Week 18 Update!

So, it is Week 18! We are now past the halfway point which feels great! I have been doing pretty well--I am still working and doing my practicum yet all of that ends in about 2 weeks. The exhaustion is still very present and I'm not sure that it is going anywhere. Michael gave me his 2nd shot this week and he did much better this time! The shots still aren't pleasant but hopefully they will work and keep the babies in as long as possible. We also had an ultrasound and doctor's appointment this morning as well. Here is a picture of our precious babies

 They all now weigh approximately 9oz. Baby A was our biggest and was in the 88th percentile (go Baby A!), Baby B was in the 83rd percentile, and Baby C was in the 70th percentile. The ultrasound tech also confirmed gender for us--we are definitely having 2 boys and 1 girl! Yay! We were really hoping for a combo so we are really happy about this. Everyone also had a good heartbeat which is wonderful. 
I'm not sure if I have felt them move yet--I'm not exactly sure what it feels like so I'm not sure if it is me or them. However, I think I have felt them at times--I feel little things that I think might be them. When we see them on the ultrasound then they are very active--it is cool to see them kicking and moving everywhere. We got new pictures of them this time as well as a DVD. So, if anyone wants to watch then we have an hour DVD of our babies :) Baby B was definitely more photogenic this time and she kept trying to make sure we could see her. It was really funny at one point--we were trying to get a profile picture of Baby A and Baby B kept coming in and Baby A just put his foot up like he was kicking Baby A to get out of the way. It was really cute :)
We also got to see more of their brains today--we could see the cerebellum as well as their right and left hemispheres of the brain. So, all of the folic acid I have been taking has definitely paid off! Their legs are a lot more distinguishable now as well and we can see their hands and feet. I love seeing them where they put their hands up by their face--its super cute. We also got to see more of their face this time and they looked at their lips. Everyone has a smooth upper lip which means that no one has a cleft palate so that is good news! I also have a lot more pictures of them that I will add to their page. It is amazing to see the growth that they have had.
So, then we went and met with Dr. Bellardo. My blood pressure is still really good and he is happy with my weight. I have definitely been gaining weight but he reassured me that the weight was okay and that it was composed of all their stuff. He went over the ultrasound with us and told us some things that are okay, but not exactly what we want. Baby A's kidneys are measuring larger than they should which means that could be a blockage somewhere. Dr. Bellardo said that if it remains enlarged then once they were born then a urologist would have to do surgery to remove the blockage. Dr. Bellardo said that he sees this fairly frequently and we will be getting more ultrasounds so he is not concerned with it yet. According to Dr. Bellardo "we have other fish to fry right now." So, even though he is not concerned we would appreciate prayers for little Baby A's kidneys that it is not permanent and the next time they will be normal size. He also told us that they weren't able to get a good picture of Baby C's heart but we saw his heart beating and he had a good heartbeat. So, that could just be due to their positioning so we aren't concerned about that. Then Dr. Bellardo told us that 2 weeks ago my cervix was measuring at 4cm and now my cervix is measuring at 3.5cm which means that I have lost 0.5cm. My cervix is still closed and it is in the normal range yet Dr. Bellardo said that this confirms the bed rest. He wants me to go onto strict bed rest and is not recommending that I go out at all. He said that my weekly outing can be to come and visit him and then we can valet park so I don't have to walk far. So, I didn't really think that I would be getting out of bed rest but it seems that now it is necessary. So, he doesn't want me to go out to eat or even go to the movies. So, he said that it is just for 14 weeks which is not that much in the span of my life--it may seem like it though :) We all know that I love Dr. Bellardo (a lot) yet I didn't think that going to see him every week would be the high-light and outing of my week...oh well :) So, it is really important that my cervix continues to stay closed and we don't lose any more centimeters. Dr. Bellardo said that I may have to stand on my head to keep the babies away from my cervix :)
So, other than that everything seems to be going okay. I am just going to take it as easy as possible these next 2 weeks until I go on official bed-rest. I will be adding more pictures of the babies after I sort through them a little bit more so keep looking at their pages. So please keep the babies in your prayers especially Baby A's kidneys and my body. We appreciate everyone's support of us :)

Week 17 Update

So, we have made it to Week 17! Michael reminded me this week that if I make it to 34 weeks (our goal) then I am now at the halfway point. It feels good to know that in 17 more weeks (hopefully) I will be meeting these three precious babies. So, this is me at Week 17. 

