It has been a hectic couple of weeks with finishing up things at work and preparing for the holidays. Last Tuesday I ended up visiting the doctor because of some serious tightness in my tummy. The doctor informed me that is what is going to happen when I am on my feet too much. Lesson learned. I was really surprised at how soon the doctor wanted me off my feet but as the time has gotten near, I am fully aware of why that is.
Christmas was awesome and I was very happy to spend it with family. I have also felt myself relaxing and unwinding for the first time this whole pregnancy. Being off of my feet has made a tremendous difference with how I feel.
I had my 19 week appointment today. Everything is looking good. Babies have great heart rates and it is still appearing there are two boys and a girl. The doctor received the report from my UAB anatomy scan. She said according to the report everything looks good, which is what they told me. I asked about to what extent I am having to be off of my feet. She said that it would be ok to take little bit to school and pick him up, but she wants me off of my feet, with my feet up, for six continuous hours a day. If I need to do a quick errand before or after that time, it would be ok, but outside of that I'm not supposed to do much. No grocery shopping on my own, no house work, etc. Lucky for me I have an amazing husband who does everything and then some.
I've enjoyed the down time this week, but I know from experience, that four walls get very small, very fast. Hoping to catch up on reading and planning and figuring out how to be better organized.
And the question of the century....have we thought about names. Yes, yes, and yes. Do we have them set in stone....no. For the girl we are pretty sure her name will be Caroline Elizabeth. One boy will be Gabriel Elliot and will be called Gabe. The third little boy...not one hundred percent sure but are leaning towards Austin Thomas. Each name has family and sentimental meaning.
That is all I know for now. We go back next week to the OB and the following week will be my follow up anatomy scan at UAB. After that I will see my OB weekly until D-Day!! Keep us in your prayers that these babies will bake as long as possible!!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The hip bone connects to the leg bone.....
Time goes by faster and faster and we are now staring down our half way point, if I make it until 34 weeks!! Exciting and scary with all the changes.
Last weekend we were very busy. We moved out of our master bedroom and into Tripp's old room. Talk about wall to wall furniture, but I know I will be happier with a spacious nursery. Besides, we all know we won't be sleeping anytime soon. Moving out was a bit hard I think because it is making real all the uncertainties ahead of me. Once again, my husband, my rock, has been nothing but positive and encouraging. He always balances me out when I start to get scared.
We also have discovered the pests of pantry moths. If you have never experienced them, be very, very thankful. All I can say is thank you SAMs for sharing bugs with our home. Now all our food is out of the pantry and we have thrown away many, many, unopened groceries. I think the chaos of this coupled with all the other changes accounts for my anxiousness-especially at a time when I want everything in its place.
Despite the struggles of everyday life, we are beyond thankful for the positive reports we continue to receive from the doctor. Yesterday was my 17 week OB appointment. A good report with the ultra sound and a shot of progesterone to decrease chances of preterm labor. This will be a weekly shot....yay. Today we went to UAB for my anatomy scan. Our appointment was scheduled for 1:40 and at 3 we were still sitting in the waiting room. When we finally went back I was completely unaware of how long it was going to take. The doctor said 17 weeks is too early to measure hearts and brains. However, at first glance, everything looks good. She also said my babies were very uncooperative. Michael said they take after me, but I'm pretty sure everyone knows that comes from the Collins. :) tThere is for sure one girl, one boy, and not sure on the third. Maybe a boy, but his rear was tucked behind his sister. So, the doctor wasn't able to see clearly.
I return to my OB on the 27th and back for another anatomy scan on the 10th of January.
Tripp is adjusting as well as he can for a three year old. He knows big changes are coming but I'm sure he doesn't realize how much his life will change. He has a sweet heart Hugh. He talks about sharing his toys and his old bottles. ;) we will see how he feels about sharing toys when the time comes.
In the meantime, we just continue to thank our God for all His blessings. Everyone has been amazing. To say that is really an understatement. The sweet words, presents, and most of all prayers.are most appreciated.
Last weekend we were very busy. We moved out of our master bedroom and into Tripp's old room. Talk about wall to wall furniture, but I know I will be happier with a spacious nursery. Besides, we all know we won't be sleeping anytime soon. Moving out was a bit hard I think because it is making real all the uncertainties ahead of me. Once again, my husband, my rock, has been nothing but positive and encouraging. He always balances me out when I start to get scared.
We also have discovered the pests of pantry moths. If you have never experienced them, be very, very thankful. All I can say is thank you SAMs for sharing bugs with our home. Now all our food is out of the pantry and we have thrown away many, many, unopened groceries. I think the chaos of this coupled with all the other changes accounts for my anxiousness-especially at a time when I want everything in its place.
