Good news all around!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  

We're officially 26 weeks today - every week is such a blessing! We had a doctor's appointment this morning and they did growth measurements - the girls actually cooperated pretty well! Though I think this is partially due to the fact that they've gotten big enough they can't really hid body parts like they could before! However, none of them wanted us to see their precious little faces - guess they want some things to be a surprise!
   Anyway, after doing all the measurements we found that Baby A is a little horse! She's weighing in at about 2 pounds 1 ounce and was at 61% growth! She's our independent little oinker - and she still enjoys kicking up at her sisters! The twins are smaller, but still doing quite well... Baby B weighed in at about 1 pound 11 ounces and Baby C weighed in at about 1 pound 9 ounces (she's catching up)! They were at 11% and 5.5% respectively, while behind A, still within a good range - especially for triplets! It was also cervix-check day (always a fun time) and the doctors remain quite pleased... probably the oddest compliment I'll ever hear, but good news for the girls!
   Perhaps the best news was that the doctor seems quite sure that we'll have no problem reaching 28 weeks, and actually said today that he thought we'd make it to 34 weeks! That was our original goal, but we've been quite cautious ever since the surgery... so it was music to our ears to hear the doctor say that 34 weeks was a realistic goal again!
   Currently we're not scheduled to see the cardiologist again, B's heart is looking really good - we definitely have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! On the plus side - I heard on the Today show this morning that should you eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal (including all the traditional appetizers, meal, dessert) you'd consume about 4000 calories! Right up my alley... in other words, I think I'll be enjoying the food and desert even more than usual! Unfortunately I get full way too fast, but the trick is to eat lots (and lots) of small meals! It truly will be Turkey day!
   We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family and friends! My mom and sister will be spending Turkey day with us - Dad took Tehya and Bena back to Iowa with him... sure will be lonely around here once everyone leaves without the girls for company!
   And for those of you who like the weekly growth update, here's what Baby Center has to say about week 26: The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.
    And here's what Baby Gaga has in its weekly update: At long last, your little swimmer can see the womb! Your miracle’s little eyelids have finally separated (they were fused closed previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this (or maybe it already happened while you were brushing your teeth or watching Oprah or something). In addition to seeing their little studio in your belly, they’ve recently acquired the ability to say “yes” and “no” in rudimentary sign language as they can now move their head back and forth. This is also the time where your little super star’s head hair is starting to grow! A cute little cowlick or two may be springing into position right now, getting ready for years of cute-but-stubborn bed-head. Also, their toenails have grown in and you little raisin continues to slowly pile up fat beneath their still-loose skin. Most importantly, brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing their (genius-level?) brain activity and will continue to function at accelerated levels for the first seven to eight years of childhood!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  

25 weeks, 2 days!

