29 Weeks and 6 Days

Sorry for the lack of updates.  But, thankfully things have been pretty slow.  Everyday in hospital life is about the same.  I get up, order my french toast, watch "The Price is Right", and try not to move too much.  The babies seem to be doing great.  They got "weighed" last Monday. Weighing them consists of taking a measurement of each babies head circumference and femur bone and doing some magic calculation.  So based upon these results as of a week ago........

Baby A - 2lbs 11 oz  (and I was worried he was getting mushed by his brother and sister, ha)

Baby B - 2lbs 9 oz

Baby C - 2lbs 4 oz

As you can see, baby girl is a little smaller than her brothers, but her weight is still within range and they are not concerned.

As for my health, the protein in my urine seems to still be on the rise, so we are keeping a close eye.  Gestational diabetes is under control if I stick to the low carb diet (eating x-mas Candy on Saturday made blood sugar go up to 185, oops).  And, I got wheelchair privileges yesterday.  This means I get 15 minutes a day where Sam can push me around the building in a wheelchair! This was the highlight of my day yesterday, really.  The highlight of today was Sam's cousin Ashley coming and giving me a mani and pedi!  Thanks Ashley!

30 Weeks gestation tomorrow!

28 Weeks 4 Days and belly pics....

Patient here. Thought I would give everyone a quick update. I am still in the hospital and once again it was confirmed today that I will be staying here (not forever, just until babies arrive :). I got some labs back this morning and my pre-eclampsia seems to be getting worse. The good news it is slowly getting worse. I am spilling more protein into my urine than I was last week and something about my Creatinine clearance ratio. All I know is the doctor said is we will just keep a close eye on it, but I am not in immediate danger. So once again, lets repeat "no babies in 08!".

Anyhow, boredom has begun to set in. I have been here almost 2 weeks and the novelty has worn off :) Plus, daytime tv stinks. On a bright note, my sister and Stan came to visit from Chicago on Thursday. First I must apologize because a think a previous post made my sister sound mean. She was mean when she was 13 :) But, now she is really nice and my best friend. It was nice to have them here and they brought me presents and my brother-in-law bought me my very own One-Touch Glucometer lancet. This is an awesome gift because the ones they use here to test my blood sugar are like medieval torture devices! So, me and my finger tips thank him very much!

Below is a picture from there visit. Jaime and I are trying to figure out who is responsible for the big kicks. Also, its is a good view of my hospital room. I have not been out of this room in like 10 days. Seriously, not even into the hallway!

The picture below that is a really poorly drawn cartoon of my belly. I apologize in advance to my children for making them look like beetle bugs. But,I get a lot of questions about who is where. As you can see, baby B is breech. The other 2 are head down. And yes, baby A's head is that far down, I think he keeps creeping down because his brother, B, has been trying to kick him in the head. Behave boys!

I'm dreaming of a St. Vincent's Christmas

Quick update: as of Tuesday, the docs are telling us that Abby is staying in the hospital for the duration. I said to a co-worker today, "They're going to keep her," and they responded, "Forever?" They were joking, of course. And it did make me laugh. I was thinking, "Well, the food is pretty good..."

 

Anyway, we think it's all for the best. I'll sneak in some sparkling apple juice on New Year's. And, umm, maybe just a little something something for myself. Just a nip. That's strictly off the record. I hope US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald isn't monitoring this blog. (Check out his picture at that link. It's like the photographer told him to channel Jack Bauer. Classic. Once at an all-staff conference, we broke up into small groups and had to tell everyone at our table who our heroes were. Yeah, I know. Don't ask. Anyway, I almost said Jack Bauer. At the last second, I realized my table wasn't exactly full of sarcasm-loving, action series fans. So I bailed. Okay, not true. I stayed. Reluctantly.) Seriously though, you can't beat daily ultrasounds and 24/7 monitoring for peace of mind. Heck, I think we're both sleeping better at this point. Abby had an intensive scan this morning and the doc was quite pleased with what she saw. All the babies were practicing their breathing! And yesterday, they measured one and he was right where he was supposed to be -- 28 weeks and change.

 

We are taking it slow with visits -- don't want too much exposure to cold and flu season. For those of you who have been asking, let's touch base after the holidays. But please keep those blog comments, e-mails and voicemails coming. And say it with me now, just one time... "No babies in 2008!" As of right now, it looks like we're in good shape for '09 babies. But we're still knocking on wood with our fingers crossed.

