20 Years Ago Today........

Aaron and I went out on our very first date. The best Halloween of my life. We were just 16 years old. Juniors in high school. Younger even, than our oldest daughter is now. I think I knew from the second he called me and asked me out that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. We didn't even do anything that exciting. We went to Burgerville with a group of friends, and then went to another friends house to hang out. The exact moment of "Oh my god, I love this boy? ". We were standing around talking. Aaron was sitting on a chair, I was standing next to him. He looked up at me, grabbed my hand and pulled me onto his lap. So nonchalantly, so casually, I'm pretty sure he had no idea that he was turning my world upside down.

Now, 20 years, 3 houses, and 9 kids later, we have the best life ever.

Halloween

Just an obligatory post with pictures. Kids love Halloween so much that it's hard for me NOT to post. Just FYI, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. In fact, it's my least favorite holiday. If I could go back in time, the T&T would be one thing that I would never have started way back with Madeline. I would rather celebrate, at home, with my family, and do a fall harvest thing. I'm so not into the trick or treating. The dressing up is awesome, I'm just not a fan of having my kids run door to door begging for food. lol. Nevertheless, my kids DO love it and so does Aaron. And I will admit, it's hard not to get excited and smile when you see this:

H1N1.....

So, I thought I would post this great link about the H1N1 vaccine. In case you don't know, we selectively vax our kids. This one will be no exception. My family, and yes, me included, even thought I'm pregnant and considered one of the highest risks for the H1N1, will not be getting this vaccine. I've had quite a few people ask me if I'm getting it and why/why not. This link sums it up. It's just not worth the risk to me or to these babies, or to my kids or Aaron.

Enjoy the read. :)

http://www.losethebackpain.com/blog/2009/10/09/why-you-should-not-vaccinate-your-children-against-the-flu-this-season/

And another I just found:

http://products.mercola.com/swine-flu/20091103.htm


Also, another good blog read, from a friend, if your interested in ALL the vax info. :)

http://harpfam98.blogspot.com/

An Unexpected Day At The Dr.....

Unexpected but good. :) They did a Biophysical Profile (BPP ) on all 3 babies. We will be doing these weekly from now on. What it is, is basically an Apgar from the inside. They score the babies based on their fluid levels, heartrates, whether or not they are practice breathing and how the blood flow looks in the cord/uterus. All the babies scored 8/8 today! They were all huffing and puffing away. VERY weird to see that but so nice to know that they are working their lungs. Baby C, Emilia, does have a lower fluid level than the other two, but the Dr. still called it adequate. They like to see at least a 2x2 pocket, and Mia has a 3x3 pocket. Baby A, Roslie and Baby B, Gwendolen have about 5x6 and 6x6. It could be because she's a bit bigger, it could be her position, or it could be that her fluid level is getting low. It seems low to me, but as I said, the Dr. isn't concerned so I won't be. They also didn't do a cervical check or an fFN. I was hesitant at first about it, but Dr. W (my favorite) explained why he doesn't. He said that from now until Tuesday (which is when I am 32 weeks)he would try to stop my labor. After Tuesday, he won't. This is because he believes, that the 32 week mark is a very good time for the babies. They are in no danger of being born. Again, it's not ideal, but it's ok. He believes that the medication that they would use to try to stop the labor would do me and the babies more harm then if they were just born. He also believes that if I do go into labor, then my body is trying to tell me something. Either my body, or one of the babies and in this case, Baby C and her fluid level. I agree with him 100%. I like that he wants to listen to my body and my babies and not try to force them to stay in if it really will be better for them on the outside. Sometimes, they just will grow better out than in. And sometimes, your body and the littles inside you know best. My mom always says that "When baby is done, baby will come" I think it stands true in this case too, even though they will be preemie, how do we know that they are coming because my body needs them to, or they need to? I've got a pretty good track record of holding babies in until they are safe, I am confident that these babies will be no different. As for the cervical check, mine has been so consistent, that he sees no reason to "mess with things in there". And again, we go back to the 32 week thing. We will do the steroid shots next Thursday. Dr. W. likes to do 2 sets of them to prepare the babies lungs for the outside should they decide to come early. The shots last for 2-4 weeks so doing them at 32.5 weeks is good. I'll do one set Thursday and another set 24 hours later. He sees no need for the fFN or the cervical checks since we are preparing for the just in case, and either way, the babies will benefit from the steroids, even if they last until 36 weeks, the shots will have taken affect on their lungs. He did say he might do the cervical check next Thursday before the shots, but it was a maybe so we will see. :)

