27 Weeks - We Have 2 Lb. Babies!!

27 weeks today! We're getting close! According to my weekly email the babies should be "almost 2 lbs. this week." This is the weight of a head of cauliflower, another food that we don't eat in my house (Brian hates it; I think it doesn't have much flavor. Either way, we don't eat it). The babies should  be about 14-15 inches long. Getting huge!

We had another ultrasound this week. We apparently have some overachievers! Baby A and Baby C weigh about 2 lbs. already (more than my weekly email said). Baby B is our little guy. He weighs about 1 lb. 13 oz. this week. He's also the only one who showed his face this week. Here's his picture:

 

He's a little blurry because he actually had his hand in front of his face (like every time) and the ultrasound girl had to "look through" his hand to see his face. Baby A and Baby C didn't want their pictures taken this time. But everyone is doing great! We saw Dr. Wendel and he is happy with the babies' growth and mine too. The babies all measured within a few days of each other, which is perfect. They all have strong heartbeats (all 148) and plenty of fluid. And they have eyebrows now (or eyelashes. I can't remember). Baby C was even doing his practice breathing. This gets him ready to breathe for real after he's born. 

Me? I'm hanging in there. I still feel pretty good actually. I have started having trouble sleeping and just getting comfortable in general at night (I'm usually ok during the day when I'm staying busy). And I get heartburn at night. Yuck! I feel bad for people who have heartburn all the time! I also woke up with a monster cramp in my calf yesterday morning. Apparently this is normal. But I'm pretty sure it is the absolute worst way to wake up ever!

I'm feeling bigger by the day. Dr. Wendel said I'm the size of a 38 week single pregnancy now! That means that the only place I have to grow is out. I can't even imagine how that will work. We'll see I guess!  Here's my weekly picture:

Yes I did wear this to work today! Yoga pants and flip flops are perfect lawyer attire. At least at my office they are! Lucky me! Oh and yes I'm still working for the time being. I guess Dr. Dora will reevaluate next week. Dr. Wendel did say to avoid all stress. Most people have stress just going to work because they have to (1) get dressed up and (2) get there on time. I don't have these issues luckily! I did scare Jack today when I was a little late though! He called to make sure everything was ok! Oops. 

We had a great Easter and a pretty relaxing week. Well I did. Brian stayed busy! We had our first Easter at home because we couldn't travel. But we made the best of it. Addison and I made Easter dinner. I've never made a holiday meal before because my mom or Brian's mom always does the cooking. First time for lots of things this year! Addison made the green bean casserole all by herself! And it tasted perfect! My in-laws will be happy to know that I even made gravy (the kind out of a little package where you just add water, but still gravy). I do not like gravy but I made it just for Addison because she doesn't like mashed potatoes (unless Nina makes them and they have gravy). I couldn't be Nina but I could make gravy. Here's our spread complete with the gravy:

Then we had a nighttime Easter egg hunt. Even though we didn't have any plans on Easter Sunday, we somehow didn't get around to hiding eggs until about 9 pm. Addison had fun though:

And she gets all the eggs because she's the only one to find them. Belly did try to eat one egg but I heard the crunch and stopped her just in time! The Easter bunny also hid eggs (filled with candy and money of course) but she found those in the morning. Here's a picture from Addison's morning Easter egg hunt:

In case you're wondering . . . no, Addison did not break her arm. She sprained it during her soccer game on Saturday so she gets to wear this awesome splint. She feels cool wearing it I think. Luckily she's doing much better and it doesn't even really hurt anymore. So she'll be back on the soccer field this weekend.

Finally, did anyone see Parks and Recreation this week? If not, stop reading so I don't spoil it. If you don't watch Parks and Recreation, you should. It's hilarious. Well this week, the episode title was 1 in 8000. Guess what that means?! Even without reading the title, I already knew because several people said something to me the night it aired or the next day before we watched it. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Leslie (Amy Poehler) found out she's having triplets! 1 in 8000 (really 1 in 8100). Just like us! If you watched the show, you now have a pretty good idea how we reacted to the news. I was like Leslie (kind of). Excited and optimistic (but terrified). But not as cheery as her because that's not normal. Brian was definitely like Ben. Very overprotective and scared of everything - from work to sleep to food. He's still like that but he's tuned it down some. Thank God! I may have strangled him by now! Just kidding (kind of). I know he meant well.

Next up - Dr. Dora next Tuesday. I'll keep you posted! 

Feeling Lots of LOVE This Week

26 Weeks! Yay! I feel huge this week (like I have the last few weeks, only bigger). This week the babies should be about 1 2/3 lbs. each (about 1 lb. 10 oz. if you don't want to do the math) and they are about 14 inches long. This week's food comparison is a scallion. I assume this is for length only because a scallion weighs about 0 lbs. In baby development, they should be able to hear voices (not just mine). I think they can because it feels like they kick in response to sounds sometimes.Yesterday 2 of them started kicking when Addison sang at the school talent show. So cute (Addison and the babies). Their man parts are also developing this week. It's still weird to me that I have 3 sets of man parts in my belly!