Despite the struggles of everyday life, we are beyond thankful for the positive reports we continue to receive from the doctor. Yesterday was my 17 week OB appointment. A good report with the ultra sound and a shot of progesterone to decrease chances of preterm labor. This will be a weekly shot....yay. Today we went to UAB for my anatomy scan. Our appointment was scheduled for 1:40 and at 3 we were still sitting in the waiting room. When we finally went back I was completely unaware of how long it was going to take. The doctor said 17 weeks is too early to measure hearts and brains. However, at first glance, everything looks good. She also said my babies were very uncooperative. Michael said they take after me, but I'm pretty sure everyone knows that comes from the Collins. :) tThere is for sure one girl, one boy, and not sure on the third. Maybe a boy, but his rear was tucked behind his sister. So, the doctor wasn't able to see clearly.
I return to my OB on the 27th and back for another anatomy scan on the 10th of January.
Tripp is adjusting as well as he can for a three year old. He knows big changes are coming but I'm sure he doesn't realize how much his life will change. He has a sweet heart Hugh. He talks about sharing his toys and his old bottles. ;) we will see how he feels about sharing toys when the time comes.
In the meantime, we just continue to thank our God for all His blessings. Everyone has been amazing. To say that is really an understatement. The sweet words, presents, and most of all prayers.are most appreciated.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
16 Weeks and Counting!
I was reading some other mother's of triplets blogs and they seem to be able to keep up with their posts...they must know something that I don't because I am just pregnant with them at the moment and have a hard time keeping it up.
After the short stay in the hospital and good care from my husband, I am much better. The second trimester has come with its positives and negatives. I am happy to say my day long sickness has pretty much left. What has replaced it is new aches and pains, and the babies are definitely sitting on my bladder! However, if these are my worst complaints, I will take it!
My 15 week appointment was Wednesday. It went really well. I couldn't believe how much the babies have grown. The three of them no longer fit on the same screen. The sweet ultra sound tech tried very long and hard to determine genders but it was very difficult. From their angles it looks like a girl (hoping for at least one girl!), one boy, and the other just would not cooperate. Of course we really have no preference except healthy babies. I just would love one little girl to give the boys a run for their money. ;)
The doctor was happy with the progress. I go back next week to my OB and will begin a series of shots that will hopefully help prevent preterm labor. The day after I see my OB we go to UAB for my "big" ultra sound. This is where they measure all organs, etc. Excited and nervous about that.
The house is beginning to transform. We had carpet put in downstairs and began moving Tripp's toys down there today. I think he is going to really enjoy it and it will provide a good retreat from screaming little ones. :) My very sweet friend, Jennifer (ironically I have many Jennifer's in my life), came over yesterday and spent almost the whole day helping me organize my kitchen. I have absolutely no organizational skills. I am sure I will figure it out as soon as I have four children to take care of! Anyway, thanks to her, I now have room for bottles, formula, etc. in our kitchen!
I also had my baby shower at work. I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone. There are no words for how thankful we are to be surrounded by so much support. My prayer now is for continued progress of three healthy babies and not worry about everything that needs to get done!!!
After the short stay in the hospital and good care from my husband, I am much better. The second trimester has come with its positives and negatives. I am happy to say my day long sickness has pretty much left. What has replaced it is new aches and pains, and the babies are definitely sitting on my bladder! However, if these are my worst complaints, I will take it!
My 15 week appointment was Wednesday. It went really well. I couldn't believe how much the babies have grown. The three of them no longer fit on the same screen. The sweet ultra sound tech tried very long and hard to determine genders but it was very difficult. From their angles it looks like a girl (hoping for at least one girl!), one boy, and the other just would not cooperate. Of course we really have no preference except healthy babies. I just would love one little girl to give the boys a run for their money. ;)
The doctor was happy with the progress. I go back next week to my OB and will begin a series of shots that will hopefully help prevent preterm labor. The day after I see my OB we go to UAB for my "big" ultra sound. This is where they measure all organs, etc. Excited and nervous about that.
The house is beginning to transform. We had carpet put in downstairs and began moving Tripp's toys down there today. I think he is going to really enjoy it and it will provide a good retreat from screaming little ones. :) My very sweet friend, Jennifer (ironically I have many Jennifer's in my life), came over yesterday and spent almost the whole day helping me organize my kitchen. I have absolutely no organizational skills. I am sure I will figure it out as soon as I have four children to take care of! Anyway, thanks to her, I now have room for bottles, formula, etc. in our kitchen!
I also had my baby shower at work. I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone. There are no words for how thankful we are to be surrounded by so much support. My prayer now is for continued progress of three healthy babies and not worry about everything that needs to get done!!!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Taking It All In
We are currently 13 weeks into our pregnancy. I am currently sitting in a hospital bed, so I figured now is as good a time as any to catch everyone up in our ever changing world. We are started to absorb the reality of our situation and the magnitude. Some days it seems real and other days, it all seems like a dream. There are so many unknowns about what our future holds. It is exciting and scary. I am realizing how easy it is to have faith in God when all is going smoothly. As more bumps get thrown into our road, it is important to keep our eyes fixed on Him.
