30 Weeks

Here's our 30 week picture - am I looking big, or what?! Our 30 week doctor's appointment went terrific. Dr. Boe was worried that I failed my glucose test (both the urine and blood test) but was a little reassured when I explained that I just came from breakfast with friends and had a mountain of french toast washed down with a vat of syrup! Not to mention all the oranges and apples I ate too.

Again, I have to rave about Dr. Boe. When we're in the room with her we feel like the only patients in the world. She is terrific about answering our many questions and is never hurrying off to the next appointment. Technically the babies could come at any time but she has confidence that we should be able to go a few more weeks. She generously offered to deliver our babies even if she is not on call when the time comes. We feel blessed that she would make a special trip to the hospital to be with us during our "big moment."

Here's to 30 weeks...

Fletcher Christmas

On the 26th my parents and sister came up to celebrate Christmas. We missed my brother, Sam, and his fiancee Ann-Elyse but the drive from LA was just too far with their short amount of time off work. After our fetal testing appointment we came home for dinner and opened presents together. It was fun to have two Christmas' this year!

I gave Danny a set of web cams so that he can see the babies during the day. We also gave my Dad one so he doesn't feel like he's missing out while my mom is here helping us. We were surprised with some wonderful gifts from family friends. People are so generous and supportive! We are grateful for friends and family, especially this year!

My new robe that doesn't quite fit now (but hopefully it will soon) and our goofy family photo.

Dad and Danny hanging the curtain rods in the baby room then taking a holiday snooze. Dad is great about helping us tackle our construction "to do's" while he's here.

Mom and Ashlie with the dinner that turned out to be a little too spicy for my family (Danny, on the other hand, loved it so he'll be eating left overs for days!).

Again, kudos to Mom who left the house cleaner than when they arrived. She's a machine and we are SO grateful for her servant's heart! Ashlie is the master organizer so if anyone needs help around the house give her a shout and she's sure to make your cupboards neat as can be!

Fetal Testing

Every Wednesday I go in for Fetal Testing. The nurse hooks me up to a heartbeat machine and does an ultrasound to check on the babies. She monitors the heartbeats for a few minutes to look for a steady pattern. This is more difficult than it sounds because the babies are constantly moving so keeping their heartbeats on the monitor is tough. After the babies have passed their heartbeat test they have to perform for the ultrasound machine. Each baby has to show practice breathing, move their legs or arms three times and move around so the nurse can measure their fluid. Again, these things take longer than you think! After about an hour I start eating sugar to keep them movin'!

This week was a special treat! My family came into town to celebrate Christmas with us so we all went to the Fetal Testing appointment together. I'm sure the nurse was surprised when she called my name and four people followed me into the room. She was terrific about including everyone in the appointment. Danny, of course, is an old pro and can identify most of the parts but she was great about pointing things out for my parents and sister.

Everyone passed their tests with flying colors - yeah!

Kapic Christmas

When we started out on this journey we had no idea how I would be feeling on Christmas. Needless to say, I was THRILLED to be able to celebrate Christmas with Danny's family in Lodi (only 30min away from Sacramento). It was such a treat to be with family when I expected to be on the couch in our house. For it to be just me and Danny for Christmas Day seemed a little lonely. We went to the Christmas Eve service at our church in Sacramento then headed down to Lodi to be with the Kapic Family.

There are several of us due in January - the church nursery is going to be full!

Christmas morning was so fun because Kelly & Tabitha (my brother and sister-in-law) and their two children, Jonathan and Margot were in town from Georgia. I love seeing little ones open presents. Margot loved the pink cell phone that Grandma Lindy gave her and Johnathan's helicopter was a big hit. We had a big dinner with Tabitha's family on Christmas evening. I think I'm the slowest eater in the world right now because I was just finishing my meat while everyone else polished off dessert! I figure it's better to eat slow than to gobble down food, get full and then be hungry 15min later.

Here are some photos of Christmas Day...

Christmas Reflections

This Christmas I've been more emotional. Yes, it may be from the hormones but I think its because I relate to the Christmas story more this year.