 I am slowly getting bigger every week...or day...but I think this past week it has become more and more evident to me that I am pregnant with triplets. I have been tired this entire pregnancy, yet something changed this week. The tiredness turned into pure exhaustion. I fall asleep at night, sleep intermittently in-between going to the bathroom, and then I wake up just as exhausted as when I fell asleep. I have also noticed that my feet hurt a lot more--it seems like walking a lot is also something of my past. When the doctor first told me that I would go onto bed-rest I thought he was crazy, yet I understand more and more everyday how much this is going to take from me. So, that is enough complaining :) Overall, I have had a wonderful pregnancy though and I really can't complain with how great it has been. Michael has been wonderful through this process and has taken to rubbing my feet every night with lotion to help me relax and ease my aching feet. I feel blessed to have him with me through this process :) 
Michael is still looking for a second job, yet there could be a few potential prospects that might work out. So, hopefully something happens soon with that. However, he has been working 19 1/2 hours of overtime this week--I am grateful that he is working so hard and wanting to provide for our growing family. It would be wonderful if his job continued to offer overtime during this process. 
I am also now taking weekly progesterone shots and Michael learned how to give me the shot last week at the doctor's office. So, on Thursday Michael got to try for the very first time on his own at home. It is very sweet that he has been willing to learn and wants to do this for me. He did pretty well--I think the medicine got where it needed to go. Hopefully he keeps improving each week :) He didn't quite realize the resistance he would feel when he reached the muscle so hopefully next week will be a little smoother :) He did a good job though--I think the shot just naturally burns but he has many, many more weeks of practice :) 
We have also been busy trying to baby register which is a job all in itself! It is important to me that I am able to do some of these "normal" pregnancy things before I go onto bed-rest. We have had a lot of fun though trying to pick things out and decide what we want to buy. We have added our registry page as well to our blog. We aren't quite finished yet--we are still scoping out the car seat. We have to do some measuring in Michael's car to make sure that we can fit all 3 car seats--so that will determine which car seat we can buy at this time. We already have a little collection of things that people have given to us--we have been blessed with everyone's generosity. I love getting all the baby clothes and looking at them--its amazing how small they will be! 
I have approximately 2 1/2 weeks of work and my practicum left. It is still somewhat bittersweet for me, yet I am also looking forward to being able to relax as well. I have been working at my practicum on Saturdays trying to get all of my hours in so I believe I will finish with everything that I need. We are still not sure about the disability--it doesn't seem too promising. We submitted all of the information and now we have to wait until I am officially not working anymore before they will process the claim. 
So, I believe that is all of our news for this week! We go back to the doctor's next week for our 18 week appointment--we are currently going every other week. So, next week I will have more pictures of our babies! I am excited to see them again and see how they have grown these past two weeks. Michael is working until 10pm tonight so I am going to do some baby-name research and finish up some laundry :) 

Week 16 update!

So, we have reached Week 16! This has been an exciting week in the Rhodes' household. Michael's parents have been in town this entire week and they have been working hard! On Tuesday, Michael's dad laid new flooring in our kitchen and breakfast nook. It looks awesome!

And then they have been working hard in the rest of the house as well. They put shelves in the hall closet as well as in the bedroom. They also painted the nursery and Michael's mom has been working hard on painting the dresser and changing table. We are so happy with the way it turned out. Michael and I found some fabric that we loved and we have been matching the rest of the room from the fabric. Here are the pictures!

