28 week photos

Looking a little rougher than usual this morning-- this cold is not being nice to me.  But without further ado:

Don't have to squint to see the growth this time.  I can't believe how tiny my 10 week shots look to me now-- and I was "showing" then.  I guess 49 pounds skews your perspective a little.

I'll even give you this bonus scary front shot, complete with Lovenox bruising and new stretch marks (which I can't see in person, but the camera doesn't lie).  Craziness.

28 weeks

Just a placeholder for now!  I'll come back and write an entry soon.

Pancakes

Brewer Diet Protein Pancakes

2 eggs

3/4 c cottage cheese (I use low fat)

3/4 c old fashioned oats

2 T ground flaxseed

1/2 c milk (I use skim)

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 t vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Cook on griddle. Makes 8-9 4-5" pancakes. 

Oat/cottage cheese pancakes are my family's preferred kind under any circumstance, but these are super great for Brewer Diet. Check out how many boxes these pancakes cover: .5 milk, 3 protein, 2 eggs, 2 whole grains.  And actually, I ate them with sliced fresh strawberries, which gave me a Vitamin C serving, and a cup and a half of milk, which gave me a total of 2 milks. Could have added butter or whipped cream to get some fat. Yes, it's an enormous portion, but you can spread across two sittings if you prefer. I ate it all as a late breakfast. 

This recipe is so forgiving. I only measured ingredients this time for the sake of knowing how many boxes I could check off and to record it.  We usually make a huge batch in the food processor, using a full quart carton of egg whites, a whole (large) tub of cottage cheese, and about 3 cups of oats (adjusting as needed to get the right consistency), then we keep some in the fridge or freezer as an easy protein-rich breakfast. Like any pancakes, you can throw a ripe banana into the mix before blending or add fruit or chocolate chips when you cook them.

They are slightly more dense and moist than standard pancakes, but like I said, we love them. And they pack a huge nutritional punch.  High protein, good source of whole grains, low fat. Try 'em. 

27 weeks

27 weeks = Third trimester!  Go us!

That's the best I could do for a self portrait.  My arms aren't long enough.

Weight gain: 47.5 lbs.
Stretch mark count: I think I can feel one.
Belly button status: Half in/half out. Weird.

Babycenter update, for what it's worth:

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (about the size of a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-27-weeks_1116.bc

I'm looking forward to the Houston move for the simple reason of not having to get dressed for work everyday.  One day this week, I had four wardrobe changes, just to find something that fit correctly-- first option was too tight, second was too hot, third was too short, fourth didn't really match, but, eh, it covered all of the important bits and didn't have long sleeves.

I do have a lot to do between now and then, just to get the girls settled into school.  They start on Monday and I disappear the next Sunday, so that's a lot of transition in just a little time.  We can do it, though.  Rick and my mom are both awesome, plus we have several good friends offering help along the way.  Go Team Denson!

Speaking of, I'm off to Meet the Teacher for Mariela, so I think that's it for the update this time.  Shortest version: more of the same.  Babies and I are still doing great and in this for the long haul.

Pics

I didn't have the ultrasound pics with me yesterday, but you weren't missing much. From our not-so-hot sonographer:

Hmm. Anyway. 

I took this in the bathroom at Costco this morning. I just got this XL maternity shirt yesterday (most of my tops are mediums), expecting it to last to the end of the pregnancy. Maybe not. 

Those shorts went into the not-anymore pile as soon as I got home. I'm rapidly losing wardrobe options.  Babies have been super active this morning. Maybe they're planning on adding on an addition or something. They're definitely claiming their space!

26 weeks

I almost typed "28 weeks"-- I guess I'm trying to fast-forward.  No reason to, though.  All is well and just about the same as it's always been.  That's a good thing!

I had an appointment with Dr. Haeri this morning.  Unfortunately, the sonographer this time was not the best.  She was new to the office and just thoroughly confused by the triplets.  She had B labeled as A and A labeled as C, even with me (nicely!) correcting her.  After she had done all of the measurements on "A" (B), she decided to go "check with a colleague" to be sure the labeling was right.  And it was wrong. Oof.  Dr. Haeri came in and stood over her for a while (and he and I had a nice chat while he was in there), but the whole thing was kind-of a mess.  After she was done, Dr. Haeri ended up re-measuring some things that were clearly off.  Just a long and somewhat frustrating experience.

But all's well that ends well.  Since Dr. Haeri did the scan at the end of the appointment, I got to see some things I'd never seen before, like specific structures in the brain that he pointed out.  And the neatest thing was when he put the ultrasound thing very low on my pelvis, where Baby A's head is, Baby A was staring right at us and Dr. Haeri pointed out his tongue moving.  It was so cool!  Then he moved so we got a profile image so I could watch Baby A swallow-- I saw his whole jaw move and then his tongue.  Really the coolest thing.

