with the terb. pump, a home monitoring system that dialed through the phone, and nurse visits every two to three days. We have a two story house so I was allowed to go down the stairs once a day and then back up at night. This trip back up the stairs just about killed me as I was so out of breath but I was 50 pounds heavier and very uncomfortable. I started to sleep in a separate bed than Jon as it was really hard for me to get comfortable. He understood and since I was up every hour going to the bathroom I am sure he slept better that way.
As I mentioned before, the nurses would come every few days to monitor the babies and check in on me. It was cool to have ultra sounds right from my own bed. The home health care nurse was my friends mom (I mentioned this earlier in this story) so we got really close to her. She was very straight up with me and she told me that she thought I was going to end up with Preeclampsia as I was starting to show the signs. She told us that if my vision started to get funky and if I was unusually crabby or had a bad head ache that we needed to go in. One afternoon I started to have the signs for this but we did not want to go all the way to the hospital if it was nothing. Colleen (nurse friend) rushed over to take my BP to see what was happening. She said it was getting high and we needed to get check out at the Hospital. So away we went all packed for not coming back home until we had babies.
After being monitored the doctor on call let us go back home because all looked fine and my blood pressure was at safe levels. I was very happy as I was about 32 weeks and I wanted to make it a little longer.
A few days later we had another appointment with the doctor and she suggested that we schedule my C-Section for 34 weeks. She said that she thought the babies were going to be fine so June 3rd, 2004 was going to be their birthday. I could not wait to meet the babies and be more comfortable. At this point Ella's little head was in my rib cage all the time. It hurt so bad and I was so afraid that she was going to break my ribs. OUCH!
We had our last Level II Ultra Sound scheduled for Tuesday, June 1st just so they could take a look and make sure everything was fine for Friday the 3rd. The night before this appointment I started to feel sick again. At this point we had borrowed a BP cuff from my mom so we could monitor my blood pressure from home. Jon and I were watching the Timerwolves (basketball) on TV as they were in the play offs. Jon said if the T-wolves lose tonight you will have the babies tomorrow. I just laughed....the T-wolves lost that night! Around Midnight I really was not feeling all that great and my blood pressure was high. My vision had started to get funky again too. I called the Maternal Assessment Center and they told me I needed to come in. I asked them to call the doctor back to see if we could wait until morning since we had an appointment at 10 AM. I hated the maternal assessment center as it was always so uncomfortable there. I wanted to try and get some sleep. The doctor allowed us to wait until morning unless things got worse.
We made it until morning and headed down for our appointment. We packed everything up because we never knew when they would not let us come back home. I think we both knew that I would have the babies that day. To be continued....

This is my the day before I had the babies...

National Delurking Week

So I create my blogs and I often wonder to myself...who reads these or checks us out? I mean I have a site meter so I know that at least some people are checking us out. I created the blog as a way to document this crazy journey we are on and to have something for my kids to have as a keepsake when they are older.

It's funny to me the people in my life who comment on my blog. I just ran into my neighbor at the grocery store last night and she told me she just LOVES my blog. I take that as a compliment.

I guess it is National Delurking Week or maybe last week was and I am late. Anyway, I would love for some or all of you to Delurk* and post a comment. In the beginning I had my blog set up different so some people could not post a comment but I have fixed that now so everyone should be able to post a comment.

I want to know my audience...please post a comment!

*Delurk= stop lurking; introduce yourself by posting a comment.

Ghosts?