 

Lastly, a few new food reviews for the St. V's cafeteria/room service:

Breaded tenderloin sandwich = B- (Can you guess which one of us ordered this? Hint, it's the one who's not on the calorie-restricted diet)

Pizza = A

Chicken Stir Fry = B

Chicken Fingers = A+

Grilled Cheese = A-

Brian who answers at 5-8000 = A+++. Brian is dominant. You couldn't order food from a nicer guy.

 

Until next time...

Four-eyed metal mouth shrimp cocktail

When I was about eleven, my sister started calling me "the four-eyed metal mouth shrimp cocktail."  Fulfilling her big sister duties, she usually called me this at my weakest moments and it typically reduced me to tears.  A few years later I shed the glasses and braces and caught up to my peers in the height department, but uh, that nickname still makes me cringe (all photos from this stage have been burned or "lost").  Well, I think I would prefer that nickname now, because every new nurse that comes into my hospital room says oh you are "the triplet mom with pyelonephritis, preterm labor, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes."  I think they are just surprised to see one patient with so many diagnoses.  Anyhow, after a rough week I am feeling much better and all of the above conditions seem to be stabilized through the wonders of modern medicine, proper nutrition, and bedrest.  At this point I am still on IV antibiotics, because when they last took me off, my fever spiked.  All we know at this point is that I am for sure here for a few more days and possibly for the duration of the pregnancy.  There are a lot of things one could complain about in the hospital, including catheters, finger pokes, blood draws, IV bags, not being able to use the restroom without assistance, the potassium supplement I had to drink, missing my bed, husband, little Milo......the list could go on and on, but I will try to focus on the positive parts of being here, so here goes, the top 5 perks of living at this hospital.

5. Constant monitoring and peace of mind.

4.  Room service at a touch of a button, which means St. Vincent's cheeseburgers anytime!

3.  Massage therapy (will Anthem really cover this?).

2. Ambien (this stuff is non-addictive, right?).

1.  I get to see my babies' heartbeats on ultrasound EVERYDAY.

That's all for now, we'll post updates when we can.

antibiotics 1, infection 0

Well, once again, IV antibiotics are kicking tail and taking names. Abby is feeling much better than she was earlier in the week. She had a temp of 102 late on Tuesday night and her contractions were rapid-firing at 3-minute intervals. That said, things have calmed down significantly since then. No fever today, contractions are down to 2 or 3 an hour, emergent (but highly developed) fashion sense, etc. Oh, who am I kidding, she's always had a highly developed fashion sense. That's not new. In fact, "hospital chic" is in this year. Seriously. I saw it on What Not to Wear.

So, there are still some labs pending. Apparently the first round of labs didn't pan out. I don't know if the sample got contaminated, or maybe their computers are running Windows ME, but one of the levels came back indicating that Abby was not, technically, from this planet. Now, Abby's mom is in town right now, and she personally vouched that Abby is, in fact, terrestrial in origin. Ergo, there was a mistake in the labs. They're running them again. The docs will have a better sense of things after the good data comes back. Mmmmm, data (think Homer voice). We're still getting the impression they're going to hang on to her for a while. I mean, who wouldn't want to? She's a doll!

You'll know more when I know more, dear reader.

Looks like she's at St. V's for good

Well, the day has finally come. No, not THAT day. The other critical
date, the one when the docs decide that Abby needs to be looked after,
24/7. So, as of about half an hour ago, she's been admitted for the
duration. We're still optimistic that the babies will stay put for a
while. We're not that far from 28 weeks, and the doc says he's going
to get us there and "then we'll come up with a new plan." Every day
after 28 weeks pays huge dividends. Abby's spirits are, as always,
quite good. She amazes me. I'd be such a whiner.

I think we're both more relieved than anything. She won't have to get
up much anymore or fix herself lunch, etc. And we know they'll keep a
close eye on her.

So this is her home away from home -- for as many weeks as it can be.
Visitors are welcome. Just contact Sam via phone or
samperry42@gmail.com. Thank you all for all the positive vibes. Abby
will return to posting soon (witty commentary on hospital living, I
have no doubt). Thank goodness for WiFi.