The wonder of God sending His Son Jesus as a baby is so amazing to me. The most powerful sent in the form of the most helpless all so that as our Savior He could relate to us. This season I have also developed a greater respect for Mary and Joseph. What would it have been like to be a outcast as an unwed mother? Imagine the social sacrifice Joseph made when agreeing the marry Mary even though she was pregnant. Above and beyond those things I can't imagine traveling hundreds of miles on the back of a donkey right now! Seriously!!! I joke about all of my pillows in bed and tossing and turning when trying to fall asleep but I have it easy. When I think about Mary riding a donkey and sleeping on the ground at nine months pregnant it breaks my heart. We have hospitals, doctors, epidurals and all Mary had was straw, the ground and a brave husband. Oh, the sacrifices they made to fulfill God's plan.

When Jesus was finally born all of Heaven rejoiced. Luke 2:13 says, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'" When I hear Handel's Hallelujah Chorus sung this time of year it always brings tears (and not just because I'm hormonal!). I usually close my eyes and wonder if this is what the angels sounded like as Jesus entered this world. In 1743 The Messiah was sung for the King of England. When the Hallelujah Chorus piece began the King was so moved that he stood, hence the tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus.

If you haven't heard the Hallelujah Chorus yet this year click on this link(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnHksDFHTQI) and think of how Heaven rejoiced at the birth of Jesus. I hope that as we celebrate Christmas we will think of the sacrifices that God, Mary and Joseph made to bring Jesus into the world and ultimately the sacrifice that Jesus made so that we could spend eternity with Him (hopefully surrounded by angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus)!

Merry Christmas!

Pregnancy "Favorite Things"

I recently watched Oprah's "Favorite Things" episode so I thought I would make a list of my pregnancy "favorite things." Sorry friends, I'm not as rich as Oprah so I won't be sending you each one of everything. Here's the list (not in any particular order).

My five bed pillows (including one body pillow)

Tray beside the couch (thank you to Jason & Alexes Golz who made this for us for our wedding)

Straws

Trader Joe's meals in a bag

My eight couch pillows

Water bottle (so I don't spill on myself when trying to drink water in the middle of the night - it's too much effort to sit up)

Belly Oil (I'm doing my best to fight the good fight against stretch marks)

Oranges (the ones called Cuties from Trader Joe's - yum)

Socks

Pillows

The toilet (since my bladder is the size of a peanut)

Maternity pj bottoms (they are really lame looking but oh so comfortable)

Protein bars

Blockbuster.com

Did I already say pillows?

Portable phones

Belly Book (a gift from Rachel Kirkley to help me document all the fun things about pregnancy)

Sweats (ahhh, I've been living in two pairs of sweats - they are the best! Thank you Gena Koch & Shelly Culpepper)

Remote controls

Handicap parking permit

I'm sure there are more but that's it for now. Quite the list, hu?!

Names

We need help! Coming up with one name is difficult but since we're not finding out the sexes of the babies that means we need TWELVE names just in case we have three boys or three girls. We're going back and forth between traditional names and more modern names so basically we're stuck.

So, HELP! Please leave any name suggestions in the comments area (click below). Thanks!!!!

29 Week Picture

We've had several requests for an updated picture so... here you go! When I'm out and about shopping people ask if I'm having a "Christmas baby." That must mean that I look nine months pregnant! Most of the time I say, "we'll see," but if I want to take time to explain the triplets then it's fun to see jaws drop. I just smile and then jokingly ask for a "triplet discount." Baby stores do have triplet discounts but I've managed to score a few free cookies and other goodies along the way too!

29 Week Ultrasound

I think I'm going to buy a cot and set up a tent over at UC Davis. This week I had three appointments in two days! However, I don't really mind because I feel reassured every time I go. Plus, I love the grill cheese sandwiches from the cafeteria!

Our 29 week ultrasound went great. Fortunately we ended up with another great technician (our first one was terrible because he ignored us the whole time). She pointed out things to us the whole time and much to Danny's delight she gave us lots of charts with all the measurements. He loves to analyze all the growth patterns!

Below are some pictures. I know that for some of you they still look like aliens but if you focus you MAY be able to some things. The first picture is of the face (the black spots are the eyes) and the second is a profile picture. The heart rates should be between 120-160 so we're within range for all three babies. Here's the update on the kiddos...

