Second Trimester! Wow!

Finally passed the first trimester mark this week! Yeah! Of course as sad as it is, I am still cautiously optimistic and hopeful to bring my three babies home with me safe and healthy one day.

Nothing new to report really since my last ultrasound was last week and I won't be having one until June 10th. A big change for me since for the past 6 weeks, I've had at least one ultrasound a week. I know it will be worth the wait when we find out the genders on June 10th. Can't wait for that day! It will finally seem real to me to put a name to each of them. My husband and I have yet to agree on names although I think we have settled on the middle name. I figure when we find out what they all are, we can really sit down and focus on the names rather then go back and forth on what we like or not like. My good friend is also pregnant (5 weeks ahead of me) and found out yesterday she is having a girl *yeah* and thank goodness she told me the name they picked out already so I feel safe there. I would feel incredibly sad if her and I liked the same name!

We are moving from our 2 bedroom condo into our 3 bedroom home June 4th so that has been the big thing going on these days. I am doing most of the light packing and my husband has been focusing on getting friends to help on moving day, resurfacing the hardwood floors, buying boxes, etc. I will be so happy when this move finally happens and be done! Also I think I have mentioned that our next door neighbor is suing us for our hardwood floors/noise transmission and the meditation for that is June 6th and I hope the whole case is dropped so we can move on with our lives and start really focusing on these babies!

We started dabbling in our registry and that is super overwhelming! What do you buy for three babies? Do we use cloth or disposable this or that? Ahhhh! So much to think about! Luckily when I go out on bedrest between 20-24 weeks I can focus on that via the internet and do some research. This whole thing will be a trial and error for us and hoping that people want to give us their gently used furniture/baby items.

I feel like I am growing every week....my belly measured a whole inch from last week so that is promising. A lot of people tell me that they were much bigger at 14 weeks with a singleton. Is that suppose to be reassuring to me? LOL! I am not getting too worked about it...everyone's bodies are different and I am glad that I am not blowing up too quickly because I know I will get really big really fast with three and wish I could move around like I can now.

Here is my latest photo taken today before yoga class....14 weeks and 1 day! Love you all!! xoxo

13 weeks!

Above is the picture taken of me on Mother's Day at almost 13 weeks pregnant!

May 9th...this was the week that we had scheduled to do our IVF retrieval and transfer. I remember when we initially scheduled it at the end of January how far away it seemed and how anxious I was. It's sort of strange in a good way though to sit here and reflect....being 13 weeks pregnant with triplets! I feel so blessed and lucky that we never had to go through IVF.

Today I had my first Perinatology appt with my new high risk doctor. I was so happy to see the babies again on the ultrasound screen. My doctor explained all the complications and risks, what to expect as far as pre-term labor. I liked her a lot but found it kind of weird that she didn't even help to wipe off the ultrasound goop off my belly after the appt was over or that she left the door open when she walked out of the room. Really??!! I'm half naked on the table! A tad big annoying!

So after being spoiled with three ultrasounds in the last 8 days, alas I will not be seeing our babies again until June 10th at our big ultrasound. It will be exciting to find out the genders for sure at that point.

I did have one scary scenario happen this past weekend! We went to Palm Springs for a wedding and the day after, we went on this tram that took you up to the top of the mountain. Palm Springs has an elevation of about 400 feet and this tram took you up to over 8,000 feet within about 15 minutes. I probably should not have done it. I was okay going up and a bit winded at the top due to the thin air but coming down was awful! The ride down was crowded, hot and someone was breathing on me that had just drank hazelnut coffee Blah! I just latched on to my husband and did the best with breathing I could. We were getting close to the end and I thought I might lose it. I was getting super light headed, my vision was blackening and I felt my legs getting wobbly. My husband held me tight and talked me through it all telling me that we were almost there, when people were leaving and when the car was empty so we could leave without bumping into any one. I hit the fresh air and thought I might collapse but luckily a chair was nearby and I sat down immediately. I leaned over the rail and threw up a tiny bit which made me feel better! The driver of the car told me I looked really white LOL! Luckily he had a bottle of water to give me and I graciously took it from him. After a few minutes I was feeling better and we all went to eat after and I have felt good ever since. I will not be pushing myself like that again!