Before I go to bed every night I always go in and make sure the kids are all tucked into their beds. I cover them up and remove all of the books from their beds that they were reading before they fell asleep. Sometimes I will also remove some of the stuffed animals that they have snuggled in bed with them to. I do this to give them some more room in their little toddler beds.
The other night I woke up at 3 AM to go to the bathroom. On my way back to bed I thought I would check in on the kids. When I went into their room I found that the stuffed animals were back in all of the beds, the books that I had put on the floor were piled on A and K, and E was sleeping sideways in her bed! I went back into our room and woke Jon up (bless his heart that he did not kill me for this one) and asked him if he had put all of that stuff back in their beds before he went to bed. He said that he had not. I was so confused by this because I swore that those kids did not get out of their beds in the middle of the night. I guess I was wrong.
It is funny to me how it took me a few days to grasp that they were up in the night when they were supposed to be sleeping. I guess it is possible that they are up in the night even when we are sleeping. I guess it is a good lesson to make sure we keep the upstairs gate closed at night so someone doesn't wonder downstairs to watch a little TV or sneak some candy! :O)

Santa in January?

Tonight we decided to go out for dinner instead of eating in. I got home from work early so Jon and I headed over to the daycare center to pick up the kids. It is always fun to pick them up because I usually work late so I don't get a chance to do that.
Anyway, the kids were excited to go out and we found a restaurant that did not have a wait and they had a parking spot right in front. Since it was only 5 degrees outside this is always a bonus. So we were seated right away and once we got settled in the kids were being really good coloring and telling us about their day. All of a sudden a man walks in and is seated close to us. I did a double take as he looked just like Santa Claus. He was wearing a red sweater, he had the right belly, and he had white hair and a full white beard. Jon and I just glanced at each other and smiled. The next thing I know K starts shouting out "Look Mommy, it's Santa" Jon and I immediately started to laugh at this. K kept repeating it as I was trying to explain to him that it looked like Santa but it wasn't Santa as he has already gone back to the North Pole. Both Jon and I were thankful that this man did not hear K (at least we don't think he did) but what do you expect when you wear a red sweater, you have white hair and a beard and you are out in public shortly after Christmas! :O)

Special Care Nursery

Tonight we went up to the hospital to visit some friends that just had a new baby. We had never taken the kids back to the Special Care Nursery where they spend about a month growing and feeding so we took them with us and stopped in at the nursery. We recognized a couple of the nurses that were working and they asked if they could take a recent picture of us. We agreed and the photo is above. The kids really enjoyed talking to the nurses and when they gave us this picture to take home E hugged it the whole way home. It was fun.

Our Road To Triplets (Part 5)

