Ultrasound Update

Second post this week! Bonus! We had another Level 2 ultrasound today! All 3 babies are doing great and they look perfect! 2 of them weigh approximately 1 lb. 2 oz. and the other one weighs approximately 1 lb. 1 oz. all 3 heartbeats are in the normal range too. And they all have lots of fluid. All good signs.

We saw Dr. McGann today instead of Dr. Wendel. He's also an MFM and he's good too. And very informative. He answered every question I had (and I had lots of questions). Most importantly he said I can keep doing everything like normal because everything looks good. Yay! That means I can keep working as long as I feel ok. And I like working so that's good news!

Now for the pictures. We got some really good ones! The babies look like little newborns (or little old men depending on how you look at it). 

These 2 are Baby B and Baby C side by side. C on the left, B on the right. They are separated by a thin membrane but you can't see it in these pictures. You can really see Baby C's face in the first one! 

The ultrasound technician was thrilled that she got 2 in 1 picture. Apparently multiples don't usually cooperate for this. So I'm surprised mine did!

Here's a single picture of Baby A. I'm so amazed by this one. It's so clear. Looks like a photo! 

Here's 2 of Baby B. He likes to keep his hands by his face so we couldn't get a clear picture of his face. In the second one you can see his little hand and fingers. And he was pushing one of his brothers away!

Here's a profile of Baby C. This one isn't as clear as the first one above. 

Obviously I'm in love already!! They are so perfect! 

Here's a bonus picture for today:

A very sad Otis! He does this to me every time I leave the house! He's especially bad this week after we boarded him last weekend. He's pretty pitiful! 

Next appointment is April 15 with Dr. Dora. Then April 21 we have an appointment for another Level 2 ultrasound and we'll see Dr. Wendel again. 

23 Weeks!

23 weeks today! This week the babies are a little over 1 lb. each. So huge! And they are between 11 and 12 inches long now. This week's fruit is large mango. I think that refers to weight not length (because a foot long mango would be weird). I do know what a mango looks like. Thanks to Adrienne I also now know what a spaghetti squash (last week's food) looks like, both before and after the "spaghetti" is taken out. It's pretty big! Maybe I'll cook it some time if I can convince Brian to be adventurous with me.

The babies are all doing great. Lots of kicking this week. And Brian finally felt one of them kick over the weekend. I think he felt Baby C (which is weird because he is usually the calmest of the 3 babies). Yay! I can feel them all the time now. Baby B is not only in my ribs all day, now he's kicking me in the ribs all day too. I kind of like the kicking part though.

I'm feeling huge. It's hard to get comfortable and stay comfortable for very long now. And I have a while to go too! Basically I have to alternate between sitting and standing then I'm ok. If I sit too long I have Baby B in my ribs. If I stand too long my back starts to hurt. I can stay on my couch in my recliner (yes my couch reclines and it's awesome) for a pretty long time. I fall asleep there almost every night. I highly recommend the recliner couch if anyone is looking for a new couch.

I've also come to the conclusion that leggings may be pants, at least for pregnant people. I only have 1 pair of pants (maternity jeggings to be exact) that actually fit me now.

We had a very busy week. Yesterday when I got home from work I had 2 packages on my front porch. One from Pottery Barn and the other was a mystery package. From Pottery Barn, we got our baby bedding! Yay! Thanks Mom! Here's a picture of the crib blankets that we had monogrammed with their names.

I'm in love! I haven't made the beds yet so no pictures of that yet. I figured that my doctors (and Brian) probably don't want me lifting crib mattresses and leaning over crib rails so I had to wait until Brian got back in town to do that. Now that he's back, on the agenda tonight - make baby beds!

The other package was a gift from a grade school friend. Really made my day! I almost cried it was so sweet. So thanks!

We also made some major acquisitions in baby gear this week. Last Friday we bought 2 used triplet strollers. One is a frame that holds 3 Graco infant carriers. The other is a back to back triplet stroller that we can use once the babies are a little bigger and can sit up on their own. We got a really good deal on these too which is a huge relief to both of us. Triplet strollers are hard to come by and they are pretty expensive, especially the infant ones. Here's a picture of the back to back stroller:

I'm sure we'll be a spectacle with either stroller but we need to get around! I want to make sure we still go to all of Addison's activities. My parents did that for me and I was the oldest of 5 and it really meant a lot to me. I don't want Addison to feel left out now that she has to share us with 3 babies!