Baby A - still holding strong as the biggest baby even though he/she is probably the most crammed. Baby A also gets more hiccups than anyone else!

Weight = 3 lb 3 oz
Heart rate = 144 beats per minute

Baby B - our smallest but toughest baby. The doctor says that once he/she gets out they'll catch up quickly. Baby B is also our "breather." When they watch to see if the babies are practicing their breathing Baby B puts on quite a show. I have a feeling this one is going to go 100 miles an hour once he/she arrives. He/She is going to be our Danny Jr!

Weight = 2 lb 7 oz
Heart rate = 141 beats per minute

The face picture below is hard to see because Baby B's hands are covering the eyes.

Baby C - living large in the penthouse under my ribs. I get lots of kicks and elbows from this little one.

Weight = 3 lb 1 oz
Heart rate = 136 beats per minute

We feel so blessed to get such a great report! We are still hoping to make it to 32 or 34 weeks - I can't believe how close we are!

Kicking Patterns

One of my favorite things about pregnancy is feeling the babies move. When they get going I can feel hands, elbows, heads, etc... float by. Babies B&C are close together so I get a lot of punching by my belly button and then a lot of kicking on the right side of my belly button. Baby A will kick when I'm sitting down, probably because I'm basically sitting on him/her. Baby B&C don't like it when I lay on my side so they'll usually let me know that they'd prefer it if I roll over.

The babies definitely have certain sleep/wake patters. The best thing is that they align with mine! They settle down in the late evening and don't wake me up during the night. They recognize Danny's voice so I always remind him to whisper in the morning so they'll keep sleeping (I fortunately sleep three more hours once Danny goes to work). They move into high gear around 10am and 6pm but the highlight of the week is Sunday... they LOVE church! For some reason once the music starts they start bopping around. I think they also recognize our Pastor's voice as well because when he gets really excited and talks a bit louder they respond with an "Amen" kick or punch. They kick more during church than any other time during the week!

Now, let's only hope that their patterns will continue! Once they're born I'd LOVE for them to be good sleepers, and to sleep on my schedule. We'll see...

Wonderful Husband

This blog is a tribute to my wonderful husband who has stepped up to do almost everything around the house. While I'm laying on the couch he's painting, organizing, making meals, organizing, assembling, organizing (can you tell that Danny likes to organize?!).

Last night we had a good laugh because it was a "this is real marriage" night. I've come down with a cold which means I'm blowing my nose constantly. One of my pregnancy pains has been bloody noses so that combined with a runny nose doesn't make for a pretty picture. So, I'm finally ready for bed and I've got a kleenex stuck in my nose, the humidifier running, my six pillows arranged in the bed and I'm totally stylin' in my maternity pj's (the pants actually pull up over my belly button!). Not only that but once I sit down on the bed Danny has to help lower all 170 lbs of me onto the pillows. Once I lay down I'm winded from all the effort but I can only breath out of my mouth so I sound like I'm gasping for air. It was then that we turned to each other, laughed and said, "This is real marriage!"I'm thankful that Danny is such a good sport about sleeping on 1/4th of the bed and ignoring my ten trips to the bathroom each night.

Danny's great about meeting all of my needs. He helps me on and off the couch which these days is major work! If he ever quit brokerage he'd be a great waiter because he manages to make sure I have enough snacks and always keep my water glasses full! On Friday night we went to his company Christmas party and he actually called the country club ahead of time to make sure they had a special chair for me. I was a little worried when he said "special" chair but it ended up just being a really padded throne-like chair instead of a regular banquet chair. After a 2hr meal I was so thankful for my throne - way to go sweetie!

As you can tell I feel so blessed to be married to Danny. He is such a great partner! I love it when he prays over me and the babies in bed. Usually I'm half asleep but I know what he's doing and it means so much to me. He's going to be a terrific Dad! Hopefully these "acts of service" will continue when the babies come and he'll be the one to change the poopie diapers!

Here is a picture of us at the company party - we're now 28 weeks!

Things I Never Thought I'd Hear My Husband Say...

As we've journeyed through pregnancy I can't tell you the number of funny things that have come out of our mouths. I thought I'd write down a few that Danny has said just because I'll probably never hear them again...