   We've had a busy week since our appointment last Friday! My mom arrived late Friday evening and last weekend was spent organizing, crib construction, and shelving construction - most of which was observed by me! The crib construction was much less entertaining than I'd hoped for - Travis must have been on his best behavior because he didn't snipe once at my mom (unlike when WE work together)! We got the bedding all washed and the crib looks so cute - the babies' room is coming together slowly but surely! Favorite comment of the weekend was when Travis complained about having to wash all the sheets, clothes, etc... I think his exact words were "why do we have to wash this stuff, it's new?! seems fine to me..." My dad made a similar comment later on this week.
   My dad arrived Tuesday afternoon with his truck filled to the brim! Travis hadn't seen all the gifts we'd gotten at the baby shower last month and it was so fun to go through things again! However, the clean room is now a disaster area again as we need to further organize, wash all the clothes, and figure out where everything is going to go! Luckily my parents are hauling back a bunch of stuff for storage for us... including Travis' shuffleboard table (we need room for baby swings, bouncy seats, and goodness knows what else!).
  I had an appointment with our OB on Wednesday - which consisted of a quick sonogram to check the babies' heartbeats (it's too difficult to distinguish otherwise), blood pressure, stepping on the scale (ouch), and a quick conversation with the doctor, who is pleased with how things are going so far. She said we reach our first big milestone - "viability", not that we want to meet the girls in person any time soon! Our next big milestone is 28 weeks where survival rates increase dramatically. After that she said she'd be "thrilled" if we make it to 32 weeks (January 4th)... The girls' activity has increased - they seem to like being awake in the afternoon/early evening and enjoy boxing each other or by insides on a daily basis!
   We'll see the specialist again on Tuesday, and Aunt Bre will be coming along to the appointment! It's been nice having company and we look forward to Bre getting in on Saturday night! On other news - I officially accepted a position at the University of Nebraska Omaha beginning Fall 2011! We're excited to have made a decision and to actually have a plan in place. While I was at the doctor's office yesterday I read that Omaha is the 12th best city to raise kids in the U.S. which made me feel even better about our decision.
   According to baby center, the baby is approximately 13 1/2 inches long - that translates into more than 40 inches of babies in my belly! Now that's freaky! It also mentioned how in addition to the baby growing more hair (and if heartburn is truly an indication of lots of hair these girls are going to have full heads of golden locks) I should notice a change... unfortunately I'm losing hair at the same rate as I did before getting pregnant, nor is it growing any faster! The two things I was looking forward too! ha!
   Here's what else our 25-week update had to say... How your baby's growing: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.
   Below are some pictures of the nursery - we' haven't taken down our golf pictures yet... guess we still need to do that! I've also included a picture of me at 25 weeks - getting BIG! If I only had one in my belly I'm measuring at almost 35 weeks! yikes!

 Above: looking in from the doorway - and no, the picture above the crib is not staying! 

Below: Our converted computer desk into dresser/changing table... we'll see how it works!

Above: Our office bookcase which is now a dresser/storage area for baby stuff.

Below: Our FIRST crib! Love it! But we realized we're going to have to get another one sooner rather than later!

 Above: Our bedding... nope, not 'girly' - totally gender neutral! and it's so soft!

Below: As my dad arrived and they started the unloading the room quickly filled up!

 Above: Yep, all those totes are filled with clothes and whatnot for the girls!

Below: The girls are already excited to read all their new books!

Above: Just some of the clothes... we're going to need a bigger closet!

Below: no explanation needed, and no - there's NOT a basketball under by shirt!

Good news!

   We had our appointment with the cardiologist this afternoon, and while it was a LONG appointment (over 2 hours), it was totally worthwhile! Baby B's heart is looking much, much better! Lots of improvement in the last couple weeks - guess all this bed rest and medication I'm on is doing its job to help her (and the other two) out! While we didn't get specific numbers as of yet, there was only a "whisper" of regurgitation (YEAH!) and there was good forward flow (Double YEAH since a couple short weeks ago there was almost zero forward flow)!!! All in all, a wonderful report. Of course the other two girls' hearts were checked out as well, and they both looked good and well within the normal ranges. We left the cardiologist's office quite pleased and made our way down to see our specialist who did a quick check to look at the fluid, heartrates, and dopplers of each of the girls. The fluid around each baby was either 4 or 5 cm - very good. The twins had identical heartbeats at 151 bpm and baby A was more relaxed at 144 bpm - all good! Each of the dopplers looked good as well... next time we go in (the 23rd) they'll be doing all the measurements again and it's destined to be a long appointment with all those legs, arms, feet spread out everywhere! The girls are getting big! At any rate, the doctors was quite pleased and told us that the report he received was what he was hoping for - definitely better than what we expected. No longer is it simple to pick out Baby B simply because of her heart! They'll of course continue to monitor all three very closely, but it's such a relief hearing that B is definitely on the road to complete recovery... we'll continue to pray!
   Next week I will finally see my OB doctor again - it's been forever due to all the complications and fun we've been having! She'll do a scan to check the fluid/heartbeats/dopplers, as well as all the fun, and probably more normal/regular 'stuff'. We'll then see our specialist the following Tuesday - which works out well due to the holiday and whatnot. My sister will be in town and I might try to convince her to come with... she'll be amazed and freaked out all at once! Fun times!
   At any rate, we're quite happy with the report we received today and are now really looking forward to my mom arriving for the weekend! Travis and her will be putting the crib together while I supervise... I can't wait (it'll be hilarious). Tehya and Bena are quite happy about me being on bed rest - they sit next to me all day - which would be great except this week has been so darn hot! Not only do I have the three extra warmers inside, but also those two warming me... we're ready for a cool-down! We didn't get many pictures today - they were trying to hurry us in and out since we'd been there so long, but I did post one below with parts of each little girl.... kind of freaky! It was looking in from the side and you can see baby C's butt/leg kicking in between B and A's heads... the craziness of what's happening in my belly as I type - it's truly amazing.