Oh and we found a nanny! She was referred to us through the grapevine because the family she works for now is moving. Brian called all of her references and everyone had great things to say so we're pretty happy. One more thing done!

I also took my last trip before the babies get here. We drove to Memphis for the weekend to see my family. Every time we go I am reminded how much I love Memphis and how much I miss it. But I love it here too so I'm good. (But I do tear up every time the song "Walking in Memphis" comes on the radio because I'm a huge baby - even when I'm not pregnant). We had a great trip. I'm not allowed to travel after 24 weeks so I won't be leaving Little Rock again until well after the babies get here. Probably a good thing though because riding in the car was very uncomfortable. And we got stuck in traffic on I-40 both ways (we even took the detour on the way back).

We left Addison in Memphis for the week so it's been really quiet around here. I miss her when she's not here! I think Addison forgets we exist as soon as we leave though. It's out of sight out of mind for her I think. She promised to call or text me every day. Guess how many times she's called me? One. And no texts. But she's having a great time. Today my mom took her to the zoo and she got to ride a camel.

She looks a little scared. I guess maybe I would be scared too.

And last but not least, here's the weekly picture of me. I almost didn't post it this week but changed my mind at the last minute.

Next up - Dr. Wendel on Friday! I'm super excited to see my boys again on the big ultrasound! One more reason to look forward to Friday too!

22 Weeks

I'm on time this week! 22 weeks today. The babies are each about 11 inches long (almost 1 ft tall!) and about 1 lb.! They're growing for sure. This week's food baby analogy is spaghetti squash. Now I'm pretty adventurous with my food  but I've never had spaghetti squash. Nor do I know what one looks like. I assume the inside is like spaghetti? Maybe my baby app needs to reconsider their food choices. Luckily it tells me actual length and weight too.

We went to see Dr. Dora yesterday. Everything is going perfectly still. Yay! I've gained 29 lbs. total now (16 in the last month) so the doctors are happy with me. I'm on track to gain the 60 lbs. Dr. Wendel wants me to gain. I'm pretty happy too. I feel like that's what I needed to gain this month. My blood pressure is still good too. So I get to just keep doing what I've been doing for now. Next appointment with Dr. Dora is April 15 (Tax Day) so unless things change I'll stick with my normal routine until at least then!

Best part of this week is that we saw the babies again! Yay! I cried the whole time. I couldn't stop the tears! This hasn't happened before so it was new to me! But in my defense, I haven't seen them in what seems like forever! They are so much bigger than last time we saw them! Dr. Dora couldn't get all 3 in one picture anymore! But she did get 3 individual pictures. 

Baby A:

Baby B:

Baby C:

As you can see, they didn't want their pictures taken this time! Dr. Dora worked really hard to get these pictures. They were moving a lot though! Baby A is still really low and he's starting to get squished. Supposedly this won't affect his growth or development. Baby B is on my side up and down (head down butt in my ribs) and Baby C is on my left side a little under my ribs. Baby A and Baby B are in pretty small areas but Baby C has lots and lots of room. Hopefully Baby B will shift and use some of that extra room! But the good news is that they all really have plenty of room because they have lots of fluid in their sacs. Dr. Dora said it's like they each have their own little swimming pool.

I've been feeling the babies move a lot this week. I can feel Baby B shift positions but I usually don't feel when Baby A or Baby C shift positions. I think it's because of where they are. But I feel all 3 of them kick all the time. Brian hasn't felt them kick yet. Every time he puts his hands on my belly they stop moving! Maybe he has a calming effect on the babies. That will come in handy!

I'm still growing too. Here's my picture for the week:

I thought I would try out a new pose if we're gonna do the same picture every week! Ha! Addison will be so proud.

In other news, I'm losing my belly button. I still have one but it's steadily shrinking. And in case you didn't know (I didn't) it really hurts when you lose your belly button. You're welcome for that fun fact. I didn't lose my belly button with Addison so this is new to me. Dr. Dora assured me it's normal. I'm just hoping it doesn't turn into an outie!

Also I bought a bunch of baby pants today at Target. $2.50 each so I had to buy like 15 pairs of course. (I didn't buy "like 15 pair" . . . I actually bought 15 pairs). In different sizes though so I'm being practical. Hopefully Brian believes that. 

We've made some progress on the nursery this week too! My parents came through town Monday night and Brian and my dad moved the extra furniture out of the baby room and then we put the cribs where they'll go. I love it! Then my mom ordered the baby bedding so that should be here soon too! Oh and we decided how we will paint the room. I'll post pictures when it's done. I'm so excited to get this done!