I have my first prenatal Yoga class this Wed that I am looking forward to. My hospital also offers a Mommy-to-Be class the second Monday of the month. I went to my 2nd class today and it's so neat to meet other Mom's and just sit around talk about our pregnancies and ask questions conducted by a Health Educator/Doula. All of them are having singletons and find me fascinating to talk to LOL! I swear...these kids are already celebrities ;)

My doctor says to expect to go out on Bedrest about 20 weeks to 24 weeks. That is right around beginning of July. Not looking forward to it but it will be best for the babies I am sure and I could probably use the down time to prepare things online before they come.

Other then that...feeling great! Wearing my maternity clothes and growing my belly!

I know the babies' gender(s)! (maybe!)

So the NT scan went great....boy was it long! I was there almost 2 hours. Felt bad for the nurse because her arm and eyes were getting tired and she had to take a couple of breaks. Pretty cool to have the ultrasound on my belly! All babies checked out fine at this point with Baby A and B measuring the same and Baby C a few days behind and a little smaller. It was so cool to see them moving about and I finally heard heartbeats!! Baby A was the wild one moving around like crazy! It was so neat!

So the doctor when she came in after the nurse did the measurements asked if I wanted to know gender and I said yes. She told me it might not be exact but that she could try to guess. Well funny thing...her thoughts correlated exactly what the nurse thought! Not getting hopes up because anything can change but it would be super cool if my intuition was right since the beginning!

Sooooooo if everything today was accurate, Baby A and B are.......I'm keeping it to myself for now =P heheh

Other good news, the doctor called me back last night and reported that the babies are at low risk for downs syndrome and other birth defects! Such a relief!!!

Off to pack for Palm Springs now! I tried the bridesmaid dress on Wed and my husband said "Thank God the wedding is this weekend!". I am sort of popping out....but my boobs look great ;)

12 weeks!!

(This journal was written on Monday May 2, 2011)

So my triplets are 12 weeks tomorrow! Pretty exciting! So much to talk about in this journal!

So to start it off, my husband and I had planned this nice weekend get away to Wine Country this weekend as sort of a late birthday gift for me. We left Saturday and toured some wineries and my husband got to sample some wine. Lucky me got the discounted kids' rate and drank homemade apple juice! It was SO hot in Napa....I was realizing then that pregnancy and heat do not mix and I usually am a hot sun lover. Several times I had to stop and take a break because I really thought I might pass out. Ugh! But we took our time and my husband was very understanding although I am sure he was annoyed...he likes to Go Go Go! Usually I do too....but not these days. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner Saturday night and my husband got us the cutest little cottage for the night. It was wonderful! Just exactly what we needed! Oh and as we were shopping around that afternoon...ran into a consignment shop and bought some Gap Maternity Jeans for $7! Score! What a deal! Sunday we went downtown and ran into a Tamale Festival which was awesome...I chowed down on two yummy tamales. My husband had a surprise for me at 1pm so I was anxious to find out what it was. Finally time to go and his surprise was a Mom-to-Be bath and prenatal massage!! How sweet is that!!! I was totally not expecting that and I felt bad that he spent so much money on it but I guess it was my birthday weekend and he really enjoyed his bath and massage too.

We had found a triplets stroller on Craigslist that we were interested in buying. The gal was selling it for $350 (she bought it for $1200 brand new when she first had her triplets). I thought it was cool and also sort of coincidental that she lived in Napa and we were going there that weekend! We never go to Napa so I felt like it was meant to be. We met with her at 4 and I got to meet her 2 boys and a girl. Nicest lady and we tried so hard to squeeze that huge stroller into the back of my little Mazda 3 hatchback but we did it! She also gave us a crib matteress and a bunch of other things. She was trying to give me 2 cribs too but we were filled to the max. So sweet! I was glad we got it and we are happy with the purchase. Yeahh! One big thing off the list to get!

