14 Weeks....

We made it! To 14 weeks! Babies are great, I'm doing pretty good, less tired but now a whole lotta new stuff is popping up. Who knew when you have HOM (High Order Multiples) that all your interenal organs get reaaranged? Ever move your living room furniture around and its all in a different place? Know how tired you are after? Well, that is what my body is doing daily. And it is TIRING. And here we are: 14 WEEKS! YAY!

Thursday we leave for vacation. We are headed to the lake for the 4th. We need to go before I get too huge so this is our "BIG" summer vacation. We'll be home on Monday and I'll be back with lots of pics! I have my 15 week appointment Tuesday morning so MAYBE just MAYBE we'll get to see genders! I can't wait!

Oops....Forgot The Belly Shot...

I suppose I could have added it to the last post but I figure the babies need their own post, dontcha think?

Here I am at 13 weeks. Growing growing GROWING!
And covered shot....;)

A Day Late...

Sorry about that. But, as you can see by reading the post below, I've had alot on my mind. Anyway. The Dr appointment went great yesterday. Babies are perfect. I even have new pictures ;) The are in order...Baby A first, Baby B second, Baby C last. They organize (name) them that way on purpose. The baby closest to "get out" (closest to my cervical opening) is Baby A and then they go clockwise so when I talk about Baby A, B, C, they are always the same babies. Neat huh?

And the Dr was kinda able to get one of all three of them. You can only see the top of Baby A's head and Baby B is a profile shot but most of Baby C is visible. Its hard to get all 3 babies scrunched for a good shot.

Thinking Alot...

or maybe it's just hormones. (There are an awful lot swimming around in my body right now) But all I know is that I'm feeling pretty alone in all this. I would like to make a few things clear. First off. Aaron and I didn't "plan" to have triplets. It's just not possible. It's not as if we said "Hey! Let's have sex three times tonight and see if we can get three babies!" It doesn't work that way. God forbid, if it did, alot more people would have multiples.

Secondly, babies are a GOOD thing. Sure, sometimes they don't necessary follow all the plans we have in life, whether it be ours, our kids, our sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts WHATEVER. Does it really matter? Do you ever think that Aaron or I look at ANY of our kids and say "Damn, why did we have you?" GOD NO! Granted, we have a few kids that have caught us off guard but does that change our love for them or our desire to make sure that they have the best lives possible? Nope. Not that either.

Third, where does it say that because we have nine children will that make our kids any less fortunate than the kid down the street that has just two siblings? Nowhere that I've been able to see. It sure does swim around in alot of peoples minds though. Granted, we won't be going to Hawaii or Europe or Australia anytime soon with nine kids, but now they have something to strive for when they grow up. And they will have 8 of the best friends that any child could ever ask for. I don't know what I would do without my sisters and brother and if I happened to have had 4 more? As an adult, that would be amazing. As a child, I'm sure its trying and yes they do have their arguments that make me nuts, but I KNOW for a fact that my kids love each other, respect each other and are beyond excited about these babies.

Fourth, Yes, life is going to be HARD. VERY HARD for the next few years. Interesting even. I still wouldn't change a single decision I've made. I'm almost certain Aaron feels the same way.

Fifth, this is a HIGH RISK PREGNANCY. I'm not sure everyone realizes that. It's not necessarily safe to be carrying 3 babies at once. There are alot of dangers to me and the babies. Now that we have reached 13 weeks, the fear of miscarriage is over. Now I have to make sure I don't go into premature labor. My history is great. I've never had any signs of premature labor with any of the other kids. That is HUGE in this situation. But I do need to be careful. There is possibility of bedrest. In home or hospital. Again, this is not a CHOICE we've made. Yes, it will complicate our lives but I will do anything I have to do to get these babies here safely. The list of potential complications is long. PROM (water breaking early) hypertension, premature labor, preeclampsia, and the list goes on. I tend to avoid ALL of these and carry these babies to 36 weeks and get them to 5# each. That is my goal. It would be so much easier with the positive love and support of our family.