Anyway, the babies all look good.  A is HEAD DOWN (atta boy!) and B and C are both breech.  Well, actually C was transverse (laying across the top) when we started, but then moved to breech.  That one is always moving on those scans!  I don't usually feel him all that much, except when we go see musicals (saw one this past Saturday)-- then he goes crazy and moves all around.  He likes musicals, because he has good taste.  Like me.

Size-wise, here's what we're looking at:
Baby A - 67th percent - 967 grams - 2 lbs. 2 oz.
Baby B - 31st - 853 grams - 1 lb. 14 oz.
Baby C - 50th - 914 grams - 2 lbs.

Worth mentioning: Baby A was totally crowding out Baby B-- he had her smushed up against the left side of my uterus and his abdomen was pressing on hers so much that there was some guesswork in getting the actual measurements.  But assuming these are dead-on accurate, the sizes are great-- B is 88% of A's size, which is about how she tracked last time.  they're all 2 pounds +/- 2 ounces.  Six pounds of baby in there!

Side note: back off a little, A.  B needs some room to grow.  Her competitive storage container would like to see her at 50%+ like her brothers.

My cervix is still "padlocked" and measuring over 4 cm.  No funneling.  No dilation.  Based on it's stubbornness (in a good way!), Dr. Haeri said he thought I had 3-4 weeks to go at a minimum, so he was completely confident our move to Houston in 2 weeks would allow plenty of time.  That's a good thing.

He said if the babies were born right now, it would need to be a C-section because of their size.  But if they continue to grow as they are now, by 30 weeks, he thought I'd be an ideal candidate for vaginal delivery.  He said there are still lots of factors to consider and Bob (Dr. Carpenter) will know exactly what to look for, but so far, so good.  So that's good news too!  See?  Frustrating appointment to start with, by Dr. Haeri makes it all better. 

Weight gain as of today: 45.7 lbs.  Aaaoooooga!  And people have crossed the line from "interested" to "concerned."  When we went to that show on Saturday, some guy tried to make me take his seat (I was standing) in the hall/waiting area, and then two separate women asked me during intermission if I was ok and if I was going to make it through the show.  Doing fine, people!  2.5 months to go!  Don't try to slow me down now!

I'm also getting all kinds of questions about when I'm going to go on bed rest.  Um, hopefully never?  I mean obviously I will if it's needed, but unless there's a medical indication for it (like preterm labor), there's no reason to think I'll have bed rest. 

I was talking to M today about how I still get nervous before appointments, because I know this is still a high-risk pregnancy.  But we both agree that it's amazing how smoothly it's gone.  So far (knock on wood), we've dodged every bullet.  Just your average singleton pregnancy, in triplicate.  And I've said it before, but I am so, so grateful for every day that keeps going like this.  Don't ever think I take it for granted, because I fully appreciate the blessing we've been given.

Babycenter says:

How your baby's growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about 1 2/3 pounds and measures 14 inches (about the size of a scallion) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-26-weeks_1115.bc

But our babies are rockin' this prenatal stage more than the generic babycenter baby.  They're probably in there doing calculus and discussing strategies for world peace.

I think that's it for now ("that's it"-- as if I haven't written a short novel here).  Last appointment with Dr. Haeri is in 2 weeks.  He said it would just be a quick cervical check and peek at the babies.  And then that weekend, I'll be off to my new (temporary) home in Houston.  Until then, I'll just be hanging out, trying to stay cool in this fantastic 106 degree Texas summer.  Good times!

Parlor trick

What I see when I look down:

 

 

What the world sees:

 

That's Mariela's new hiding spot.  I literally cannot see her if she sits at my feet. 

Don't know why she looks so grumpy in this pic-- she wants to do a retake later on, so I may switch out the pictures.  :)

25 weeks

25 weeks and truckin' along.  Still walking a mile most mornings to get Mariela to camp.  Still crashing most afternoons by 3 or 4, but getting a second wind a little later on.  Babies are moving a bunch.  They had a couple of slower days, but today, they're all keyed up and bouncing around.  The movements are more central and high, so maybe Mr. A has decided to flip head-down?  That would be lovely.

I see these weekly surveys on other journals, which I'm not keen to do, but I will mention that my belly button is still an innie and I don't seem to have gained any new stretch marks, though in time, I suspect both of those things may change.  Instead of stretch marks, I sport bruises from my lovely Lovenox injections.  Oh well-- those will go away.

I have now gained 41.8 pounds, putting me just over the big 2-0-0 mark (200.8).  I am officially putting aside Dr. Luke's 54-pounds-by-28-weeks goal, because I feel confident that (a) I'm eating well and (b) I'm eating all I can, so (c) que sera, sera.  The amount I'm gaining is the right amount to gain, whatever that is.  Look at me, bring all Zen.  Plus, I don't think we're going to be delivering close to 28 weeks (no guarantees, I realize), so I'm thinking we have some extra time to grow.

