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! 

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. 

My 3 Boys

That's right. The Mann triplets are all boys! I don't know what to think. Again. This keeps happening. I have no idea what to do with boys so of course they are all boys. I guess we'll learn.

Today we went to our big appointment with Dr. Wendell. He's a maternal fetal medicine (MFM) doctor, or a high risk specialist. Everyone in Little Rock recommended him because he's really good - actually he's the best. I was really against a male lady doctor but because he's the best I didn't have to think twice about it. Only the best for my babies!

We had a big ultrasound that looked at the full anatomy of each baby. I say "big" because it was an hour long ultrasound on the Level 2 ultrasound machine. They're definitely boys! The first 3 pictures from our ultrasound photos from today are penises. I won't share them on here but if you don't believe me just ask. I can prove it. Trying to keep it PG on here!

All 3 babies are looking great still. Baby A and Baby B weigh approximately 7 oz. each and Baby C weighs approximately 8 oz. This is what they are supposed to weigh if you were wondering. Also they all measured within 1 day in gestational age which is perfect. 

The ultrasound technician checked all of each baby's organs and limbs. (They are all there. Yay!) They were pretty mobile today and moved around a lot. Baby A completely switched from one side to the other during his ultrasound. We got lots of pictures and a DVD today. I teared up a little at one point. This is the first time that's happened to me with this pregnancy. I was way more emotional with Addison. Here are some pictures.

Baby A (above)

 Baby B (above and below)

Baby C (below)

And we got to see them in 4D today too! I wasn't expecting this so it was an awesome surprise. All 3 boys like to keep their hands by their faces so we got a good shot of Baby A and Baby C in 4D. Baby B was hiding close to his placenta so his picture isn't as good. But it's amazing how much you can see in these pictures!

The scary news of the day - Dr. Wendell is really worried about preterm labor. I apparently have all of the risks -  (1) triplets (2) low pre-pregnancy weight and (3) history of preterm labor with Addison. My water broke at 30 weeks with Addison and she was born at 32 weeks. Dr. Wendell thinks the babies will definitely come before 32 weeks, which is average for triplets. To put things into perspective, my uterus is about the size of a normal single baby uterus at 30 weeks already! And my body doesn't know that I have 3 babies in there. This is pretty scary to me. Good news is that I'm bigger than I ever got with Addison already. 

Dr. Wendell said the goal is 30 weeks (May 14). Brian and I are still hoping for 32 weeks (May 28 - our anniversary). Dr. Wendell said ideally I would be a 240 lb. 6 foot tall black woman. Exactly the opposite of myself. Pretty much he just meant that the babies need lots of room. And I'm not a good size for that right now. Hopefully I'll get there! Please pray that I can get big and fat for these babies! Seriously. I can diet and exercise later.

So basically I have to take it easy and get fat. Dr. Wendell wants me to gain 60 lbs.!! That means lots of ice cream. We went straight to Sonic after the appointment and I got a Reese's blast and chili cheese tater tots. Yum! Also I'm not allowed to exercise. Not even yoga. Good thing I didn't really like yoga. Any extra exercise takes calories away from the babies. And they need lots of extra calories so they have plenty of room to grow and stay inside as long as possible. 

For now I'm going to keep working and doing normal stuff (just with more food). I will likely be put on some form of bedrest around 24 weeks or shortly thereafter. The doctors will reevaluate this as we go along. 

I am staying with Dr. Dora as my primary doctor for now. That's good news. Dr. Wendell has been reviewing my file and ultrasounds as I've had appointments up to this point and he will continue to do so. I will see him and Dr. Dora from here on out though. Dr. Wendell wants the ultrasounds at his office so he can view them live and look himself if he so chooses. I'm pretty happy with this decision too because that means he's right there if something comes up.

So right now we're scheduled to go back to see Dr. Wendell on March 28 for another ultrasound. We'll see Dr. Dora sometime before then.

And the babies will have names soon. I promise to share them. Also, if you have name suggestions, keep them to yourself. I don't really care. Brian and I are naming these boys ourselves. Not trying to be mean! Just honest! 

18 weeks is when the clothes stop fitting

So we are 18 weeks today (tomorrow if you are reading this on Tuesday night). The babies are supposedly the size of bell peppers! According to my internet research, the babies should be around 7 oz. each this week and about 5 1/2 inches long! That seems a little big to me, but I guess I don't feel very small anymore so maybe.