Next appointment is next Friday, March 28, We'll get the big ultrasound and see Dr. Wendel.

21 (and a half) weeks

A few days late but 21 weeks this week (on Wednesday). The babies are the size of carrots. Seems like a weird food for comparison because carrots come in all different sizes so I guess that probably doesn't help much. The babies are the size of 10-11 inch long carrots. To me they just feel big!

I made the mistake of saying that the babies have been nice this week a few days ago. Baby B has lived in my ribs for the last 2 days now. Ouch! To give you an idea, they are situated like this: Baby A is the lowest and he lays side to side. I don't feel him shift positions much but I do feel him kick pretty often. Baby B sits up and down on my right side. He's the one in my ribs. He makes sure I know  he's there every day, all day long. Baby C is more on my right side and he's the highest. He lays side to side too. I do feel him shift positions and I can see his outline move (kind of) if I watch my belly at night. I feel him all the time. He does not like it when I sneeze, yawn, cough, or make any other sudden movements that cause my stomach muscles to tense up. I'm doing my best to make more room for them!

Here's this week's picture (I did take the picture on Wednesday, in my suit):

We've been really busy since my last post (at home and at work). You can't tell from the picture but I finally got my hair cut and my highlights fixed! Someone recently told me I had the ombre look going on. I wasn't going for that look at all! My hair stylist also told me that I have a lot of "new growth" which means my hair fell out and now it's growing back. This has happened to me a few times before (like when I took the bar and when I had back surgery). This time it fell out a few months ago when we found out we were having triplets!

We went on a short weekend trip to Hot Springs last weekend and went to Oaklawn to bet on the races Saturday. Brian and Addison take the horse races very seriously.

Addison won $8 I think. I won about $35 (that doesn't include what I lost). Best bet of the day - I picked a trifecta box (the top 3 horses) on the last race! Yay me! I also bet on a horse that cheated earlier in the day. Fun fact about my horse betting skills - I'm not very good but I always bet on the horses that cheat. I guess I'm drawn to the "whatever-it-takes-to-win" type. It worked out this time though because he wasn't disqualified he just got 2nd place instead of 1st place. I won more money that way anyways.

This week didn't start off well at all! It was a Monday that tops most Mondays. First, I tried on 4 or 5 pairs of jeans that morning, with the belly band of course, and none of them zipped at all! That means I can't wear them. Period. And these were my big jeans. So no more jeans for me. So after I figured out what to wear Monday morning (leggings as pants) I went to the DMV to transfer my vehicle registration. That didn't turn out well at all! After waiting an hour (I know that isn't long for my Memphis friends), the lady called my number. I went through the entire process, including the fact that she was charging me a fine (and wouldn't waive it) because I didn't transfer my tags within 30 days. I just said ok, no big deal. Then we got the payment part, I handed her my credit card to pay (they have "we accept credit card" signs all over the place) and she runs it. But then she says "oh, our credit card system has been down all morning. Do you have cash or a check?" I said no and asked if there was any way she could run my card (like the old fashioned way where they imprint the card or something). She said no you can only pay with cash or a check. Then she yelled at me because I didn't have a check. In her ghetto-fabulous voice. Picture it in your mind. Not a good way to start the morning. Everyone in the place was staring at me - the visibly pregnant girl. I was so embarrassed. She continued yelling at me. Because I didn't have a check! I was starting to cry when I left (without transferring my registration of course) but I didn't let her see. She couldn't win. Brian took care of everything of course later that day. She may be getting fired. I hope so. Apparently she had 2 complaints just that morning! Brian also brought me these awesome flowers. The card is the best!

Other than that, we just had a busy week. I got home from work after 8 on Wednesday and Thursday night (the reason for no blog post this week). This weekend has been pretty relaxing so far though. I do have to work some and get a brief started but I enjoy that so no big deal. Fellow lawyers and law school friends probably think this is crazy but brief writing is my happy place.

And we registered for baby stuff this week! Registering for baby stuff is pretty overwhelming because there's so much stuff! But I did my research before we went so I knew what I wanted for the most part.  We still spent several hours in Babies R Us last weekend and Target last night! But I love all the super cute baby stuff. I only bought a few things so I'm doing pretty good (so far).I wanted to buy these but I didn't.

I mean really . . . how cute is a baby in seersucker? Brian would have killed me though!

