Week 31 ~ Bits and Bites and a word from Mr.Tripletville

Just a few bits and bites from my week...  This might be a long one as I've finally convinced Gabe to write his own little blurb because I'm obviously not the only one going through this pregnancy and who knows? This may one day help another hubby somewhere in the triplet life universe!  Settle in folks and have a glass of wine for me!

Monday was a holiday so Gabe was home with me all day which was great because I really didn't feel good, I felt sick all day feeling like I wanted to throw up with bad acid reflux.  I also had another (my 5th this pregnancy I think...) huge meltdown... I just wanted this pregnancy to be over, I wanted them out, and then I felt guilty about wanting them out because I know they still need to grow, then I was worried about if I was going to be up to par when they were here or if I was going to go into a huge post-partum depression state... all sorts of breakdown worthy thoughts.  I'm really glad he was home to help me get through it, he's pretty incredible that husband of mine!   That night, Gabe went for a drive and I decided it would be a good idea to try and take care of my ever growing toenails.  I thought I could do like I always do, just grab a corner and rip the end off (yes, I realize that this is not the best method)... well, my whole toenail came off!  It started bleeding and wouldn't stop... so trying to get it cleaned up and put a band-aid on it when I can barely bend over to touch my toes was so much fun! It must have taken me 20 minutes and 5 band-aids before I actually accomplished my task. I don't know what happened there but I guess my toenails are falling off now... good times!
I had an appointment with my OB this week and she asked me if I had gotten balloons from people for making it to 30 weeks and still being at home... haha.... the other triplet mom in the area is about 5 weeks behind me and she's already in the hospital.  I hope she's ok!  I guess getting to where I am is quite an accomplishment!  The doc has officially cut me off from driving... not that I was doing much of it anyway but I'm stubborn enough that I will keep doing something until a professional tells me to stop so I guess I have to stop!  I was also advised to keep horizontal unless I have to go to the bathroom or get food or whatever.  I've noticed now that if I sit up for longer than 5 minutes, I start getting cramps that go away after a while if I lay down on my left side.  So even just sitting down now is not something I can do without feeling real discomfort.  We had a dinner last night with Gabe's family, including his great uncle Bernard whom I enjoy tremendously.  They brought our dining table in the living room so that I could join them at the table long enough to eat and then I laid down right after but I was still able to participate, so that was fun. We had an amazing laughter filled evening (with great food!!).
I started blood thinners this week due to my constant horizontal state and risk of blood clots.  Gabe had to come learn how to give the shot to me as I really don't think I could give them to myself.  The nurse explained it to him and said that she wanted to watch him do it.  The last time he had to give me a shot, he didn't have to look really, just stab, but this time, he had to go in at a 45 degree angle... I don't know where he went to school, but his 45 degrees looked more like 80 degrees and the moment he went in the nurse said something along the lines of "her leg isn't a dart board honey".  Anyways, he got the job done and he's gotten better every night.  The solution burns as it goes in though so he keeps thinking he's hurting me so he feels bad but we gotta do what we gotta do!
I went to the school this week to get my flu shot and it was great to see many of my co-workers and as soon as the bell went off all I heard as I waddled down the hall was "Madame", "Hi Madame", "Guess what I have in Math this year Madame"... If you're a teacher who loves their students, getting out of a school when the bell rings is not an easy feat!  Made me realize how much I truly miss them all...
We got out dishwasher all set up, WOO HOO!!!!!  Not that I can fill it or empty it, but it still makes me happy.  We also got an additional countertop and I (well my mother) was able to empty all our numerous boxes and I finally got my kitchen back!  It's looking good!!  My mother finished making the black out curtains for the baby room, they look amazing!  We also got the third crib that was given to us and a friend of ours came to help assemble it (thanks Liam!).  As I stood in the room, all finished and ready for the babies, I was able to see them all (hopefully) sleeping and I got a little emotional...
My rash is doing soooooooo much better, it's almost gone!  The OB prescribed me some anti-itch cream that has a side effect of drowsiness... SCORE!!!  So not only am I not that itchy any more overnight but I have something that helps me sleep, it's pretty awesome.  Between the creams and the pill, I'm almost rash/itchiness free... what a relief!!!  Now if I could only find a magical pill that helps with the acid reflux I might have a few great nights of sleep before the babies come!  Zantax doesn't seem to help and neither does Gaviscon... well I say that but who knows how much worse it might be if I didn't take it, and I don't want to chance it.  Trust me, waking up with vomit in your mouth is not the most pleasant way to wake up!
I laid low pretty much all week except for the hospital/school appointments.  I had a great visit with friends on Thursday afternoon.  One of them is expecting a little girl at the beginning of Dec so we may have our babies at the same time!  It felt  good to gossip :)
As I don't have much to do these days except for TV, reading and thinking, it got me thinking of all the things I miss that I always took for granted.  I miss my normal clothes, being able to easily bend over (at least this has forced me to bend with my knees and not my back...HA!), rolling over in bed without sounding like a wounded hippo (I'm sure that's how they sound), getting a good workout in and sweating, doing housework (yeah, I actually miss it.. I must be losing my mind), shaving my legs, wearing my really nice fall boots (all I can wear at the moment are slippers), cooking a nice meal (and not just rolling a banana into a wrap with honey and peanut butter, although it's amazingly delish!), going for a walk with my husband and dog, working (yeah, I miss my work...so much!), getting in my car and going to visit a friend, etc...  I have to keep reminding myself that it's not permanent and how lucky I am for that!  NEVER take any of those small things for granted because some of us can't do these things and some will never be able to do them so appreciate all that you can do, even if it's just bending over to tie your shoes... so many precious things!
My mother asked my OB how much longer she thinks I'll go, and the doctor said she hasn't seen anyone go past 34 weeks.  The specialists say that I may even go 36 weeks... so who knows?  My mother just left this morning for a quick 10 day trip to Florida to take a break before the hustle and bustle of the babies arrive so let's hope I make it at least another 10 days!  Of course, she's taken every insurance available to make sure she can come back anytime, but I'd like her to have a break before the hurricane hits this household!  I was thinking of playing a joke on her and telling her tomorrow that I had to have the babies, but I can't be too cruel and worry her more than she already does!
I'm still enjoying feeling the babies in my belly but honestly, it's the only thing about this pregnancy at this point that I'm still enjoying.  I just know that I won't ever have that feeling again and that makes me sad but the moment I see their faces will take all the sadness away...