The mind of a Cockapoo

Mommy and Daddy have been spending a lot of time preparing for something lately, but I can't quite figure out what it is. What I really like is the fact that, a couple months ago, Mommy decided to start staying home with me all day long! It's really great, although she doesn't take me outside to play fetch very much. (Daddy and I played in the snow yesterday, which was a lot of fun.) She does give me lots of treats though. I think maybe Mommy is eating too much, because her tummy has grown a lot. Daddy keeps feeding her ice cream (I prefer Frosty Paws) and Chipotle. Mommy drinks a lot, too – water, Gatorade, orange juice, 7-UP, you name it. I think Daddy secretly likes going to Costco and buying things in bulk. He's always saying, "Sigh, I guess I'll go back to Costco then." Uh-huh, sure Daddy, you just can't stand going to Costco, can you?

 

They keep talking about getting closer to 28 weeks, whatever that means. I think it must mean they're going to have a party for me or bring me new toys or something like that. I'm such a good boy, I do deserve lots of presents. Mommy says they want to get to 28 weeks and then as far after that as possible. Maybe I get presents every week after 28?

 

OH NO! IT'S THE UPS MAN. MY SWORN NEMISIS. BARK! BARK! BARK! He is retreating! Huzzah!! I have successfully defended my castle once again. What would Mommy and Daddy do without me? That dastardly UPS man would probably pack them up and ship them off somewhere. It's a good thing I'm here to defend them from "He Who Drives the Brown Truck."

 

I have two new rooms to play in upstairs. One is pink and one is blue. I think Daddy painted them that way so I can relax in whichever room matches my mood at the time. I also have a lot of new furniture and many boxes to explore and assess. I'm smart, and I always ask, "How can this item serve the needs of a Cockapoo?" Usually, if it's a paper product or a wrapper of some kind, my needs are best served by chewing the item until it is unrecognizable. I typically do this to water bottles that Mommy leaves on her nightstand for me.

 

Mommy and Daddy keep asking me, "Are you going to be a good big brother?" I do not know what this means. But as the prince of this castle, I am sworn to honor and protect all who dwell within these walls. Therefore, should Mommy and Daddy choose to expand the royal family, I will extend my protection to whoever needs it. I am the one in charge, after all.

 

Mommy is currently undergoing some tests, and Daddy says those will determine how much longer she gets to stay home. She might have to go stay at some place called "The Hospital." It sounds like some kind of hotel, because Daddy says if she does go there, people will take really good care of her and bring her food whenever she wants! That sounds pretty good to me, but I think I'd rather have her home. Daddy says we'll know more later this week. Until then, I'm signing off. I have to go take a nap and then go hunt for my Nylabone.

 

-- Prince Milo, the Cockapoo

26 Weeks and I ate the whole fruit bowl.

Wow, I am 26 weeks today. I forgot to mention, but 2 weeks ago we hit our first goal of the pregnancy which was 24 weeks. 24 weeks is considered viability. The survival rate for babies born at 24 weeks is anywhere from 30-50% and most of these babies do end up having some type of disabilities. So, our next goal is to get to 28 Weeks. At 28 weeks the survival rate jumps to over 90% and the risk of long term disabilities goes down significantly. And of course our ultimate goal will be to get to 34 weeks. Things are looking pretty good on the contraction front. I typically have 0 to 2 for each hour of contraction monitoring. My Doctors set a threshold of 5 an hour before I have to start on any anti-contraction medication. Actually, they are pretty surprised that I am not on anti-contraction medication at this point... most triplets Mom's are.

I am experiencing high blood pressure. This has been going on for a few weeks and my doctors are watching it closely. As long as I do not develop any of the other signs of Pre-eclampsia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-eclampsia
I should be okay.... Otherwise the duration the the pregnancy could be spent chowing down on cheeseburgers at St. Vincents. As much as I do love those cheeseburger, I would much rather be at home. Anyhow, my blood pressure seems to come down if I lay on my left side, so that is what I spend most of my time doing these days. That and eating. The other night I was so hungry after dinner that I decided to have a healthy snack of some fruit. That turned into eating a banana, a pear, an apple, and a orange. Wow, I ate the whole fruit bowl. I guess the babies are needing some vitamins! Back to the Doctor on Thursday.

