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!