"Sweetie, you've gained five pounds this week, that's terrific. Now we just need you to do the same thing again next week."

"Sleep in as late as you can. It would be great if you could sleep until 10:30am again, you need the rest."

"Baby, I don't think I can put my arms around you anymore."

"Don't do anything today, just lay on the couch."

"We need to fatten you up so have another cookie."

"Why don't you rest and I'll make dinner." (Even when I'm not pregnant Danny does make dinner. It's just the "rest" part of the sentance that usually isn't included)

"You now weigh more than me - great job!"

"Your underware is now as big as mine. (for the record this is the underware I bought for post-surgery ONLY based on the advice of friends)."

Doomed for a Minivan

I think Minivans are great cars, don't get me wrong. I just never thought I'd be driving one. They fall into more of the "functional" category vs. "stylish." However, stylish got thrown out the window with baving three babies at one time so I think we're on the road to a minivan.

Last weekend Danny tried to fit our three infant carrier cars seats into our 3-row SUV and they didn't exactly fit as we'd imagined. Actually they didn't fit well at all. In order to reach the baby in the back I'm going to have to disassemble one car seat base to be able to fold the middle seat down. That's going to be fun when loading and unloading three kids! I think daytime TV commercials are having an effect on me because all of a sudden the Minivan looks more attractive... all that room to move around, doors that open by themselves, lots of storage, etc... It's going to take some time to adjust to this idea in my head so we're not running out to buy the big boat yet but I'm starting to prepare myself. I have a feeling there are more things that just won't matter once the babies arrive! Afterall, who thinks that wearing baby spitup is fashionable!

Cribs

The cribs are assembled and ready to go! JP Kirkley and Mike Keller graciously came over on Saturday to help us put together the cribs. By the time JP was done breaking down one of the boxes Mike and Danny were almost done with the first crib. They turned out to be very easy to put together - thank goodness! Now the trick is going to be how to arrange them to maximize our space!

Thanks JP & Mike for your help!

Contractions

We've hit the 27 week mark which means that the babies are viable if I was to go into labor. Granted, they would be very sick but still viable. So, we're a little on edge with all the contractions I've been having. Braxton Hicks contractions (basically fake contractions) are normal in the 3rd trimester but the doctor told me to watch and make sure I wasn't having more than four an hour. Wednesday night I was having three to four per hour for about five hours straight. Everyone has always told me that it's better to have things checked out than for it to be too late so Thursday I decided to go to the hospital just to make sure everything looked okay.

After three hours of monitoring and a few tests the doctor said that the contractions were not having any effect on my cervix and that I wasn't even close to dilating. This was a big relief for us! My assignment is to double my water intake which means six liters of water a day. For someone with shrinking bladder I doubt I'll ever be able to leave the house again!

To-do's

I keep talking about our "to-do" list and people have been so great about offering to help. In the future I'm sure we'll be saying YES to your offers but for now our projects are things that we have to do to get organized. To give you an idea, here are some things that are on our list:

Re-organize kitchen (basically make room for bottles, bibs, sterilizer, etc...)
Create feeding charts
Clean out baby room closet
Make list for birth announcements (no Christmas cards this year because we'll be sending out birth announcements early next year)
Finish 2006 and 2007 photo albums
Call other moms of multiples for advice
Read books on parenting and feeding
Get breast pump prescription filled (this has been more difficult than you'd think)
Sell old furniture
Find a gardener
Hire a night nurse & mother's helper
... and the list goes on

It feels like each project leads to another but we continue to plug away and the list is getting smaller and smaller. Thank you so much for your offers to help. Soon enough we'll be needing more help than we can imagine!

Hard Day

I've been feeling so great that sometimes I forget that I'm pregnant with triplets. I read other people's stories and feel so grateful that I've had an easy multiples pregnancy so far.

Well, today I realized that I'm definitely reaching my limits. We went to church this morning and made a quick stop at Trader Joe's (to stock up on cookies for me!). After that I was exhausted and I could tell that my body needed a rest. Thank goodness for Sunday afternoon football - it has the tendency to put me to sleep (unless it's a team that I'm rooting for). My Braxton Hicks contractions get worse as the day progresses which lets me know that I need to lay down. For the first time I had to pull a chair up to the stove to make our stir fry dinner. Needless to say, I had my a breakdown about feeling helpless when our "to-do" list is so long. Danny has been working so hard re-organizing the house, assembling and moving things, cleaning, etc... and I feel so lazy about sitting on the couch while he's doing everything. Danny has a great attitude and is quick to serve me. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. I know that the days ahead are only going to get more difficult so I'm lucky to have him by my side.