And last but not least, we have an appointment with Dr. Dora this Tuesday. Feels like forever since we've been to the doctor. I'm going to request that we not go this long again between appointments. I think it just fell this way but the appointments make me feel better and take away some of my stress so I want more of them! I'm really looking forward to Tuesday morning so I can see my boys again! I'll update after that (hopefully on Wednesday this week!)

The Babies Have Names!

20 weeks today! If this were a normal pregnancy, I'd be half way done. One of my weekly pregnancy emails said this is hump week. Yeah right . . . for normal people. So that's not me. I'm probably closer to 2/3 through my pregnancy. This week the babies are the size of a banana (10 inches long head to foot) and about 10 oz. each. They feel way bigger than that to me! Today Baby B spent the entire day in my ribcage (again) and Baby A kicked me every time I sneezed (which was more than I would have liked). Baby C is the calm one who keeps to himself (for now).

Biggest news of the week . . . we named the babies!Brian didn't understand why I wanted to hurry up and name them already, but after I told him how important it was to me that the babies have real names (instead of Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C), we sat down and agreed on 3 names. We actually picked the first names last week and thought of some potential. Then yesterday we sat down and agreed that we still liked those names and chose middle names. Brian got all fancy and cut out little pieces of paper so we could look at first and middle names together. A big problem we had was avoiding spelling words with their initials. So that cut out all middle names that start with vowels. But I think we found 3 perfect names.

Now, for the reason many of you are reading the blog today . . . the Mann Triplets will be named:
(1) Mason Thomas Mann
(2) Logan Michael Mann
(3) James Parker Mann

They will ultimately be named in this order in the order that they are born. I think the names sound best in this order when you say them all together - Mason, Logan and James. Brian didn't want to assign names to the babies yet but I want to call them by real names. So no more Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C. Just kidding! They will always be Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C. And we don't know who will be born first, second and third so I guess we can't really assign them names yet (but I can pretend).

Here's my weekly picture.

I feel huge! My work friend agreed with me today. Thanks Keith. Luckily Brian tells me I'm beautiful every day when I feel huge. So that really helps. But today I tried to wear my favorite pre-pregnancy jeans (with the belly band of course) and the zipper wouldn't go up hardly at all! I guess that's a good sign that I'm putting on weight like Dr. Wendell wants. But it was a pretty sad moment :( I ended up wearing jeggings. That's right . . . jeggings. These particular jeggings have a real button though so they're pretty fancy. The button is completely useless but at least it's there.

This week was pretty tame, except for the growing part. Addison had her first soccer game on Saturday. She's playing goalie this season which is terrifying to me! I am not an overprotective mom but I don't like the idea that balls and cleats are flying at her during the game. It's too stressful for me. But she played great. And they won! Yay! Then Brian's parents had us over for dinner and fed me lots of high-calorie food. And Brian's mom bought the babies some clothes. Some matching ones too! I think I want to dress them alike at least in public when they're little and can't get mad at me for it.

Then we had a few more "snow days." Actually we didn't get any real snow. We got several inches of sleet and ice on Sunday night and couldn't go anywhere for several days. Brian wouldn't let me leave the garage because he was scared I would fall. He's probably right. We stayed home Monday and Tuesday so I got to spend a few days relaxing. I actually worked from home yesterday but it was still relaxing to not have to wear real pants for several days and go straight from working to the couch. I guess I have lots of yoga pants days in my near future but hopefully still working from work most days. We'll see.

Oh and Otis went sledding too. He apparently thought it looked fun and jumped on the sled with Ava Grace (Addison's neighbor friend) and then with Brian. He would not get on the sled with Addison for some reason. Ha! I don't know how to upload video but I wish could. Because it's pretty hilarious. I have the coolest dog ever! Here's a picture of Otis in a pink scarf instead. The girls thought his ears were cold. He's such a good dog, especially with kids. Let's hope that continues with 3 babies!

Some final updates. No doctors this week or next (keeping my fingers crossed). And several people have asked me if the triplets are identical or fraternal. Dr. Wendell thinks they are all fraternal because they are in separate sacs with separate placentas. There's still a chance that at least 2 of them are identical but they would have had to split early. Of course we won't know for sure until after they're born. 

Also I've been resisting the urge to buy baby clothes and shoes. So far I've just been looking online and on Pinterest. But I keep threatening to buy 3 pairs of baby nikes. Brian keeps insisting that babies don't need shoes. I guess technically they don't need shoes but they do need them in my opinion. And baby polos. Those are the cutest ever.