We've had a super busy week this week but we are feeling so loved. First, my mom and aunt Lou Ann came in town on Friday and painted the nursery. I love it! Here's a preview:

For now I'll just say that I love it! I love the navy wall and the stripes! I could never paint stripes on a wall, much less 5 stripes (and I would never try) but my mom is very talented and patient. Those stripes took a lot of time! Thanks Mom and Lou Ann!

I'll do a separate blog post just about the nursery once it's finished. We ordered a glider and a dresser over the weekend so we should have all of the furniture in about 2 weeks. 

We also had 2 baby showers this weekend. Thanks so much to everyone who came and made both days special for us! We got lots of baby gear so we're well on our way to being ready for the boys to make their appearance.

The first shower was my mother in law's friends (who are also the teachers from Addison's school). They are professional shower throwers! Thanks Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Veach, Mrs. House, Mrs. Mentzer, Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Poldrack, and Stephanie. And thanks to Meredith Snape for making the cookies! Here are a few pictures from the first shower. The family and the cookies. These are the only pictures I got!

We had a second shower on Sunday. Here are a few pictures from the second shower. Thanks Shannon, Shay, Veronica, Kacky, and Lizzie (and your husbands too)! We had lots of fun and you did a great job with the circus theme! This one was a family shower so Brian got to come too! 

I came home to 3 more gifts on my front porch today! I love coming home to packages on my porch! Thanks everyone! We really appreciate everyone thinking of us!

I also saw Dr. Dora this week (yesterday). She said everything is positive! I passed my diabetes test. I gained another 13 lbs. this month. That's 42 lbs. total if you're counting. I think the trick is lots of granola bars and absolutely NO exercise. (Unfortunately this 42 lbs. has not helped my bony butt at all as I learned last night sitting on bleachers for 2 hours). My blood pressure is still normal. And the babies heartbeats are still good. Yay! I get to keep working for now too because I haven't had any contractions or other signs of problems. From here on out I'll probably see either Dr. Dora or Dr. Wendel every week so they'll reevaluate every week. 

Here's my weekly picture. Getting huge!

Next appointment is Monday with Dr. Wendel. We should get a full level 2 ultrasound with pictures then! 

Finally, Addison went to her sibling class today at the hospital. She learned how to change a diaper and the right way to hold a baby. Good stuff that she'll need to know! Here's a cute picture of Addison and Brian at the class. 

I know that was a lot for one post! I wanted to break it up but didn't have time to do anything else over the weekend. 

Again thanks to everyone who has supported us during this crazy and exciting time! It means the world to us!

Home Sweet Memphis

We had a great trip to Memphis this weekend (in our new minivan of course). I always love going home but I can't seem to get there often enough. You would think a 2 hour trip wouldn't be too hard to squeeze in but you'd be surprised. I can only imagine how this will be when we have 3 more kids in tow. Maybe everyone will just have to come visit us in Little Rock more often.

We had a full schedule of things to do this weekend, but first, my mom made homemade spaghetti. She called on Thursday to see what I wanted since I can eat anything I want as she put it. I'm not sure why she asked. My answer is always spaghetti. This was our first trip home since we told everyone we were pregnant and that we were having not one but three babies. I loved seeing everyone and showing off my ultrasound pictures in person. In a family of 5 kids I don't get to be the center of attention very often. Maybe that's why God decided I needed to have triplets - so I can get some attention for once. Whatever the reason, I'll take it. (Disclaimer - I do get plenty of attention. There's lots of love and attention to go around in my family. I just have to share).

The main reason for our trip - Brian's sister and brother-in-law had their baby this week. That's right, Baby Liam arrived this week! The triplets will have a cousin only a few months older than them! Sorry Liam that you only get to be the baby for a few months! 

Addison got to hold sweet Liam. A little practice for her big sister duties. She's a natural.

And of course Brian got in a little baby time too! Actually, he hogged the baby and didn't want to give him back. He's ready I think . . . maybe.

We also visited with my BFF Carly and her babies - Maddy (almost 6) and Sadie (4 months). Sweet Sadie is such a happy baby! I would have brought her home with me but I guess I can wait a few months and have 3 of my own!

Now that I've spent time with other people's babies I'm ready for mine to be here! But not too soon. Trying to keep these babies in as long as possible. 

I spent most of the day Saturday shopping for baby stuff - my first real babies shopping trip! We found some great cribs at a store in Memphis. Then we found them at a better price online when we got home! Yay! I also picked out my nursery bedding at Pottery Barn Kids. So cute!  I also made the executive decision that we won't use bumpers in the cribs unless the pediatrician says we need them. I've been reading that doctors are recommended that parents NOT use bumpers because they can hurt the babies. Addison survived with bumpers and so did most other babies but we'll save the money where we can. This way the babies will be able to see each other in their cribs too, which I've heard is great for them.