Only six more weeks to go until our target date of 32 weeks!

26 Week Check Up & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our 26 week check up went well. Everyone seems to be doing great. Baby B still lags behind in growth but the doctor said she wasn't surprised. With triplets usually one baby gets the "short end of the stick," according to Dr. Boe but they catch up outside of the womb. I've started having Braxton Hicks contractions (fake contractions) so my activity is going to be pretty limited from here on out.

The one "action item" I have is to eat more cookies! I've already gained 40 lbs but Dr. Boe said she'd like to see me pack on a few more pounds - UG! I told her that I try to snack on carrots, broccoli, nut and fruit instead of fattening things. She said to keep eating healthy but that I need to add some chocolate chip cookies and other high calorie foods to my diet. For someone who usually has a big sweet tooth I haven't craved sweets at all during my pregnancy. I never guessed that I'd be one to eat cookies under doctor's orders!

The babies are getting so big that it's hard to tell them a part much less get any good pictures. However, we did get one of Baby C - see below. We can't wait to meet these little ones soon!

Pregnancy Privileges

We're entering the busy shopping season which means inevitable when I'm running to Target for a "quick errand" I end up having to park 5 miles away. By the time I get to the door I'm ready for a massage and a back brace! It's the same thing when I go to UC Davis for my check ups. At my last doctor's appointment I asked about handicap parking and she said that most mothers pregnant with multiples get special parking passes. Yippee! So, now I'm the proud owner of a red (this means temporary) handicap parking pass. I still feel a little guilty using it but I'm sure I won't in another few weeks. Especially when I'm visiting the doctor every week!

Let me know if you'd like to join me for a little Christmas shopping. I'll be a little slow walking around but at least we'll be able to find parking. I guess there are some advantages to a multiple pregnancy!

Thanksgiving

This year there is so much to be thankful for! We are blessed with amazing friends and family, three wonderful little babies that we can't wait to meet, a great home, health, etc... God has really showered His blessings upon us and we are so grateful!

Instead of traveling to Santa Rosa and then to Fresno we stayed in Sacramento this year. My Mom, bless her heart, brought all the food with her for our Thanksgiving feast and all other meals. It's so great to be 33 and still have a mom to take care of you! She was terrific about cooking all the meals, dishes, making everyone lunches and she even managed to clean the bathroom and scour the sink before leaving. Let's all give Mom a big round of applause!!! Thank you Mom!

Our Thanksgiving started early (well, I guess 8:45am isn't that early!). Danny ran in the Food Bank's Run to Feed the Hungry road race that started right outside our neighborhood. Mom and I met him at the finish line to cheer him on. He left his spandex racing pants at home otherwise he might have placed in the top 5 (just kidding - Danny would rather die than wear spandex in front of 20,000 people!). Mama Linda and G'funk Kapic (Danny's parents) joined us for dinner so it was special to have both of our families together for the evening!


Post Thanksgiving was all about projects and shopping. Dad and Danny finished re-painting the nursery and hung the Christmas lights while Mom, Ashlie (my sister) and I ran some baby errands. We were pleasantly surprised that we didn't face more crowds. I guess going at 1pm rather than 6am makes a big difference. And, it certainly helps to have handicap parking! I ordered our baby dresser on Friday and was told that it would be 6-10wks before it arrived. The big surprise was the store called on Saturday to say that it was in. I was a little skeptical because it had been less than 24 hours but low and behold it's the right dresser - hurray. So, now we can actually start putting the baby stuff away so it's off the floor!

Below is a picture of our big Babies-r-Us shopping trip. We stocked up on crib sheets, mattresses, etc... Those of you who know me know I'm SUPER frugal. After the cashier printed out our mile long receipt I found an extra coupon which said $1 off Carter's sheets. Since we just bought 16 sheets I figured it was worth waiting in the Customer Service line to get a credit. Once I got to the counter the cashier pointed out that it was only $1 for any ONE item! So, basically I stood in line for 10 min to save a $1!!!!