My boobs don't even look that big anymore compared to my huge belly!
Babies are supposed to be the size of a pineapple this week and all over 3 lbs!

Don't mind the stretch marks, but I guess I am one of the unlucky ones who got them! 

And now a word from Gabe.... (I've wanted him to do this for a while now!)

So my lovely wife has been asking me to write in her blog for a while now and I haven't really got around to it but today seemed like a good day to start since I was talking to my friend Nesha on Facebook and after asking how MC was doing she also asked me how I was doing in all this and we got to talking about about it. A lot of people, not all, and certainly not my wife, forget that it can be demanding on the spouse of the said pregnant lady.  I know my wife is a very strong woman and this is very demanding on her in many ways as she has shared in her posts. I think she is amazing in the way she is handling all of this and in no way am I taking anything away from her but there is the other side of the coin.
As you know for the last couple of months MC has been very restricted in what she can do around the house and rightfully so. Pretty much the only thing she was able to do was the dishes. That left me with a lengthy list of things to do, chores around the house and of course going to work Monday to Friday. When I get home from work I know that she is bored out of her mind and who wouldn't be so I spend some time with her talking or watching tv with her but I also have to try to find time to try and keep the house tidy (which I haven't been on top of much), doing laundry, getting groceries, assembling cribs, assembling shelves, putting a new roof on our leaky shed, building shelves in the shed to try to store things and the list goes on. It seems like the minute we get one room cleaned and organised the mess just really moved to another room. Very challenging finding a place for all this stuff. 
It is mentally draining finding the balance between spending time with my wife, getting things done around the house, running errands outside the house and trying to find some me time.  I feel guilty leaving my wife at home to run errands when I know she is home alone....again....and probably bored.  But through it all, I love her very much and I wouldn't change it for the world! (well, maybe I'd hire a maid if we could afford it).
MC seems to be poking fun at my poking her with a needle at 45 degrees. I have very good intentions of stabbing her at a 45 degree angle but when my hand starts to approach with the needle I worry that might come in to low at a 25-30 degree angle and then might skim her leg, not make penetration and stab myself instead so that's really why I end up with an 80 degree. It's for my own protection really. 
As for her not being able to drive any more I'm happy the doctor told her not to drive any more because I was worried. She had to put her driving foot in an awkward position because her belly (and the babies) are in the way. If something would have happened that she needed to slam on the breaks she could have broken her ankle or even worse she could have missed the brakes because of this awkward position and not been able to stop. So the doctor made the right call. I can imagine it is very tough to give up that last bit of independence she had during the pregnancy but it is for the family's safety and only temporary.
A big thanks to all who have helped me out with my never ending list of things to do to get ready for the babies including my brother in law Eric, my buddies that I can always count on and most of all my dad.   Finally a big thanks to Liam for helping me set up the last crib. It was nice to hang out and chat. While talking he mentioned how he shared a room with two of his brothers growing up and how my boys will obviously have to share a room for a while and it made me realise how materialistic our society has become. It's like everyone wants the biggest house, the newest of everything and the best of everything. I'm not saying with our family that a larger house wouldn't be nice but all we really need is each other and we will find ways to make it all work. Family is what is really important and it saddens me that a lot of us, myself included, often lose sight of that. A roof over our heads, a place to sleep, food on the table and love in our hearts is what we need, what we have, and what matters...