And a quickie FYI for everyone who has asked and everyone who is wondering. I get this question alot, "Since you have named the babies and have bonded with them at these names, how will you know who is who once they come out"?

Answer: The Dr's have the babies labeled in utero. They do move around inside their placentas but since their placenta is attached to the uterine wall, they don't completely switch places. They move inside their sacs, but not positionally inside my belly. Make sense? So, they are labeled from the "opening" of delivery and clockwise from there. Bay A is closest to the cervical opening. Then move around my belly, clockwise from there. When they make the incision at the C-section, Baby A will be the first out, then Baby B, then Baby C. Did that make sense? I'm going to try to take a frontal belly shot and label the babies positioning so you can see it better. We'll see how good my photoshop skills are. I may have to recruit Madeline to help me.

Much Needed Today...

I've had a very crappy day. It started out crappy very early this morning (I won't go into it, it's just stupid) and I can't seem to shake the bad mood. Mainly just because I'm sore, miserable, achy, fat, housebound and hormonal. BUT....a sweet sweet friend left me this quote on my Facebook. It made me smile so I had to share.

"Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be."

31 Weeks & Some Interesting Stats........

Week numero 31! Am I ever happy to be here! We are doing well and growing. Not much else to say. My couch and I are now very familiar with each other, and I'm sure there will be an indent where I've been living the past few weeks. I've also come to love our hottub. Aaron turned it down to 100'-101' so I can get in, and while I'm not usually a hottub person, this has been AMAZING. Removing the center of gravity, has been awesome, to say the least. I love it. The babies love it. It's just all around good. Plus, it gives Aaron and I some much needed alone time in the evenings. Soon enough, we won't be able to hear each other talk. lol. And, here's the much awaited shot of the day. :)

Week 31

And for some intersting triplet stats. Some are from websites, mostly from http://www.mostonline.org/, some I've already posted (They are just more interesting now that we are there), and some are from other triplet blogs. Enjoy! I hope you find them as interesting as I do.

One mom of triplets calculated that in the first year her triplets had:

27,260 ounces of breastmilk/formula9,

260 diapers

6,510 pictures

6,054 bottles3,

978 naps (not including Dad's)

1,095 droppers of vitamins

71 doctor visits (including Mom's)

50 pounds gained by the babies

13 baby teeth-

Diapers, wipes and formula are conservatively estimated to cost $6,244 in the first year. (Which is why we breasfeed and use cloth diapers! HOLY JEEZ!!!!)

Some medical info:

At week 31, the average NICU stay for the babies is 30.7 days

At week 32, the average NICU stay is 22.7 days

At week 33, it's 16.8 days

At week 34, it's 11.4 days

At week 35, it's 6.2 days

At week 36, its 3.o days

So, as you can see, our goal is definately for 32 weeks+. Preferably 34, 35 or 36.

Interestingly enough, the majority of triplet births are in December. Wonder why?

More interesting info....
The average gestation of a triplet pregnancy is 33.1 weeks (ranging 16 - 39 weeks)
The average weight gain for a triplet pregnancy is 50.2 lbs (ranging -30 - 175 lbs)
62% of triplet mothers in this study recevied steriod injections prior to delivery.
20% of triplet mothers in this survey had a cerclage performed.