The doctor informed us that they will take the babies sometime between 32-34 weeks. We are praying for 34 weeks, and that would put us having the babies around April 10th. She wants me off of work starting at the beginning of January, with my feet up for at least 6 hours a day. This creates financial concerns, but we have faith that God will figure it out.
Reactions:
Everyone had their own reaction to our news. First I will tell about my mom's reaction. She was at work when she got the call that she was anticipating. I told her "mom, there are three heart beats." There was silence on the line followed with a very stern "Jennifer, State has been in the hospital today, it is not a day to joke with me. You tell me the truth right now." My response was, "Mom, that is the truth." Mom says, "hand the phone to your husband." Ha. After talking to him I think she realized we weren't lying. Not saying it has sunk in as of yet, but at least the ultra sound pictures have proven our case. Needless to say she is one of my biggest cheerleaders right now and very excited. My husband texted my step-dad, Clay, and simply said "We are going to need a bigger boat." Ha! He too, is excited, especially since a long time ago he promised that number four was his. Thinking this would never be a reality, we are kind of blaming him for that comment. :)
Second, I will tell you my dad's reaction. I called him and he happened to be out walking the dogs. I told him I had some news and that he may want to sit down. He assured me he was fine and for me to go ahead with the news. I said, "I'm pregnant!" He was very excited. I then said "Dad, there are three babies." Again, silence for a moment. I said "Dad?" He said "I'm sitting down now." :) He is very excited for us as well. I think he is being my protective father and worried about the toll the pregnancy is/will take on me and my body, but that is a dad. :) My step-mother, Cynthia is very excited as well. She already has a set of twin grandchildren, so I'm hoping for some words of wisdom.
Michael's mom was at the restaurant when we told her. We sat her down and showed her the ultra sound. Before we could say anything she ran out of the room screaming "Mike, oh my gosh. Mike, oh my gosh. Mike, Oh my gosh." When she found him we finally got her to sit down and look at the pictures. They are very excited as well.
We are blessed with supportive siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and friends! It would take a year to write everyone's response. The only way we are making it through this process is with your support.
One final reaction was Tripp's, our three year old. He knew there was a baby in mommies tummy. However, he was unaware of how many. While out shopping with my husband, he kept telling us about the things he could share with his "baby bruddar." I said, "Tripp, do you know how many babies are in mommies tummy?" He looked at me and I whispered "three." He immediately threw his hand on his head and said "Oh come on! Are you kidding me? I just wanted one. Oh, just forget about it!" Hahaha. We laughed so hard we cried.
Thank you, as always, for your prayers.
"There's the kind of support you ask for and the kind of support you don't ask for and then there's kind that just shows up."
The doctor informed us that they will take the babies sometime between 32-34 weeks. We are praying for 34 weeks, and that would put us having the babies around April 10th. She wants me off of work starting at the beginning of January, with my feet up for at least 6 hours a day. This creates financial concerns, but we have faith that God will figure it out.
Reactions:
Everyone had their own reaction to our news. First I will tell about my mom's reaction. She was at work when she got the call that she was anticipating. I told her "mom, there are three heart beats." There was silence on the line followed with a very stern "Jennifer, State has been in the hospital today, it is not a day to joke with me. You tell me the truth right now." My response was, "Mom, that is the truth." Mom says, "hand the phone to your husband." Ha. After talking to him I think she realized we weren't lying. Not saying it has sunk in as of yet, but at least the ultra sound pictures have proven our case. Needless to say she is one of my biggest cheerleaders right now and very excited. My husband texted my step-dad, Clay, and simply said "We are going to need a bigger boat." Ha! He too, is excited, especially since a long time ago he promised that number four was his. Thinking this would never be a reality, we are kind of blaming him for that comment. :)
Second, I will tell you my dad's reaction. I called him and he happened to be out walking the dogs. I told him I had some news and that he may want to sit down. He assured me he was fine and for me to go ahead with the news. I said, "I'm pregnant!" He was very excited. I then said "Dad, there are three babies." Again, silence for a moment. I said "Dad?" He said "I'm sitting down now." :) He is very excited for us as well. I think he is being my protective father and worried about the toll the pregnancy is/will take on me and my body, but that is a dad. :) My step-mother, Cynthia is very excited as well. She already has a set of twin grandchildren, so I'm hoping for some words of wisdom.
