25 weeks

WOO HOO we made it to 25 weeks! It is also July 4. It has been a wonderful day today!! This weekend Brian's mom is here visiting! She and Brian have been spoiling me since Friday!! It has been awesome! I am so excited to have made it to this important day!! The doctor came in today and is so happy. He says we have many more weeks to go!! We are now looking to 28 weeks when he has approved a definite "wingdinger" as he put it!!

This hospital experience, though difficult, has been as good as you can expect. All of the nurses are so nice and we talk every day! They all tell me and Brian that they fight to have us assigned to them. That is nice of them. They are my social lifeline these days!! We also have amazing doctors who I beleive are so trustworthy and honest! They never rush visits and if anything beg me to ask them questions!!

The babies are moving and shaking! Monitoring today was a disaster! None of them would stay in one spot long enough to be monitored! It was a LONG hour of the nurses trying to chase them and get them monitored. In the end, I think there may have been two or three minutes of Kathryn and Jackson and as has been the tradition, about three beats at a time on Addison!!

Yesterday we went to tour the NICU. It was a little shocking to see how many babies are in there but because of all of my friends who have explained their experiences with NICUs, we were a little prepared for all the lights and sounds. The NICU here makes me comfortable. The nurses were all nice and I liked that there are so many nurses that the babies have close monitoring.

We are hoping more every day that these little ones are fat little dumplins. We should find out next week how much they have grown over the last month!! I am hoping for close to 2 pounds each. That would be fabulous!!

Okay, so now I guess I need sleep when it is actually dark outside!! My schedule is all off!! Right now, Addison is kicking her brother and sister who are not so happy about having to escape her. One day soon, I am sure they will eventually kick her back!!! It would suit us to have three little feisty babies!! I was hoping for calm!! hahahaha

Last couple of days

It has been quiet around here lately!! Thank goodness! The doctors say everything is going well and they anticipate us being here a while...they talk about making it to 34 weeks! I told them I am focusing on this week first!! :) I am not having any contractions which is a blessing!! Mostly I just sit around here and talk to the nurses. They have been really nice!! I am learning all the gossipp!!

The babies are kicking and playing a lot these days! Addison "A" is the most active. She enjoys kicking her brother and sister, especially when the nurses are trying to monitor all of them. It makes for a long hour!! Kathryn "B" has calmed down. She was a runner at first but now she seems to stay put. Jackson "C" flips to escape Addison's kicking. This morning I awoke to Jack plastered under my ribs. He is still hanging out there even though I keep pushing on him!! It makes breathing VERY uncomfortable!! The things they don't tell you about in the pregnancy books!! :)

This is about all that has gone on. Briny and I are going on the tour of the NICU tomorrow morning. That should be scary but necessary!! We will keep ya'll updated!!

24 week milestone

It has been an eventful weekend!! We made it to 24 weeks on saturday which is HUGE!! My parents came down on Friday and we all celebrated on Saturday. Briny and my dad brought me dinner (oh so yummy and a nice break from hospital food) and then ice cream!! I am spoiled!! Sunday Briny and my dad came over for a little bit and then went home to grill and have a guys night! I figured Briny needed a break from driving home at night and going straight to bed. Plus, I figured the puppies needed some attention and somewhat normal day!!
We did get some news on Saturday. I had my one hour glucose tolerance test and it was high so I was scheduled for a three hour test. They make you drink this orange drink which is DISGUSTING!! The three hour test was started at 4 a.m. so I wouldn't have to miss breakfast and lunch. (you have to fast for at least 8 hours before the test) Well, my fasting blood sugar was normal but I TANKED the other 3 blood draws! BOO!! Now, I have to have finger pricks every morning and 2 hours after every meal!! So far today my morning was normal and after breakfast was normal but after lunch and dinner, I have received insulin. I was freaking out but the nurses assure me this is normal and I have a mild case so far!! Let's just hope that stays the same for a while!! Otherwise my fingers will fall off!!
Some good news, my blood pressure has been normal without meds!! My kidneys are still producing too much protein and my liver functions are on the high side of normal so they have to watch this but so far so true diagnosis of preeclampsia that they have told be about.
What an eventful pregnancy this is turning out to be!! The babies have decided to start kicking and playing ALL of the time!! They are doing well! I had an ultrasound today and they were bouncing around and all three were "practice breathing." The nurses and doctors say this is a good thing and shows they are developing at a good and healthy pace!! I also have to be hooked up to monitors for at least an hour a day. It measures the babies' heartbeats and any contractions. So far, no contractions, so that this great!! Addi and Jack (affectionately A & C) are relatively good about not running from the monitors but Kate (little B) is a runner!! She kicks the monitor if the nurse presses on her and she rolls wherever she can to get away! The nurse has to sit on the edge of the bed and hold the monitor on her so she can move it around to try to catch her!! I have to lay still the entire time which is a challenge but worth it!! It is amazingly calming to hear the heartbeats for all that time. It reassures me of my purpose right now!!
I have to thank Briny for all he has done in the last few months!! While I was at home on bedrest, he was amazing keeping up with things and taking care of me. Now, he is my support and what gets me through the hard times during the day!! I love his visits and how he takes such good care of me! It is the cutest thing when he talks to the belly button a.k.a. "the microphone" to talk to the three babies!! He rarely misses a night of talking to them! Lately, he has been taking me on wheelchair rides around the hospital after dinner most nights to give me a change of scenery! We sit outside together and just talk. It has been some of the best times of me being here! Also, our parents have been here supporting us and truly deserve more thanks than we will ever be able to give!! They make the weeks pass quickly by coming to visit in intervals!!
Overall, I now know I am in the right place. The alone time can seem like it is stretching out forever but it really is a lot of time to get to know myself again!! I also think this has strengthened our marriage and family!! I can't wait to see the little ones but I am thankful to God that they are still cooking and getting healthier every day!!