24 weeks! Grow babies grow!

   Another week down! We consider every week that passes such a blessing... all the while I wish time would both slow down and speed up! The slow down would help with my research and planning, while the speed up is all about the girls! Oh well, we'll work with what we're given at this point!
   Our doctor's visit on Friday went well and was super quick for us! We were in and out in under 40 minutes... including wait time! They were only checking the fluid around the babies, their heartrates, and their dopplers. The fluid around all three girls looked good - which was wonderful to hear, especially regarding the twins! Both A and C's heartrates and dopplers were good and well within the normal range. But the best news of all came as the doctor examined baby girl 'B' - he told us that in his opinion the chamber walls in the heart didn't appear as thick! He was and is pretty sure that recovery is happening! However, we'll know more after our appointment with the cardiologist on Friday... fingers (and toes) crossed. 'B' sure did make it difficult for him to get a clear look - he kind of had to go between her rims to examine her heart - she was face down for most of the exam.
   It was amusing, A might have actually been the most cooperative at this appointment... or rather was at first, then she started her games! She was in her - what we now consider her - 'normal' position, face down and folded in half. It really doesn't look comfortable whatsoever! C was face up, but as the sonographer went in 3D mode and tried to capture her sweet little face we kept seeing B's leg and foot right in front of her face (picture below)! These poor sweet girls are running out of room fast - which just means I'm going to keep on expanding at perhaps an accelerated rate!
   They continue to be fairly active, typically about 30 minutes after I eat... Travis had a fun experience on Saturday as he tried to get the girls to kick on the count of three (1...2...3..kick!) What was hilarious is when it actually happened the third time he did it - the look on his face was priceless, awestruck might be the word! For whatever reason yesterday (Monday) the girls had a long period of activity - too long in my opinion. Usually I just feel the occassional bump, kick, roll... not yesterday. Both sides and the top and bottom of my belly were moving - I don't know if they all conspired to try to beat their way out, but wow - it was hard to work on my laptop since my arms kept getting nudged! At one point there were two distinct bumps sticking out of my belly - this is one thing that still creeps me out. I generally encourage the baby to go back "in"! I've decided if I am asked to count the number of times they kick per hour or whatever I'm in real trouble, since I often don't know who's who... this might not bode well for the future!
   As for other news, after much debate about color and design, we got our crib ordered (thanks Grandma and Grandpa Pleggenkuhle), as well as our mattress (not such a fun decision compared to the crib). We decided to go with a convertible crib in a honey oak color and a mattress that will work for both infant and toddlers - since we'll be buying a couple more of each, this seemed the most practical! We've decided there are way too many choices regarding everything baby. Both will be here this week and I can't wait to watch Travis and my mom (who's coming on Friday - yeah!) put it together, together... now if only I could sip on a glass of wine and watch that!
   Rather than waiting until next week, I'll post again after our appointment on Friday with the cardiologist... Otherwise, below I've included the 24-week report and a few pictures from our sonogram last Friday.
   Here's what baby center has to say... How your baby's growing: Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)
   Remember to also check out baby gaga for more info! Thank you all again for all the prayers being sent our way - they seem to be working thus far!

Above: All three girls - not the clearest, but still kind of fun!

Below: Baby 'C' rubbing her face (reminds us of Bena) - you can also see Baby B's leg right in front of her mouth! Hopefully they like close quarters...

Above: Baby C's profile - we like to think she's attempting to wave at us!