So after the Holiday season we went into the new clinic for another ultra sound. We were told at this ultra sound that there were three heart beats. The fourth baby's heart had stopped. I have never expressed a lot of emotion about this because at the time I was so overwhelmed. However, I can now safely say that there are times when I think about that fourth baby and wonder about what our life would be like if it had made it. Would it have been a boy or a girl what would it look like, etc.. It is funny because at the time when they told us there were four heartbeats, Jon said to me "what's one more?" Shortly after the babies were born and we were still trying to adjust to life at home with three newborn babies I said to Jon one night during our 3 am feeding...do you remember when you said "what's one more?" he smiled and I said..."now you know!"
Anyway, back to the story. The doctor was pleased with how all three babies were progressing and baby c had caught up to babies A & B so there was really no concern for baby c anymore. We were relived that Babies A, B, & C looked good.
Our next appointment was with a genetic counselor at the clinic. We both left this appointment feeling very confused and uncomfortable. This woman asked us all of these questions about our family history. Then she told us the risks that we could run into with one or all of the babies have problems and what our options would be. Both Jon and I declared that if any of our babies had issues that was what God wanted for us and we would handle that when the time came. We were blessed in the end to have three healthy children so this was not even an issue anyway.
The next appointment I had was with the dietitian. I will never forget this appointment because I could no believe the amount of food I was to be consuming on a daily basis! WOW! A snack consisted of a bowl of cereal and a banana, this blew me away because that was what I usually ate for breakfast! I LOVE food so I was thrilled that I was supposed to eat, however, I think it is comical that even though I love food so much I just never felt like eating. This must be God's sense of humor! I did manage to strike up a good relationship with Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey so good that I am surprised that one of the babies did not come out a monkey!
During all of this time I continued to work. It got to the point where Jon would drop me at the door and come back and pick me up at night as he did not want me to be taking the bus or walking the distance from the parking lot to the building. Work was very flexible and at twenty weeks they allowed me to work from home two days a week and in the office the other three. At 22 weeks the doctors told me that it was probably time to stop working and start relaxing more at home. I probably could have kept working from home but at this point I had decided that I wanted to rest and start mentally preparing for the babies. I had a great routine down of sleeping in when I could, getting up and watching movies, tivo, surfing the net and just plain old sitting around growing babies. As I have mentioned before I am the type that runs 500 mph most of the time so I got very bored on bed rest after about the 2nd day!
My mom would rescue me from my boredom and pick me up and take me on outings. Of course we had a wheel chair or I would take the riding carts at the store. I am sure it was quite the site to see.
I remember that I really looked forward to my doctors appointments every two weeks as it was an outing and they did an ultra sound at every appointment. It was so much fun to see the babies moving around. At our 20 week appointment they did a level 2 ultra sound. We had decided to find out the sexes of our babies. The technician was very nice as she asked us if we wanted to know the sexes first before she dove into all the measurements and pictures she needed to take (this takes almost 2 hours). She first went to baby A and she announced that it was a girl. I remember I was so shocked as I really thought that I was having all boys. Then she went to baby b after a minute she said it was another girl. At this point I looked over at Jon who was shuffling in his chair a little uncomfortable. Then she went to baby c after a few seconds she announced oh this is definitely a boy! We were so excited that we were having two girls and a boy. I think we would have been happy with any combination! I never thought I would have a daughter so it took me a little while to get used to the idea of two girls and a boy. Of course now I could not imagine it any other way. That ultra sound also showed us that all of the babies looked healthy! We were thrilled!
Around this time my girlfriends threw a shower for me and I will never forget how my family and friends blessed us with so many gifts. It was incredible and such a blessing. Work had a shower for me as well. It was fun to have more outings.
I continued to grow those babies and have ultra sounds every few weeks. Everything was going along great....then we hit week 29! To be continued...

Snow Angels!

It snowed here on New Years Eve and the kids loved to go out and play in it. Most of it has melted now so we are waiting to get some more snow so we can go sledding. This has really been a mild winter here in MN!

Enjoy the pics!

Our Road To Triplets (Part 4)

Jon and I went into the second ultra sound hoping and praying that all three babies would look great and be progressing normally. You can imagine our surprise when the Ultra Sound Technician announced to us that this time there were four heart beats! Jon just looked at me and all I said was get me a Kleenex as I started to cry. We went from not being able to get pregnant to being really pregnant in about a month. I told the ultra sound tech that I was not coming back as I was afraid that next time they would tell me there was five babies in there.
After she announced that there was four heart beats she then told us that baby D did not look like it should. It was very abnormal in shape. She then told us that baby c (Kendrick) was abnormal and a little behind babies A & B in size. She suggested that we meet with the doctor so I got dressed and we then met with a different doctor. He went over all of the ultra sound pictures with us and told us that there was an 85-90% chance that baby D was not going to make. The doctor explained that what would most likely happen was that the baby's heart would stop beating. Then he went on to explain that he has some concerns about baby c due to the size and shape of the sac. He gave baby C about a 50% chance of survival.
Needless to say Jon and I left the doctors office that day feeling confused. We vowed not tell anyone about baby D as we were so confused as to what decisions we would have to make and we did not want to be judged for those decisions. As we knew that quads would be a lot to take on but who would ever want their baby to not make it or have to make a hard decision about reducing. I started to do some research on my own and both Jon and I decided at that point that selective reduction was NOT something that we were capable of doing. No matter what happened we were going to take what God gave us.
I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I called a very good friend from high school as I knew her mom was a nurse and she worked with higher order multiple pregnancies. My friend told me to call her mother right away and get some advice. I spoke with her mother and she told me to get to the specialist as soon as possible. She said that there should be no messing around and we need to see the experts. So I had the doctor at the clinic that we were at refer me to the Perintologist group.
Jon and I had our first appointment with the specialist on Dec. 24th, 2003. I remember we were both really looking for some answers to what was really happening and what to expect for the next 9 months. We mentioned to this doctor that the first doctor we spoke to mentioned that we should look into Selective reduction and then we asked her what she recommended. She then proceeded to tell us that there was more risk to all of the babies to go in and reduce than to carry the pregnancy out. She gave us lots of statistics with percentages and all on how what the risks were with triplets. Jon and I were so relieved and since Jon is a numbers guy he was really impressed with all of these statistics that the doctor rambled off. This Doctor was wonderful she gave us a ton of information and she told me that she gave baby c a better chance than 50%. She also told me that my treadmill was now going to be my coat rack, I needed to gain 75-80 pounds, I might have to have a cerclage, I would be on full bed rest (flat on my back) at 20 weeks, and she instructed me to start taking lots of different vitamins. All of this freaked me out but I was going to do anything I could to carry these babies as long as possible.
When Jon and I left the office that day we had an ultra sound appointment set for just after the first of the year and I also had an appointment set with the dietitian about my diet for the duration of my pregnancy. We both felt that we were finally going to get some real answers. We proceeded to enjoy our holiday season with family and friends and everyone was thrilled for us about our baby news.
To be continued...