Last Week's Ultrasound Pictures

Since I get an ultrasound every week, we do not always get pictures. Every 4 weeks they do an in depth ultrasound with measurements. These are the pictures from last Friday. The babies were measuring 23Weeks and 3 day. Baby A and C weigh 1 lbs 4 ounces and Baby B weighs 1lb 5 ounces. The measurements are right on track and they felt good that all the babies are around the same weight because it means they are all getting good blood flow.

Baby B kicking his brother Baby A. They are already rough housing.

Proof that Baby C is in fact a girl

and Baby A is a boy

Baby B (who loves the camera) giving us a great view of his little face!

Trading Spaces

Well, I felt like I was living an episode of Trading Spaces (or maybe Design Star) this weekend as Dr. Larry "The Handyman" Magid (AKA my father-in-law) and I went on a marathon, 36-hour home improvement binge which included painting 2 rooms (1 blue, 1 pink -- originality prevails!), assembling 2 dressers and 1 crib, and installing 2 light fixtures. Oh, and picking up the dressers required driving the oh-so-rare complete loop of 465 (since we had to get to 2 Babies R Us locations on opposite sides of town -- no worries Jaime, it was worth it for the dresser).

 

We'll post pictures soon. We think the rooms look really great though. They'll look even better once I put away the boxes of extra brushes, rollers and paint cans.

 

Also, and this might have been the paint fumes, I think that 104.5 plays 2 Bob Seger tunes for every non-Seger classic rock tune. Oh, and the only businesses that can afford to advertise on radio right now are the jewelry stores. Remember that next time you're shopping for your bling. Even in a weakened economy, these guys are raking in the profits. So take a firm negotiating stance, and don't be the one to write the check for their next media buy. Anyway, back to Bob Seger. Now, I like Seger. But 104.5 could use a touch of variety in their playlist. I swear I heard Like a Rock and We've Got Tonight in the same 45-minute set. Now, don't be mad, Bob. I still got love for you. Night Moves and Turn the Page are right up there with the best of the genre. On the plus side, I found I could enjoy Like a Rock without thinking of Chevy trucks. Much.

 

So things are definitely coming together. Abby is taking it as easy as possible. Milo, the internet, digital cable and her Nintendo DS are keeping her entertained. I hope everyone out there will keep thinking those positive thoughts -- we appreciate it. And so do Babies A, B & C (who are getting closer to having names!).

Musings in haiku

Two Diaper Genies
Sitting in my dining room
Their purpose a mystery
------------
Ready to buy paint
Rooms, for now, are unadorned
Weekend fun for all
------------
Names for three babies
For us, not an easy task
But we're getting close
------------
Her high blood pressure
We do not favor it much
We root for decrease
------------
Friends and family
Their generosity shows
Thanks for the shower
------------
Cravings are quite strong
Send me on an evening drive
Off to Chic-fil-A
------------
Abby wants pizza
Last Friday, Little Caesars
And Crazy Bread too
------------
Ultrasound today
Babies moving to and fro
A father amazed

The baby shower

Last saturday was my baby shower....or should I say babies shower. My Sister, Aunt, and Cousin did an amazing job planning it and my Mother-in-Law was kind enough to host it at her house. We even had M&M's with my picture on them! Thank you to everyone who attended and for all the generous gifts.

21Weeks 4 Days belly pic.

Happy Halloween. Sorry I look so tired in this picture.

Also, did I mention we found out today that baby C is a girl?

Tacos & grammar -- these are a few of my favorite things

First and foremost, for those who are playing along at home, Baby C is still of unknown gender. His/Her umbilical cord was right between his/her legs at the last scan on Thursday. We will try again this week. Abby was told to drink some OJ before the appointment, in order to perk the kiddos up a bit and facilitate some leg-opening action. Wow, that sounds bad. Well, this may be the first and last time we intentionally try to give our kids a sugar rush.

On to new achievements in home health monitoring: Abby now has to spend 2 hours a day with a contraction monitor strapped to her belly. It looks sort of like a gray hockey puck -- quite fashionable. The sensor is called a "TOCO." But since I do not know what that stands for, I prefer to call it "The Taco." It plugs into this box which reminds me a little of the TI-85 that I played video games on in high school, thus facilitating my failure of pre-calculus during senior year. The Taco, however, has larger buttons, and lacks cosine and arc tangent functions. (Side note: I actually have no idea what those are. My lovely wife will be handling the math/science homework in the coming years.)

