Just for Comparison's Sake

Here is the pic from 19weeks just for comparison's sake.
This was taken 6/10/09. The professional pics were taken
6/13/09

21 Weeks

Me in work cloths. I have resorted to something that will compensate for my belly for more than two weeks. I bought a really cute shirt around 4 months gestation. Wore it once about 2 weeks ago. Tried to wear it Friday...Yeah right! Top half and belly, all bustin' out. I would have needed 6 safety pins, and I don't have time for that. I can't hardly wake up in the mornings as it is, no matter what time I go to bed, 6pm or 10pm...I still push snooze for 45 minutes. Anyways, belly pants, at the price I am willing to pay for them, are nearly nonexistent. I just can't see spending $40 on pants I will wear for maybe 6-8 more weeks. The dress above isn't even a maternity dress...12 bucks at ROSS. Love Ross! I have a few cute dresses that I found that work perfectly for work attire. I also love Motherhood Maternity, but $26 for a shirt...for mom's that will go 9 months that probably isn't so bad, for me...probably not the most economical purchase.

Ok...So this is me @ 9 months with one baby in the belly. (Happy face)

This is me at 5 months with 3 babies in the belly. (I want to sit down face)

No, not really, but I did have a doctor's appointment today. I have a uterus the size of a full term pregnancy now. The doctor asked if I have any pains, and I told her my ribs have been hurting. The 40 week uterus is responsible... Hate to know how my 46 or 52 week uterus will make me feel. Can you imagine? Marcus thought the doctor might place me on bed rest today, but I left the office with an appointment for July 6th and no prescription for bed rest. He claims I fibbed to the doctor today about my aches and pains. First, I am pretty sure I haven't had any contractions, and when we talk about "pains", I am not sure if the things I feel at this point are considered "pains" or if I am passing them off as pains that I should be having because I have nearly 3 pounds of babies in there. (Which by the way is larger than they should be at 21 weeks!! Yeah!) There are a lot of things I feel and realize about my activity that is no longer comfortable. I hardly sleep at night. Places on my body have been hurting for a while. My ribs have bothered me for weeks. I am pretty sure yesterday was the last time I will be scrubbing my bathroom toilets (to my normal standards of scrubbing anyway, so if you visit my house after this last weekend...I'll leave a can of Lysol in the restrooms and you can clean the toilet when your done). My feet seem to stay swollen lately, but I still feel at this point as though this is just what I am supposed to be feeling if I am carrying triplets. I don't know...Second, I just need 2 more weeks. I need to make it through the 2nd week of July. Marcus said I was all nonchalant so that I could make it two more weeks. Yes and no...we'll see if I make it. I do feel I might be pushing my limits.

Just the Belly

So to close out, I have an appointment with the specialist next week. Then I will see the OB on 7/6/09. They will be checking the babies at the specialist appointment, and the OB will be checking to make sure I am not dilating. How she explained it is, the body knows my uterus is full term at this point and it will think that it is time to give birth. Pretty smart for an organ if you ask me. They will check my cervix and if I am dilating then I will need to be checked for contractions. Other wise I will be visiting the OB weekly after 7/6/09 and they will start hooking me to the monitor the following week if all is ok. She also told me that I will be taking 2 steroid shots possibly some time next month to help mature the babies lungs just in case. Till next time...

All is well.

The doctor's appointment today went well. Dr. Brown-Elliott checked nearly everything you can think of. The hearts, the parts of the brain, the kidneys, the stomach, the left aorta, and right aorta, the four chambers of the heart, the size of the arm and leg bones, the upper lip (make sure there is not a cleft), you name it times 3. Again, all looks well. Baby B (Deuce) has a little bit of extra amniotic fluid, which can be caused by a number of things. Kidney or heart disease, brain something or other, but she says it is unexplained. He doesn't have any signs of anything that could be a cause for it, and it really is nothing to worry about at this point. Baby C's (Jevin) fluid was good as was Mia's. We did finally get a pretty good profile shot of Deuce today. He was actually fairly cooperative today. I didn't post the sonos, because really they look like they did 2 weeks ago...how many profiles do you guys really want to see. Second, I am a little frustrated with how long it has been taking for my photos to load to the blog page when I post them. When I posted the pics from our photo setting, took them an hour to load...not kidding! However, if you all would like to see them I will post them...their little faces are so so cute. When the doctor was looking at Mia's lip, you could see her chewing! How dang cute is that?!? If you guys keep up with the widget week to week, it says that they eat amniotic fluid. Yuck! They actually urinate in there too...but Dr. Brown assures me it isn't the same as ours. Brings new meaning to potty mouth huh? Then the best for last... One baby is 14 oz.(I think it was Jevin), one baby is 15 oz.(maybe Mia), and Deuce weighs a whole pound now! Yeah for him.