Don't think that means I'm retiring my weight gain spreadsheet.  No sir!  That goes with me to the bitter end.  I may be Zen, but I'm Zen with statistics! 

Here's what babycenter says about 25 weeks:

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-25-weeks_1114.bc

Dude, babycenter, get with the times.  These babies were a pound and a half last week.  Looks like I can't refer to the ruler at my desk for their lengths anymore.  Kids grow so fast.  I'm sure they all have hair already, though it's still so hard to imagine three little bodies, three little (hairy) heads, 30 fingers, 30 toes.  Will that ever seem real?  Maybe when they're born?

All in all, not a very exciting week (though I am still very happy about the passed GTT-- 98!).  Next Friday, I have an appointment with Dr. Haeri, and then I'll have another probably two weeks after that.  Three weeks and a couple of days from now, I'll be in Houston.  Starting to count down...

Dream

 

First, news updates:

 

1.  I got a message this morning with my GTT results: 98!!!!  That deserves 4 exclamation points, because it seriously doesn't get any better than that.  They want under 140 and I gave them about a perfect 100 (two points lower probably because we were about 4 minutes late doing the draw).  Yes!  No gestational diabetes for this girl.

 

2.  I got to X out the "liver" box on my Brewer Diet checklist last night.  Ate some Chicken Liver Mousse at a neighborhood restaurant.  The diet says liver is once a week, and optional (because of the yuck factor).  I may just have it once in this entire pregnancy, but goshdarnit, I did get it once.  I have some leftovers in my fridge, but I may give it to my mother, who actually likes liver.  It wasn't bad, just not necessarily something I'd seek out.

 

Now my second crazy delivery dream of this pregnancy (brought on by liver?):

 

I don't remember all of the details, but labor went very quickly and painlessly at M and N's house and the babies were delivered in their basement (which doesn't exist, by the way).  The babies were big and healthy.  It was right after 28 weeks, so I had just moved down there.  One of my immediate concerns was my yet-unused Book of Mormon ticket, so I decided I would stick around for 2 weeks and nurse the babies, then leave after I got to see the show.  Priorities.

 

The family swept the babies away upstairs and I stayed in the basement to recover.  The next day, when I finally went back upstairs, one of the babies had been taken on a walk, but one boy and the girl were still at the house.  The were big-- like 3-month-olds-- and had full trunk control, a full set of teeth (baby teeth this time-- not big flashy teeth like my last dream), and they could TALK.  These were some advanced babies!  They told me their names were Aidan Patrick and Erika (specifically with a "K").  I said "so it must be Christopher that's on the walk?" and they confirmed that it was-- and when I looked outside, I could see him chatting up his grandparents.

 

I tried to feed them and Erika politely told me they weren't really into that.  They were both very articulate and I was really awed by how incredibly advanced they were.  And then I woke up.

 

So, since the last dream, the babies got much larger (last time they were guinea-pig-sized), but their teeth got much smaller.  At least the delivery was easy both times!

 

 

News

1)  I went and took my glucose tolerance test this morning.  This time around (my 5th one ever), I got clear lemon-line glucose drink instead of the usual orange variety.  Spicing things up!  I started feeling pretty crumby about 10 minutes before the blood draw, but that's not so bad.  When the tech took me back, she started to have me sit in a regular chair (with an L-shaped arm rest) and then decided I wouldn't fit in that chair and she didn't want to smoosh me, so she brought me to a room with a cot instead.  LOL!  That was a first for me.  Results in a few days, I guess.  I don't really know if Dr. Haeri's office will call or if I have to wait until next week.

2) I noticed yesterday that I can't see my feet when I'm going down stairs.  It's surprisingly unsettling-- I didn't realize that I watched my feet, but I guess I do!  So now I'm sure to have a hold on the handrail.  I don't need to be tumbling down the stairs.

3) Just before I started typing this, there was a large, hard baby part jutting out right above my belly button.  I have no idea what it was-- it was about half the size of my fist.  I felt around trying to decipher what it could be (butt? head? shoulder?), but got nowhere and then it disappeared.  Don't mind me.  Just sprouting random appendages here.

4) I managed to buy the very last single seat to Book of Mormon, thanks to a good friend with a swanky AmEx card (it was a restricted seat).  So I have a date with myself (+3, I suppose) on 9/12.  See?  Booking up my Houston social calendar already. 

24 week photos

24 weeks:

Comparison:

Belly circumference today is 44"!  Biggest I've ever been.

24 weeks

Let's say that again: 24 weeks, babies!  Woohoo!

