Church Shower 3/7/09

My Table to open gifts... check out the cute bee diaper cake!

A good turn out... lots of people came!



The Backdrop behind me... it had the girls' names on it... made me cry!






Beautiful Cakes and food table

Each place setting had Burt's Bees stuff and a sonogram pic!


Just looking at the pictures from the shower makes me cry!! These ladies put SO much work into making this a shower I'll never forget! The pictures don't even do it justice!

25 Weeks

I have had a hard time finding time to update the blog... things have been SO hectic lately and I'm tired! I'm at 25.5 weeks now and still feeling pretty good. I have been definitely "sprouting" as a few friends at work have called it and last weekend mom said she thought I was growing before her very eyes! I still sleep ok, but can only sleep on my right or left side and, when one gets sore, it is next to impossible to turn over to the other. I literally feel like a turtle on her back when I'm trying to roll over. At a sonogram the other day, I discovered I can no longer lay on my back for long without passing out. As he looked at the babies, the room suddenly got very hot and I felt very nauseous. He said it was my uterus cutting off the blood vessels or something like that. I read that it might happen about where I'm at in the pregnancy... so nothing to be concerned about.

My wrists are still hurting, but have actually improved a little... I think due to a new ergonomic keyboard I'm using. My feet and ankles are still swelling and I'm starting to have a hard time wearing the one pair of shoes that still fit! I plan to go get a pedicure this weekend, so I can break out the flip flops without shame! The Dr. has been talking to me more and more about cutting back hours at work... he's not necessarily telling me to, but he always mentions it and asks if I want to continue working. I have a meeting with HR next week to discuss my options and I may start trying to work less hours each week... we'll see. I fear that being bed-ridden or home all the time, I would feel miserable. Though I DEFINITELY am going to make the best decision for my health as well as the babies'. I've been given a new project at work and it's been making it difficult for me to miss because I'm not feeling so good... I tend to get this way when on a big project and get pretty focused... we'll see how long that lasts!

The new master bedroom/bathroom/utility is complete and we are moved in! My brother and his wife (Chad and Nora) bought us a new dryer to go with our new washer, and it just arrived yesterday. My grandma has been doing my laundry, and even though it's been WONDERFUL, I'm kind of glad I can just do it at my leisure again. Crazy, huh?! Our families have really been so amazing through all of this... you really do learn a lot about love and support when you're in a situation like this. My mom and Matt's parents came over last weekend and worked all weekend. Mom and Cheryl helped me go through and clean out closets (something I've been needing to do for a long time). I can't believe how many clothes and shoes I threw out... Gotta make room for Babies! Cheryl has been painting the nursery this week and has worked really hard. I believe it will be finished this weekend... the painting anyway. Matt and I are going to buy the cribs, changing tables and furniture tonight. Again... a very large contribution was made by my Mom and Matt's parents to help us pay for all of this. We really are so very blessed to have the families we do. I think God not only considered Matt and I before giving us these triplets, He looked at our support system and said, "yeah... they'll be able to handle this!"

I've had 2 baby showers already and have received a TON of stuff!
Two ladies at work threw me a shower and it was just beautiful... I would have never expected it from work... usually people just go in and buy a gift, but my friends made 3 cakes and lots of cupcakes, they decorated the room beautifully and had all kinds of gifts for me! It was truly humbling and I am so grateful!

My church shower was BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to put pics out here and show it off! There were 13 hostesses and they REALLY did an amazing job! The bee theme from my nursery was incorporated and when I saw the room, it brought me to tears! The girls' names were scribed on art for the nursery and SO much more! Many of the decorations were given to me and I'll be able to use when decorating my nursery. I received 3 car seats, a stroller, my pack and play, and lots of gift cards and diapers and MORE! I literally opened gifts for an hour and a half and was rushing because I could see people were getting bored! What a Blessing!

My brother and Nora are giving us a beautiful polk-a-dot chair and ottoman to go in the nursery as well as a lot more of Andie's old stuff, and we found some people to haul it to Oklahoma for us. Since Michael and Mikka (our old Youth Ministers at the Church) have recently moved to Colorado, their parents were taking a trip back empty-handed this weekend, so we made arrangements for them to haul a trailor for us! This saves us so much time and energy and I am so grateful! I should have the stuff by Monday or Tuesday! :)

Another thing: Last weekend Matt was taking a load of stuff out to the shed, stepped down into a hole (from all the plumbing stuff that was done in the backyard) and sprained his ankle really bad. We thought it might be broken and went to the ER, but it was too busy and we couldn't get in for hours... so decided to wait until the next day to have it X-rayed. So, my nurse (Matt) was injured this week and wound up taking care of him!!! He could only stay off of it for a day before going back into work, so it's really swollen, black and blue and he's just limping around everywhere... not to mention, there's just too much to do around the house to ignore it... he's gotta be working... poor guy!!!