So this was a perfect weekend. Spent time with family and friends, played with some babies, went shopping for baby stuff, and ate lots of good food. Oh and I finally got a good night's sleep one night, thanks to my Snoogle that Brian bought me last week (photos to come in the future). Hopefully more of those to come!

Did You Say Triplets?

That's what the doctor said. And we saw them right there on the screen - 3 babies with 3 heartbeats.

I'll start from the beginning because this is my first post. We decided a few months ago that we wanted to have a baby. Apparently we did something right. We found out I was pregnant in December but we didn't tell anyone because we wanted to wait until after the first appointment. So we scheduled the first doctor appointment as soon as we could after Christmas (January 7). Brian read at least two whole books before we went to that first appointment so he felt pretty much ready for the appointment. He wasn't ready at all!

Everything started out pretty normal. The doctor decided to do an ultrasound just to verify that the due date was correct and to make sure everything was going well. That's when things got a little crazy . . . 

Brian and I could see the screen the whole time. She was looking at the baby, then she stopped. I just knew something was wrong, but then I saw it. A second baby. She asked us if we had twins on either side of the family. We don't . Then, as she was checking out the babies, she found the a third baby. Triplets!! No we didn't do any fertility treatment. These are spontaneous triplets! I have since done some research (ok I've since done a lot of research) and learned that triplets only account for about 1 in every 8,100 births. That's pretty rare! We beat the odds. Some of our family and friends have called us overachievers. Maybe they're right . . . .

Here's what we saw on the screen:

It's a little hard to see but there are 3 numbered compartments - one for each baby. They have since been renamed Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C, but more on that later.

We told everyone that we were pregnant that night. We had planned to wait until the weekend but Brian isn't good at waiting. In fact, he was supposed to propose to me after Christmas 2009, but as soon as he got the ring, he couldn't wait so he proposed on December 9 instead. I guess I am not surprised that he couldn't wait to tell this huge news! 

We hadn't told anyone in either of our families yet. We had already decided that we wanted to tell Addison first. I had already ordered her a big sister shirt but it wasn't in yet. So we went with Plan B - Brian went and bought her a big sister charm for her Pandora bracelet and a card. Then we told the rest of our families. We got to tell Brian's parents in person because they live close to us. We used FaceTime to tell my parents so we got to see their reactions. Everyone else we told by phone. 

Telling our news was really fun. We got to give everyone the good news that we are pregnant, but then we also got to say "but wait . . . there's more." Pretty much everyone was in disbelief at our news. Brian's sister didn't believe him for about 10 minutes. Maybe he lies too much, I'm not sure.

We let Addison tell everyone at school the next day. This was huge news at school. She's like a little celebrity (and so are Brian and I to an extent). I'm sure Addison is the most popular kid at school right now so we'll just let her soak that up for a while. 

We went back to the doctor on Friday for more a detailed ultrasound. Here's what we know about the babies. They move around a lot but I can't feel them move yet. They are all about the same size (about 5 cm last week but growing quickly) which is the most important thing. They are all in separate amniotic sacs and they appear to all have separate placentas. This is ideal because it means that they don't have to share nutrients or blood supply, which can lead to one growing too much and one not enough. We probably won't know if they are identical or fraternal until they're born. Based on my research, it is likely that 2 are identical and 1 is fraternal. We will likely find out if they are boys, girls, or a combination within the next month or so.  

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Friday ultrasound:

This is Baby A. This one is closest to the cervix (or the lowest one). 

This is Baby B at the top, Baby A is below and Baby C is the one you can only see a little part of (I think it's a head). Baby B is on my right side for now and is second closest to the cervix. Baby C is on my left side and is a little higher than Baby B right now. That could change though.

This is Baby C. I loved seeing the little face! I know it looks like an alien but I love my little alien Baby C!

We also got to see them in 3D which was a complete surprise! This is Baby B on top and Baby C on the bottom.

These last 2 are Baby A on the top right and Baby B on the bottom left. They were back to back (through the thin wall that separates them) then they moved and looked like they were spooning. They love each other already!

So that's it on the baby pictures. We'll get to see them way more often than if we had just one baby because the doctors will constantly check their growth and development. So I will share pictures whenever I get them!

We shared our news on Facebook this past weekend. We let Addison tell the good news with this picture:

We've been overwhelmed by the responses we have received. I have never felt so loved! So many people commented, sent prayers, and called us to tell us congratulations and good luck. I know this is a big deal to us but I had no idea it would be such big news to everyone else too! 

A little about my pregnancy thus far. I am thirteen weeks as of this post. I have not gained any weight, but I am trying! (Disclaimer for other pregnant women who may hate me - I only gained 9 lbs. the first time around.) I have had some nausea but nothing some crackers won't fix. I have been pretty tired but that has gotten better over the past few weeks. And I am starting to show a little (but apparently no one but me can tell). I am having a hard time adjusting my diet but I am really trying to eat more so I can gain weight. I promise! The only craving I've had so far is ice cream so that's good for the extra calories!

Ok so I'll stop here for now. I know that was a lot to say at once but A LOT HAS HAPPENED this week!