Today was my first doctor's appt with a regular Ob/Gyn! I was sooo nervous because I just was so worried that something happened to one of our triplets. Just always expecting the worst I guess. Well happy to report that all three are growing right along with little heartbeats and I saw one do a somersault! How cool! hehe The doctor was really nice and of course went over all the stuff they told me before about complications with triplets and how I might wind up with all three in wheelchairs or all three could be totally healthy. Way to go to be a downer but I kept positive and said we did not want to reduce and I felt great and that we were just going to take things as they come. She went over all kinds of regular check up things with me. Explained to me that my Perinatologist will probably be my main doctor through this whole experience. I meet her next Monday. I might meet with this Ob/Gyn a few more times but more then likely move right on over to the high risk specialist which is fine with me. Tomorrow I have my nuchal scan which I hear for me is going to take about 3 hours! Wow! LOL! They had to block out three appt times just for me. Looking forward to that and seeing my babies again. What a treat to see them all 3 times in 8 days (including the appt next Monday!)

I celebrated with the great ultrasound by heading to the maternity store. I have not bought any clothes yet but I am noticing that I am growing. My belly button has changed...it's kind of a cute thing. It's not as deep as it use to be! So I went to the store and looked around. Tried on a million things it seemed. I called my husband and asked him how much I could spend because he said I could put the maternity clothes on our joint account (awesome!) LOL! I got quite a few things...probably more then I should have but definitely things I will wear again and all summery light things....a cotton summery dress, 2 t-shirts, khaki shorts, gray cargo light material pants and a bathing suit and cover up! I look forward to wearing all of them. I am in a wedding in Palm Springs this weekend where its suppose to hit 100 degrees so the new clothes might work out perfect with the hot weather. Not going to invest into too much work clothes because I can improvise with the belly band and I have quite a few empire waist work shirts.

So that is my update....I will post some pictures for everyone. My husband is bringing me home Taco Bell for dinner! For some reason, that sounds AMAZING to me right now LOL!

11 weeks today!

So I am officially 11 weeks pregnant today! So far so good....been feeling really good except for being super tired and having sore breasts. I feel so lucky to have no vomiting! Apparently that means I am having all boys according to people I talk to LOL!

So after the uneventful reveal with my In-Laws last weekend I wasn't feeling all that positive that my Dad would take it really well...and I was sadly correct on that. My Dad and Step-Mom, Step-brother and his kids, my brother and my Uncle all gathered together for a nice Easter day together on Saturday. I was trying to find the right moment to tell everyone. Finally after every one moved outside to the back patio I figured it would be a good time. Ran to the car and brought out the bag. Told my Step-Mom that we had a gift for her and my Dad for Easter. So my Dad is standing there BBQing the ham while my Step-Mom pulls out the frame we made. She was estatic and said "OMG! Are you pregnant!?" She didn't quite get that it was three so I said..."Yep! With three!" Everyone started talking and getting excited...unfortunately I looked at my Dad and he just made the most sour face and said "OH NO! 3??" I was so heartbroken. It looked like I told him I was just arrested! Oh well...everyone else was super excited and that I tried to focus on. My brother was thrilled and I think my Step-brother was more excited then anyone! LOL! He gave me tons of advice and told me how great it was that his kids were 16 months apart and that he loved that they were only a grade apart. Sadly my Dad didn't really say a word to me the rest of the day. I don't think he is mad about it but it's clear that he has no idea what to say and is a bit shocked. My Step-Mom of course made up for all of it and is so happy to be a Grandma again since no babies have been in the family now for 9 years. She called up my Step-Sister and she is so excited too and planning a trip to visit us this summer.

Then Sunday came time for my Mom's side which I know would be the positive reaction and so glad I saved them for last! When my brother, husband and I showed up to my Aunt's house we sort of hung out and waited for a good time to make the reveal. Two of my cousins were still at their Dad's place but expected to make it back to their Moms about 4:30 so I decided to wait until then to surprise everyone. My cousins showed up right on time and I went out and grabbed the bag with the frame. It was kind of funny because I come from a really large Italian family so the room was packed with people in the kitchen waiting for food while the other half is glued to the Oakland A's baseball game. So I hand my Mom the bag and tell her we had an Easter gift for her. She was so excited but my Aunt thought it was weird that I was giving my Mom the gift right then LOL! So my Mom pulls it out and says "Oh how cute" (obviously she is not looking hard enough LOL! because she thought I just made her a frame!) I told her to pull it out and look at it...she she holds it up and still looks confused. One of my Aunts is behind her and says "OMG! Monica is pregnant!" They still didn't get the fact that it was three so I said "I am! With triplets!" All of my Aunts and cousins and Uncles started running over to hug me and everyone was crying and so supportive and happy and telling me they loved us so much. (Awww I am choking up writing this!) It was such the perfect way! My Mom is so thrilled! She is a bit shocked but very very happy! My Aunts are all talking about showers and taking a gender poll to see who wins LOL! It was the best Easter ever! Then they got on the phone and started calling all of my other Aunts and Uncle and Cousins who weren't there....it was fun!