Thanks to all of you who have supported us through this! It has made this so much better than I could ever have imagined and we genuinely appreciate all the thoughts and prayers!!

Doctor = Hospital

Okay, so it is officially time to catch this blog up!! A lot has happened over the last month! We finally settled into home bedrest and had a routine going! Then came June 10. We went to our appointment with the high risk doctors (MFM) for the anatomy ultrasounds of the babies. We found out that Addi and Kate were right at 1 pound each and Jack is 1.1 pounds. They all have healthy organs and parts so far, everything is normal!! Whoo!! However, we also found out that my first cerclage slipped and my cervix was down to .7cm!! I fell apart!! The doctor told us there was no other thing to do other than take the high high risk of putting another cerclage in so I was scheduled for surgery the next morning and went straight to the hospital. They put me basically upside down all night!!! Briny had to feed me and everything! I could not get out of bed!! All of the parents came down and by the grace of God, we successfully got through the surgery!! the risk was of rupturing the membranes and inducing labor, which at that point, 21+ weeks, the babies had no chance of survival. HUGE sigh of releif getting through that!!

So a couple of days later, the head MFM told me I was here for the duration of our pregnancy!! I was shocked and a little depressed. It was at that moment that I realized that this was not a normal pregnancy that all girls dream of and I started searching for the reason that this happened to me!! I have now been here exactly 2 weeks and am proud of our progress! My cervix is now close to 3 cm and I was taken off the blood pressure meds and my blood pressure seems to be regulating itself!! I do have some signs of developing preeclampsia but they are even getting better just by me being here and resting!

This time has been trying. Brian comes over every night for dinner and a couple of hours. We go on wheelchair rides most nights and outside when it is not 100 degrees!! I know he is tired so I try to get him home in time to get a good nights sleep! Our puppies, Hogan and Ping, are in shock but I think are adjusting!! This time has given me a lot of thinking time which has been a good thing!! I have come to beleive that we are truly blessed with these three little miracles and our faith is stronger now than ever!! Maybe that is the reason for this hospital stay!!

Settling into Bedrest

Well, we are back at home and getting settled into bed rest for Crystal. Luckily she only had to stay in the hospital for one night (one of the longest nights EVER!!). We are in the process of trying to work out the logistics of Crystal being at home and on bed rest. Thank heavens my mom has been here to help out. It is going to be a little of a struggle trying to work out all the details of how to manage her during the day when no one will be here. Her mom will be coming down on Wednesday this week so she will only have to be home alone for two days this week.

We have another doctor visit on Thursday afternoon. I know Crystal will feel a lot more at ease after that visit. Please keep your fingers crossed and your prayers up to date that everything is normal.

I have been working hard trying to get the nursery finished, but have a little more work to do. I put up a new fan, shelves in closet, decorative shelf above the cribs and they names above the cribs too! Once I finish, I will put up pics of it.

Rough Day

Well, today was a little tough. We had another check up at our regular doctor today. After last weeks cervix measurement, our high risk doctor wanted to get another measurement. Well, must to our shock and dismay, it went from 2.3 cm last week, to 1.3 cm today!! Needless to say, the doctor was not happy and put her right in the hospital and into surgery this afternoon. He went ahead and stitched up her cervix. Before the surgery, she did seem to have a few contractions, but have not had any thing since.



Bless her heart, she is MISERABLE! She can not get comfortable at all. She has wires and tubes everywhere. It sucks!!! I wish I could do more for her. Hopefully she will not have to be there too long. The doctor told us that he wants her home as soon as possible.

17 Week Update

Well, this has been an interesting week filled with ups and downs. Monday we had a regular visit with Dr. Thornycroft, our normal doctor. Two weeks ago we found out that we had one boy and one girl for sure, so we were hoping that we would find out for sure what B would be. Well, she did not fail to give us a show. It is definatly a girl!!! It is official, we have two girls and a boy! We are so excited.

Tuesday, we had the doctor visit with our high risk doctor. We were able to see the babies and get GREAT pictures. I have been told that it will get harder and harder to get good pictures the further along we get so we were happy to get new ones! The main reason for this visit was to measure her cervix. Crystal has not had one up to this point so we were not sure what to expect. Well, it is measuring 2.3, which from what we understand is pretty short. The doctor has now instructed her to go on modified bed rest. He told her she needs to lay flat 3 times a day for at least 2 hours at a time. Luckily her office is understanding and letting her lay in a recliner reviewing files most of the day. I am not sure how long she is going to be able to work. If it were up to me, this would be her last week, but she has to do what she has to do. Hopefully she will be able to work from home starting in two weeks. I just don't want her to be put in the hospital for bed rest.

On a good note, we picked out our three names for our new family. Baby "A" is going to be Addison Ann. The Ann part is from my family. It has been a part of my mom's family for a long time. Baby "B" is going to be Kathryn Ainsley. She is named after Crystal's grandmother. And last but not least, the baby boy "C." He is going to be Jackson Joseph. Jackson was Crystals dear grandfathers name and Joseph has been the first born son on my side of the family forever. All three names are built around both our families. We are so happy with the names we can't stand it.