She has been averaging about one contraction per hour of monitoring. She is allowed 5 before they start her on anti-contraction meds. Hopefully it will be some time before it comes to that. In the meantime, I am personally boycotting contractions for the rest of this week and intend to use them as little as possible. This should make work rather interesting since I am one of the primary copywriters and, gosh, those little apostrophe-laden gems are quite helpful. But hey, it is the least I can do.

The confusion of Baby A and C

So, I had another ultrasound on Friday. I get to have one every week now. The babies all look good and weigh 11 ounces each. I actually did not gain any weight this week. Amazing, because I sure ate a lot. Although, it is getting a little more difficult to eat as much because my uterus is pushing up against my stomach.... it is like instant gastric bypass surgery. We still do not know the sex of all three babies. Apparently, there has been some confusion as to which baby is A and which is C. In the past we thought it was baby A that we could not tell the sex on. Now they think it is baby C that we cannot see the gender. Basically baby boy B is all on his own on the left side and baby A and C are so close together, it is hard to tell who's parts go with which body. I had 2 ultrasound techs with a combined 37 years of experience and they could only confirm that there are 2 boys and one "?". So, we wait until next week...... Anyhow, I am feeling okay. I am still every low on energy and spending a lot of time on the couch. Looking forward to the Colts game today!

Growing larger 19Weeks

As nurse Margie said last time she saw me "my, you have really blossomed". As you can see compared to the the 16 week photos I have really grown. This is 19weeks can you imagine what 30 weeks will look like?

Sorry Uncle Eli, Doc says no more work

We had our 19 week checkup this morning and got to take a peek at the babies today. Baby A is still being un-cooperative and they could not confirm the sex. We had 3 ultra sound techs in there with us today and no could determine the gender. Baby's A's knees are still closed tight together and he/she is keeping us guessing. Now, Baby A did deiced to urinate while everyone was watching. Seriously, I did not even know a fetus could do that, I guess that confirms her/his bladder is functioning properly. Is this child going to be a little trouble maker or what. In other news, the Doctor told me I can no longer work. Since my job requires me to be on my feet most of the day and in and out of 10 offices a day, it is just too much stress on my body. Plus, there is the whole thing about me having had this kidney infection.... ect. So, I am on a sort of modified bed rest. I am not confined to the bed (yet) but need to stay off my feet as much as possible. So, I have no idea what I am going to do for the next 3 month at home.... but I am sure I will find a way to keep myself occupied. Plus, from this point out I get to go to the doctor EVERY FRIDAY for a check up... So, there will be lots of updates coming your way.

"Mmmm, that *is* a tasty burger!"

Well, it was no Big Kahuna Burger, but I think Jules would agree that St. Vincent's Women's Hospital does serve up one heck of a cheeseburger. No joke. Now, you might be thinking, "Sam, you're just saying that because you spent 3 nights on a foldout chair and your expectations weren't that high." I know, I'd be thinking the same thing. But I can promise you that, as a cheeseburger connoisseur, this really was a tasty burger. Tasty enough that I ate 3 of them in less than 72 hours. So, if there was a silver lining to Abby being hospitalized for 4 days -- and I'm not saying there is, but if there was -- it would have to be the cheeseburgers. Technically, I ate 2 on Saturday alone (one just after midnight and one for lunch). Who does that? I do, my friends. I do.

Long story short. Abby began feeling sick on Thursday. We gave it a day, but by Friday evening she was still running a fever that was pushing 101. We paged our doctor, and he asked us to come to the hospital right away. Ultimately they determined that she had a kidney infection. So they put her on IV antibiotics late Friday night. We had an ultrasound early on Saturday morning and, as we expected, mystery baby A and boy babies B & C were bouncing around like Milo when the doorbell rings, quite oblivious to the situation around them. At no point during the stay did the doctors and nurses express concern for the babies' health, provided that Abby stayed put and kept up her meds and fluids. Which she did. I mean, I tried to convince her to road trip to the Colts game with me, but she wasn't having it (she's always been the practical one).