Playdate with the D Family

So I am taking a break from the Road Trip To Triplets story to blog about our play date with another set of triplets. They are three boys who are exactly 14 days younger than our trio. The mom and I were bed rest buddies as we had met through the local multiples club and both ended up on bed rest at the same time.

This was our 4th or 5th play date together and it is so much fun. They played I-Spy, ring around the Rosie, hog pile daddy Jon, and so much more. We always have such a great time. Here are some photos from this evening and other play dates we have had.

This is a picture of the very 1st E&D Play date!

This is a picture of our play date this summer!

Here is a picture of the E & D play date tonight. Boy all these kids are growing up fast!

Hog pile on Daddy Jon!

Daddy Jon playing Ring around the Rosie with all of the kids!

Hiding in the Kitchen for I-Spy!

Playing Cut the Pickle

E with one of the D boys.

Our Road To Triplets (Part 3)

We had so much fun telling our parents and siblings that we were expecting. I know most people wait to tell anyone that they are pregnant until they are 3 months along but Jon and I had been working on it for so long that there is no way we could have kept it a secret. Our families and friends were thrilled for us.
Jon and I discussed many times in the next two weeks waiting for our ultra sound the what ifs about if there would be more than one baby. Neither of us really believed that there would be more than one baby because Jamie had told us that the hormone levels were all very normal. I was such a nervous wreck the day of the ultra sound as I was so afraid that they would tell me the baby had disappeared or that something was not right.
Unfortunately the ultra sound technician we had that day did not have very good bedside manner. However, once we were called back I was instructed to put on a robe and as I was doing this Jon and I were looking at ultra sounds on the wall that showed what one baby looked like and then what twins looked like. The ultra sound tech then came in and got to work. She did not offer me a screen to look at right away but Jon could see everything on the screen. He kept walking back and forth from the screen to the chair and he seemed nervous as he could see that there was more than one heartbeat. Finally after what felt like forever (probably only 5 minutes) the ultra sound tech told me that I would need to come back in 10 days as she could not fully see what she wanted to see. I remember feeling crushed at this statement. She then turned the screen toward me and said "let me show you what I do see, there are three heartbeats and four Sacks" WHAT three heart beats? She then proceeded to show Jon and I Baby A, B, & C and their little hearts beating. I was in shock, I could not believe what I was seeing or hearing from her. Then after she printed off a picture of our three Sacks she exclaimed to me "I don't know where you are going to put all of them as you are not a very big person but you are having triplets" This comment freaked me out because I did not know what she meant. I was not big enough to have triplets? Would I explode? We were then brought out to the waiting room and told to wait so we could meet with the doctor.
So here we are in a waiting room with a dozen people in it waiting to see the doctor after we had just received the biggest news of our lives. Jon just kept giggling through it all. He thought it was great! I on the other hand was totally freaked out. Then Jon leans over and says to me "I guess that answers what kind of vehicle we are going to get...a minivan" this sends me into to tears as Jon and I swore we would never drive a mini van.
The doctor appointment did not go all that great either. First, the nurse calls us back and then tells me that I need to urinate in a cup to determine that I was pregnant! WHAT? I then explained to her that I was just told I was expecting triplets from the ultra sound Tech and there was no way I was going to pee in a cup she argued with me about it but I won that fight in the end. Then the doctor came in to speak with us. We had never met this doctor before as the person we usually would see was not available. This doctor proceeded to tell me how hard it was to carry triplets and that I would be on bed rest for most of my pregnancy. She told us that the chances of having three healthy babies were slim and that we should consider selective reduction. Needless to say, we left the doctors office that day feeling very confused. We scheduled another ultra sound for 10 days later.
We immediately drove over to my parents house as my Grandmother was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday and this was two days before Thanksgiving. We walked into my parents house and I told me mom and my grandma that they both better sit down. Once they were sitting I exclaimed that we were expecting triplets and then I broke down and started to cry. My mother was sooo excited as she was jumping up and down. I think my Grandma was to stunned to move as she just sat there in disbelief. My mom asked me why I was crying and I told her that I did not know I think I was just really confused about the whole situation. I was really happy that we were pregnant but it was just so shocking to think about three babies and what that meant. My mom made me call my dad who was on his way home from work so I could tell him the big news. He was happy but shocked like everyone else. I then had to go off to school but I should have just stayed home as I could not focus on anything but the thought of triplets!
So a week or so went by and Jon and I started to get used to the idea of having three babies and then we went in for our second ultra sound... To be continued....