As we move into the holiday season I hope that we all take moments to be thankful for all that we have. Danny and I are so grateful for all of you and for all that the Lord has given us this year!

25 Week Ultrasound

I'm a little late in posting these pictures but with Thanksgiving I got a little behind on my blogging.

Last Wednesday we went in for our 25 week "growth" ultrasound. Basically, they measured the heads, bellies, legs, hearts, and checked to make sure everything is growing appropriately. Mom, Dad and Ashlie were coming up for Thanksgiving so I scheduled the ultrasound the day before so Mom could see the babies. Thankfully, we had a different ultrasound technician (our last one basically ignored us) and she explained everything she saw and pointed out all the parts such as the stomach, kidneys, etc... Now that the babies are getting bigger it's hard to tell them a part from one another, much less identify things!

Baby A and C measured at almost exactly 25 weeks while Baby B still lagged about a week and a half behind in size. Baby B was smaller than the other two at our 20 week ultrasound so it's not of concern because he/she is growing proportionally. Baby A & Baby B's placenta's have fused together so now they're sharing which may be one reason why Baby B is a bit smaller - Baby A is taking some of his/her food! I'll have to be sure to watch that when they get older so make sure everyone gets their fair share of Cheerios!

For most people these pictures look like aliens but I'll post them anyhow...

Baby A giving us a big yawn (or scary face). Eyes closed with his/her mouth open. The hand is up ear the eyes. Hope that helps!

Baby B - Profile shot. It looks like he/she is blowing bubbles but it's really the umbilical chord you're seeing.

Baby C - frontal view of his/her face. Eyes closed and you can see a little nose and mouth

Ever wonder what your kids are going to look like?

At our shower this past weekend everyone was split into teams "A, B & C." We all thought this was for a baby game but it turned out that people were asked to pray specifically for one of our babies. Our friend JP Kirkley then pulled out pictures of what A, B & C are projected to look like, which was met with a roar of laughter! Everyone signed the matting around the picture of the baby they are going to pray for and we'll hang these in their nursery. Obviously these photos will be replaced by real pictures when the babies arrive!

The A, B & C baby photos are HILARIOUS!!!! Stella Steen managed to take our features and create these three babies. By the way, she's for hire if you'd like to see what your baby may look like!!!!

Baby A (I call this one the man-child)

Baby B

Baby C

Fun with Friends

Saturday night we were blessed beyond belief when our Sacramento friends gathered together to celebrate the babies with us. It was a couples shower so this time Danny was able to join in the fun. Our dear friends JP & Rachel Kirkley and Geoff & Aimee Griffin hosted the wonderful evening for us!

Kirkleys, Kapics & Griffins

Everyone at the party has been a part of our fertility journey for the past three and a half years so it was fun to be able to now share in the joy of these babies together. Anyone who knows me knows that I love pictures and sentimental things. The Kirkley & Griffins managed to weave both into the evening. The theme was ABC, which is very appropriate since that's what we've been calling the babies. Aimee found a special book called "ABC I love you" and read it for all of us. It's a good thing I was sitting in a place where I couldn't make eye contact with Aimee otherwise I'm sure we would have both lost it and the tears would have started to roll.

Each person that came to the party was assigned Team A, B or C. Meaning, each person was asked to be praying specifically for one of the babies (the guys were relieved that it wasn't a baby shower party game). We were then presented with frames that people signed for us to put in our nursery. I can't wait to be able to share all the prayers with our little ones! If you're wondering about the pictures in the frames below - STAY TUNED. More about the pictures in the next blog entry!

A special thanks to Glyn, Melinda and Vanessa (we meet together weekly for LifeGroup) for helping Aimee and Rachel with food and decorations.

Everything was beautiful - you'd never know the Griffins moved in two weeks ago!

Everyone has been so generous with gifts, not only at showers but the things that pop up on our doorstep. On Saturday night, the group gave us three bouncy seats as well as one of our cribs. The words, "thank you" don't seem to capture all the gratitude we feel. Here are some other party pictures - we feel so fortunate to have such special friends!