Bump Day: Week 32

How far along? 32 weeks.  At the beginning of the pregnancy, my doctor said, "Let's get to 32-34 weeks."... and we have made it!

Sleep? Not good.  Shortness of breath doesn't make it easy to fall asleep.

Maternity Clothes? Starting to really fill out these XL t-shirts, but I think they can make it another couple of weeks.

Stretch Marks? Yes, but still only on my left side.

Best Moment this week?  Getting to 32 weeks.

Miss Anything?  My house.

Movement? Oh yea, and normally at least one has the hiccups every time we monitor, which is every 4 hours for an hour now.

Size of the Babies? Three Large jicamas!

Food Cravings? Mostly candy... Twix and chocolate.

Morning Sickness? Thankfully, no.

Gender? Three girls.

Bed Rest? Hospital bed rest for 2 months OR 9 weeks OR 64 days... but who's counting?

Limitations?  Yep.

Labor Signs? Last night I started having regular contractions but they hooked me up to an IV of fluids that has helped decrease the frequency.  I was on the monitors from 5:45 PM to 2:15 AM this morning.  Things look under control now.

Weight Gain? 46 lbs.  I officially weigh more than my hubby... yikes!

Pregnancy Symptoms?  Bring on the indegestion and heart burn.  O, and babies pushing my ribs.

Belly Button In or Out? Its completely invisible to me... but outtie for sure.

Wedding Rings On or Off? Off but should still fit. Still no swelling.

Mood?  Tired due to the lack of sleep.

Looking Forward To?  Feeling like a normal person again.

What Brian is Saying: "How are all my girls?"  He asks every day.

Bump Photo:

Triplet Girls Baby Shower

Brian and I are so fortunate to have such giving friends and family.  We were offered 4 baby showers and here are the pictures from the second shower that I was able to attend in February.  Family friends, Kitten and George Ann, hosted this shower.  It was beautiful.  From the floral arrangements to cupcakes to specialty martinis to lunch spread... everything looked amazing.

 

My sissy-in-law and all my buddies.

Opening presents.

 

Getting my "new wheels"... A triplet stroller that is.  It even has a steering wheel.  Watch Out!

 



Thanks again to Kitten and George Ann for such a wonderful shower.  Everything was amazing.  Love you guys!



The Final Countdown

Yes, I'm almost afraid to say it... The Final Countdown.  I'm a total mix of emotions right now.  31 weeks and 4 days preggo with triplets and we are getting so close to meeting these 3 girls.  It could be 1 day or it could be 2.5 weeks, but they are keeping a closer eye on me and the girls with more frequent monitoring.

 

The mix of emotions consists of excitement, fear, exhaustion, nervousness, joy, anticipation, confidence, optimism, and many others that change throughout the day.  I have to say that I have handled this pregnancy and especially bed rest with confidence and not much emotional struggle, but I think the anticipation of being a Mother any day now scares me to death.  Am I prepared?  Did I read enough?  Are my girls going to be okay?

 

I don't have any doubts that Brian and I won't be amazing parents but the road to parenthood happens in an instant.  Yes, there are 9 months... and in my case about 7 months... to "prepare", but it seems like the moment you go from just a couple to a family of 5, you can never be 100% prepared.  I can't wait for that moment!  Its just a reality check of how soon that moment will be here.

 

It has been incredible the amount of support that we have received throughout my pregnancy.  The kind and uplifting things that people say to me, put on cards, comment on this blog, and post on facebook always put a smile on my face.  These things keep me going and keep me confident that I can make it longer in this pregnancy.

 

I've been on bed rest now for 10.5 weeks and in the hospital for 8.5 weeks which most people assume is horrible.  It really hasn't been for me.  I think I'm really good at being lazy :)  Yes, there are times where I just stare at the walls trying to figure out what I want to do next, but overall I have kept busy.  I have occupied my days with blogging, making digital photobooks, keeping up with insurance/medical stuff, making baby mobiles, online shopping, reading, watching tv shows/movies on Amazon Prime, eating, sleeping, taking meds, and monitoring babies.  Now, there are still things on my "bed rest To-do list" that I have not completed but I'm hoping I still have a little more time to get some of them checked off my list.  After the essentials (eating, sleeping, monitoring babies, taking meds) there is actually not much time left in my day for other things.  Two months in the hospital has gone by surprisingly fast.