Below: Baby B is take a snooze... finally face up - though not for long! By the time the doctor came in she was all over the place!

  

23 Weeks (well, almost!)

  We'll be 23 weeks tomorrow - hard to believe we're that far along, yet all we can do is hope time continues to fly and these babies stay safe and sound in my belly for a couple more months at least! We had our first appointment with our specialist since returning from Cincinnati on Friday... the three little nuggets are all hanging in there... updates on each of the girls is below!
   Baby A was her typical stubborn and independent little self - she just loves being all curled up. It makes us laugh that some things never change... she frustrates the sonographers to no end as they try to take measurements! However, she's doing well and was estimated at 1 pound 2 ounces! Grow baby grow!
   Baby C was the most cooperative as usual, and she is doing really well since the surgery from what the doctor could tell. She's trying to catch up growth wise - as the 'donor' her growth was restricted as they developed the TTTS. However, she was up to 13 ounces if I remember right - gaining about 3 ounces since the week before! More importantly, the blood flow to her brain looked much better and was within normal parameters!
   As for Baby B - she's definitely hanging in there! We could tell her heart is still sick, but until we meet with the cardiologist on the 12th we are just going to pray that it's improving. She's growing as well and was estimated at 1 pound 2 ounces same as her sister down below! The best news was that there was fluid around both B and C and we could see the membrane separating the two... However, NONE of the girls felt like a photo shoot and they were all face down and wouldn't look at us during the entire ultrasound - they definitely take after their father whose family used to pay him to take family pictures!
   We go back to our doctor this Friday as they want to keep a pretty close eye on the girls - and me for that matter! We were happy that our doctor decided to wait a couple weeks before sending us to the cardiologist for another look at the babies hearts. Since we just had an echo last Monday while we were in Cincinnati, we're hoping to see some more improvements with the two and a half week time frame - fingers crossed! That appointment is on November 12th for those of you keeping track!
   Travis' parents were in town this weekend - they watched Tehya and Bena for us while we were up in Cincinnati - it was great to have them here, and of course it was wonderful to see my two pretty girls! The house is a lot less lonely with them here! My parents are going to take them back up to Iowa at the end of the month since by then I have a feeling I'll be even less mobile - my belly is growing faster than the babies I think! Gary and Travis got a bunch of yard work done, while Phyllis tackled the girls' room and organized the clothes and whatnot that we have gotten thus far. Thanks to them I feel a lot more organized and calm about how prepared we are! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! My mom and dad are coming down later this month and bringing gifts we received from our baby shower - our house is going to be full in no time! We're so lucky to have such a wonderful family support system - not to mention our friends...
   Here's the 23-week update from Baby Center on the growth of the babies... How your baby's growing: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. See what your baby looks like this week.
   Baby Gaga is another fun website that gives fun updates! Below are a few photos from the last couple sonograms and a picture of me at 22 weeks... the girls certainly haven't been very cooperative in their "photo shoots" as of late! Maybe because they're too busy exploring my insides while there's still some space... space that's shrinking rapidly mind you as they continue to grow!
   Thanks to you all for the continued thoughts and prayers sent our way - we can't wait tell and show our girls all the notes and letters!

22 1/2 weeks!

Pictures from our 20-week appointment up in Rochester...

Above: A actually waving to us!

Below: Baby B's profile - look how big she is! 



 Above: Baby B is showing off some leg action - look at that extension...

Below: Baby C was yawning... or maybe it was the hiccups? I can't recall...

 Above: Baby C always likes to wave a hello!

Below: Baby C's profile

 Below: Already practicing karate - check out that foot!

The photos below aren't very clear - the girls were definitely not in the mood for a photo shoot! But you can still see how they've grown - sort of... 22 1/2 weeks!

 Above: Baby A loves to be curled up as always!
Below: Her profile - sort of... the sonographer tried to enhance it, but what can you do?!

Above: Baby B shows offer her spine... face down just like her sisters today!
Below: Two heads and a stomach! C is on the far left, be is in the middle and A is on the far right... they're stacked and are either going to love or hate each other whenever they do arrive!