I had a regular checkup with Dr. Dora Tuesday. She said everything is going great! All 3 babies have perfect heartbeats. Yay! And Dr. Dora checked to see if they are boys or girls again. She confirmed what we learned last week. Baby A is a boy, Baby B is a boy and Baby C is a girl. She's almost 100% sure about Baby A and Baby B. We'll confirm Baby C on Monday when we go to the high risk doctor. Dr. Dora gave us a brief overview of this visit so I think we're ready. Also, I gained . . . 11 pounds this month! Whoa! So that's 12 lbs. total through 18 weeks. Dr. Dora is very happy with that. Brian is too. I can tell he's relieved because he was so worried that I didn't gain any weight during the first trimester.

Here are some pictures of the babies. In reverse order so C can go first for once. 

Baby C - you can see her little arms by her face!

Baby C's tiny feet! So precious!

Baby B - looks like he's smiling!

Baby A

I love getting to see my babies at every appointment! Dr. Dora is the best ultrasound picture taker! She gets each baby's face every time! I kind of wish she could go with me to the Level 2 ultrasound!

You can't tell by the pictures but they are little wiggle worms! I thought I felt one of them kick the other night but I haven't felt it again. I know it's coming soon. Then I'll probably wish they would stop! So far I can only tell when they shift their entire bodies to one side (because it doesn't feel good!)

Biggest event this week . . . I outgrew my regular clothes and had to stop buttoning my pants. Remember last week when I said I had court and wasn't sure if any of my suits still fit? Well they don't. I found this out Wednesday night and I had court Thursday morning. Luckily I had already bought a belly band so I wore that over my unbuttoned suit pants. And I left my shirt untucked. I hope the Judge wasn't offended! I won my motion and the a judge gave me everything I asked for so I guess I was ok. I felt like a slob though. I had to wear a suit Friday too. Also unbuttoned with the belly band and untucked shirt. I felt more comfortable that day though for some reason. I think the shirt I chose Friday made me really look pregnant instead of just unprofessional. Who knows really. 

After the realization that I can't keep wearing my clothes much longer I went shopping on Saturday. Not fun. I like shopping for clothes but this was different. I had a very limited budget and most of what I tried on looked terrible on me! If you've never been pregnant and had to shop for maternity clothes, this compares to swimsuit shopping somewhat. I did find a few things I can stand wearing. And luckily for Brian I skipped the front of the maternity clothes store where they keep the designer jeans. I'm kind of a jeans snob if you don't know. But I don't pay full price ever. And I'm not starting now! If someone has some designer maternity jeans I can have I would be your BFF forever. For real. But no pressure. 

Did you hear about the woman in Mississippi who thought she was having triplets then delivered quads? Surprise! How did they not know?! I mean I'm 18 weeks and I've had 6 ultrasounds already. That's just crazy to me. But what if it happened to me?! I asked Dr. Dora and she said something isn't right about this story. She said she's positive I am only having 3!

Here's a link to the surprise quads story in case you haven't seen it and would like to read about it:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/17/identical-quadruplets-triplets-mississippi/5567673/

Also, today is Brian's birthday! He's 33 if you're wondering. For his birthday he got to go with me to see Dr. Dora. And he got to see his babies too. And I cooked him dinner. He said he didn't want anything for his birthday but he got a few gifts too. Here's a picture of Brian with his mini cheesecake I didn't make this but I wish I could make tiny cheesecakes. I can only make full-sized cheesecakes and then I have to eat a full-sized cheesecake because Brian usually only eats one piece and Addison doesn't really like cheesecake. She called the crust cinnamon dust! Ha! She's a mess.

And here's a picture of me in my maternity clothes. I feel like I've gotten so much bigger this week! Maybe I have. Yesterday my favorite jeans wouldn't button :( I was pretty sad. And very thankful for the belly band so I could still wear them.

Next Monday is the big appointment with the high risk doctor. We'll confirm the gender of all 3 babies then too! Then I can start baby shopping. Don't tell Brian.

17 Weeks - Almost Too Busy to Post!

17 weeks today! Sorry I don't  have any fruit comparisons today. None of my weekly pregnancy emails told me this week and I did not have time to go out and actually research this. The only reason I am actually posting this today is because I wrote a draft yesterday. Just got home from work at 9 and just now eating dinner at 9:30 (I did eat at work too so don't get too worried).But supposedly they are the size of turnips? That doesn't help me at all. I also think the turnip comparison is for weight. They should be 5 oz. (and they are!!) And supposedly they will double in size in the next few weeks according to some unnamed internet sources that I looked at before today.

