33 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks
I'm feeling: the worst I've felt since the first trimester nausea! My restless leg syndrome seems worse. I'm going to try a TENS unit tonight to see if it helps. Also in the last day or so heartburn has hit an all time high. According to the TUMS package I'm only allowed 10 a day. I'm on 2 already but night is when it seems to worsen and rear its ugly head. With Evie I ended up on medication after asking my practitioner if it was harmful to take more then the recommended dosage. So it's not surprising that I'm having trouble with it now with triplets.
My babies: are trying to make their daddy and I basket cases!! On Tuesday we met with our Maternal Fetal Specialists. Expecting them to tell us nothing new other then "they are all superb" we were a little surprised when the US tech took several more measurments of Baby Boy C's umbilical heartbeat. Shawn and I were discussing it, still thinking nothing was wrong when the US tech asked to get a few more measurements. As it turns out our Baby Boy (who had flipped head right in less then a week) was showing a little tension in his umbilical cord. This little tension is sort of a big thing since it could mean interference in his supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients. Thereby, decreasing his growth and well-being. HELLO, can you say SHOCK! So this is when they decided to give me steroids to help mature their lungs, just in case. Next we met with the neonatologist who described what this might look like if they have to be delivered due to the umbilical tension. It was not a horrible meeting but we were still expecting a 36 week delivery where most likely they could come home with us. We were given a NICU tour and shown babies which were the size of these 3 currently. If they had to be delivered at this point we would be looking at a 4-5 week stay and hopefully mild breathing difficulties. Due to all of this we were scheduled for another US two days later. In the meantime, I took some time to talk to my little boy and tell him he needs to fix the problem and get off his cord. He took me at my word and flipped back to head left. Measurements of all of their cords showed perfectly healthy tension levels. After the scare however, I am more restricted in my activities. I am to limit shopping to 30 minute trips, lots of resting and no lifting. We also are now scheduled for twice weekly US monitoring of the babies. After "the scare" I am perfectly amenable to their suggestion. Fun fact: I am now kicking baby carrying butt!! My friend and cousin both had 11 lb and 11 lb 1 oz babies, respectively. I now hold approximately 11 lbs 5 oz of baby. Baby Girl as of Tuesday weighed 3 lbs 15 oz, Baby Boy B weighed 4 lbs 2 oz and Baby Boy C weighed 3 lbs 6 oz. With placenta, amniotic fluid and other items I wonder what the actual total of weight on my front is-it feels like 90.


My sister recommended taking a front view or a view with something as a reference so you could experience the giant proportions that are now my belly. Does this help?? Can you see how big it is?? Granted, our dog Toby is 4.5 lbs so maybe he wasn't the best object to use.

Movement: It really depends on the day. Wednesday and Thursday things were a little quiet. At least on my awareness level. On the US they were ALL just a moving and a shaking. They passed their tests again, which includes two movement points. Today it seems like none of them have taken a nap. Just go, go, go. I LOVE it and Shawn has enjoyed it as well. It is SO different then what we experienced with Evie. In general, Evie's movements were mostly full body. You could witness large movements of body. However, with these guys you can see full legs and arms and knees.
Labor Signs: Stress seems to have brought out the braxton-hicks in me. With Evelyn I didn't have any contractions. On Tuesday I started to have a ton. So much so that they were occurring every 5-6 minutes. Nothing painful, but worrisome non-the-less. I ended up calling the doctor after hours who told me to go home and lay down. It ended up helping and decreased them to one every hour. I continue to get them throughout the day but not as frequently.
Books I'm Reading: "Eat, Pray, Love." Not into the spiritual aspects of it but I like to read the books before the movies come out. I am loving going to the library. I have a book on the way for my book club called "Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Esther." I am so excited to read this. Also, I was on facebook and one of my "friends" was asking about recommendations for a Christian book that would challenge her and possibly change her life. The book that was most recommended was called "Crazy Love." I borrowed it from the library and I can't wait to dive in!
Fun baby things I've received/bought: When changing Evie she just loved to have her musical pull toy going. I put hers away in her keepsake box with her first shoes and hand prints. My mom/sisters got me these for the triplets. I love them! This diaper bag was a gift from a friend who had it made for me by another friend. I wanted something feminine to carry around ALL the baby stuff I'm going to have. Isn't it adorable? The black item is a wipes/diaper holder. Now when a baby needs to be changed all I have to do is pull this out and it will have all the things I need. It's also cute! I just got it from Etsy, along with a crayon/activity book holder to stash in my bag to keep Evie occupied. These are the outfits that we are planning to take them home in. I would show you the personalized piggy banks we got for them but that would be giving away names, now wouldn't it!
Great highlights from the week:
Our stroller is here and put together! It's huge but should work out great! Evie even enjoyed sitting in it. July 4th was a lot of fun! We took Evie to a parade (not her first but the first she actually enjoyed and participated in). She and daddy had a BLAST picking up all the candy.
She loved waving at all the people in the parade and being outside in general. Then we headed to our friends Dave and Suszi's home for a fun picnic. The food was delicious!! Especially the homemade guacamole (to die for) and the trifle dessert. Wish I could eat them daily!!!! We played a new game, which I can't remember the name of but enjoyed immensely. Then came evening and Suszi gave the kids glo necklaces and bracelets. That was what created the pandemonium! They turned out the lights in the kitchen and the kids ran around and around. We headed home at dark and watched fireworks from the car. Shawn then did a "special" show for Evie when we got home. She requested "MORE" but unfortunately it was late and we were out. It was a great day!
What's Next: Due to the unexpected possibility that the triplets may have had to be delivered this week, it has really gotten me in the nesting/preparing phase. Packing my suitcase is #1 on my priority list. I have been spending a lot of time online buying a hand print kit for our baby girl. I found our sound machine at a Target in the cities, which we stopped and bought. It was also on clearance! Can't beat a deal! Waiting on the arrival of my book and a Belle doll that we bought for Evie to receive when she comes to the hospital. I did manage to get to the store and get some new pajamas, and other "feminine" items so that I feel like we are almost "ready." #2 on my to do list is packing the diaper bag and packing for the babies. It has really helped having my mother-in-law, Lyn here to help out. She got Evie's room dusted. Monday I will try, with the help of my friend Rachel, to get the fridge cleaned out. We should be getting the 3rd and final crib Sunday. Shawn has a few things on his to-do list too: crib up, shelf hung, new hooks in the babies room, mow the lawn, and clean the bathroom. Unfortunately, my restrictions and size make it impossible to do a lot of things I'd like as far as getting ready. I am grateful however, that my restrictions still allow me to enjoy a baseball game tomorrow along with a few other outings.