After being dead tired all day, when I got home last night, I took an hour nap before dragging myself out of bed to make dinner.* Went to bed at a reasonable time, slept hard all night and I think I only got up 3 times (usually, no joke, it's closer to 10). Felt bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning. And then I crashed after lunch. Enough that I slept at my desk for 10 minutes. Eek.
Maybe this is the new normal? I'm bigger than I've ever been in my life and eating/moving/living for four. I guess it's to be expected. Time to build naptime into my day.
* I should mention that it completely shocked Rick that I cooked (he was at work). Over the past few months, I've resorted to leftovers and protein shakes most of the nights he's not here. So I'll claim that small victory yesterday.
This is still seriously no big deal in the grander scheme of things. I'm just more tired. I walk a mile (total, roundtrip) every morning to drop off Mariela at camp-- today I'll do that twice, because I need to pick her up too. I usually walk about the same distance to buy lunch. Two+ miles a day seems good for this stage of the game. No aches and pains to speak of, other than just the awkwardness of being the size of a full-term pregnancy. Yeah, I'm still doing well. Soldier on.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Ho hum
I think I've turned a not-so-good corner as far as eating is concerned. Both days this weekend and now today it was much more difficult to eat than it has been. I even woke up in the night last night feeling a bit nauseated. I think my stomach is just shoved too far up. My torso is 90% baby, 10% essential organs. I'm still getting all of the protein/milk, but I'll admit I've been shorting the whole grains. I get some, but they're just too bulky to commit to five servings. Potato was already out, snacks are inconsistent. But hey-- still gaining. I think I was up 2 lbs. this morning as compared to Friday.
I was also super hot last night, which has been an ongoing thing, but still surprises me. I tend to run cool, not hot. Anyway, that added up to a not-super night of sleep and I'm dragging a bit today. Maybe I'll take a nap under my desk. :)
Babies seem unaffected, though-- movin' and groovin' as usual. It's getting to the point now that with three of them in there, there's never a dull moment. Somebody is always awake and dancing.
I was also super hot last night, which has been an ongoing thing, but still surprises me. I tend to run cool, not hot. Anyway, that added up to a not-super night of sleep and I'm dragging a bit today. Maybe I'll take a nap under my desk. :)
Babies seem unaffected, though-- movin' and groovin' as usual. It's getting to the point now that with three of them in there, there's never a dull moment. Somebody is always awake and dancing.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Not the mama!
One more late-breaking piece of exciting news for today: I'm not the mama! We got the signed order from the court validating our gestational agreement, which officially names M and N the legal parents of the babies. So they will go straight onto the birth certificate and Rick and I will only keep the two kids we're already connected to. Good news all around!
Starting to feel official now. This is not a dress rehearsal.
Starting to feel official now. This is not a dress rehearsal.
23 weeks
23 weeks- BOOM!
And who has officially met the 24-week weight goal, with a full week to spare? This girl!
That's right. Today's weight 195.7 (fully expecting to cross the scary 200 mark in the next week-- two weeks max). Weight gain: 36.7 lbs. Booyah! My magic spreadsheet turned green today in celebration. Next weight goal is 54 pounds at 28 weeks. What once sounded impossible now seems reasonable. Just have to gain 3-4 lbs./week to get there. No problem, right?
I'll admit I get a bit of a kick out of telling people that I drink half a gallon of milk and eat two eggs, nearly a pound of meat, and a slew of other stuff every day. It's still gross, but it's more fun when I get to gross other people out too.
I'm wearing a cutesy triplet shirt today (to be revealed here at a later date), so I got my first stranger comment of: "There's THREE in there???" Made me laugh. In general, there have been lots of comments about the belly this week. I think I look full-term to just about everyone at this point. Then they look at me with shock and sympathy when I say I'm due in November.
I feel good, though. Pretty worn out by the end of the day, but still thanking my lucky stars for how non-dramatic this pregnancy has been so far.
Babycenter says:
That reminds me that when we went to see "A Chorus Line" the other night, the babies all LOVED it. They were rockin' out in there-- lots and lots of kicks and turns and tumbles. Future dancers? Musical theater lovers? That's my influence. :) This is what the babies were doing (jump to 0:37):
I can occasionally see kicks, but I have to be looking the right place at the right time. More to come, I'm sure.