Abby steadily improved and was released on Monday afternoon. So we're back home now -- tired and looking forward to seeing Milo, who has been staying with Bonnie & Ernie and, apparently, causing just a bit of trouble (shocking). Abby seems to feel like herself at this point. Tired, but triplets will do that to a girl. If all goes well, it will be quite a few weeks before I have another opportunity to enjoy a delicious hospital cheeseburger.

Triplets, Quads and Strollers, oh my!!

Abby and I went to the Moms of Multiples family picnic on Saturday, up in Noblesville. It was quite an experience. There were probably 40+ families there. You have to have triplets or more (or be expecting them) to get in. Everyone we met was just outstanding. Really nice people, great kids -- they were all so outgoing and kind to us. So, a big thank you goes out to everyone we met. We appreciate your advice and look forward to getting to know you and your families better.

A few people have asked me if I found the experience frightening. I have to say I found it to be quite the opposite. These are all just normal people in exceptional circumstances. I felt like, if they can do it, we can do it.

I have to say that meeting the parents of quad boys was pretty wild. I mean, wow. I guess when you're expecting triplets, it takes quads to make your jaw drop.

The selection of equipment was pretty impressive. I saw a few strollers that looked more like dune buggies than portable infant transportation vehicles. One of them sort of reminded me of the Millennium Falcon, complete with smugging compartments in which you can hide should Imperial Stormtroopers start glaring your direction. Hey, any day I'm reminded of the ship that "made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs" is a good day.

I think at least four people offered to sell us their old strollers. I can't blame them. What do you do with one of these things when your kids outgrow them? I guess you could put it in the front yard and call it modern art: a symbolic crossroads of maternal nurturing, space-age engineering and man's innate need for maneuverability and speed -- point five past light speed, specifically, if you're Han Solo. We'll be in touch!

BOY, BOY, ?

We had an ultrasound yesterday and they were able to tell the sexes of the babies. Well, they could confirm 2 of them. Baby B and Baby C are boys!!! We saw it with our eyes and there was no denying it. As for Baby A, they think she is a girl, but will not officially confirm it. They did not see any "boy parts" on Baby A, but they will not confirm Girl based on lack of seeing boys parts because we did not have a good view. We tried to get her to move, and they pushed on her to see if they could get her to show us. So, we are saying Girl until we hear differently. We go back for another ultrasound in two weeks, so they will confirm baby A's sex then. Everything else went well. The babies look great and are all measuring 16Weeks 5 Days gestation. The hearts were ticking away and they have bladders and stomachs now, amazing what you can see. Baby A was still pretty chill. Baby B was jumping around (I think that boy will be the basketball player) and Baby C was kicking (that is our soccer player). Anyhow, Sam and I are just thrilled to pieces with all the news!

Much awaited belly pics.

This pup has no idea what is coming his way :)

So, we have had many request for belly pictures, so here we go. Abby at 16 weeks.

I am clearly larger than my pre-pregnancy self. Actually, I have gained 16 lbs, which is one pound for each week of pregnancy. Our doctor recommends a gain of 50lbs for a triplet pregnancy so I am well on my way. I have been blessed with no morning sickness and have had no problems eating...actually, I can not stop eating. Last night I had a Chipoltle Burrito for dinner, plus a half of cantaloupe, and a huge glass of chocolate milk before bed and I still woke up at 3 AM STARVING. I think I am going to have to start stashing crackers in my night stand. I am waking up 3 times a night to um use the restroom and go have to at least once an hour during the day. I asked Dr. Sumners if this is normal and his response was "you are only going once an hour". He cracks me up. So, I guess the hunger and frequent urination is normal at this point. I am still working and of course this is my new work strategy. I just go into the office and tell them I am pregnant with triplets and need to use the restroom..... instant access to the back of the office and the ability to chat with the Doctor. Well, that is it for now, we have an ultrasound next Friday and we are hoping we will be able to see the babies genders then, I can not wait.

A gold metal at the post-surgery checkup

The babies looked great this morning, and the good doctor liked how Abby has healed up, so he cleared her to go back to work. No measurements today, but everyone was active! Looks like it'll be about 3 weeks before we know the genders... we can't wait!