Our Road To Triplets (Part 2)

At this point Jamie, the nurse practitioner knew the predicament that we were in with the insurance and she felt sorry for us. She then informed me that their was a compassionate care drug donation program for the drug she wanted me to start taking. She told us that she was going to get us signed up for it. We then got three months of the drug for free so we decided at that point to try it for one month and if it did not work then we were going to take a break for awhile.
The drug was horrible as it made me feel weird. Jon had to give me shots (which he was used to from the MS meds) and I was a nervous wreck about the whole thing. At this same time we would see Jamie every day for ultra sounds so she could monitor how many eggs I was going to release. On D-day we went to the clinic and had Artificial Insemination done. Jamie showed us Jon's stuff under the microscope and it was really cool to see all the sperm swimming around. Jon then proceeded to walk down the hallway with his chest puffed out exclaiming that the world could only be so lucky. All of the nurses had a good chuckle over this one.
So after the procedure we once again started the waiting game. It was only two weeks but it felt like forever. This time I felt different but I was sure it was just the new medications that I had been taking. The Sunday before the Wed that marked the two week point I woke up around 5 am and I could not fall back to sleep. I quietly went into the bathroom grabbed one of my many pregnancy tests that I had stored away and headed down stairs. I took the test and then curled up on the couch to watch some TV while I waited for 10 minutes to look at the results. Then the moment came...I turned the test over and for the first time there were two lines. I was numb I just sat there for a long time staring at the stick trying to convince myself that there really were two lines and I was not just imagining it.
I waited for awhile and then I quietly went back upstairs with my test and crawled in bed. I was so nervous to even talk about the positive test that when I nudged Jon to tell him I said "what are you doing?" He said..."uh sleeping". We both have a good chuckle about this one. Anyway, then I told him "we should get up and go to church because I think we have a lot to be thankful for" he was confused until I handed him the stick. He flew out of bed and turned the light on and he verified that yes there were two lines on that stick!
We decided that we were not going to tell a single person about that test until I had a chance to call Jamie the next morning to verify what we found. It was hard not to tell my mom as she had been going down the infertility road with us. The next morning when I called Jamie all the air went out of my sails when she explained to me that it could be a false positive because of the meds that I had been taking. She then told me that I should wait and come in on Wed morning for a blood test at the office. It is fair to say that I think I took at least a dozen pregnancy tests between Monday and Wednesday morning and every single one of them was positive.
The big day came and I went in for my test. She told me she would call me at the office the minute the test results came back later that morning. I was such a nervous wreck...then the phone rang, it was Jamie and she said the tests were all right I was pregnant! She then proceeded to tell me that all my hormone levels looked normal so she was sure it was just one baby. I scheduled another appointment for Friday so I could go back in to make sure all the hormone levels were progressing. Fridays test came back and the numbers progressing the right way and Jamie said everything looked very normal. We then scheduled an appointment for two weeks later to have an ultra sound to make sure the baby looked normal and to see the heart beat. To be continued....

