Bye Week

This is a bye week for doctor visits, so not much to update on the babies.  Next week we'll make it up with an appointment on Wednesday in Memphis at the specialist and Thursday in Oxford at the regular obgyn.  In Memphis they'll primarily be looking at A&B to see how their growth is tracking.  Hopefully the small weight variance seen last week was just a fluke and they will both be tracking along well.  In Oxford we'll have the first glucose test thing.  I think I have to do that several times.

The last few weeks have been high growth in the belly area (as well as other areas - noticeably my face and arms).  I feel like I am HUGE, but then I realize that I am only 16 weeks.....I am going to be a spectacle by the end of this.

 This is how I look currently.  It is a bit more exaggerated sans shirt, but I won't subject you to that.

 I'm trying to take pictures every few weeks wearing the same shirt.  I like to judge my growth by the number of wrinkles in the material.

I'm finally able to think about the nursery and things like cribs, strollers, etc. without having a panic attack.  We have our first piece of furniture for the nursery and now I'm thinking about paint.

I think the dogs know something is up.  This will rock their worlds for sure.  More on them in another post.

They look at me all the time with this inquisitive look on their faces.  Or so I like to think.  They probably are just trying to tell me I forgot to feed them.

Speaking of the dogs, I must give a shout-out to Homeward Bound in Oxford.  They are awesome.  They took care of the dogs while we were at the beach and I'm so happy we tried that instead of boarding.  We've used them in the past for a day, but this was the first time for a longer trip.  When we got home the dogs seemed super relaxed rather than all freaked out from an adventure at the vet - and they had on cute bandanas and got a thorough report card for every single visit.  AND, they bring your in your mail, trash cans, alternate lighting and blinds/curtains, and you can add a service of watering your plants.  Since we aren't sure what the schedule will look like (and where we will be) during the time before and after the birth date, I'm glad to know Homeward Bound is an option to help out with Mags and Ging if needed.

Last Wed-Sunday we went to Florida with some of my family and I am so glad that the doctor let me go.  It was a very fun and relaxing time with the family and probably my last trip for a long time.  I think I could float in the water all day.  Anna Ruth blogged about our trip on her blog:  http://mccalleyfamily.blogspot.com

Girl Power

After much speculation we found out the sexes of the babies today.....all GIRLS!   Jack is really in for it.  If he is lucky, they will all be really bossy like me.  It was so fun to see them on the sonogram and I love being able to use the word "she" instead of "it".

If you don't like alien-like pictures of babies in-utero, now would be the time to leave the blog. I just can't help posting these.  It is amazing, weird, and funny to see all three of them wiggling around on the sonogram.  I wish they could get a good shot of all three at the same time but that appears to be impossible.

Introducing Baby C, the Yogi.  Look at that posture!  She is in a deep meditative state.  I think it is because her sisters are boxing down below.

Babies A and B were little wiggle worms today.  And Baby B might be the attention seeker (like her Aunt Anna Ruth) because every time they tried to take a picture of Baby A solo, Baby B would suddenly jump in the shot.  We had a hard time getting a good shot of both because they are so close together!

In this one they are face to face.  You can see Baby B pretty well and Baby A is in the background.  Jack thinks they look like him (hmmm....maybe the big heads?). 

They are back to front in this one.  I'm really not sure who is who.  Probably won't be the last time that is the case.

Other than that everything looks pretty good.  I'm 15 weeks and look much bigger than that.  There is a small concern right now about babies A&B and whether they may have the early signs of a condition where they do not get equal amounts of nutrients.   Hopefully that is not the case and when we go back for monitoring there will not be an issue.  For now we are just saying lots of prayers for all 3 and are so thankful that we have great, smart, and capable doctors that are keeping a close eye on everything!

My New Friends

Although I was warned about this, I think the most interesting thing about being pregnant with triplets is the crap people say to you.  I was not prepared.  I realize I should get used to it because it will never end.  I’m not talking about normal conversations with friends; I’m talking about people on the street.  People I really don’t know. These abnormal reactions are only about 10% of the time….the other 90% is full of joy, encouragement, and excitement.  So, I'm not talking about you.  I promise.  Unless you are the lady from target the other day, then I am talking about you.

In order to entertain myself I have decided to categorize each abnormal response into one of five of my favorite fictional characters.  This is a coping mechanism I may use for the rest of my life.

Meet:  Monica, Sue, Debbie, Samantha, and Nancy.

 Monica:  the anxiety ridden question asker.  After a brief moment of excitement, Monica immediately starts to process and internalize the thought of having triplets.  Then the questions begin:

“How are you going to handle this? Are you prepared? Do you know what you are doing?”

 “Can you imagine having to give three kids baths? Put three kids to sleep?  Feed three kids?  How will they ever sleep at the same time? You know you are going to have to figure that out, right?”

“Have you thought about where they will go to school?”  “Will they have different friends?”

Nope.  Haven’t thought about any of this.  Good thing I talked to you!

Sue: characterized by Kristen Wiig on SNL.  Sue’s M.O. is unfiltered, unabashed, over the top enthusiasm.

“Ohhhh myyyyyy G-oo-o-oo-d!!!!!” ….followed by busting through a window of some sorts.

You get the picture.  Sue simply cannot contain herself.  She means the best and is really quite entertaining.  My only complaint is that she makes me feel a little guilty for my lack of public elation. 

Debbie:  Downer that is, and that label is putting it lightly.  Debbie is convinced something horribly tragic is going to happen.  But rather than keep those thoughts in her head like the rest of you, she shares. 

“Oh wow.  I had a friend that was pregnant with triplets once.  But they all died.”

“You know there are lots of complications.  You will probably be in the hospital.  You know if the babies make it they will be in the hospital as well.”

Debbie immediately muffles any excitement I might express by her immediate look of disapproval before launching into my impending dark future.

Samantha: she is convinced my life is now over and I will never, ever have fun again. 

“Ohhhhh.  Wow.  That makes me want to throw up.”

That pretty much sums it up.  In Samantha’s eyes, this is the worst thing that could happen to a person.  I guess she doesn’t know that I already have no life, so this really doesn’t change my status all that much.

Nancy Drew:  the inquisitive mind.  She MUST immediately get to the bottom of how this situation occurred. No other conversation can take place until The Mystery of Sage’s Fertility is solved.

“Did you do drugs?  Fertility drugs?”

Don’t waste any time, Nancy.  And don’t worry about having this conversation privately – feel free to do it in front of co-workers, strangers, grocery store clerks.

I totally appreciate Nancy’s quest for the truth.  And it is a fair question.  One I don’t mind answering, but it is just a little awkward when this is our first conversation EVER.  A simple “yes” doesn’t quite sum it up.  I’m not sure how you tell a stranger on the street that this is a result of years of a difficult roller coaster.y.  Or that when waiting for the result of another round of IVF we faced the fear and despair that we were nearing the end of the road….only to find out we were finally pregnant, then to find out weeks later we were blessed with twins, then to find out a week later God had added a special bonus by splitting one of those miracle embryos.  So…YES, Nancy, I did drugs.  I guess I should leave it at that.

Welcome

Hello blog world.  I’ve received a few requests to start a blog so I must give the people what they want.  I’m thinking my friends want to know what I think about each evening’s Wheel of Fortune or who won rock, paper, scissors today (me).  Or the latest thing the dogs did to destroy the house (that would take way too long).   Or, I suppose they might want to keep up with the three little miracles growing in my belly and how Jack and I handle this new adventure.

At Nichols and Nonsense I shall give you all of the above.