Week 30 ~ Itchy & Scratchy Show

This week I had a doctor's appointment with the specialist for a growth scan and all babies are doing great and Gabe said "Way to cervix babe!" (still holding strong).  Baby A is just shy of 3lbs at 2lb 15oz, most likely 3lbs by now, Baby B is 3lbs 1oz and Baby C is 2lb 11oz.  It's getting harder and harder to get their measurements as Baby A & B have decided to hide their heads almost directly in my vagina and Baby C is trying to give himself some room, bum in the air (hence the big bump of last week's post) with his head directly under my left rib, so that's pleasant!  They're all growing at about the same rate, so now I have about 9lbs of baby in my belly, not counting the extra stuff.  I waddle so much, I'd officially need a walker just to get to my bathroom!  I can hardly shower now, my lower back hurts sooooo much.  In just a week, I went from having to sit down immediately after my shower to having to sit mid-way through...  Gabe actually got me a shower chair.... I haven't used it yet, I don't want to, I know I'm being stubborn, but I just hate the feeling of being so defeated by this pregnancy.  My doctors have prescribed a blood thinner which comes in the form of a shot that I'll have to give myself daily. (haha..yeah right, I think hubby will have to do that while I close my eyes...).  This is because I am so immobile now that my blood is not circulating well enough and that could cause blood clots, which is NOT something you want.

My body has decided it wasn't enough to give me stretch marks that could rival the Grand Canyon, it also wanted to give me a rash.  No one knows what it is, even the specialist had to take out a book to compare my rash to pictures and she still wasn't sure... so now I'm using every cream I know to try and stop the itch. You know the feeling of having a mosquito bite itch that you just can't help but scratch?  Well I have that pretty much on my whole body... now skip ahead if you're disgusted easily as I'm about to give you a preview...

Lovely, isn't it?  I'm sorry if this is too graphic, but for those of you expecting triplets, just know that this pregnancy can bring on the weirdest things!  This is all over my belly and my legs too :(





A doctor friend of mine thinks it may be eczema, so I'm trying some of that cream too.  Anyways, it just sucks because I wake up scratching and you know, once you start, you can't stop!  The worse was last night, it was my toes that were itchy... well let me tell you, scratching your toes when you're 45 weeks pregnant is not an easy task!  I'm seeing my OB on Tuesday so maybe she'll have another solution.

I've also learned this week how valuable water & diet is in a pregnancy... I had the WORSE acid reflux for like a whole day and night and another day so I did some research, drank tonnes of water and very carefully watched my diet and it's pretty much gone!  I blame it on the McD's I ate and the dehydration it gave me.