Feeling Better

Hi, the patient here. I am feeling much better 1 week post-op. I do not recommend abdominal surgery to anyone, especially being awake during it. Because of the safety of the babies, I had a spinal and morphine, but was not put under for the surgery. The surgery lasted and hour and a half, not fun. The recovery has been okay. I did okay while I was in the hospital, but the first couple days home were tough. I could not even get out of bed on my own to use the restroom, thank goodness for Sam and my Mom. Sam went back to work on Tuesday and my Mom has been taking care of me since. I will be sad to see her go back to Florida tomorrow. I have one more week at home on rest, then I go back to the doctor on Friday and we will take a look at the babies and hopefully get the okay to go back to work....... at least for a little while.

Heading home soon

Abby's been given the all clear to leave the hospital, so we're heading out soon. We're both looking forward to the comforts of home. In no particular order:

• Our bed (I do not recommend sleeping more than 2 nights on a 2-foot wide, vinyl-covered, pull-out chair)
• Food (the hospital food has exceeded expectations, however said expectations were not set particularly high)
• Milo (life without the troublemaker is a little dull)

Thanks to everyone who called and stopped by. We'll be back here again, but hopefully not until at least 20 weeks from now. Keep your fingers crossed!

Surgical success

Abby went into the OR about 1:30, and they finished the procedure around 3. Everything went fine. They did a post-op ultrasound and all three babies looked great. The doc said it was a challenging procedure, but that Abby did very well. It's 5:30 now and she's fast asleep. The hospital room is actually bigger than our hotel room in Paris, so I figure I have a halfway decent chance of getting some sleep tonight. And if not, that's what the Nintendo DS is for!

Twas the night before surgery and all through the house...

Just wanted to thank everyone for the all the thoughtful notes, e-mails, Facebook posts, blog comments and phone calls since our little announcement hit the airwaves. It's wonderful to have so many caring people in our lives. I'll try to get a blog post out sometime tomorrow late afternoon or evening to let you all know how Abby is doing post-surgery.

Also, for those who've been asking, items on the "Abby is craving this" list include:
Canned peaches in light syrup
Stouffer's spinach souffle
Toper's pickles (editor's note: these frighten me)
Kraft Easy Mac
Gatorade

Back with more tomorrow,

Sam

12 Week Ultrasound

Hi, Abby here. You can tell it is Abby writing because I write like a fourth grader and Sam uses big words and lots of pop culture references. So, we had the big 12 ultrasound scan this morning. All the babies look great. They are measuring 12W4D, 12W3D, 12W1D. So all on schedule. We could not believe how much the babies were moving. I guess I just expect them to be still. Baby A was moving his/her hand, almost like waving at us, Sam thought maybe he/she was trying to suck her/his thumb. Baby B, this is our ACTIVE baby he/she was actually jumping up and down the entire ultrasound. Pushing off with his/her feet. Baby C was doing some kicking action too, maybe a future soccer player ? The last picture is all 3, kind of a view from above. Also, they did something called a NT (nuchal transluceny) scan that calculates the risk for chromosomal abnormalities. All the babies passed this, which puts our risk for some like down syndrome very very low. I am super relieved that all the babies look so good.

So, know that we now the babies are looking good we are going to go a head with surgery this Friday. I am having a trans-abdominal cerclage put in. To learn more click on the link.....http://www.cpdx.com/cerclage/background.html . We feel the benefits of this surgery out way the risk and this will give the babies a better chance to stay inside longer. I will be in the hospital 2 nights. Prayers, happy thoughts, good vibes, ect, are all appreciated.

Dr. Donahue, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cyborgs

When tell people you're having triplets, they often ask if multiples run in your family or if you sought the assistance of a reproductive endocrinologist. (Sometimes they just say "fertility drugs," as if you can buy them from the kid three houses down who drives the IROC-Z with the tinted windows, but I digress.) I think these are perfectly reasonable questions and, goodness knows, I'd ask them too. But my favorite is, "Are they natural?" As much fun as it would be to tell you that these kids were the precursors to the Cyberdyne Systems models of James Cameron's dystopian future -- actually, that would be rather hard to explain and sort of a bummer -- the reality is that they are, in fact, natural. It's all our DNA, we promise. Our DNA and the best science we could get our hands on.

Welcome

Hi there. This blog is for all the friends and family who wish to follow the progress of babies A, B and C, as well as their mildly neurotic, solidly eclectic, adjective/adverb-prone parents. Which would be us. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and all the positive energies you're sending our way. May the Force be with us all.