Other then that...things are great! I am still trying to deal with all the BS of work right now. They (as in my corporate office) is bugging me about when I am taking my bed rest leave. Like I have any clue when that will actually happen! I am so mad because the corporate office told my boss today that I got 12 weeks FMLA and that was it. They can only save my job for 12 weeks and then after that I have to come back or I don't have a job. Well if I go on bedrest at 20 weeks lets just say...I might not have the babies after 12 weeks! Then they go and tell my boss that if I apply for unemployment that it will be fraud. Such BS! I belong to an online Triplet Moms group on FB and happy to hear that I will qualify for a lot of help and hopefully unemployment since they have to replace me after 12 weeks. We might even qualify for WIC too which according to their website we don't but I am going to make an appt and apply...it can't hurt. We will really need any help we can get for these babies.

Love all of you! So happy to make it to 11 weeks! My next ultrasound is on Monday where I meet my new high risk OB/Gyn for the first time! Yeahhh!

10 weeks today!

This is the photo surprise I made for my Husband's parents last week. We presented it on Sunday! Boy were they surprised! Not the kind of reaction I had expected since they sort of freaked out at first about 3 babies coming but after a few hours, they warmed up to the idea and were finally happy to have 3 more Grandbabies on the way the end of this year. I tried to post a pic of each ultrasound picture here but the frame will do...it has all pictures from my Week 9 ultrasound from last Tuesday!

So last Tuesday we had our 2nd ultrasound. My husband and I were both very nervous for totally different reasons of course. My husband was nervous that the nurse would find a 4th baby (LOL!) and i was nervous that 3 would have turned to 2 or 1 or none.

I have been eating a lot lately...I am starving every few hours so when I got weighted in last Tuesday I was shocked that I was 2 lbs less then my last appt 2 weeks ago. Blood pressure was excellent too!

I had a different NP for this appt who did my second IUI so she was happy to see me again but pregnant! She did the ultrasound and immediately saw all three babies! All three have strong heartbeats, little heads and cute butts. It was AMAZING to see their heads and butts on the monitor! My husband was in awe of such a sight and how much they have changed since we first saw them 2 weeks ago. I think it's cute that all three have different due dates...all 2 days apart!

The NP did discuss that I more then likely will be told to go on bedrest at 20 weeks =( I am so not prepared for that!!! What the heck am I going to do with myself for 3 months on the couch. Ugh! My work knows and is prepared for my leaving. I really wanted to have all that time to walk around and show off my belly to the world but instead it will be parked in front of the TV LOL! Oh well....luckily it's not forever!

The NP said that everything looked great and that I was graduating from the RE clinic. A little bitter sweet but looking forward to moving on. She recommended a high risk doctor for me and sending them a message to call me. I am also still very anemic (I have been all my life) and for me to double my dose of iron pills. When I was leaving two of the nurses ran out to say Goodbye to me and were so thrilled that all three babies were doing well. Yeahhhh!

My jeans have become a little too tight and I cannot button them now so I bought a belly band thing for now until I am ready for maternity pants and shirts. My stomach has grown a lot I think since the last picture I took last week. It just keeps growing and growing! I'll have my husband do a 10 week picture this week.