On a positive note, I had a great visit with one of my besties this week!  She's one of those friends who I can be 100% myself with so I didn't even have to be entertaining or try to look presentable.... trust me, she's plenty entertaining on her own and she knows just how to make my day shine a little brighter, thanks Jo! xox

Gabe and I went to Babies R' Us last night to get the rest of the small items we needed for the babies.  These are items that I'm sure people would have been more than happy to get for us, but there's a controlling anal part of me that needed to go, and also I felt like I hadn't bought my own babies anything from me.  We got lucky and got a super close Expectant Mother parking, I got in the wheelchair and away we went.  The total at the cash made us realize how lucky we are to have such amazing people around us who have given/bought us stuff. Thanks friends and family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   We bought enough bottles for one day's formula supply...wait for it... 24 bottles!!!!  Crazy isn't it?  We didn't have to buy 24, we already had many given to us, but it's crazy to think we're going to go through 24 bottles a day!!!  We worked on the baby room some more today and I think I finally feel ready for the babies to be here.  As much as I know they have to stay in to grow more, I can't help but think: GROW QUICK I NEED YOU OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The doctor think I might go another 6 weeks.... AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Home stretch now folks! Thanks for all your support!!

Week 29 ~ Relaxation time

That is pretty much what I did all week... relax... I had one doctor's appointment with my OBGYN where I heard the heartbeats, three quick different heartbeats all around 150 bpm, pretty good indeed, my babies are thriving.  Let's hope it keeps up!  I had a very low key week this week, which was good as I'm starting to be pretty much useless on my feet.  The docs want me to move around when I can to prevent blood clots but when you're carrying these many babies, moving around is a hard task.  I am now at the point where I have to sit down immediately after I shower before I towel off because my lower back hurts too much.  I would need one of those old people shower chairs where I can sit down while I shower! haha... I remember when I was younger, I had a friend whose mother would limit our showering time when we slept over to 3 minutes; she would be pretty proud of me because I don't think I've ever showered as quick as I do now. I also have to sit down to brush my teeth so I now ALWAYS remember to turn the tap off while I brush... so hurray for water preservation!! My belly is getting so big and I don't realize it that I bump it on everything... I swear every door I open hits me right in the belly and it's not pleasant!  You'd think I'd learn, but no.... every time I open a freaken door, bam, right in my belly, poor babies, I'm beating them up already!

I was reading up on these last "11 weeks" of my pregnancy (more like 3 - 6) and they're saying that the babies are supposed to triple in size.... hahaha.... (that was a laughter riddled with tears...).  So they're saying that if I made it to full term, I would have 21 lbs of babies to carry around, can you imagine?!?  I'm having another growth scan on Friday and I'm betting baby B is going to be close to 3 lbs... I figure by the time I have them, they'll have at least doubled in size, so that means about 14 lbs of babies or more (I'm dreading but also hoping for more).  Nevermind banging my belly on doors, I won't FIT in doorways!!!  

Halloween was a good night, I put on my skeleton t-shirt and waited for the 2 kids Gabe said we'd get. We got like 6 in one go and one little boy pointed to my belly and asked me if I had a baby in there.  I said that I had three and his mouth dropped.  Another little boy beside him pointed to my belly and then my boobs and said "are they in there (belly) or in there (boobs)?"  HAHA... I knew my boobs had gotten bigger, but I didn't think they were big enough to have babies in there... cutie pies...  By the time we got through our 10ish kids, I ran out of chocolate bars (I hadn't bought a lot due to the 2 kid prediction my husband had told me about and I also ate some because I didn't think we'd need many), so I ended up having to use some of the candy Gabe had gotten from his work... thanks Lynn!!  At least all the kids got something :).  The best costume we saw was a baby dressed up as a lobster in an actual pot, it was the cutest thing!  I can't wait to dress up my boys next year!!

Last night was the worst night of my pregnancy so far, I must've pulled some muscles or the babies decided to all have growth spurts at the same time as my lower belly hurt so much that I couldn't sleep.  I was scared it might be contractions as my lower back got into the action too but it was false alarms.  The only way I was semi-comfortable was when I was sitting up with my feet on the floor and my belly hanging in between my legs.  Well, I couldn't have slept very well like that now could I? So I laid down and tried to find an "ok" position, it helped that my amazing husband rubbed my back as I breathed through the pain.  I also took a few Tylenol, hoping they'd work.  I got so exhausted at some point that I just fell asleep but being used to switching sides like 10 times a night, my semi-conscious switches woke me up fully in pain every time.   Funny enough, sometime during the night, it got better because when I woke up this morning, the pain had died down almost fully.  I hope it doesn't become a nightly event.  I'm not sure if it's because I did too much yesterday or what... I'm torn between laying low all day and not doing anything and moving every once in a while to avoid blood clots.  I know blood clots are not something I want, so I'll just have to try to find a balance.




