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