Our Road To Triplets (Part 1)

Since I have becoming more comfortable with this blog stuff I have decided to document our road to Triplets. Thanks to Lots of Scotts for the great idea!
I will never forget my 26th birthday on July 31, 2001, as that is the first time that Jon told me he wanted to start a family. I thought he was crazy as I was clearly not on that road yet. However, from that conversation I did start to think about having a family and what it would be like to be pregnant and a mother. I always knew I wanted kids but I had to really think about the changes they would bring to our life.
The next year I was feeling more ready and both Jon and I agreed that it was time to start a family. However, for us it was not that easy as I had to go off the medications that I was taking for my Multiple Sclerosis (another story for another day). The doctor gave me the all clear and I stopped the medication. Jon and I were disappointed when after the first three months of trying nothing was happening. However, we were busy moving into our house and focused on other things.
Another month went by and I went to see the OBGYN because still nothing was happening for us. She suggested that I start Taking Clomid at this time and warned me that it would increase my chances of having multiples. I remember this day clearly as it kind of spooked me a little and I remember Jon laughed about it. I also remember that the same day this appointment took place, I also had school that evening. After class a classmate and I were talking to our professor about something and the professor said to me something in regards to "Twins". I was so shocked that I asked him to repeat what he said and he repeated this "Like when you have your twins someday"! I was so stunned and I laughed and asked him what made him think that I would have "Twins". He just smiled at me and told me that he just had a feeling that I would be the mother of "Twins" someday. If this was not God foreshadowing my life for me I am not sure what is. Still Jon just laughed about the multiples thing when I told him this story about what my professor said.
We started the Clomid and weekly ultra sounds to monitor what was going on and nothing was happening. After 6 months of Clomid the Nurse Practitioner (Jamie) suggested we go on some stronger medication. However, at this same time the insurance company had dropped us for any further infertility treatments or medications. Since Jon was laid off and looking for work there was some big decisions to be made. To be continued...

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep....

So now that we are in big beds, Daddy taught them how to kneel and pray to God. It is the sweetest site EVER! They really get into praying to God before going to bed.

Here is the prayer we always say before bed:

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep, the Angels watch me through the night until I wake to morning Light. Amen.

Also, for Christmas we received a daily devotional prayer book for children and we say a prayer from that each night as well. After we say all of our prayers then we name everyone we want to pray for and it is so fun to hear who they say every night.

We always end our prayers with "Yeah God"

Sextuplets!?!

Okay so not really but it is two sets of triplet dolls. Each of the girls got a set of triplet baby dolls for Christmas from our friend J . They were both so excited about these dolls. Each set includes two girls and a boy. I explained to E that the dolls were triplets just like A , K , and herself are. I am not sure she quite got it but she named her babies, Joey, Sarah, and Shayla!




It is really cute to watch both of the girls be little mommy's. They rock, burp, change the diaper, and push these babies around the house. They love them. Now I just need to find a baby doll triplet stroller to fit all of these babies. A has not yet named her babies but I am sure they will be wonderful names.


These dolls have had to go everywhere with us. Here is a picture that shows how the girls lined up their babies right by their little table before dinner the other night! It is just to darn cute!