So the babies this week are about the size of a butternut squash, are about 15 inches long and should be about 2.5 lbs each. Their skeletons are getting harder and their lungs are in full development stage.  Crucial growing time!

This is my view of my almost constant disproportionate belly, as you can see on the left,
 there's a pretty big bump, I think it's a bum but who knows?  

56" inches round but I don't really know where to measure now...
Doc says I'm about 44 weeks pregnant... haha
I have gained a gross amount of weight too, I'm up to like 70 lbs,
I seriously think about 50 lbs of it is in my butt, thighs and boobs... 

Gabe had his diaper party last night, this is part of what we got, thanks boys!! 

Week 28 ~ Milestones and Belly Fun

This week my babies and I reached a few milestones.  The first one is that we reached week 28 and according to experts (and the doctors), the babies, would they to be born now, should be old enough to live without too many complications.  Their lungs should be developed enough so that they could keep growing outside of the womb with assistance until fully developed.  To be honest, it's the first time I can breathe and truly feel happy and blessed about this pregnancy.  Every week from now on is just the toppings on the sundae.  Let's hope I make it all the way to the cherry on top, which for me would be week 34.  So cross your fingers and send some good thoughts to my boys so that they stay in my belly!  Yes, I am getting more and more uncomfortable daily, but I will suck it up and hack it as long as possible to ensure that these babies spend the least amount of time possible in the NICU and so that we can bring them home with us quickly. The second milestone is the weight of the babies... All of my little monkeys, including baby C, are all above 2 lbs this week.  At my latest growth scan, baby C was 2lb 1oz, baby A was 2lb 6oz and baby B, my superstar, was 2lb 8oz.  Baby C is smaller but he's staying just above the minimal growth curve.  Being a math person, I felt comforted when the specialist showed me the max, min and median growth curves so that I could visualize where my babies were situated.  For my math geek friends, you'll understand, for the rest of you, just know that baby C is fine ;).  The doctors are really happy and impressed with my progress.  As anything can change on a dime, I will be having appointments weekly; one week with the specialists and the other with my OBGYN.  So I now have at least 7lbs of baby in my belly, plus all the other stuff that's in there!  My belly is quite heavy and hard to lug around.  I sometimes wish I could just take it off for a few minutes to give myself a break...ha ha!  Sleep... oh what fun sleep is... now that's the time I wish I could put my belly on my night stand until morning.  Once I fall asleep, I guess I snore like a lumberjack but it takes a while to get there... oh well, not too too long to go now, it's not like I'll sleep well again for the next what? year? haha.... I just want to sleep on my tummy again!

I've had a few nice visitors this week, always bringing me treats... Mel and Lisa-May brought me tea and a cupcake and Tracy brought me a great chai latte, a pumpkin muffin and updates on RHS life which I so desperately craved!!!  Thanks ladies, and I would have welcomed you with open arms even without the treats!!!

My mom and I worked hard this week at organizing the room (mostly my mom as I'm useless on my feet), but we had a good time at Wal-Mart...

Yep, that's me in a motorized cart... It was fun, and then embarrassing when I had to back up and a wide load sound started... yeah, didn't have too much fun then...  Here's the view of the closets...

We are ready for them if they come and that makes me happy!


Today, my sister treated me to a belly paint.  Melissa (from Melissa's painting...check her page out on Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/MelissasPaint) came over to the house to paint my very pregnant belly.  She did a really good job!

For my three little monkeys! 

With my sis in the baby room

Adorable right?

She said that she had never done monkeys before... you could never tell, I think she did an amazing job!  It's as cute as anything and will give us some good memories!! She's super nice too which helps :)  It took a while, but I was sitting comfortably on my couch while she worked around me like a contortionist to make sure I was always at ease and what a final product!  I'll have more pics in future blogs...

As it is Halloween week, I also had to break out my nifty t-shirt that I got just to wear for the occasion, even thought Gabe tells me that there are only like 5 kids that come trick or treating at our house... sad face...

I won't get to show it off too much, but it's still cute!!!
 I'll pay it forward to another triplet mom for next year! 