I am making frames for my parents this week. I bought a bunch of scrapbook material and some stickers and fun things to put the ultrasound pictures in. We told my husband's parents/family on Sunday, my Dad this coming Saturday and my Mom's family on Easter Sunday. They are going to be SHOCKED! I saw my Mom and brother last weekend and they have no clue...I hate lying to them but it will make the surprise that much better ;)

No other things really to report! I have a Nutrition class this coming Thursday at my hospital that will be exciting to go to. On May 2nd, I have my first appt with my new high risk Ob/Gyn that I am really excited about. I can't wait to meet the doctor who will be taking care of me and my little ones for the next 6 months or so. Then on the 3rd I have an NT scan where they do a very long ultrasound to see if they can detect any kind of birth defects like Down's Syndrome. Totally not looking forward to this appt...I hope that everything comes out okay! I worry about that! I have been trying to drink more water since I am reading that the more water I drink the better it is for me and the babies. Trying to drink 128 oz of water a day...which is HARD! I have been doing what I can and I pee all the time now. It's not comfortable.

My boss had been discussing with me my mandatory bed rest that will be coming up probably around July. Our regional manager is bugging my boss about getting an exact date. LOL! I can't do that....not even my doctor really knows when it will exactly happen. Luckily by law, I don't have to give an exact date and I won't. When my doctor says I am ready to be off work, then that is when it will happen. I am not going to feed into his demands and stress myself out....it's not worth it!

Hoping to get a picture of my big growing belly this week to post! For now...all is well in the land of Triplets!

8 weeks and 5 days today!

Time is moving quickly for me and my pregnancy! I am so grateful and happy that my only major symptom has been exhaustion. No vomiting, dizziness, nausea or anything like that! I am surprised because with three I was sure that it would be awful....well it's still early ;)

So this week has bee pretty eventful in my pregnancy. I had my first prenatal class on Monday. It was with about 10 other soon to be Moms. Of course I was the only one carrying more then one so the class was really not geared towards me but I learned from it. Basically what not to eat, what to expect from your doctor's appts and classes that are offered at the hospital. After the class, a nurse met with each of us individually and that was really helpful. The nurse that helped me was AWESOME! She asked me if I wanted to stay with my current Ob/Gyn and I asked if I could switch to a new doctor that has experience with triplets. I read in a wonderful book recommended by friends with twins that you should really advocate to be seen by the best doctor you can get that has experience. Well I didn't have to press that hard! The next thing I know a few of the nurses there agreed on the same doctor and I have my first appt with her in May! Yeahhh!! I was also signed up for a Breastfeeding multiples class in June, a nutrition class in a few weeks and my big ultrasound where we might find out the genders on June 10th. Everything is coming together and lining up so beautifully! I tell ya, Kaiser really has their stuff together and I am so grateful! I walked out of the hospital with tears of joy in my eyes because for once I felt like I was finally being well taken care of and being listened to!! I also had to do a blood and urine test too that goes with the required prenatal lab tests.

Wednesday morning I had my genetic counseling meeting. They usually do it in a group setting but decided to meet with me individually since my situation is way different then a singleton. The counselor was so great....I was running late due to traffic and called her office and it was no problem. I am one of those worriers that hates to be late but she assured me that my running 15 mins late was not an issue *phew* We had an hour long discussion about the option to not test or test with amniocentisis. This is something my husband and I really need to discuss and figure out soon if we plan to do it or not. The chance of miscarriage is less then 2% but that number is still a bit scary. I have no intention of aborting any of my babies even if the tests come back unfavorable but it might be a good feeling to know if all babies are healthy or not. It's defintely something we need to consider seriously.

I will be starting prenatal yoga in May which is also offered by Kaiser and thrilled to do that. I asked the nurse what I could do about my insomnia at night. She told me getting about 30 mins of some exercise a day might help with falling asleep at night.

My husband and I are still working out the financial aspect of the babies and what we plan to do once they make their arrival. I know it will all get figured out but my husband is a bit stressed out. A mini van is in our future! We have all the dates scheduled to tell our parents and we are thrilled. Our next ultrasound is next Tues the 12th. I will take the pictures from that one and make frames for each set of parents. My husband's parents will be told on Sunday April 17th, my Dad and his wife (and probably brother) will be the 23rd and my Mom and her whole family will be told on Easter day on the 24th. OMG...I cannot wait!! My heart flutters every time I think about telling them. Hopefully we will only have great news at the ultrasound on the 12th.

That is my 8 week update! I am also growing a wee tiny baby bump right now! Not enough for any one to notice yet but it's definitely there! Nevermind the sexy red line from my pants LOL!

2 days until I am 9 weeks pregnant! Wow!