Zygosity:
80.7% of triplets were all fraternal
2.9% of triplets were all identical
11.6 % of triplets were a combination of identical and fraternal
4.8% of triplets were of an unknown zygosity

Gender:
49.51% of triplets were female
49.36% of triplets were male
1.13 % gave no answer

Breastfeeding:
52% of all triplet mothers breastfed their babies for an average of 14.4 weeks.
30% of all triplet mothers pumped breast milk for their babies for an average of 12.5 weeks.
Triplet mothers either breastfed or provided breast milk for their babies for a total average of 13.6 weeks.
48% of triplet mothers indicated having difficulty breastfeeding or pumping.

Reason for delivery in triplets:
34.4% delivered due to labor progressing
21.4% were scheduled deliveries (c-section/induction)
13.4% delivered due to ruptured membranes (PROM)
14.1% delivered due to maternal complications
8.8% delivered due to fetal complication
5.3% delivered due to preeclampsia (high blood pressure)
The remaining 2.6% delivered for the following reasons: poor fetal growth, fetal distress, placental abruption, eclampsia, HELPP syndrome, pulmonary edema, low or high amniotic fluid levels, uterine infection, complications of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, umbilical cord flow problems, fetal demise, kidney failure, and other.
The average gestation for a scheduled delivery was 35.3 weeks.
The average gestation due to preterm labor and other complications 32.4 weeks

Hope you all love the info. :)

Random Thoughts/Feelings of Loves & Hates...

So, in other words, another whiny post buffered with some love. :)

Hates: (although I shouldn't say Hate since I don't like my kids to say it, Dislike is better, but Hate has so much more impact)

**that I lay on my couch all.day.long.

**that I can't sleep anymore.

**that my older kids have to do way more right now than they should.

**that I'm wishing this pregnancy to end. I love being pregnant. But I'm miserable.

** that I whine. All the time.

**that I worry about these babies. Constantly.

**that I worry about everything. Constantly.

** that I feel like a crappy mom, even though I know I'm not, I can't shake the feeling

**that I am still OCD about my house. Let it go already!

** that I have to rely on so many people for help. So not me!

**that I can't bathe my little girls or even tuck them in at night.

**that I can't go to parent/teacher conferences this week.

**that I have a hard time driving my car.

**that this list is actually this long, have I become so grouchy and negative lately?

Loves:

**laying awake in the morning, watching the little girls sleep and feeling the babies move.

**being able to lay on the couch and just watch the girls play.

**being pregnant with 3 tiny baby girls. Life is forever a miracle to me.

**that I'm not getting any stretch marks. Yet.

**that all my kids are doing awesome in school thus far this year.

**that I am the luckiest mom in the world.

**that I have the best husband. Ever.

**my life. Simple.

**that I have some easy, wonderful teenagers. So lucky we are.

**that soon (37 more days) I will be holding my 3 baby girls and our family will be complete.

**that I have some amazing friends. Again, I am so blessed.

**that we have a hot tub. It's been my salvation in the evenings.

**that I have such a wonderfully supportive husband who is the best father my kids could have.

**that my house is serene and quiet in the evening, giving Aaron & I some much needed "us" time.

**frozen fruit and yogurt topped with wheat germ. My current addiction.

**that my kids are so excited for these babies. Even the boys, even though they didn't get a brother.

**that I've made it to almost 31 weeks without incident. *knock on wood*.

**that my cloth diaper stash is almost complete for the babies. I can't wait to CD them!

**that I learned how to knit.

** that my Loves list is not shorter than my Hates. Thank God.

Some Stuff....