Doesn't it look awesome?? I am so in love with it! We painted the nursery walls gray and then we painted the furniture yellow. We went to Lowe's and had them match the paint to the fabric. We are going to use the plain fabric to make crib skirts for each of the cribs. The patterned fabric is going to become curtains for the bedroom. It is definitely harder than I thought to find a fabric and design that is would work for the boys and the girl. But I am super happy with the way it turned out! We have one crib right now but we need a different one--the legs are too wide. My sister, her husband, and my adorable niece are moving to Ireland (it's bittersweet for me but I'm happy for them!) and they are giving us Abigail's crib. So, we are still on the hunt for 2 more cribs. We want to paint the cribs white (or get white cribs) so I think it will look awesome once we get everything done.

 We had another doctor's appointment this morning as well as an ultrasound. Since Michael's mom was in town she was able to go to the ultrasound with us and see our little ones. I have never had a reason to doubt that our babies are not doing okay, yet the morning of an ultrasound my stomach always feels in knots. However, the moment I see them and I see their little heart beats then my entire body is at rest. It is amazing to see their little bodies and how they have grown. Baby A and B had a heartbeat of 152 and Baby C had a heartbeat of 147. So, that is all really good. This morning we got to see their bladders, stomachs, spines, placenta, umbilical cord, face, hands, feet, legs, and kidneys. They even have a special screen where you can see the blood flow so we got to see the blood vessels that goes to the kidneys. So, everyone has functioning body parts at this time! The ultrasound tech described Baby A and C (our boys) as "wiggle worms" because they wouldn't stay still. She said Baby A may be our "wild child." So, they are already 100% little boy--they were moving and doing flips everywhere. They were also kicking a lot but I haven't felt them yet. She said that Baby B was "stubborn" because she wouldn't let us get a good picture of her--she is already her mother's daughter :) It was still amazing to see them and I don't think I will ever grow tired of seeing their little bodies. We go back again in 2 weeks for another ultrasound and appointment. So, as of right now we are doing appointments every 2 weeks but it could change depending on the babies. I am also doing really well--my blood pressure is good and I am on target for everything. I have gained 8 pounds in the past two weeks which is good for the babies but a little sad for me. Oh well...I'm sure I will lose the weight once I have them. The babies now weigh 5oz each which is almost a pound if you put them all together. The doctor said that hopefully by 20 weeks they will weight 1 pound. The babies are on target with their weight and growth though. The doctor told me this morning that I have definitely been blessed so far with such a wonderful pregnancy. He said that we will have rough roads ahead of us yet I am doing really well right now. They also looked at my cervix this morning and the doctor said that it is remaining strong and is not weakening at all which is wonderful news! I will be in good shape as long as my cervix holds which I know will grow increasingly difficult as the babies get heavier.

I also had my first shot this morning--it was definitely an ordeal getting the medication. They told us that our insurance was going to pay for the medication but someone no special-order pharmacy is working with our insurance. So, I spent an hour on the phone with them on Tuesday night and I ended up paying for the generic medication which insurance did pay a portion of which is good. Our regular pharmacy plan has rejected the prescription since I am having triplets and not a singleton pregnancy (it doesn't make any sense). So, they promised me that they would ship the medication Tuesday and I would receive the medication on Wednesday in time for my appointment today. Well, they called me on Wednesday around 2pm and told me that the medication didn't ship. They didn't really know why but she said "I don't know why they would tell you that it shipped because it didn't." Needless to say--I was upset. I explained my situation again and my need for the medication. And then I started crying...I was just so frustrated with this whole process. But it worked :) The lady called me back 5 minutes later and said that she spoke to her supervisor and they were going to switch carriers and we would have the medication before 8am this morning. And the medication arrived at 7:45 this morning :) So, Michael got a lesson in how to give me the shot this morning. Hopefully he remembers by next week! I am taking the shots in my lower back since it is intro-muscular. The needle is huge! It didn't hurt too bad though--just burned for a bit and then it went away. So, hopefully in the next month I can battle with insurance a little bit more and figure out the medication. If not, then I can continue to pay for the generic. Hopefully the medicine will help the babies and my body to hold them as long as possible!