That's it for now. Next week: a new growth scan at Dr. Haeri's office. Can't wait to see these big babies!
And who has officially met the 24-week weight goal, with a full week to spare? This girl!
I'll admit I get a bit of a kick out of telling people that I drink half a gallon of milk and eat two eggs, nearly a pound of meat, and a slew of other stuff every day. It's still gross, but it's more fun when I get to gross other people out too.
I'm wearing a cutesy triplet shirt today (to be revealed here at a later date), so I got my first stranger comment of: "There's THREE in there???" Made me laugh. In general, there have been lots of comments about the belly this week. I think I look full-term to just about everyone at this point. Then they look at me with shock and sympathy when I say I'm due in November.
I feel good, though. Pretty worn out by the end of the day, but still thanking my lucky stars for how non-dramatic this pregnancy has been so far.
Babycenter says:
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-23-weeks_1112.bcHow your baby's growing:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about the size of a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.
That reminds me that when we went to see "A Chorus Line" the other night, the babies all LOVED it. They were rockin' out in there-- lots and lots of kicks and turns and tumbles. Future dancers? Musical theater lovers? That's my influence. :) This is what the babies were doing (jump to 0:37):
I can occasionally see kicks, but I have to be looking the right place at the right time. More to come, I'm sure.
That's it for now. Next week: a new growth scan at Dr. Haeri's office. Can't wait to see these big babies!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Book of Mormon
One of the silly things I've been sad about is that I will have to miss The Book of Mormon (quite inappropriate, raunchy musical that I happen to love) in Austin this fall. We have season tickets that include the show, but it's in October, and that's looking like it's out.
BUT I just looked it up and it will be in Houston September 3-15!
http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/98779/1732682?brand=baa&camefrom=BAA_HOU_BOM_VENUE
So there is a good solution for me. I may just wait until the last minute and buy a single ticket. I would happily watch it myself-- I'd just be sad to miss it altogether!
So yeah, it's an inconsequential little thing, but it makes me happy.
BUT I just looked it up and it will be in Houston September 3-15!
http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/98779/1732682?brand=baa&camefrom=BAA_HOU_BOM_VENUE
So there is a good solution for me. I may just wait until the last minute and buy a single ticket. I would happily watch it myself-- I'd just be sad to miss it altogether!
So yeah, it's an inconsequential little thing, but it makes me happy.
Belly
In the purple dress again. It's in frequent rotation. Different angles and lighting today, courtesy of Mariela.
In other news: I'm officially approved to work remotely, beginning 9/3. Houston, here I come!
Monday, July 22, 2013
22 weeks
A quite overdue weekly update!
I was 22 weeks on Friday and my only excuse is that it was a long day. Let the house at about 7:45, got to M and N's house in Houston a little past 10:30, and then we all got to Dr. Dryden's office right at 11. We had a fantastic first appointment with her-- I went in briefly first (as not to overwhelm with our full entourage), and then after a few minutes, Dr. Dryden went out to the waiting area to get M and N. A little thing-- having the doctor volunteer to go get them, rather than sending a nurse-- but it feels significant and personal.
Anyway, we talked through some of the logistics of getting from here to delivery, and I feel like we have more of a plan. We asked when I should be in Houston and she said she would defer to Dr. Haeri, but that her first inclination was to say 23-24 weeks. Eek! We'd had 28 weeks in mind as kind-of a worst case scenario, and it seems like it's actually our best. I absolutely understand the reasoning of saying 24 weeks-- at 24 weeks, the babies are viable and if they're born that early, we certainly want them in Houston and not Austin. But, as she acknowledged, the decision isn't made in a vacuum. I do have a life and family here in Austin and it will be difficult to relocate, even temporarily. So 28 weeks is a compromise, but it feels like a reasonable one. If there's any indication at all that I should go sooner (cervical changes), I will.
Ok, so that's decision #1: Move to Houston at 28 weeks.
Decision #2 was what to do between now and then. Dr. Dryden said she didn't need to see me until I was down there, so thankfully, that means no more there-and-back trips to Houston. Instead, I'll continue to see Dr. Haeri. And, if Dr. Haeri is willing to be my emergency back-up and do full maternity visits (which I think is just adding a urine test-- not a huge deal), I don't need to see an OB up here. That would be kind of fabulous. So I will check in with him next Wednesday and see what he says.
Once I do go to Houston, my MFM care will transfer to Dr. Carpenter. Dr. Dryden said he will be driving most of my prenatal care-- monitoring the babies, determining when it's appropriate to deliver. She will do the delivery itself, but since he does full maternity visits, there's no need for me to see her as often as I do him. She said about every other visit should be fine-- enough to maintain our relationship and our expectations for delivery.
She said the odds of a vaginal triplet delivery are very low, but that she's willing to do it under the right circumstances (and, as I already knew, has done it). Those circumstances are, as the research would suggest, a head-down presenting triplet, a presenting triplet that is not significantly smaller than the other babies, and all three babies able to be monitored. It's way to early to guess right now, but so far, we're 1 for 3: Baby A is the biggest baby, but he hasn't decided on a position yet (was breech on Thursday, transverse on Friday-- I'm currently explaining to him the joy of headstands), and of course we can't yet guess about monitoring.
She also said we can aim for 36 weeks, but she's taken some flack for not delivering triplets at 35 weeks. I'm still keeping 37 in mind as my goal-- I'd rather overshoot. :)
She did a quick ultrasound, which was M and N's first opportunity to see one live, rather than just in pictures or over FaceTime. The babies looked great. M and N both claim they saw a fourth baby, but they are insane. There are "only" three. I promise! Dr. Dryden actually did a great job keeping them straight on the screen-- I know from experience how very difficult that can be.
She also measured my fundal height: 35 cm. Huge!
We were all flying high after the appointment, feeling good about the doctor who would be delivering this trio. We headed to Pappadeaux for lunch to celebrate, which has turned into something of a tradition for us. I ordered an 11 ounce serving of tilapia that got shorted as the 7 ounce lunch portion, so they ended up giving me an additional lunch portion to equal 14 ounces of fish. Plus, during the wait, N had already given me 3-4 ounces of her mahi mahi. So I ate over a pound of fish! Oink, oink! Killed a whole day's worth of protein check boxes in one meal.
The drive home was long-- heavy traffic and heavy rain. But I made it there safe and sound and was happy to lounge around and enjoy our new windows that were installed the day before.
22 week stats:
Weight: 193 lbs. (+34)
Waist circumference: 42"
Right on track to not only hit the 36 pounds in 24 weeks goal, but also the 54 pounds in 28 weeks goal. I am a grand champion eater!
One of the triplet mamas in a multiples group I follow on facebook just delivered a week ago, at 37w1d. Babies were 5#9, 6#2, and 6#12. Good inspiration to keep up the crazy eating. Those are exactly the kind of weights I would love to see.
Here's what babycenter says this week:
I do love spaghetti squash. Though not at Pappadeaux, as it turns out-- theirs was too sweet and I prefer mine savory.
So as much as I love the idea of each of these babies already weighing a pound, and I fully embrace the goal of 5+ pound babies, the thought of them each quintupling in size when I am already HUGE is a little frightening. Bring it on, babies. Let's see what this body can do.
As for me, still feeling pretty good. Big, but good. No complaints.
All over the place and late with this week's update, but at least I finally wrote it! I will be more prompt for 23 weeks. :)
I was 22 weeks on Friday and my only excuse is that it was a long day. Let the house at about 7:45, got to M and N's house in Houston a little past 10:30, and then we all got to Dr. Dryden's office right at 11. We had a fantastic first appointment with her-- I went in briefly first (as not to overwhelm with our full entourage), and then after a few minutes, Dr. Dryden went out to the waiting area to get M and N. A little thing-- having the doctor volunteer to go get them, rather than sending a nurse-- but it feels significant and personal.
Anyway, we talked through some of the logistics of getting from here to delivery, and I feel like we have more of a plan. We asked when I should be in Houston and she said she would defer to Dr. Haeri, but that her first inclination was to say 23-24 weeks. Eek! We'd had 28 weeks in mind as kind-of a worst case scenario, and it seems like it's actually our best. I absolutely understand the reasoning of saying 24 weeks-- at 24 weeks, the babies are viable and if they're born that early, we certainly want them in Houston and not Austin. But, as she acknowledged, the decision isn't made in a vacuum. I do have a life and family here in Austin and it will be difficult to relocate, even temporarily. So 28 weeks is a compromise, but it feels like a reasonable one. If there's any indication at all that I should go sooner (cervical changes), I will.
Ok, so that's decision #1: Move to Houston at 28 weeks.
Decision #2 was what to do between now and then. Dr. Dryden said she didn't need to see me until I was down there, so thankfully, that means no more there-and-back trips to Houston. Instead, I'll continue to see Dr. Haeri. And, if Dr. Haeri is willing to be my emergency back-up and do full maternity visits (which I think is just adding a urine test-- not a huge deal), I don't need to see an OB up here. That would be kind of fabulous. So I will check in with him next Wednesday and see what he says.
Once I do go to Houston, my MFM care will transfer to Dr. Carpenter. Dr. Dryden said he will be driving most of my prenatal care-- monitoring the babies, determining when it's appropriate to deliver. She will do the delivery itself, but since he does full maternity visits, there's no need for me to see her as often as I do him. She said about every other visit should be fine-- enough to maintain our relationship and our expectations for delivery.
She said the odds of a vaginal triplet delivery are very low, but that she's willing to do it under the right circumstances (and, as I already knew, has done it). Those circumstances are, as the research would suggest, a head-down presenting triplet, a presenting triplet that is not significantly smaller than the other babies, and all three babies able to be monitored. It's way to early to guess right now, but so far, we're 1 for 3: Baby A is the biggest baby, but he hasn't decided on a position yet (was breech on Thursday, transverse on Friday-- I'm currently explaining to him the joy of headstands), and of course we can't yet guess about monitoring.
She also said we can aim for 36 weeks, but she's taken some flack for not delivering triplets at 35 weeks. I'm still keeping 37 in mind as my goal-- I'd rather overshoot. :)
She did a quick ultrasound, which was M and N's first opportunity to see one live, rather than just in pictures or over FaceTime. The babies looked great. M and N both claim they saw a fourth baby, but they are insane. There are "only" three. I promise! Dr. Dryden actually did a great job keeping them straight on the screen-- I know from experience how very difficult that can be.
She also measured my fundal height: 35 cm. Huge!
We were all flying high after the appointment, feeling good about the doctor who would be delivering this trio. We headed to Pappadeaux for lunch to celebrate, which has turned into something of a tradition for us. I ordered an 11 ounce serving of tilapia that got shorted as the 7 ounce lunch portion, so they ended up giving me an additional lunch portion to equal 14 ounces of fish. Plus, during the wait, N had already given me 3-4 ounces of her mahi mahi. So I ate over a pound of fish! Oink, oink! Killed a whole day's worth of protein check boxes in one meal.
The drive home was long-- heavy traffic and heavy rain. But I made it there safe and sound and was happy to lounge around and enjoy our new windows that were installed the day before.
22 week stats:
Weight: 193 lbs. (+34)
Waist circumference: 42"
Right on track to not only hit the 36 pounds in 24 weeks goal, but also the 54 pounds in 28 weeks goal. I am a grand champion eater!
One of the triplet mamas in a multiples group I follow on facebook just delivered a week ago, at 37w1d. Babies were 5#9, 6#2, and 6#12. Good inspiration to keep up the crazy eating. Those are exactly the kind of weights I would love to see.
Here's what babycenter says this week:
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-22-weeks_1111.bcHow your baby's growing:
At 11 inches and almost 1 pound (about the size of a spaghetti squash), your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.
If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.
I do love spaghetti squash. Though not at Pappadeaux, as it turns out-- theirs was too sweet and I prefer mine savory.
So as much as I love the idea of each of these babies already weighing a pound, and I fully embrace the goal of 5+ pound babies, the thought of them each quintupling in size when I am already HUGE is a little frightening. Bring it on, babies. Let's see what this body can do.
As for me, still feeling pretty good. Big, but good. No complaints.
All over the place and late with this week's update, but at least I finally wrote it! I will be more prompt for 23 weeks. :)
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