I will post a 21 week pic Friday or Saturday. I feel so huge! Man! I have an appointment with my OB on Monday. I'll let you know how that goes. I think after this appointment I will be going weekly. Uggh! I need to go, but the drive...just for today, I drove enough miles to dang near drive to Oklahoma City. 40 to work, 60 to the Dr. 60 back to work and 40 home.... It wouldn't be so bad if I could just get the first appointment of the day with Dr. Brown but someone has taken our spot...and the OB is pretty easy, I can usually get her last appointment, but anyways....

One last thing, I have to tell you about my alpha dog, Cali. Her hormones....I don't know about her, but she is loosing her mind. I am pretty sure at this point she senses I am pregnant and has taken an active roll in guarding me from everyone, including Marcus. She lays by the couch with me until I go to bed, and the other night when Marcus came to wake to go up stairs she growled at him. She won't let West near me. 4 months ago, all Cali wanted to do was eat and go upstairs to bed. She didn't want anything to do with me (unless I was feeding her). West used to be the one to lay by the couch with me. Now she eats and goes straight to bed herself. If Cali is in the living room, I have to beg West to come to me. It is funny to see. It is a little flattering, I will admit...my 7 pound miniture pincher all big, bad, and protective...just to add to the humor, our other dog is a pit bull. Terrified of the mini pin!

We got pics for you!!!!!!

Hello all! As of yesterday, I am 20 weeks. I have made it to this point and no bed-rest. That is pretty good stuff I would say. At this point, a regular baby is about 6 1/2 inches long...for my belly that is 19 1/2 inches of baby in there. My neighbor just had a little girl (full term) and she was 18 inches long. That should tell you I really look nearly 9 months pregnant right now and I am 5 months. Yikes!!!

Marcus and I went yesterday and had maternity pictures taken. I figured I would post a few of my favorites. In a few days the poses we picked and had edited or retouched will be available to view on the web. The pictures turned out pretty well considering I rarely like any photo of myself. We did take our own 19 week pic on Wednesday or Thursday that I never posted, but you will probably enjoy these more.

I have a doctor's appointment with my high risk doctor on Tuesday I think. I have to call and confirm. There was a little scheduling change when I went to my last appointment and it has confused me. Usually I know the date and time right off the top of my head.

The babies have been moving for the last few days. Well, they have been moving for a while now, but just in the last few days the movement is distinct where I can make it out. I can't really feel them from the outside if I put my hand on my belly, but there is a little bump every so often from the inside. It feels almost as if I am being stuck with a broom stick from the inside but very gently. I think they are preparing me for the tough stuff when they really start kicking and punching. I never really feel Mia move too much though. The twins I can feel more, but they will go several several hours without me feeling them. I find it kind of funny though when I do feel them, I will put my hand on my belly to see if I can feel them from the outside, and it is as though I stop breathing and need total silence...not sure why that is.

So, the babies are still well (as far as I know). I am still well except for the pesky aches and pains I have. They are always pretty tolerable. Annoyingly tolerable I will say, but I can't complain too much at this point. I will let you know when the aches are no longer tolerable. I am hoping that won't be the case, but I do expect bed-rest at some point and I even ache to lay down most days as it is now, so I am expecting to be very uncomfortable in the coming weeks. If I am as lucky as I have been this far, maybe I am just worrying about something I need not be, but the way I see it is it is better to be prepared then to deal with the unexpected.

Just some thoughts...

Well, it is Monday. Another week down. I have definitly started feeling my limits. I struggle a bit getting in and out of my SUV. I can't bend over the same as I used to and it really isn't all that comfortable to either, but I do. I don't know how one could manage going through their day and not having to bend over at some point. Too much activity does wear on me. I have noticed Marcus walks faster then I do, and the walk from my car to my office makes me long for a scooter. Where is Medicare when I need them for my free Huvaround? Then last night was not a good night sleep wise. I have been having a pain in my rib on the left side. It doesn't seem to get better for either side I try to sleep on. I am starting to realize things are not always going to be as beautiful as they have been these first 18 weeks.