Now, God has given us the job of growing these babies and bringing them safely into the world. The way I see it, He's done it twice now. I'm pretty sure he's trying to tell us something. This is something that we are supposed to do. It sure would be a whole lot easier if we didn't feel so alone in all this. These are our BABIES. They were given to us for a reason. We want to make sure they get here safely so that we can see what plans God had in mind when he chose us to be their parents. We know they are going to be something spectacular in this world. We can't wait to meet them and watch them grow. We hope that soon everyone will feel the same as we do.

12 Weeks 5 Days

That is how old the Dr.'s think the twins were when they died. Today, the triplets are 12 weeks and 5 days old. It's been a stressful day to get through. But I'm almost there. I just finished listening for their heartbeats on the doppler. I'm getting pretty good at it. I used to be happy if I could just find one. Now I'm not happy if I can't find all three. Today, (and last night) I found all three. Baby A is beating right along at 142bpm, Baby B at 160bpm and Baby C at 174 bpm. So, if that old wives tale holds true, it must mean that Baby A is a boy and Baby B and C are girls. Hm. There's a thought to ponder for the next 3 weeks. (I won't mention that ALL my babies heart rates have fluctuated from the 135's to the 180's all pregnancy long depending on their activity levels, gee, how weird is that? A fetus' heart rate going up when they are ACTIVE?? Just like a REAL baby? Hm. Another thought to ponder I suppose) Unless I have very anatomically advanced babies and they can tell Tuesday at my 13 weeks scan (doubtful, but ya never know! BUT when I went in last week for my "I'm-having-an-anxiety-attack,-please-check-on-my-babies-because-I-am-a control-freak-and-can't-check-on-them-myself-every-second"moment, I SWEAR I saw a penis. I KNOW I did. The nurse thought so too)

Next appointment is on Tuesday. Anyone want to start guessing? My gut is telling me 2 boys and a girl. My wishful thinking is saying 3 boys. In the back of my head I keep saying "I'm gonna hurt Aaron if it's all girls".

I'll take credit for the 3 babies in there, after all, 3 eggs releasing is my doing. But if it's ALL GIRLS. He's totally taking the heat for that one. All this said in jest of course. I will be thrilled with whatever we get blessed with. I'm just HOPING for at least ONE boy. It can't hurt to hope. Right?

Smiling Happy Girls

Sand is IN. Sandbox is finished. Girls are HAPPY. They sat and played in that box for over an hour. I'm still trying to figure out what is so darn entertaining about digging but they love it and that's what's important.

Interesting Read...

For those who are more curious about this trio in my belly. ;). It's the organization called MOST. It stands for Mother's Of Super Twins. That's what triplets or more are called. Super Twins. ;) I kinda like the sound of that. lol. Anyway....Here's the site. Have fun reading! There's TONS of info.
http://www.mostonline.org/index.htm

Save A Buck... Or $80....

So, I took the little girls to Toys R Us yesterday to buy a sand box. We were going to BUY ONE. Imagine my shock when I get there and they are $80 for a little tiny plastic sandbox that both girls wont even be able to sit in! $80! NOT including the sand. Ok, ridiculous right? So, we left. With sad little girls who wanted to dig and a mommy that felt like crap for promising them something and not getting it. So, I got to thinking and Aaron and I started talking and we decided to just build one. Aaron is busy and couldn't get to it this weekend (him and the middle kids are going camping) and I felt bad making the little girls wait after I promised so I decided to just build it. Totally 100% recycled materials which translates into FREE. The wood and screws are from the old playset, the tarp is old and was ripped on one side and the staples were in the tool box. Here's what the little girls and I made this morning in just an hour! Aaron is buying the sand tonight.... I don't think he was thrilled that I was out in the yard building a sandbox while carrying triplets. I have to say, it was harder than it should've been at 12 weeks along. That will be my last project for awhile.

The supplies:

The Helpers:

Just Add Sand:

Anxious...

So, this pregnancy is alot harder emotionally than I thought it would be. I didn't think I would worry every single second of every single day about these babies. Yet I do. Constantly. Even though what happened with the twins was a cord accident, I still worry. I went into the Peri's office today because I think I was literally having an anxiety attack or getting an ulcer or something. All I could think about was the babies and it was affecting my day to day life. So, I called. I asked them to just do a quick check on them. They did. They are fine. They are perfect. They are getting so BIG! They also said that maybe it would be best if I came in weekly to check them just to help my stress level. I think I may do that. I'm pretty sure an un-stressed Mommy will grow healthier babies.

And, speaking of babies getting big....Um, I'm growing so they must be. ;) This is 12 weeks today. I'm officially into my 2nd trimester. These babies will be here before we know it!

And I realized that not everyone wants to see my bare naked belly all the time...So here's a covered shot. ;)

A Photographer In The Family......

Madeline took Annabel out for a "Photo Shoot" in the woods. She was a Woodland Fairy. I say she looks pretty darn cute. ;) So nice to have a photographer around. ;)

A Sigh Of Relief......

On a few different levels....

Summer is almost here. School is almost out. Only 4 more full days left! I tend to get super excited that the kids are out of school at first. No more routine. No more getting up early. No more papers to sign and no more homework to remind of. This excitement tends to last about 2 weeks. Then I start hearing, "I'm bored", " There's nothing to do", "This sucks", "What can we do?", "Can I call.......so on and so on. The good thing is, that since I am currently growing very rapidly with the three little ones inside of me, I have a LIST of things to give them to do when I hear those words. I wonder how long it will take them to figure out to quit saying it? lol.

I had another OB appointment today. Everything is perfect. I am 11 weeks today. I got to hear all the babies heartbeats and that is literally the best thing to hear. Ever. I was so nervous about this appointment as this was about the same time that we found out about the twins dying. The Dr. said everything is great and I can finally relax. For awhile anyways.

Oh, and my weekly belly shot. ;). Here we are..Growing. 11 weeks.

869 Million To One..

"Lightning Never Strikes In The Same Place Twice"

Oh really?!?! Well, I beg to differ.

Aaron and I decided, after losing the twins during Lilah's pregnancy, that maybe we really WERE excited for triplets and hey, what the heck, let's try once more for a boy. I mean, we have at least a 50/50 chance right? And Seven is a very lucky number.

Well, how about NINE? Is that a lucky number? Why you ask? Well, it will be the total number of children that we will have. But it IS an odd number at least and I like odd numbers. It seems our "Try For Just One More Boy" has turned into triplets. Again. What are the odds of that? My perinatologist has quoted us "869 Million To One". It's a number that is forever stuck in my head. It's so significant because both times, we conceived these little beans naturally. Just the good old fashioned way. ;). It's more fun wouldn't ya say? My Dr. thinks that given my age, and the fact that I was nursing babies both times we conceived triplets, that I must ovulate bi-laterally. Meaning not only from both sides but also twice within 24-48 hours of each other.

I think we should start buying lottery tickets. I mean, the odds of winning the lottery are less than that. But, if you think about it, we HAVE won the lottery. How many people have the opportunity to experience the pure joy of raising nine beautiful beings? Don't get me wrong, I'm KNOW it's not going to be easy, but life was never meant to be easy, if it were, how would you appreciate it?

And without further ado...I introduce to you Baby A, Baby B, and Baby C. Their estimated due date is Christmas Day (how perfect is THAT? True gifts from God) but seeing as they are triplets, the Dr.'s say that they will most likely arrive around week 32-34. I am 10+1 weeks now. In a mere 24 weeks, I will be the proud mama to NINE kids. My life is perfect.

Baby A
Baby B

Baby C
In Baby A's pic you can make out another sac to the right of the pic, in Baby B's pic, you can see a sac to the bottom left. They didn't give me a pic with all 3 of them. One baby is laying much lower so it was hard to get them all in. Hopefully at the next ultrasound, I'll get one.

They are all three IN THEIR OWN SACS! YAY! When I had the US done, I literally cried when I saw three separate babies and three separate heartbeats. STRONG heartbeats of 178, 180 and 182. The Dr. says we are in most ideal situation for triplets. Separate sacs, separate amnions and perfect yolk sacs. Baby A measures 9w6d, Baby B is 9w6d and Baby C is 9w3d (Must have been the late egg. lol. )

Oh, and a fun picture of their home for the next 6 months. This picture is 10weeks+1day. I'm going to take weekly shots. It'll be fun to see how HUGE I get. ;) Even better? I *think* I'm already feeling them move! The Dr said it's possible because there is so many of them in there and I'm thin. ;)

Knitting!!

By Golly, I think I've got it! Yay! It's fun and so rewarding. I'm by far from perfect but they are wearable CUTE pants that are useable as a diaper cover. I can't wait to knit more. ;)

These are going to be Charlie Brown Longies. I just have to duplicate stich the zigzag on them. Its going across the hips and around back. Oh, and add a drawstring. But I love them. I think they turned out pretty good.

Small Update....

So, I haven't been the best blogger. Sorry. For some reason, if I don't have a picture that goes with the topic of the day, I don't blog. Weird. So, today, no picture, just little update on everyone. I'll go in order. ;)

Madeline: All her stuff is in and ready to go for Running Start. She will only have one class at Prairie next fall. One. Man, I wish they had RS when I was in school. She's still on the lookout for a job. Thankfully her car is not a gas guzzler so she gets by working one day a week, basically for gas money. Poor kid. Her grades are great, and she's just generally a very good kid. ;)

Joseph: High school soccer is over and he's playing for Chinook Alliance again this year. He really seems to like the more relaxed play of Select vs. Premier. I'm not sure if it was Stew's death that changed it for him, made him realize that soccer is to enjoy, not work yourself to oblivion over, or what is was, I'm just glad hes happy playing again. He's been playing soccer daily for 11 years now. Wow. That's a long time. He's loving high school. Doing great with his grades, and VERY anxious to start driving. Papa Gary has been super nice and has been taking him to practice driving on Sundays. He loves it.

Noah: Playing for Chinook Alliance this year also. Thankfully, soccer tryouts swayed him away for the football he's been talking about non stop for the past 3 months. I do NOT like football. Hes taken a huge interest in war. All things war. He reads about war, plays war video games, and talk of going into the service. I don't know where this comes from but he's very intense about it. School is going awesome for Noah. He loves his teacher, is making great grades and really seems to enjoy it.

Juliette: Also playing for Chinook Alliance this year. Um yeah, We are gonna be BUSY. Shes still wrapping up the softball season, while practicing for soccer. She played softball for Team Faith this year and enjoyed it alot. She's just like Joseph, loves to be active CONSTANTLY. I'm just glad that soccer seems to be all the kids first loves, as watching softball is kinda boring. Shhhh...I didn't just say that. ;) Juliette is also doing fabulous in school. She got an amazing teacher this year who is just the right combo on nice and strict. Just what Juliette needs. She tends to talk alot. Go figure. ;)

Annabel: Well, not alot going on but play play play. Shes done with preschool for the year. She did love it. She recognizes her name, knows all her colors and can sing the alphabet. She loves to sing. All kinds of songs. She got a new scooter after Aaron ran over her new trike with the car and we can't seem to keep her off of it. She loves to ride it around. She enjoys art and playing with the older kids. Sweet sweet girl. ;)

Delilah: 16 months old. Already. She's turning into a pretty good girl. We were worried there for awhile. lol. Shes intense. Very intense but shes learning to channel it better. She loves to do anything that Annie does and mimics her every move. Shes turned into quite the Daddy's girl, especially if Aaron is leaving. She's happiest when we are out and about. She is definitely a go- go-go girl.

Me and Aaron? All you gotta do is read the above. ;) I'm home cleaning, making dinner and knitting, (or stitching as Aaron calls it .lol) while Aaron is at work. Evenings turn into a giant carpool for us. I can't believe we manage to do it all and still have time to talk at the end of the night. But we do. And we are loving every minute of it. Our kids are all amazing and I don't think we could ask for anything better. Life is good. ;)