 

I also want to say (in this ramble of a post) thank you to all of my visitors.  I have had a visitor EVERY SINGLE DAY since I was admitted to the hospital.  Can you believe that? To me, that is amazing and I couldn't be more thankful for everyone that has come to keep me company or bring me a meal.  I appreciate it so much and I owe my sanity on bed rest to all of you.  You make me feel so loved. 

 

My husband has been so amazing through all of this.  He makes it up here about 5 times per week all while working his 40+ hour job, getting our house ready for the babies, and running our Photo booth business.  I know he is stressed, tired, and worried (every time he sees me calling), but he is doing an incredible job.  He is amazing and I am so proud of all of his hard work.  He is going to be such a Bad Ass Dad.  I can't wait for us to all be a family under one roof again.  Me, him, our girls, and Ryley dog.

 

Also, my parents have been incredible throughout all of this.  They try to trade off days with Brian so I have someone here to help me with dinner and getting ready for bed.  My Mom has done more of my laundry and cooked/brought me more meals than she has since high school.  My parents are amazing and I will use them as role models for raising our girls.  I love them so much and appreciate all that they do for me.

 

I think the point of this blog post was to get out some things I have been thinking and things that I am thankful for.  I know once the girls arrive, that I will be super busy and I want to make sure I remember my time on bed rest and all of the support we received throughout my pregnancy.  Thanks again to everyone for their love and support.  I truely appreciate every comment, visitor, hug, and gift that we have received.  You have made this so much easier for me.  So, thank you!

Bump Day: Week 31

How far along? 31 long weeks :)
 

Sleep? Getting worse.  Waking every hour to either roll over or go to the bathroom.

Maternity Clothes? Just PJ pants and t-shirts here at the hospital.

Stretch Marks? Yes, but only on my left side.  May have to blame this one on baby B.

Best Moment this week?  Mother's Day... I guess I didn't think I qualified yet, but I still received some gifts and many text messages.  Thanks to everyone for making my day so special.

Miss Anything? Lying on my back and stomach.

Movement? Yep, there are dance parties going on most of the time.
 

Size of the Babies? Three small melons! And they are all over 3 lbs!
Baby A: 3 lbs 3 oz
Baby B: 3 lbs 7 oz
Baby C: 3 lbs 2 oz 

Food Cravings? Dark Chocolate M&Ms.

Morning Sickness? Nope.

Gender? Three girls.

Bed Rest? Hospital bed rest for 8 weeks, total bed rest 10 weeks.

Limitations?  Still all the same... just getting more difficult to move.

Labor Signs? Still pretty stable.

Weight Gain? 42 lbs.

Pregnancy Symptoms?  I have been getting the aura part of migraines affecting only my vision.  No headache, thankfully.  But I have to keep my room dark because my eyes are very sensitive to light.  Also, when I'm seeing spots, I can't look at any screens or read... so that leaves just lying here or sleeping.

Belly Button In or Out? Its a stretched out outtie.

Wedding Rings On or Off? Off but should still fit.  Still no swelling.

Mood?  Overwhelmed.  I've been on bed rest for 10 weeks now and I still haven't completed all of those things I put on my bed rest to do list.  You would have thought I would have had plenty of time, but no.

Looking Forward To?  Meeting my girls soon :)
 

What Brian is Saying:  "I have so much to do."  Poor guy is working his butt off getting prepared for our baby girls to arrive.  I'm so proud of him for taking on all of this responsibility.
 

Bump Photo: 
 

 

Triplets Baby Shower (Decorating Onesies)

Waaaay back in February (when I could still walk around)... our friends and family offered to throw us a shower for our babies.  Here is a recap of the fun Friday evening.

My friend, Zoe, made this B-E-A-Utiful cake.  I love the 3 little eggs on top and all of the intricate details.

 

 



 

My Mother-in-law came up with this poem and there were also sign up sheets for helpers and meals.  It was super cute.

 

 

The activity for the night was decorating onesies.  The hosts had come up with the idea of using templates to cut out fabric shapes and then using Wonder Under to adhere them to the set of onesies you picked.  There were so many options and everyone was able to use their imagination to create something for my girls.

 





 

Opening gifts.

 

 

A Thank You gift for all of my hosts. And a pic with my Mom and Mother-in-law.

 

 

The night was lovely.  I want to thank all of the hosts once again for putting together such a special shower for me.  I'm also glad it was planned early enough that I was able to attend.  Going to my own baby shower was something I've always looked forward to when ever I got pregnant.  Thanks again!