People have been commenting on how they think I am glowing or how cute I look. For that, thank you thank you! But I have heard how people say they really loved being pregnant. I haven't got to that point yet. I am blessed and happy to be able to experience this. I can't wait to meet them and hold them and feed them but I just haven't felt the love of being pregnant. Now they aren't kicking like crazy yet and maybe I just haven't really reached the reality of all this. I still, to this moment can't believe this is me in this body. Anyways...

I had a Dr appointment on last Thursday. The Dr talked a lot about what to look for with perterm labor, what a contraction might feel like, refraining from excessive activity, making sure if I feel as though I am having a contraction to relax and drink some water and to pay attention if they are regular, symtoms of perclampsia, and such.
So I go back in 2 weeks and then I will start seeing my OB every week. They will monitor me for contractions and measure my cervix. (sorry to all those who would rather not know I have a cervix). However, a shortening of the cervix is a sign of possible pre-term labor. Then I will be hooked to a monitor to look for contractions I might not feel. So we are getting close to babies! This pregnancy might just be interesting after all.

18 Weeks!

Okay, so for once we thought we would post a pic of me in some cloths. Then there is the belly...and last can someone please tell me what happened to my belly button? It is even more hard to see in the picture. About a week ago I finally realized my stomach is nearly almost one round ball. This week, the belly button is completely gone. I have never had the normal looking belly button really so I don't know if it will every really protrude off my stomach. It still looks pretty funny though.

I have also decided to go ahead and explain our name selection. It is hard to explain it over and over. Not that I don't enjoy telling people of my pregnancy, but it can get a little windy sometimes. Most people probably have already gotten the scoop on the meanings. We picked Deuce because we didn't want to name our son Marcus Jr. Deuce in a way means the same thing without naming him Marcus. Jay is Marcus' middle name. Jevin, we picked because it is after my two dads. My real dad's name is Jeff, and my other dad's name is Kevin so you get Jevin. Shamil is after Marcus' mom's middle name and Marcus' granny's middle name, Sharee and Emily. Then we have Mia...just liked the name. Her middle name Kay, is traditional. My mom's middle name is Kay, my middle name is Kay, and now my first daughter's middle name will be Kay (I really meant my ONLY daughter). So there you have it. Mystery solved.

I have an OB appointment tomorrow. Probably won't be much to talk about though.

They are healthy!

So again today our doctor's appointment was pretty uneventful. The appointment was really just to check the twins and make sure they were doing okay. She is looking to make sure there is no twin/twin transfusion. The way I understand this is if there was twin/twin transfusion, one of the twins would be loosing nutrients to the other twin. The amniotic sacs would show a difference in amniotic fluid, and one of the twins would be developing slower. Thankfully everything still looks good. I go back in 2 weeks for what the doctor refers to as "the big one". This next sonogram will take an hour to an hour and a half. All in all, the doctor is very please with the development. Their hearts and brains all look good.

I have posted the new sono pics, and once again baby B can't sit still so we can't get a good profile pic of him. This would be Deuce of course. Baby C, or as we know him now, Jevin was very calm and still, and Mia, Baby A the same. Jevin and Deuce were both laying the same direction, almost as if they were spooning. Funny. They have all definitely still kept their private parts in tact.

I will be posting pics of my belly here shortly. The doctor said my uterus is about the size of a 30 week pregnancy. That equates to about 7 1/2 months. As of today, I am actually 18 weeks and 3 days or almost 4months and 3 weeks.

We have registered at Babies R Us and Target under Kimberly Thompson. Babies R Us will give 10% discounts on multiple items like swings, car seats, beds, that kind of stuff, but they only honor that in store, not with online purchases. We have picked out the beds from Ooh Baby. The store was so helpful and very excited to hear we are having triplets. They were referred to us by The Cox Quads grandma I believe, but the store was very amazing, good customer service, lots of help and suggestions, just a very good experience. We have, I think come to a decision on our triplet stroller, the baby bedding, and now all it seems is we just have to do is wait for them to get here. Every thing is falling into place.