18 weeks

I am officially 19 weeks pregnant. Last week (18 weeks) we had our second appointment with the maternal-fetal specialists at the U of M. Another thorough US was performed to check their growth, the amniotic fluid and symptoms of pre-term labor. Everything was well. They confirmed for us that we would be having 2 boys and a girl. The boys were a little more "showy" in that department.

Our 2nd baby girl. She is lowest in my abdomen, and will likely be the first born. So the two oldest will be girls;o) She was flipping around and this was the best picture they could catch of her head/face and abdomen. She measured in at 8 oz.
Baby boy: His is the sweetest picture. One hand is by his cheek and the other below his chin. He is curling up his legs as newborns do. He measured in at 8 oz.
This is a good side profile of our second baby boy. He measured in at 7 oz. They were perfect. A measurement of their longest arm bone (the humorous) shows them at 2.5 cm, which is about an inch. They sure are tiny. They continue to fight each other for space. During measurements of baby boy b, his brother's foot could be seen kicking into the frame.

We will continue to have lengthy US with many measurements every 4 weeks for a few months until we get closer to delivery. The MD we talked to this time was head of the department and he stated that the average gestation for triplets was 34 weeks, which is better then the 32 we had been hearing. He seemed to think we could get them to 36 weeks because of my previous pregnancy and my height. Though we are unsure if my height is relative to him or other woman. We estimated his height at 5'. At 36 weeks the triplets would be only 1 week premature (37 weeks is considered "full-term") and the resident believed they'd only need to be in the hospital for 4-7 days. They have a new program on TLC about expecting multiples and I've been watching them diligently to see how it all goes. I caught my first program yesterday and the lady who made it to 35.5 weeks had babies which were all over 5 lbs. Still, since Evie was a whopping 8 lbs. 3 oz. they seemed "preemie" to me. Keep praying for us! I am definitely big, and am having trouble getting out of chairs without a little pregnancy wiggle. Shawn just laughs at my girth. He hasn't seen anything yet I'm sure.

Evelyn is as active as ever. Her vocabulary is quickly expanding, however, you would still require an interpreter to understand her. She has taken to enjoying music lately, playing her toy piano and singing the theme song to Dora the Explorer. She watches the baby shows with me and loves to point out the babies. She is very sensitive and will rub my head and tell me "it's ok, mama" when I'm tired and sore. She also loves to "talk" to the babies. Mostly she says "hi, baby" and gives kisses. She hasn't quite figured out that she can't climb on my belly, and gets into a bit of trouble in that department. I'm trying to involve her as much as possible with preparations for the triplets rooms. Though she sometimes gets the triplets stuff confused with her babies stuff. Currently, her "triplets" are wearing the sleep sacks I found for her brothers and sister. I've discovered a new fear of hers: bugs. I don't know where it comes from but she shakes, screams and runs for me whenever one is around. She is hilarious! Even specks of dirt are "bugs." She is not really and adventurous child, preferring to blow bubbles at the park and go down the slides. The swings are scary. Her bf, Abi, is thrilled by the swings and climbs up areas causing heart palpitations in her mother. Evie is becoming quite efficient in the toileting department. She has only a few accidents and is really good at telling us she has to go "pee-pee-poop." She does say it like this even though she usually only pees. We will be looking at preschools for her in the next few weeks and I can't believe that she is that old already!! We adore almost every minute of her (minus the whining and tantrums).