First off, Dr. app today. Very uneventful. Dr. had to rush out to an emergency C-Section so I didn't get to talk with him much. Which, is actually ok, since I spent most of Wednesday night in L&D. Again. So I got the full workup there, making today's appointment kind of unnecessary. In L&D they did a NST (Non-Stress Test) on all 3 girls. They basically hook me up to 3 heartrate monitors and 1 contraction monitor. The monitors watch their accelerations and decelerations for 20 minutes. If their HR go up when active and go down when resting they pass. All 3 girls passed with flying colors. Me, on the other hand, with the contraction monitor, not so much. I had an extremely irritable uterus that night. 3-4 contractions an hour. Hard ones. The ones you have to breathe through. Not fun. The good news, is that the contractions were doing absolutely nothing to my cervix. Nothing. No change. In fact, they measured it longer in L&D at 4.1! Again. I really think that my body needs to get the memo that contractions are really not a necessary part of this process this time around. They measured the girls on US, which is what they were supposed to do today, but since they did it Wednesday night, they didn't need to today. They got the girls weights. I think they are a bit off, the US tech was not as knowledgeable as the ones at my Dr. but they do show growth. Baby A: 2#14oz, Baby B: 3#2oz and Baby C:3#12oz (this is the one that I think is off. I think she's more around 3#4-6oz) I do start my biophysical profiles next weeks so we will get a better guess of weight then. We did get to see Baby C (Emilia) breathing! Alot! Not just the practice breaths here and there but actually breathing. It was so nice to see! Baby B and A were asleep and they don't typically practice breathing while sleeping, so we'll see if we can see it next week.

What I came home to after my Dr. appointment was the highlight of my day. I seriously have some of the best friends ever. Miranda and Amber were here cleaning my house. Cleaning cleaning. My whole upstairs is sparkling. Well, so the kids tell me, I haven't been up there yet. Beds stripped, garbages emptied, vacummed. I'm not sure what else, since I haven't been up there but I'm so excited to go up to see! Thank you so so so so much guys. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.

30 Week Belly Shot (a day late)

Ok, finally got around to it. I actually brought my camera upstairs last night so that I could do the picture this morning. Here we are. All 4 of us at 30 weeks 1 day. How do we look? :)

30 weeks is a big milestone. I'm so grateful to have made it here, still at home, still being able to take care (somewhat) of my other kids and be somewhat mobile. I say somewhat because yesterday seemed to mark the day that I can no longer do what I've been doing the past 20ish weeks. Walking, running errands, sleeping good, and even picking things up off the floor. At least, I can still, again I say somewhat, care for the little girls. It's all I can do to just fix them their 2 meals plus snacks every day. They are getting very good at bringing me what they want to eat with a bowl so that I can fix their snacks as I lay on the couch. A shower almost isn't worth it. Once I'm undressed, getting redressed is not fun.

I've been dealing with alot emotionally lately. I know that this is temporary, but I'm feeling like quite the crappy mom. The TV has become my kids' other parent. I usually try really hard to limit the little girls TV time, but lately, it's all they do. I've noticed a difference in their behaviors too. They are whiny, clingy and over stimulated. I blame TV but I also blame myself. I lay on the couch even to referee or discipline the little girls, and we all know how well that works with kids. They tend to not take you too seriously when you just lay there and yell. I am not that kind of mom. But I've been forced to become one. I'm scared to death that I won't be able to get my little girls back again. The ones that I had a mere 6 months ago. The ones that total strangers used to compliment me on them when we were out in public. I fear that I've ruined all the time that I've put into making them the best they can be. That I've ruined all the time I've spent trying so hard to be the best mom to them that I can. I can't be the mom that I aspire to be right now and it's a really hard thing to accept. I cry alot. Any little thing gets me going. It's not fun. Crying hurts my belly. Even crying can set off a contraction. I'm starting to hate these contractions, I mean, what's the point of them, it's not like they are going to help get the babies out. I think that if you are having a C-section, your body should know it and just stop with the damn contractions already. Wishful thinking right?

On the flip side, I do think that this has been good for the older kids. They've gotten more responsibility. They are doing regular chores, helping a ton with the little girls and helping me alot too. It is starting to get to them a little, I mean, if it's getting to me, I know it's getting to them. But they are older. It's easier for them to realize that this is only temporary. That soon, I will be back to the way I used to be. I know they are counting down the days just as much as I am.

And, on the best note, ever, we will come away from all this, stronger as a family and with 3 more beautiful baby girls. That is the ultimate goal and what we are working so hard towards. And, hopefully these little girls can come right home with us just in time for Christmas. I honestly cannot think of a better Christmas present. I know all I'm asking Santa for this year is 3 healthy baby girls that can come home from the hospital with me. Are you listening Santa? It's my only wish. In fact, we can call it good for the rest of my life. I'll never want another gift again. This is it.

And God, and all the other Spiritual Entities, Energies, and Mother Earth, if your listening (every single night, I know, I'm probably getting monotonous) if you all and Santa can get together on this one, that would be just perfect. I think it's do-able.

I've Hit The THIRTIES!

Yay! 30 weeks today! I can't believe I've made it this far. I'm so happy. I'm miserable, but happy. I talked with a local triplet mom today and she told me that for every single day the babies stay inside, that is one less week in the NICU. Amazing. Her trio was born at 33.3 weeks and only spent 2 weeks in the NICU, and 2 of them are boys. Girls typically tend to do better as preemies than boys do, although I'm not sure why. Which is what makes me even more grateful that these tinies are girls. :) I again, have no Dr. appointment to report. Not until Friday. I will post the larger than life belly pics later, again, no energy at all to get up the stairs.

I took the girls to Denim & Frills this morning to celebrate 30 weeks and to get us out of the house for a few. We picked them up a huge bin of Mr. Potato Heads so they are busy busy busy. Which is good because mama is resting resting resting. :)

I'll be back later tonight, possibly tomorrow with belly pics. :)

Collage Of 4 From Rebecca

I'm not technically 30 weeks until tomorrow, but Rebecca was here yesterday doing shots. We only have 2 more shoots left. Weeks 33 and 36. Wowsa. Let's hope the 36 week one doesn't have to be in the hospital.

PSA On Wool....

So, most people know that I am a fiber freak. I'm weird about fibers. For instance, I love organic cotton. It's so soft. It's why I am addicted to Hanna Andersson clothing for my children. I also love love love wool. It's an amazing fiber. Water repellent, natural, beautiful, and as a diaper cover, you only need to wash it about twice a month, unless of course, it gets really dirty and/or gets any icky (poo) stuff on it. So, to me, it's the perfect fiber. My favorite wool to knit with at the moment is O'Wool. All organic, not to pricey and comes in beautiful colors. Plus, my LYS (Local Yarn Store) carries it. Wanna bring me a present and make me happy? Feel free to grab me a skein of O'wool. lol. Kidding of course, but really. It's great stuff, if you knit, you need to try it.

Anyways, on to my post topic. I occasionally buy wool longies from a website called diaperswappers. http://www.diaperswappers.com/. It's a great resource for cloth diapering. You can get stuff new and used. For much less than new. Which is always good in my opinion. So, the other day I got a killer deal on some longies knit with Mosaic Moon yarn. I love MM yarn so I couldn't pass on the great deal. When I got the longies, I realized why the deal was so great. (Detailed, gross pics at bottom, view at your own risk)

PSA: Please people, if you use wool. Respect it. No, it doesn't need to be washed after every wear. But please please please please please.....Wash it at least twice a month. And yes, you can lanolize it if you must. But I've found that wool is just fine without gallons of sticky lanolin. You really can just use a lanolin rich wash for your diaper cover and they wont leak if you promptly change your child when they get wet. Its not necessary to goop the lanolin on them every.single.time. If you do, they will hold onto the dirt more, thus needing more washes/strips. Another note, since lanolin waterproofs your wool, even just the lanolin rich wash, you need to "strip" your wool every now and again. By strip, I mean, wash it in Dawn dishsoap (original, about a good squirt in 1/2 sinkful of water) in pretty warm water and squeeze occasionally to get all the built up lanolin out. You do have to let it soak to let the warm water melt the lanolin. Warmer than usual water will melt the lanolin and the Dawn will clean them. Then you do a wash (when the water runs clear) with a lanolin rich wool wash. If your worried about felting, don't. Wool is actually pretty hard to felt. If you keep the water at about 100-102' and don't agitate it too much, just the occasional squeeze, you'll be fine. Felting occurs when there is too much agitation and too much extreme temperature change.