Anyways... HURRAY FOR 28 WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 27 ~ Nesting and beginning of 3rd trimester

Well I've made it to my third trimester and according to my doctor, I'm measuring as a full term singleton pregnancy, so these next few weeks should be very interesting.  I'm getting more and more uncomfortable by the day, everything is swelling up, even my gums are swollen which is now causing bleeding when I brush my teeth.  Yes people, this is not pretty... haha... My legs cramp up very easily, most likely due to my big belly cutting off circulation to my lower extremities and I must turn over in bed about 10-15 times a night to alleviate and distribute the pain.  I pee 2 - 3 times a night, which is not too bad considering the amount of water I drink...  I can't walk without waddling and my back hurts after 5 minutes of standing up... so yeah, you can say as uncomfortable as a woman in the last stage of her pregnancy.  I, hopefully, still have at least 5 weeks to go, but no more than 10 weeks.  I hope I can last as long as I can so that my babies can come home with me and not have to spend any time in the NICU but who knows?  All I know is that everything is going great so far so I'm hoping it keeps going that way.  My blood pressure is still doing great, so that's good.  I did have a bad sugar test, it showed that I was a little over the blood sugar limit and may be at risk of gestational diabetes (a special diabetes that normally goes away after the babies are born).  I have to go for another test tomorrow to see if it was just a bad test or if I'll have to take measures to correct it. Correcting it normally only requires a change in diet and not insulin (let's hope!).  So I have to go to the blood clinic tomorrow morning (as I have to fast for 8 hours prior), they take a blood test, give me a super sugary drink, wait an hour before they test me again, give me another drink, wait yet another hour and do a final blood test.  So two hours of sitting in a blood clinic waiting room when even sitting on my couch is uncomfortable... I can't wait!!

On Monday this week, my mom and sister came over and we had a cook-off day so that we'd have meals ready to go in the oven when the babies are here because God knows, eating will not be a priority and we would have had a lot of cereal I'm sure!  So here's a picture of what we made:

Lasagnas, Sheppard's Pies, Egg Rolls, Spaghetti.... Good stuff

We had a good time and finished the day with the whole family around that table enjoying some of the fruits of our labour for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Lots of laughs, love and gratefulness...

Yesterday, my in-laws and my sister and her hubby came over to help us start organise the house for the arrival of the babies.  One of the cribs, the changing table, and the closet organiser was all set up in the babies' room by the men.  The re-organisation of the living room and the cleaning up of random junk was handled by the ladies.  The house still looks like a tornado went through it, but little by little we are getting it all ready.  I'm finding it difficult sitting down and directing people as to what to do because being the control freak that I am, I would want to do it all myself, but my sister and mother in law were really thoughtful and were making sure that I was involved in the organising.  My mother is coming over this week and will be helping me continue to get the baby room ready.... can't wait to see it all come together.  My mother came over this morning to see the progress we made and I found her crying in the baby room... When I asked her what was wrong, she looked at me and said that seeing it all come together was making it so much more real... and then we had a little crying moment together, it was sweet...  It IS becoming more real and they'll be here so soon!! The nervousness is slowly ebbing away and making room for my anxiousness to meet them!!  Not too soon though!!!  Stay in my tummy babies, you still need to grow and develop those lungs!!!!

Here is some of what we did:

Living room coming together... Almost no room for Roxy... :(

Baby room coming together....

And here's my very pregnant self:

54" around

Week 26 - Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving... I had a moment this week where I felt overwhelmed, yet again, and very thankful for people surrounding us during our journey and I will steal the Facebook status I wrote and share it here:

"So I rembember early on in my pregnancy dreaming that Ellen would help us with with the triplets, but little did we know that we had our own Ellens in our own backyard... Rest assured people that when push comes to shove in your life that there are people who would do anything to help you... We don't know what we ever did to deserve such love and support, but to our "Ellens", we thank you.... and words are simply not enough... know that we will pay it forward as much as we can. Gabe and I are truly blessed and we will make sure our sons are the kind of people who are as generous as you all have been..."

We have been given many many things, some have been big, some have been small, but all were from the heart and we couldn't be more appreciative of it ALL.

