The Miles' Trio: Nearly 14-Weeks

   Travis and I had another sonogram today - a wonderful birthday present to see his future son(s)/daughter(s)! Next time we'll find out 'for sure' whether we'll be welcoming sons, daughters, or a mixture into our family! We're very happy to report that all the babies are doing well! According to all the measurements they took, each of the the little peanuts weighs about 3 ounces... they definitely have some growing to do. Baby 'C' is in first, coming in a few days ahead, with Baby 'A' close behind, and Baby 'B' is right where she should be. Already a competition in our household - go figure! The main thing they looked at today was to make sure the identical twins each have roughly the same amount, and adequate amniotic fluid. So far, so good. Twin-to-twin transfer is a risk we're being closely monitored for... sometimes one baby will get 80% while the other only 20% - not good for either baby. For right now they're doing a good job sharing, so we'll just pray they continue to do that.
   The thin membrane that separates the indenticals is pretty cool - it kind of blows in the wind. We're pretty sure Baby 'B' likes to use it as a type of trampoline as we watched her bounce off and roll around! Baby 'C' continues to have the prime position - and was stretched out, taking it easy. It could be she/he is already taking after Cade! Baby 'A' was quite a character today. Our sonographer is pretty sure he was laughing at her as she tried to get her to lay flat (gender mix-up is intentional). At first she thought the baby was yawning, but then he just kept opening and closing his mouth as though she were laughing! The sonographer was trying to make an educated guess regarding whether the baby is a he or she... obviously the baby did NOT want us to find out today!
   I did a good job gaining weight... up over 6 pounds from two weeks ago and am still playing catch-up to where I 'should' be. I'm pretty sure the only other time you might try to gain weight is in wrestling. I think from now on, however, I might step onto the scale backwards - it's going to get pretty depressing pretty fast. Logically I know it's good for the babies, but the scale will soon be reaching numbers I never really wanted to see. Travis finds it quite funny that I can no longer button any of my pants... I'm not sure why he finds it so amusing, because I do not. I've also found that maternity clothes aren't nearly as fun to shop for - figuring out sizes is something I'm working on.
   Our next appointment is in two weeks, they'll take measurements of the babies again and will be monitoring my cervix (too much info sorry) as it is indicative of preterm labor. In the meantime, here's what BabyCenter says happens during week 14: How your baby's growing
   This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.
   In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Snuggling Babies 'B' & 'C'