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.