Michael's mom was at the restaurant when we told her. We sat her down and showed her the ultra sound. Before we could say anything she ran out of the room screaming "Mike, oh my gosh. Mike, oh my gosh. Mike, Oh my gosh." When she found him we finally got her to sit down and look at the pictures. They are very excited as well.
We are blessed with supportive siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and friends! It would take a year to write everyone's response. The only way we are making it through this process is with your support.
One final reaction was Tripp's, our three year old. He knew there was a baby in mommies tummy. However, he was unaware of how many. While out shopping with my husband, he kept telling us about the things he could share with his "baby bruddar." I said, "Tripp, do you know how many babies are in mommies tummy?" He looked at me and I whispered "three." He immediately threw his hand on his head and said "Oh come on! Are you kidding me? I just wanted one. Oh, just forget about it!" Hahaha. We laughed so hard we cried.
Thank you, as always, for your prayers.
"There's the kind of support you ask for and the kind of support you don't ask for and then there's kind that just shows up."
There are how many?!?!
August 26th 2012:
So we knew we were pregnant, about six weeks, and we knew there was a slight chance for twins because we had done one month of fsh shots. The day had arrived for our first ultra sound. They called my name and we went back to the room. As I climbed on the table I looked at Michael and said...."I haven't freaked out yet, but now I'm starting to. What if there isn't a heart beat, what if there is more than one heart beat?! What are we going to do?!" And as always, the calm to my chaos says, "everything is going to be fine." So I take a deep breath, and the nurse walks in. She was a familiar face, which put me at ease.
As the ultra sound began, we immediately saw a sac. She said "there it is, and you can see the heart flickering, meaning there is a heart beat." A wave of relief came over me. She moved it around and on the screen popped a second sac. From that view, it looked empty. She explained about a blighted ovum, where something tried to develop but didn't. Somewhat sad about a possible loss, but thankful for the one. She moved it around again, and there was a third sac. Again, it looked empty. The nurse became puzzled about how strange it was that there were two blighted ovums. She said she had to measure everything and would zoom in on each one. As she rotated and zoomed in, it became apparent. There was not just one, not two, but three flickering beings on the screen. The nurse was the first to say"oh my gosh!! We haven't seen triplets in a really long time!" I was in shock but managed to laugh. It dawned on me that my other half had yet to speak. I look behind me and there he was, slouched in his chair, eyes fixated on the screen. He did manage to say he was ok, but I knew we were in the same place. The nurse says, "ohhh, the dr. Is going to freak out." Without missing a beat my response was,"why? Is he taking them home with him??"
The rest of the visit was blur. There was talk about spontaneous reduction and selective reduction and not to go out and buy a tipple stroller just yet. I heard some of what was said, but just kept looking at Michael and laughing. Three, three, THREE!!!! There were three babies in my tummy. Oh my goodness. We had prayed a lot about God's timing with our second pregnancy and if this is God's plan, we are thankful for the opportunity to be apart of this miraculous adventure.
So we knew we were pregnant, about six weeks, and we knew there was a slight chance for twins because we had done one month of fsh shots. The day had arrived for our first ultra sound. They called my name and we went back to the room. As I climbed on the table I looked at Michael and said...."I haven't freaked out yet, but now I'm starting to. What if there isn't a heart beat, what if there is more than one heart beat?! What are we going to do?!" And as always, the calm to my chaos says, "everything is going to be fine." So I take a deep breath, and the nurse walks in. She was a familiar face, which put me at ease.
As the ultra sound began, we immediately saw a sac. She said "there it is, and you can see the heart flickering, meaning there is a heart beat." A wave of relief came over me. She moved it around and on the screen popped a second sac. From that view, it looked empty. She explained about a blighted ovum, where something tried to develop but didn't. Somewhat sad about a possible loss, but thankful for the one. She moved it around again, and there was a third sac. Again, it looked empty. The nurse became puzzled about how strange it was that there were two blighted ovums. She said she had to measure everything and would zoom in on each one. As she rotated and zoomed in, it became apparent. There was not just one, not two, but three flickering beings on the screen. The nurse was the first to say"oh my gosh!! We haven't seen triplets in a really long time!" I was in shock but managed to laugh. It dawned on me that my other half had yet to speak. I look behind me and there he was, slouched in his chair, eyes fixated on the screen. He did manage to say he was ok, but I knew we were in the same place. The nurse says, "ohhh, the dr. Is going to freak out." Without missing a beat my response was,"why? Is he taking them home with him??"
The rest of the visit was blur. There was talk about spontaneous reduction and selective reduction and not to go out and buy a tipple stroller just yet. I heard some of what was said, but just kept looking at Michael and laughing. Three, three, THREE!!!! There were three babies in my tummy. Oh my goodness. We had prayed a lot about God's timing with our second pregnancy and if this is God's plan, we are thankful for the opportunity to be apart of this miraculous adventure.
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