Matt and I are so blessed... what a crazy week it's been! We still have to finish painting the rest of the house... I say "we", but it's really Matt and whoever else can help (any takers?!). My prayer and hope is that we finish with all of the home improvements and get to relax and enjoy each other a little before the baby bomb drops!!!

One other exciting thing! I've been feeling the babies kick A LOT this week! And, I can even see them moving under my shirt now! It's funny! Poor Matt hasn't felt them once and it's really starting to make him mad. Everytime he puts his hand on my belly, they settle down! I told him a lot of it has to do with the fact that we're never sitting and relaxing together anymore... there's always work to do... who has time to sit around and feel bellies!!!

I think I've caught you all up on what's going on... more to come later!

The house is really coming along! The major construction is done! As a matter of fact, I think we may be able to move into the new master bed and bath this weekend! I am forever grateful to all the people who made this possible. So many have contributed, but two in particular: Rodney Hudson and my Papa have been there day in and day out, working to get this done. Last night, I dreamt all night about how I could possibly repay them for all they've done. I was dreaming up gift baskets and thank you cards, but it just doesn't seem to do justice what I feel and how thankful I am. Without this extra room, life would surely be much more difficult and stressful with 3 babies. Their generosity has been a witness to us and has really been so amazing. I've posted some pics above... Dale is working to finish up the electrical and we'll have appliances in the bathroom before we know it!

I am certain that all of the people praying for me and the babies is what is making things go so smoothly in this pregnancy. Even little kids are praying for us and I know God is hearing all of the prayers go up! I had a lady say to me on Sunday that the kids in her Sunday School class have a list of people to pray for and they never forget me and the babies! I was so touched, I almost cried. My 4-year-old niece recently said she prays for me and the babies every night and my brother said she prayed that they wouldn't get ran over by a Toyota either. I told her to pray that for other car brands as well! Eek!

I'm not sure if it's my hormones or the repetition of the following things, but I've been getting a little frustrated with:
1) The Question: "Was it natural?" First of all, this is a stupid way to ask it, and second, yes it was very natural!!! Would you like me to tell you the details?! It doesn't bother me from friends/family, but complete strangers ask ALL THE TIME... it's the first thing out of their mouths. I used to explain that I took Clomid, but then decided it's none of their business, so now I just say "yes". As soon as I explained about the Clomid they would get a look on their face like "oh... that doesn't really count then."

2) Being compared to the Octuplet woman! Yesterday, a lady taking my blood went into a full blown rage describing how she feels about the irresponsibility of "that mother." Well, I'm NOT HER!!! NOT EVEN CLOSE! And for the record, no, it doesn't make me feel better or more confident about "JUST" having three! I'm scared out of my mind!!!

Thank you for listening to my ramblings... remember, you all are my friends and family, so you're exempt from the above frustrations! ;) Is it hot in here?!

23 Weeks

Baby C - Facedown


Baby B touching Baby C


All 3 Babies


I went to the Dr. this morning. This appt was supposed to be a quick check of the heartbeats, but the sonogram lady was nice enough to print a few pics for me too. See above. One very cool thing: the Dr. now has a big flat screen monitor in the corner of the room, so the mom can see the babies a lot better. I've had the worst seat in the house for viewing up until now! Although the sonogram was short, I actually saw the babies interacting this time. There's a pic of baby B touching Baby C's head above... not sure you can make it out, but I posted it anyway! The babies' heart rates were all still normal and it looked like they'd grown in the last 2 weeks, but she wasn't doing measurements today. Today was the first time the sonographer actually struggled with keeping the babies straight! For example, she pointed out baby A in the beginning (which was actually C), this threw her off and she couldn't find baby C! Then she looked a little further down and said, "No, this is baby A!" They're mingling and moving a lot more rather than staying in their own little corners of the womb as they did when they were tiny. The Dr. ordered another 24 hour urine test as well as a blood test and said he's checking for preeclampsia. I did a test about 2 months ago and everything turned out fine. He said he didn't have any reason to believe I had it, but said with borderline high blood pressure and a multiple birth pregnancy, the risk is higher. Eitherway, I'm just glad he's being cautious. He asked me a lot about how I've been feeling and wanted to know if I was considering working Part-time, but for now, (thank God) I'm still feeling fine. Sure, I get tired... but I have been doing a lot at work where I can sit most of the day and just get up to get a drink or go to the bathroom. I have a very comfy chair and I think that helps. He did encourage me to put my feet up as often as I can because of the swelling I've been experiencing. So, to sum up, it was a very good appt, all is still going better than I even imagined!