So, after this week I am down to 3 weeks left...it still seems a little surreal. I'm not quite sure I understand it yet--I am looking forward to the opportunity to rest yet I am sad about leaving my job. Michael is still on the hunt for a 2nd job and hopefully he finds something soon to help out a little bit. We are truly blessed though with these babies and how well everything is going--it is definitely a testament to how these babies are miracles to us. We didn't know if we would ever get pregnant and now we are blessed beyond measure with these precious little ones. I will post new pictures of the babies as well--they weren't feeling too photogenic this morning though so the pictures are not the greatest! :)

What's that smell??

So, this is week 15! I am gradually getting bigger...I'm not sure it looks as obvious to others as it looks to me. I feel like every morning when I get up and look in the mirror I look a little bit bigger. 
I feel like this phase of my life should be entitled, "What's that smell??" This is currently how I live and eat. I have not really developed any food cravings, yet I have developed food aversions. However, I don't know what any of those food aversions are. I don't know if I like it until it is in front of me and I smell it. Hopefully this stage does not last too long...but for now I just like plain foods that don't smell :) I have been eating a lot of fruit though--we are going through a watermelon a week plus a ton of strawberries, grapes, and kiwi. I feel like I also eat all of the time. A few nights ago I even woke up in the middle of the night and my stomach was growling...haha! Plus I have been drinking lots of water which also means that I have to go to the bathroom a lot. It seems to be never ending :)
So, next week we are down to 4 weeks left. I have been working constantly trying to get all of my hours finished for my practicum. Tomorrow is also the last day of class. I am having to drop my next class because it will not be finished in time before I go on bed rest. I also found out that I passed the NCE which is the National Counseling Exam! I was super excited because I was not very confident that I had passed. So, once I take another class then I will be eligible to apply for a temporary license from the state. So, we'll see. First I need to have these babies and take that one day at a time. 
I have been telling all of my clients at work that I am leaving. I have been explaining to them the reason so they don't think I am abandoning them. Their reactions are hilarious...I wish I was taking a camera with me to film their reactions. I have not been explaining everything about fertility so many are amazed to how I have become pregnant with triplets. They are really sweet though and have been really supportive so far. It will still be really difficult to leave yet everyday I am getting more and more excited about these babies. 
Michael's parents are also coming next week to help us fix up the house a bit. Michael and his dad are going to put new flooring down in the kitchen as well as paint some furniture for the nursery. So, hopefully by the end of this week there will be a few more things accomplished. I also have another doctor's appointment and ultrasound this next week on Thursday. It will be exciting to see our babies again and see how they have grown!
We also have a big praise! I am a supposed to be starting the progesterone shots this week but we have been in a battle with insurance. On Monday I found out that the claim had been denied and they were not going to cover the medications. The FDA has only approved the medication for singleton pregnancies and I guess in my case it would only be preventive. So, we were going to have to go to a compound and pay for the medication out of pocket. Well, on Thursday the nurse called me from Dr. Bellardo's office and said that she heard from the medication company. They did an investigation of our benefits and found out that our insurance covers the medication! YAY! So, it looks like we will not have to pay anything for it which is a huge blessing! We are waiting for it to be processed now at the special order pharmacy so hopefully everything happens by Thursday!
Life is still progressing slowly every day. We have been trying to look at fabric and plan out the nursery. We also went to baby register this past weekend. We haven't finished yet but it was still fun to look at everything and plan out some of the stuff that we would like to do. 
So, that is about all for now. I will update with more pictures and information next week after our appointment. It will be exciting to see our three precious babies! We appreciate everyone's support throughout this process--we have been overwhelmed with everyone's support and love for us. Words cannot express how grateful we are! So, thank you! :)