So, the reason for my long rambling education of wool? As I said earlier, I bought some longies off diaperswappers. I got them and realized, just by look and touch that they need a good "strip". Boy, I was so not prepared for what my night was going to entail......1/2 bottle of Dawn, 12 "strips" and 4 hours later, I finally had some longies that I would actually let my child wear.

This, people, is pure grossness. The thought that someone actually put these on their child, with or without knowledge of their filth, is just gross. So, if you ever buy used wool. Just strip it. Even if it looks and smells clean. Trust me. I speak from experience. Strip it before you use it. Your child will thank you.

And, just one more FYI, alot of wools will bleed. This can be mistaken for dirty water. So you do need to take care to not strip out the color. Your clue? When you drain the sink, dye wont leave a dirt ring around your sink and dirt particles at the bottom. Plus, it doesn't have a nasty dirty smell. These, oh they did. The smell was awful. Think just dirty. Its the only way to describe it. Ick. Just ick.

This is after only 3 minutes in the strip wash and one quick squeeze. Gross right?
This is 30 minutes later, 3rd strip, new water, more Dawn and a few more squeezes. Still just gross.

This is approximately 1 1/2 hours later, 5th strip (new water, more Dawn) and again, swishes and squeezes).

This is about 2 1/2 hours later. 9th strip, more Dawn, more water and more squeezes.

I think ya'll get the idea. It took me another 5 strips with Dawn, more clean water and more squeezes to get the water to run clean. I wish I had thought to take before pics of the longies, but I truly didn't think they were that bad at first. Was I ever wrong. Lesson learned? You get what you pay for.

The good news? We now have some really cute longies that were alot of work. I'll post pics of Lil Miss Lilah in them soon. :)

And, if you got this far....Thanks for listening to my long wool rant. :)

Some Negativity......

CAN be a good thing. Today's fFN was NEGATIVE!!!! YAY! Dr. appointment was fabulous. 3.4 cervical measurement and 3.2 under pressure. According to the US Tech, that's a great number for just a singleton! Yay for my cervix of steel! Babies all look good. Fluid measures about 4.5-5 which is GREAT. They only worry if it gets less than about 2.5 or more than 7. Heartrates are great.

We got another great picture of Emilia. Seems she is the only one that isn't camera shy. Isn't she just adorable? Look at those chunky cheeks! I love seeing the fatness on them. I think she is scowling in her sleep.

A Good Ol' Fashioned Paper Chain.......

is the perfect way to a countdown........
Remember when you were little and you made these to countdown the days until Christmas? Well, ours counts down the days until I am 36 weeks pregnant! My super sweet son, Noah, and his friend Corey made it for me. He looked so dang cute walking in the door from Corey's house carrying it with a big ol' smile on his face. I was so surprised to see it, I almost cried. So now, every day we tear one off. I think it looks like an awful lot of days. Aaron disagrees. He looks at it and says "is that it? Only that many more days? It sure doesn't look like very many to me" Funny man. I guess he's a bit nervous. Wonder why?

**WEEK 29**

Here we go again. Another round, another week. We are all growing well. No Dr.appointment to report because I didn't have one. Deep breaths here. I broke out of my box. It was very difficult to give up my twice a weeks reassuring visits, let me tell you. But I made it through today. Aaron anticipates that by Thursday I will be going totally nuts. We will see. I'm only on the once a week thing for another week. I think I can handle it. I think. Not alot to report, I'm doing the usual. Nothing much. I am getting some knitting done again. As soon as I finish this pair for Lilah, I'm going to attempt bloomers for the babies. I'll need some luck wishing on that one. :)

And what you've all been waiting for....My large large belly. And alot of veins, but no stretch marks. Yet.

