Friday, May 31, 2013

Life of Ryley

Now before we become a family of 5, I want to give a tribute to my girl, Ryley.  We decided 3 years ago to take the next step in our marraige and get a puppy.  We agreed on a lab right off the bat since we both grew up with labs.  Luckily, my cousin's dog was newly preggo with a litter so we were quickly put on the list.  Her dog had 15.... yes, 15... yellow lab puppies.  When Ryley was 5 and a half weeks old, we brought her home (way too early btw... if you are thinking about getting a puppy, wait until 8 at least weeks).  She was the cutest little thing with the sharpest teeth with dark features around her eyes and nose.  We quickly fell in love. 

She is talented in so many ways. Here is what I call picture overload of our girl, Ryley.

The night we picked up our new puppy.




Bringing her home.


The one and only time she fell asleep in my lap.



Meeting PJ Funny Bunny... Ryley was one pound lighter than PJ at this point.



Meeting her best bud, Bella, for the first time.






 
She loves to play fetch.
 


First time at the farm.



First time to the dog park.
 



Pictures at the Creek... her favorite place.








 
Video of Ryley doing her dock jumping.
 

 

Ryley at the Dog Park doing the agility course.

 
Ryley's cool trick.
 

At the Frio River


 


 Halloween





I miss this girl so much.  I can't wait for us to all be a family at home again.



Thursday, May 30, 2013

My Typical Day on Bed Rest

I figured since I have spent so many days on bed rest that I would educate those that are interested or that are going to be on bed rest soon how it all works... at least for me.  Things have changed daily and weekly but this is currently my schedule.
 
5:30 AM: Nurse comes in to give me medication and monitor babies and contractions for 1
                hour.  Try to sleep but most of the time I can't.
7:00 AM: Nurse's Aid comes in to check vitals.  Try to continue sleeping.
8:30 AM: Order breakfast.  Try to continue sleeping.
9:00 AM: Nurse comes in to give me my morning medications and do assessment.
9:15 AM: Eat breakfast
9:45 AM: Housekeeping comes in to clean my room.
10:00 AM: Monitor babies and contractions for 1 hour.
11:00 AM: Nap, watch TV, or use the internet
12:00 PM: Nurse comes in to give medication.  Nurse's Aid comes in to check vitals.
12:30 PM: Order lunch.
1:00 PM: Nurse comes in to give medication.
1:15 PM: Eat lunch
2:00 PM: Time to monitor babies and contractions again for 1 hour.
3:00 PM: Nap, watch TV (Ellen mostly), or use internet.
4:00 PM: Nurse's aid comes in to check vitals.
5:00 PM: Nurse comes in to give medication.
6:00 PM: Time for monitoring... already, yep.  Another hour on my left side.
6:30 PM: Brian, my parents, or other visitor normally comes.
7:00 PM: Shift change for the staff.  Nurse's aid comes in to take vitals. 
7:30 PM: Night nurse comes in to do her assessment.
8:00 PM: Eat dinner.
9:00 PM: Nurse comes in to give night medications.
9:15 PM: Shower and get ready for bed.
9:30 PM: My doctor comes to see me.  This time frame varies anywhere from 7-11 PM.
10:00 PM: Monitor babies and contractions for 1 hour.
11:00 PM: Hopefully, fall asleep... not always very successful.
1:00 AM: Nurse comes in to give medication. 
5:00 AM: Resident comes in to check on me.
5:30 AM: Start over again.
 
As you can see, I haven't had continuous sleep in months.  I am able to get in naps during the day but overall I'm tired most of the time.  Ooh, and you can add pee breaks in there about every hour and a half (even through the night).
 
I've gotten to know my nurses, who are all so great and take good care of me.  They know I like to sleep in so they sometimes will allow me to before waking me up.  Also, there might be visitors throughout the day that stop by.  The point of this is, there is not much "me time" to sleep or catch up on things.  I am eternally grateful for the care I have received here and I 100% believe that being here is what has protected my babies from being delivered too early.  But now, we are getting so close to our final goal and I'm thinking more and more about how nice it is going to be to go home.  It will be close to 3 months by the time I get in a car and walk in my house.  Whoah.  It is all worth it though.  I can't wait to meet my girls next week.  What blessings I will have.

Here are some photos of my stay here at the hospital...

The day I arrived... March 19, 2013


Skyping with Brian to my babies' shower. (Like the coordinating clothes I have on, haha)


They all say its freezing in here, however most of the time I am hot.  This is how my Dad looks every time he comes here.


Skyping with Brian to my last babies' shower


How I look (just bigger now) with the monitors on.


Wheelchair privileges and my special talent.


How I look after 10 weeks in the hospital.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Bump Day: Week 33


How far along? 33 Weeks!  Whoooo Hoooo!  One more week to go.

Sleep? Not good.  Been able to nap a lot during the day though.
Maternity Clothes? Nope... I have probably grown out of all the maternity clothes I have at home.  Just t-shirts and PJ pants for me.

Stretch Marks? I can't avoid this when having triplets, right?
Best Moment this week?  Brian brought his homemade cheeseburgers to the hospital for Memorial Day...yum, yum.  Oo, and watermelon too.


Miss Anything?  Spring... I missed an entire season.

Movement? Yes, they are kicking me and each other.

Size of the Babies? Three Pineapples!

Food Cravings? Watermelon.

Morning Sickness? Nope, I couldn't imagine what vomiting would feel like right now.

Gender? Three girls.

Bed Rest? You know it.  10 weeks in the hospital. 12 weeks total.
Limitations?  O yea.  Even though it is difficult, I'm still able to get up to go to the restroom and shower so I am very thankful for that.

Labor Signs? Just a little more frequency of non-painful contractions at night.  But still planning on making it to 34 weeks.

Weight Gain? 49 lbs.  And I feel it too.

Pregnancy Symptoms?  Swelling started this week in my feet, but still minimal.
Belly Button In or Out? Outtie.
Wedding Rings On or Off? Off but should still fit. Still no swelling in my hands.

Mood?  Tired, uncomfortable, excited, nervous.

Looking Forward To?  Meeting my sweet baby girls.

What Brian is Saying: "Y'all stay in there and Grow!" he says to my belly when he leaves the hospital at night.

Bump Photo: (Think the shirt will make it another week?)