We had the follow up ultrasound yesterday. I was worried the appointment would be cancelled because the weathermen were predicting SNOW!! But we got nothing. Of course. We did get snow Friday night though. About 4 inches. Addison loved it! 

I love this picture. Pure joy. This is why kids are so awesome. Me? I just watched because Brian said the babies weren't allowed to go sledding. But it was so worth it to see Addison's excitement. 

Now that my ADD moment is over ... Back to the ultrasound. This one went so much better! We checked their size, heartbeats and amniotic fluid. All 3 babies are doing perfectly! Perfect heartbeats and fluid. And all 3 weigh around 5 oz. That's the right size according to the ultrasound technician. They measure size by measuring each baby's head, belly and femur. They don't measure length anymore though so I don't know how long they are. 

Oh and we looked for sexes today too. This isn't definite still but ... Baby A looks like a BOY, Baby B looks like a BOY (again) and Baby C looks like a GIRL (still). I asked how sure she was and she said 80%. I'll take it. Brian's happy because with 2 potential boys he's thinking they're probably right about at least 1 of them. I think they're probably both boys. She pointed out the penises. Weird that there are baby penises growing inside me but I'll deal with that. Baby A looks pretty clear to me. Baby B isn't as clear but that's the one Dr. Dora thought was a boy before. 

Here's a picture of Baby B from yesterday. So cute! Looks like he's sucking his thumb!

I hope he doesn't end up sucking his thumb like Addison! It's cute but really hard habit to break. Brian finally got Addison to stop when she was 5! Of course his first attempt worked too after I had been trying for years. 

We also got our cribs this week. They came on Monday while I was at work. And Brian built them already!!

Obviously I'll put them in different places but they're in the room!  It's getting real to me finally. We have 3 cribs!

We'll order the bedding once we find out for sure if they're boys or girls. Brian finally told me his names yesterday. I'm not sharing any names though so don't ask.  Also no one else gets a say in case anyone was wondering. 

Next Dr. Dora appointment next Tuesday. Then the next week we go to the high risk doctor and we get a level 2 ultrasound. They'll check each baby's full anatomy at that appointment so we should confirm sexes then. I can't wait! 

Here's a picture of me. 

Getting bigger finally. Some of my clothes are starting to get tight too. I'm not happy about that but it's making the pregnancy feel more real. I had to unbutton my jeans last week after lunch one day but other than that I'm still buttoning my pants. Mostly just my shirts are a little snug and some are even a little short. But I have court in the morning and I have no idea what I'll wear. Hopefully I can find something court appropriate. I think at least one of my suits should still fit.

Also I still love ice cream. Kroger makes Baby Ruth ice cream that is AMAZING! I don't even like Baby Ruth candy bars but everyone needs to try this stuff. Seriously. Do it.

16 Weeks

16 weeks today! I guess we may be half way . . . we'll see. If these babies are like Addison then we're half way there. Anyways, the babies are supposedly the size of avocados this week (for Keith who likes the fruit references).

This was a rough week for me. I mean, most of my pregnancy symptoms are gone now that I'm in the second trimester. Oh wait, that is except the worst pregnancy symptom. For me at least. I am an emotional wreck this week. I also started feeling sick yesterday. Today I sound like a man (apparently a drag queen according to my coworkers but still a man). I guess that means more ice cream though so that's good at least. And my regular clothes are really starting to get tight so I had to go out and buy some belly bands so I can quit buttoning my jeans pretty soon.

If you remember, I had an ultrasound appointment on Monday. I was really excited about this appointment and have been looking forward to it since my last appointment. We were going to get to see the babies on the big ultrasound equipment AND we were supposed to confirm the sexes of the babies. But that didn't happen.  In fact, nothing really happened except they measured my cervix (looks good by the way so yay!). We left the appointment more confused than before. I didn't even get any pictures!

When the ultrasound technician (I assume that's her title) came in she asked if we knew the sexes because apparently everyone at the doctor's office has been wondering. We said we were supposed to confirm that today. So she checked. Kind of. She didn't look too hard in my opinion. At least not compared to the last ultrasound girl or Dr. Dora. So here's what she told us - Baby C looks like a girl and Baby B looks like a girl too! What?! But Dr. Dora said Baby B was a boy! So she checked again and said maybe Baby B is a boy, I'm not sure. So now we don't know about any of the babies' sexes. I don't trust her opinion about Baby C either anymore. She didn't really check Baby A at all. Then she checked my cervix and said we were done. I asked her "aren't you going to measure the babies?" And she said "No, we just did that so we're not doing that today." (we didn't just do that - we haven't measured them in a month!) I was kind of in shock so I didn't question her at the time.  The more I thought about it though, the more upset I got. I mean, my understanding was that we would get these stronger ultrasounds every month to check the babies' measurements. We need to make sure they are all growing at the same rate right? And she didn't even check their heartbeats!

After I got back to work I became very upset. I'm usually a laid-back, go-with-the-flow kind of girl but not when it comes to these babies. I am constantly worried that something will go wrong. So of course the more I thought about the ultrasound and how she didn't even check the babies at all, the more upset I got.

So . . . Brian to the rescue! He emailed Dr. Dora and told her our concerns. And it turns out I was right! (I love saying that). They were supposed to check the babies at this appointment. I guess there was some confusion somewhere. But Dr. Dora fixed it. So we have another ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday. They will measure the babies then and check for sexes then too. Yay! Brian is hoping and praying that Baby B is still a boy I know!

Lucky for me I have a great husband and some great friends to support me through my emotional roller-coaster pregnancy. One of my friends even cried because I was upset! I guess she's a keeper.

Other than my emotional state I had a pretty good week. We ordered 3 cribs and 3 crib  mattresses on Amazon yesterday. They should be here by the end of next week! Yay! We also had a "snow day" yesterday. I put "snow day" in quotations because we didn't actually get any snow. We got freezing rain for a few hours so the roads were a little icy and we stayed home. I got up at my normal time and worked from home for a while. But I did get to rest some which was really nice. This past weekend Addison and I went out to lunch and had some Mom and Addison time too which was nice. I wish we had time to do this more often! Oh, and I've gotten to eat lots of ice cream this week too.

Do We Know Genders?

14 weeks tomorrow! We made it though the first trimester! Yay!

We went back to see Dr. Dora today (yes my doctor is named Dora and yes I sing the Dora song in my head every time I say her name).  Everything is going great still. All 3 babies look great. Baby B was the most active during the ultrasound today. Baby A is starting to get squashed because this one is closest to the cervix and has the least amount of room. Baby C had its legs crossed Indian style - so cute! Dr. Dora said they'll all be in that position soon because they will run out of room. 

Some firsts today:

1. We heard all 3 heartbeats. All 3 were perfect!

2. Dr. Dora thinks she can tell genders!! 

3. I gained weight! 1 lb. to be exact but hey it's progress. Dr. Dora doesn't seem too concerned with my weight yet so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing for now.

So back to the genders. That's what everyone wants to know. If that's why you came to read my blog today don't feel bad. I would totally do it to someone else too.

Baby B. Baby B appears to be a boy. We're pretty sure about that one. Brian is super happy that he's getting a boy! He was so worried we would have 3 more girls. Then it would be Brian v. 5 Mann ladies. This way he gets a buddy. For now he plays with little Adam, the little boy across the street who comes over with his sister. Adam was pretty upset when we moved in that we did not have any boys for him to play with. Adam has definitely made his case that we need some more boys for the neighborhood. Maybe we can help add 1 more.

Baby A and Baby C. Baby A and Baby C were way more modest so Dr. Dora was not as confident. But . . .  they both appear to be girls. 2 more little princesses to spoil and dress up! And they have way cuter little girl stuff now than when Addison was little so I'm pretty excited.  

WARNING!!! Dr. Dora said "don't start monogramming anything yet." Today's gender announcement is only preliminary. Especially on Baby A and Baby C. We are only 14 weeks (tomorrow) which is a little early to know gender. Also we only looked at the babies with the weaker ultrasound so we'll want to confirm that this preliminary observation is correct before we name them and start making long term plans. I would hate to cause gender confusion before the babies even know their names. 

Other than that today was pretty uneventful in baby land. The rest of my day is a different story but that's part of being a lawyer I guess. No one can say it's boring that's for sure! 

Here are a few ultrasound pictures from today. As you can see from the first picture, there are still 3 babies in there!:

Next appointment is in 2 weeks (Monday February 3) for a full strength ultrasound. We'll probably confirm genders then. Then I'll see Dr. Dora 2 weeks after that (on Brian's birthday). We'll probably see the high risk specialist at some point within the next month or so too.

For now we're pretty excited about the unexpected gender reveal today! 

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!