A Meeting With The Neonatologist, A NICU Tour and Tiny Baby Chicken Legs

Yesterday we had a meeting with the Neonatologist, a tour of the NICU and a Dr.'s appointment. It was a busy day. The meeting went great. I loved the Neonatologist. She was very informative and very optimistic. Basically, if the babies were born now, any chances of any severe problems at birth, such as NEC, eye problems, RSD, and heart problems are all less than 10%, going down from there with each day that they are inside me. I am 28 weeks and 4 days now. Just a smidgen away from 29 weeks. The meeting lasted over an hour so you can imagine how much information we had to take in. Aaron and Amber were there so between the 3 of us, I think we can remember most of it.

The NICU tour was good. I'm so glad we went. I was surprised at how the NICU was set up. I have only ever seen a NICU in pictures on TV or on someones blog. Very hospital like and very sterile. Well, our hospital is very new, so it built the NICU the way a NICU should be. Each baby has her own room. The room is very much like a regular hospital room. A bed/couch for the parents and the NICU bed. Studies have been done that have shown that preemie babies do much better and get stronger faster if they don't have to hear all the noises from other babies isolettes and alarms. Of course, our babies will have 2 rooms, one with 2 beds in it and an adjoining room with bed in it. IF they need it. The hospital policy is that any baby born before the 35th week goes to the NICU for 24 hours for observation. They have a family room too. It has a full size sleep bed, a kitchen and a TV. Right now, because of the H1N1, the hospital has a new visitor policy. They kids are NOT happy about it. No one under the age of 18 is allowed in L&D or the NICU. At all. And we are pretty sure it won't change before the babies come, in fact, this outbreak may only get worse. As well as the under 18 rule, we are also allowed only 4 support people to see the babies in the NICU also. Designated support people. Which means, we turn in a list with those peoples names on it and for the duration of the babies' stay, that is who may go in and out to see the babies. They will have a wristband just like Aaron and I. And only those 4 people may visit the babies. Another thought, when we do decide who will be our support people, they are JUST THAT. There for support. We need people that not only want to see the babies and that love the babies, but also people that will be able to handle the isolettes, the alarms, the tubes and all the other medical stuff that the babies will be going through. We need people with strength that will be able to handle an emegency should Aaron or I not be there. Or, f we are, that can be there emotionally for the 5 of us. That 4 support people rule applies just to the NICU. If the babies go straight with me to L&D (no NICU), then just the under 18 rule applies. So, we will wait and see :) Again, very impressed with the tour. The NICU is clean, nice and comfortable. They do a good job of making a scary situation feel as cozy as possible.

The Dr. appointment. Good. Cervix is 3.8, and 3.9 under pressure. No funneling. Girls are good. Fluid is good. HB's are good. Just all around good. I saw Dr. C. this time. We both kinda agreed, with my history that giving up weekly cervical checks freaks us out. So they will continue. But just weekly, not twice weekly. And the fFN testing starts Friday. With the agreement that a positive will land my butt in the hospital. Pray for negative fFN's. Every time. Also, this once a week appointment last just a few weeks. Starting at around 31 weeks, I will get a twice weekly biophysical profile. This is where they check the babies for fluid, growth and anything else necessary, twice a week. Until birth. I did talk with the Dr. about admitting me at 36 weeks, if we are still going strong, and just watching the babies as long as they are doing well to keep them inside as long as possible, thus reducing the need for NICU time. He agreed! He did laugh and say it was fine but he thought I would be begging him to take them out at that point. Not a chance. I want my babies HOME!

This is the great pic we got today. Mia is lounging out across the top of my belly. Head on my left, feet dangling down on the right. And is she ever relaxed. See her little ankles crossed? This picture just cracks me up. It is a picture of just her little chicken legs. I love skinny baby legs. :)

A 28 Week Belly....