Link Up: Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. - Baby Circle Mobile

This is my first time joining my sister-in-law Stephanie @ A Beautiful Mess and Katie @ Keep Calm & Carry On with Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. 

Its a link up they do weekly on Thursdays where they put to use all of those pins you have on Pinterest.  I get busy pinning, yet I never follow through with some of the awesome ideas I find.  This project I pinned a while ago and since I have a few spare minutes (on bed rest) I thought I would give it a go. 

Here is the original Pin.

It is a circle mobile for a baby's crib Via.

And here are all of the items I used to make my version:

1. I chose to use green ribbon instead of fishing line for each hanging strand.

2.  Scissors

3.  I used a Herma tape runner for my adhesive.

4.  Tiny hole punch for my own addition (not needed)

5.  2 inch circle punch
6.  An embroidery hoop or other circular hanging device.  I found this one at Hobby Lobby and then painted it white to match my colors.

Then I used my fabric samples to pick out the scrapbook paper so it would all match in the nursery.  (I have to thank my mother-in-law for doing all of my shopping since I couldn't do it myself).



Next, you use the 2 inch circle punch to begin cutting circles out of the paper.

Then, you need to decide on the order of circles... completely random, all the same colors, different colors, some different lengths... the possibilities are endless.  Once you know your pattern you can begin by using the glue dots to stick the ribbon to one side and then use a second circle to cover up the ribbon.

I left a few millimeters in between each circle as I worked down the ribbon.  Again, that is a personal preference so you may do any length.  Also, I could not find coral paper with white polka dots so I decided to make my own using a small hole punch and backing them with plain white paper before attaching them to the ribbon.

I chose to use 2 patterns with the long for the center ring and the shorter one for the outer ring.

Repeat this process for as many strands as you need.  I chose to use 8 longer ones on the center ring and 8 shorter ones on the outer ring.  Just tie them on at the appropriate length. 

Since I'm still in the hospital I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do to hang them... but I imagine using thicker ribbons of the same color pulled to the center and then attach either fishing line or ribbon that will attach to the ceiling with a hook (Brian will probably take charge with this part of the project). 

And... if you are having 3 babies (like me) repeat this process 2 more times.  These are going to look super cute hanging above each crib in our nursery.  I can't wait to see the finished product in their room.  I'm so glad I was able to create something for them even though I've been on bed rest in the hospital.  Go me :) 



Bump Day: Week 30

How far along? 30 weeks.  I'm just amazed at how far I've made it.  We are still aiming for 34 weeks, but we are so grateful for how far we have come.

Sleep? Descent sleep at night... waking up to roll over and go to the bathroom.  Trying to get a nap during the day to make up for the lost sleep since the nurses now have to monitor the babies every 8 hours.

Maternity Clothes? Still stylin' the PJ pants and XL t-shirts.

Stretch Marks? Yep, growing every day so I don't think I can stop them now.

Best Moment this week?
1.  Friday, all of my friends came to hang out for a girls night.  We ate Mexican food and talked.  It was really nice to see all of them. 
2.  I got to see Ryley again on Sunday.  I miss my puppy dog so much. 
3.  A work party got together at my house to put all of our baby items away.  The nursery (and the rest of my house) seem to be coming together very nicely.

Miss Anything? An ice cold beer and shoes.

Movement? Oh yea, almost all the time someone is moving around in there.

Size of the Babies? Three Cabbages!

Food Cravings? Chick-fil-A.

Morning Sickness? Nope.

Gender? Three girls.

Bed Rest? Hospital bed rest for 7 weeks, total bed rest 9 weeks.

Limitations?  We are now monitoring the babies' heartrates 3 times per day for an hour (which sometimes increases to close to 2 hours depending on how wiggly the girls are being) so when I have on the monitors, I have to stay still.  So pretty much all I can do during those times is sleep or use my iphone/kindle.  I can't see the tv since I'm lying on my side and eating is pretty much out of the question.  So, I'm more limited than normal during those times.

Labor Signs? Still pretty stable.

Weight Gain? 40 lbs... still not enough, but seems like an awful lot to me.

Pregnancy Symptoms?  SI, pelvic, low back, and hip pain.

Belly Button In or Out? I can't see it anymore... but pretty sure it is still out.

Wedding Rings On or Off? Off but should still fit.

Mood?  Excited.  I'm starting to really think about meeting my girls soon :)

Looking Forward To?  Getting through another week.

What Brian is Saying:  "I'm so proud of you."

Bump Photo: