appointment update :)

:) Time for baby updates! I had ever intention on posting last night, but I was SO exhausted after my afternoon out that I was out cold on the couch at 7:45.

The day before yesterday I called our doctor because I was having "crampy" feelings. Not really in my belly, but underneath it. It felt like menstrual cramps...kinda. But it didn't really hurt...it was just annoying. If that even makes sense. It actually felt like what ligament stretching felt like when my belly first started to get bigger. But it scared me, so I called.

I talked with our nurse "J"... and she said just to time it, lay on my side...put a pillow under my belly, and take a Tylenol. If they got close together, lasted more than a minute, and I had five within an hour, to call back. That's the thing though...I'd only feel "them" every now and again, and then sometimes it would last for a good while. Weird.

Talking with my doctor yesterday, and showing him where I was "cramping" at... he says that he really feels like it's my ligament stretching again.

With Lilly, I never experienced contractions...so every little thing worries me. :) Imagine that. But he tried explaining what a contraction would feel like. He said that my whole belly will tighten, and that I will experience cramping feelings all throughout my belly. Well, thank God that hasn't happened as of yet. Dr.G said even if I am having those type contractions, that unless they are consistent that there is nothing really to worry about.

My nurse says to just take it easy, and drink lots of water! Which, I've been drinking anywhere from 8-12 8 ounce glasses of water a day...not to mention I drink a glass of milk in the morning, and sometimes one in the evening. And then I might sneak a few sips of soda here and there.

Okay, well...that didn't really have much to do with my doctor's appointment... but I thought I'd fill you all in on that.

First (as usual) was our ultrasound. :) I'm always nervous going in for an ultrasound, just because of the ultrasound we had in the hospital the morning that Lilly passed away. I always fear that they are going to tell me that there is no heartbeat. ALTHOUGH, these kids have been going NUTS in my tummy for days. :) Including yesterday right before my appointment. But as soon as I see their little bodies, and their blinking hearts... I'm good. :)

Miss V decided to go ahead and do another growth check yesterday, because she was confused as to why Dr.G kept scheduling ultrasounds for every appointment. We tried explaining that he just wants to have the fluid and heart rates checked, because it's so hard to find each baby and be sure of it. Plus, with my placentas being up front, it's just easier. But she said that she was going to go ahead and do a growth check (again), which was totally okay with me.

Our little Elliana finally caught up with her "big" brothers. All three babies are measuring 26 weeks 2 days, exactly one day a head of schedule. :) My little over achievers. Ha! AND all three babies weigh the same. They are saying 2 pounds +/- 5 ounces. :) We have three little porkers growing in there! And we couldn't be happier.

Easton is the baby on "top", and we are told that he has the most room to move around. Which would explain why he is my most active little one at this point. I mean, this kid goes completely NUTS the majority of the time. When we went to the doctor two weeks ago, his little head was in my right side, and his feet towards the middle of my belly (at the top). However, yesterday... his feet are in to the right side, and his head is in the middle of my belly (at the top). Little boy has done a complete flip since the last time we saw him on the big screen :) I told Clif at the beginning of the week that I really thought that he had switched positions, because his kicks have been a LOT harder...AND he was really hurting me on Monday when he was, not kicking, but moving around in there.

Elliana has stayed in the same position...what a good little Mommy's girl :) She remains head down and feet up. She is my calm child... though she grows more active by the day.

Eli, not to be outdone by his brother... has switched positions too. But not as drastic. :) Two weeks ago he was head down feet up, yesterday he is still head down but his feet go to the right side of my belly (at the bottom) now. Crazy little kids!
Since we had another growth check yesterday, she went ahead and checked his kidney again. It's still measuring 6mm...which she said was good, because it hasn't gotten any bigger in two weeks :) So that was a major answer to prayer. She also said that the shape looked good. Apparently it's a nice rounded shape...and sometimes with enlarged kidneys, the kidney almost frays out? I don't know, I didn't really get what she was saying... but she said that all in all his kidney looks good. Still bigger than his other, but it looks good :) SO that made for one very happy Mommy & Daddy!

We had to wait a while to see Dr.G, because he was on call (AND I don't get to see him next week either, because he is out of the office. So he wants me to see Dr.F, which... I'm not to fond of). Dr.G actually just delivered two pound (?) twins yesterday afternoon :) Which he said were doing fantastic! It was good to see him, since I hadn't seen him in a MONTH! We told him about the cramping, and asked him about my blood pressure being "low" when I am laying around resting. Things like that. I also asked him how restrictive my bed rest is. He said that it's not SUPER restrictive, that I am able to get up and walk around some without it hurting anything. And that I could have company over, for no more than an hour at a time. He also gave me permission to go out to eat after my appointment, so you had better believe that I took that and ran with it :) I think we have made Red Robin a tradition after a good doctors visit! A yummy burger and fries topped off by an even yummier milkshake. YUM!

Dr.G says that if our babies were born today, they would be "viable"...meaning, that more likely that not, they would survive. Of course, they could have temporary problems, or long term... but there is a very high percentage that they would survive. :) Which made me happy, especially with the whole cramping scare. He says that average gestation for TWINS is 32 weeks, so of course triplets would be under that. He mentioned that he definitely didn't want me going past 36 weeks, and I was quick to remind him that we had discussed 34 weeks. He seems to think that I may go earlier than that.

My main concern and prayer is that our babies are "okay". I told Clif last night that I just can't wait to hear them cry for the first time. Just to know that my babies are alive and breathing will mean the world to me. :) I'm so looking forward to them being here. And if it were safe for them, I would say bring them on NOW!

Oh, I forgot to mention that during the ultrasound we heard the words that I listen for every single time. "Everyone's fluids look good". I think that's one of my main fears... their fluids getting too low. Like Lilly's did. That scares me to death. But yeah, I have two fears. Low fluid, and not knowing that I'm in labor. :)

Well...that's all for now I think. All I can think to update about at least.
Currently I have Eli either punching me "down there" or rolling head around...or something, whichever...it's not too comfortable. Especially with brother Easton having some body part of his own shoved under my ribs. :) Love to feel my babies move, but find it QUITE uncomfortable sometimes. Especially as they bulk up!

Will update soon...and add 26 week pictures! :) I am getting HUGE...even Dr.G says so. I am measuring full term, or so he tells me. Which, he says makes sense considering I've got about 6+ pounds of baby in me! Speaking of pounds, I almost forgot... I only gained 3 pounds in two weeks. Which puts me up to a whopping 39 pound weight gain. Believe it or not, I was a little disappointed with the weight gain... I had hoped that it would have been a little more. SO... I am really going to try and gain a little extra this week. I want these babies to be as big as possible when they come out in just a few short weeks!

Thanks to all who have been praying for us, and especially for little Eli. Please continue to pray that his kidney not correct itself, but that God might correct it for him :)