Looking like a 40 week belly. That is about what I'm measuring. 40 weeks. Full term for a singleton. I feel full term too. I got the waddle down good!

WE DID IT!! **Week 28**

We made it. 28 weeks. We made it to the "safety" point. We definitely DO NOT want these girlies to be born yet but if for some reason, they are, then the chances of them surviving with no long term problems is about 95%. YAY!

Dr. Appointment went fabulous. Again. Cervix is measuring at 4.0 and 3.1 under pressure. The under pressure number is probably fluctuated a tad since the tech had me do the pressure. I pushed HARD. I wanted to see how much pressure it took. lol. The numbers are still great. The girls look perfect. Perfect fluid. Growing and kicking like crazy. Rosalie isn't head down again which is nice. Much more comfortable for me. Now she's laying across my cervix which is nice. She's kinda holding everything in with her butt. lol. Amber went with me to ask the Dr. some good questions about the surgery and we meet with the neonatologist Friday.

I even graduated. I no longer have to do cervical checks. The Dr. said they are kind of pointless at this point. It will shorten since there is alot of weight in there. They will check my cervix if I start having symptoms and maybe occasionally every few weeks or so but it's not vital anymore. I will start getting the fFN tests every 2 weeks from now on. The Dr. did say that at the first sign of a positive test, he will admit me since my babies kind of like to shoot out with no warning. :) Which is good. I'm not ready to deliver triplets at home. The C-Section is still scheduled for December 1st or 2nd but I'm going to talk with him about maybe being admitted around that time instead and seeing if we can keep the girls in just a tad longer to avoid as much NICU time as possible. They would just do daily monitoring in the hospital. We'll see how that goes, I'll keep ya'll posted.

I'll post belly pics tomorrow. I'm not hiking up the stairs tonight. :)

I Never Win ANYTHING.....

yet I did today! :) A Kreative Blogger award! Seems I have alot of followers. Alot of people are crazy about multiples and I truly believe that the prayers and well wishes from everyone, everywhere is keeping these babies healthy! Thanks everyone!

Rules:

1) Thank the person who nominated you for this award

2)Copy the logo and place it on your blog

3)Link to the person who nominated you for this blog

4) Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know

5)Nominate 7 Kreative Bloggers (I don't follow many blogs, so I might have to break this rule)

6) Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate

7)Leave a comment on each

Ok. So here we go. 7 things you may not (or MAY, depending on who you are) know about me......

1) I cry when I'm mad/angry/offended/stressed or anxious. But not necessarily when sad. Hm.

2) I'm a HUGE control freak. A tad OCD you might say.

3) I have become extremely "crunchy" when it comes to parenting. Babywearing, Cloth Diapering, Selective Vaxing, Co Sleeping, and Non circumcising. Annabel's birth/infancy woke me up to what parenting really should be like. Enjoyable and stress free.

4)I am still as in love with Aaron as I was the day he asked me out on our first date. More so probably. The life and family we have created is more than I ever thought I would ever have. He has made my life perfect.

5)I love the Twilight books. If it was a possibility to become a vampire for real, I would actually consider it. In fact, I'm still not convinced it can't happen. I am in love with Edward as much as my husband. Yes, I admit it, I am in love with a literary being. And yes, Aaron knows.

6)My kids are my life (ok, most people do know that, but not the the extent that I feel) They are the reason God put me on this earth. They are why I am who I am. To have created them is why God created me. I was put here to give them life. And I love Him for that.

7)So I'm obviously alot more sappy than ya'll knew too? Yup, I do have a sensitive side, I just come across as bitchy if you don't know me good. VERY good.

And I'm going to break the rules a bit and not nominate anyone yet. First off, I don't follow enough blogs. Second, I don't know how to link in my blog properly so I need to research that.

And a giant thank you to Jessi for the awesome nomination!