I've been feeling the babies move a lot more. Matt has yet to feel them through my stomach, but I don't feel that either... I just feel the many butterflies on the inside. We cracked ourselves up last night because we were at a restaurant eating dinner and the song playing was, "How Sweet it is to Be Loved By You". If you recall that song says, "I just want to stop, and thank you baby!" I could feel them moving around in there and we pictured them shaking their little booties and having a good old time! I laughed so hard!

The house is REALLY coming along and they've projected they will be done in 2 weeks! I'm SO excited! By closing off the door from the kitchen and creating a new one in the living room, we've also added a lot more usable space in the kitchen. We're going to move the Refrigerator over by where the door used to be and create cabinets where the fridge used to be. John, my mom's friend, is helping us with this... we only have to pay for materials! I keep saying how wonderful it will be when all of the home improvements are done and my house is clean... I just hope I have a little time to enjoy it before the babies get here.

Lately, I find myself wanting time to slow down... Not only do I want the babies to stay in my belly for their own good, but I'm scared to death of what it's going to be like when they come out. I've always wanted to be a mom and couldn't wait to start my family, but now that there's 3 babies and a lot of uncertainty, I want to enjoy my time with Matt for now. With everything I do, I think, "I'm not going to be able to do this once they get here."

House Updates

As I said in my last post, the house is really coming along! The shed is finished and the new "wing", as Matt calls it, is really taking shape! Here are some pics of the new bath/utility room, master bedroom and shed...

Week 21:

I had a very important Dr's appt on Tuesday and everything went wonderfully! My sonogram lasted almost 2 hours and we looked at each baby in detail… Each baby has 3 hemispheres to the brain, 4 chambers to the heart, 2 kidneys, 1 bladder, 2 legs, 2 arms, etc. They're all EXACTLY as they should be at this stage in the pregnancy! As a matter of fact, they're all the size a 21 week singleton would be at this stage! From what I read, their growth will start to slow around week 28 as the room runs out! At this appointment, we also found out that we're expecting 3 little GIRLS! I laughed out loud! Matt looked like he could cry a few times that day, but is truly just happy they're all healthy. Although he was hoping to raise the next NBA or NFL star, I know he will make the very best dad to 3 little girls...He'll be wrapped around their little fingers!! He keeps saying he's going to be a testosterone island in a sea of estrogen… which is pretty much the case right now anyway!

My nursery bedding isn't quite "girly" enough on it's own, but Chris Hudson (a decoration genius!) is going to try and help me "girl" it up a little. I got such a good deal on it… even though I could return it, I know I won't find 3 beds worth of material for that price again. So… we're sticking with it!

I am still doing great too! Yes, I have about every side-effect to pregnancy you could possibly have, but everything that has to do with the babies is going great! I'm still working and still feel fine to keep going. My feet have definitely starting swelling by the end of the day. You can see the tight rings from my socks and my ankles are nonexistent! Matt very lovingly refers to me as "little swollen feet" now. Also, I'm having some major carpal tunnel issues and my wrists are hurting SO badly! The left is the worst, but the right is starting to hurt as well. I have read this can happen in pregnancy because of swelling. I have NEVER heard of this as a pregnancy side-effect!!! Isn't that ridiculous?! I've started wearing a brace on my left wrist when the pain is bad and I look pretty pathetic… big and pregnant with a brace on my wrist! Oh well! The Dr. says it goes away as soon as you have the babies, so I'm relieved… I seriously could not lift and care for infants properly with all this pain.

The house is coming along wonderfully!!! Rodney Hudson and Ray Sien are like machines! Every day I come home and explore the progress. The garage has been enclosed, the floor built, and there is a window in front and a window in back. The sheet rock is all up and the plumbing and electical (thanks to my Father-in-law) is done! It is really coming along… pretty soon I think they'll be adding carpet, paint, fixtures, etc. It's been really neat to see the progress and I am SO thankful to these men for taking the time to help us. I could never repay them enough!
The opening for the nursery suite is almost complete, thanks to Bob Chambers and Wendell Kropp. The hole in the wall has been cut and trimmed out. There are a few things still left to do, but I think the major pieces are done!
And, last but not least, the shed is DONE! It still needs some paint, but that's the least of our worries! Matt, Dale, and Rocky Scalf put in countless hours on the shed and it is SO nice! It is 12X12 ft. and will store a TON of stuff for us! Matt's going to be testing it out this weekend by transferring all of our stuff from Papa's garage to the shed. The shed was built from the ground up from plans and ended up costing us A LOT less since the labor was free!

So… as you can see from this post, things are going VERY Well!! Thank you Lord!

I just got back from the Dr... All babies are healthy! We are having 3 baby GIRLS!!!

I'll write more about the appt when I get more time...