Since I already gave the baby update yesterday, here's the weight update.  +39 lbs.  Observe:

Ok, truthfully, I weighed myself 5 or 6 times this morning and the scale was totally inconsistent, so I took the highest number.  That may be cheating a little, but I'm ok with it.

The other thing I did this week but failed to report on was pose for maternity photos.  My friend Marco Hanson was looking to build up his maternity portfolio and happened to know a willing model.  So he came over on Wednesday night.  Here's what he's put up on facebook:

So that was fun.  :)  And nice documentation of what will surely be the only time I'm ever pregnant with triplets.  Thanks, Marco!

I've felt better since my complaining early in the week.  Still getting tired pretty easily, but I think Dr. Haeri's comments gave me some renewed energy.  Easiest triplets ever, right here.  Oh yeah.

I finally called this morning and made my appointment with Dr. Carpenter.  His assistant remembered me from the April phone consult, which is pretty amazing.  Our first appointment is September 3 at 10:00 am.  Starting my time in Houston off with a bang!

Real quick (Rick is about to pick me up for a company picnic), here's the babycenter update:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

 http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-24-weeks_1113.bc

And what they say fraternal twins look like right now:

+ 1 and all in the wrong positions, but it gives you an idea.

Ooo, and even better-- a medical illustration of 24-week triplets, albeit a little small:

Ok, gotta run!  24 weeks and all is well!

Speaking in superlatives

So beyond pretty pictures, here's how my appointment went.

 

The sonographer was terrific.  I wish I could remember her name, but for whatever reason, I drop the poor sonographers' names as soon as they same them-- inconvenient mental block.  But it was her birthday and she did great.  Immediately labeled the babies and kept track of who was who, got great views on everyone.

 

Baby A is breech, as he has been pretty much the entire time.  He and I are going to have to talk about that, because I need him to be head down.  You hear that, Mr. Man?  It's time to stop sitting on my cervix and get your head down there.  But he is still a big boy.  He weighs 1 lb., 8 ounces and is in the 64th percentile as compared to singletons (where 50% is average).

 

 

Miss Baby B changed position a bit during the ultrasound, but she was cephalic (head-down) for the most part.  She also enjoyed kicking Baby A in the head (she's trying to tell you to do what you're supposed to, A!  Listen to your sister!).  She is now the most petite of the trio, weighing in at 1 lb. 5 ounces.  That puts her in the 25th percentile for singletons, but the more important measure is that she is 87% of her biggest brother's size, which is still comfortably in our hoped-for range of everybody being within 20% of each other.

 

 

Baby C is all over the place.  Breech, then transverse, then head-down.  He's a free spirit, or maybe just a camera hound, since he ended up positioning himself quite nicely for his 3D face pics.  He's probably stayed the most consistent in growth percentiles, but that's now earned him a #2 spot in terms of absolute size.  He is 1 lb., 6 ounces-- 37th percent in the growth percentiles and 92% of big brother A's weight. 

My cervix is completely unchanged-- long and closed, mucous plug intact, no sign of any kind of change whatsoever.  Dr. Haeri said "Bob [Carpenter] is going to love this cervix!"  My personal highlight of the appointment, though, was when he said:

"These are the easiest triplets I've had in at least four years."

YES!  I mean, I'm not competitive or anything (ha), but I do love me a superlative.  Not easy-- EASIEST.  Good job, babies!  Good job, me!

So assuming all stays the same, I'll have two more appointments with Dr. Haeri before I pack my bags and head to Houston.  Completely happy staying on the "easiest" train, so I'll just claim my seat and stay here.  He gave me a lab slip for my glucose tolerance test/gestational diabetes screen, so I'll go in to the lab sometime in the next week to do that.  Not thinking it's going to be a problem, especially since my fasting sugar tested so low recently.

I will say that I'm inspired to stick to the danged Brewer diet.  I realize that Babies B and C are completely respectable sizes and, considering the margin of error, could even be as big as Big Bubba A.  BUT, even though I'm not competitive, at all, I would sure like them to jump up in the percentiles.  What do you say, babies?  Can we compromise on 51%?  Just a little above average?  Because I know you are above average babies.

If I'm this bad with pressuring babies in utero, don't you feel bad for my kids?  "An A, Andie, really?  Couldn't you try a little harder and get the A+?"  I'll pretend I haven't actually had that conversation.  Eek.

Ultrasound pics

Yesterday was my growth scan with Dr. Haeri.  I'll do a second post with a full update in a minute-- first, here are the pics I got (on a CD, so better quality than the prints).  C was the star of the show this week and poor Miss B got left out.  But pretty neat to see some of the 3D images now!

 

 

Baby A:

His hands were in front of his face, which obscures the 3D: 

Baby B:

Baby C:

Smiling:

How incredible is this??