Some of the things we were given this week were a playpen, 2 big bags of clothes, our triplet stroller and a dishwasher, installed and ready to go... I'm telling you, people's generosity never ends!  The folks who gave us the playpen, upon realizing that the product was discontinued and wouldn't be sold in stores anymore, called around the Toys R Us stores in the region, found a display model in St John, drove to get it in St John, built it that same night in their kitchen and surprised us with it the next day.  The triplet stroller came from a friend who is away who just wishes she could be with us more and is doing as much as she can to help us from away (she doesn't know how much she actually DID help).  The dishwasher comes from people who I've know for about 5 years now and I've always known how very generous these people are and we are just so blessed to have them in our lives.  We were going to get a portable dishwasher because our kitchen countertops are too short to be able to fit a standard dishwasher, but this guy, genius contractor that he is, said that wasn't good enough and is going above and beyond to make sure we have a real dishwasher in our kitchen. Amazing!!  My mom and my sister are coming over today and we're having a cook off... Lasagnas, Spaghetti Sauce, Shepard's pies, and egg rolls.  That way, all we'll have to do, is pop it in the oven and we'll have some good food to eat when the babies are here. I'm telling you guys, we are so well looked after that all we'll have to worry about it making sure these babies get fed and are loved and that, above all, is an amazing feeling.

Gabe spent all weekend removing most of his tools in our house to make room for the babies.  Next weekend, the family is coming over to rearrange the house and to prepare for them to come home as we never know when it could happen. Hopefully not for another 8-10 weeks!!

I had another appointment this week and all babies are doing good :-).  Baby A was 1 lb 11oz, Baby B was my superstar at 1lb 13 oz and Baby C was 1lb 9 oz.  Baby C is my little guy... I think B is eating his food or something!  The doctors aren't worried about the fact that he didn't gain as much as the other ones, but I am a little bit.  Of course, they say that they don't worry from appointment to appointment because it could have been an error in measurement, maybe it was a different nurse who measures differently, etc.  But really, they are all over 1.5 lbs, which is the size singletons are at this stage, so that's good.  I'm pretty sure I measure as a full time pregnancy person now.  I feel like I doubled in size this week... My lower back is a pain in my ass!  I went to the grocery store for 10 minutes and I couldn't even walk anymore so I'm becoming more and more limited in my movements.  Gabe has finally felt the babies move!! Hurray!!  They are coming out of their shells and now the outsiders are seeing them move, which is really cool!  I feel them constantly, they are either moving, kicking or just pushing on my belly.  Sometimes, they are all pushing at the same time and I have a hard time differentiating between Braxton Hicks and just them pushing on me.   But I am certainly enjoying every moment of these miracles growing in my body... that's what it is isn't it?  I am making tiny little humans... incredible...

This week, the babies are supposed to be about the size of zucchinis, hearing more and more and apparently, starting to learn how to blink.  Cute!!

I feel like I've blown up this week! 

Week 25 - Shower Time!

I'm so freakin tired... but what a weekend!  I had my two showers this weekend and what an exciting time! I feel bad for my shower #2 because I think I spent all my energy on Saturday and had none left for Sunday!!

Shower # 1
This was my family and friends shower, there were about 40ish people there!  So many goodies to eat!! Meatballs, rice, cheesecakes, squares, etc... it was quite a lunch! There was a mix of people ranging from friends I've known forever, my sister's friends (who have also become mine through the years), my sister's husband's family, my aunts and cousins, Gabe's family (aunts, cousins, family friends), some of which I only met at the shower for the first time, so it was nice to meet new people.  My father in law and hubby wanted to make sure I was really comfortable so they brought over a lazy boy from the in-law's house so that I could put my feet up which is what I did for the most part.  My mom, my sister, my mother in law and I planned the whole event and I think it went really well.  We got SO MUCH STUFF!! People are just so gosh darn generous, it's crazy!  Some of the stuff we got was pyjamas, onesies, a diaper genie, a changing table topper, tonnes of cool toys, books (French ones finally!! thanks Tan!!),  gift cards, money, and so much more... I just forget, a lot of it was a big blur. I can't wait to show Gabe and actually take it all in.

My mother in law and me

My sis, me and my mother

View of the hall, the gifts, the guests and my huge belly!!
Notice the sign... my hubby crossed out the "a" and put a "3" and added an "s" cutie pie!
We got a lot of cards that got modified grammatically, it was cute and super thoughtful!  

Shower # 2
This was my friends and colleagues party, all planned by my friends Becky, Alicia, Sarah and Pam. Lots of yummy goodies there too... Two cakes (amazing carrot cake and chocolate cake), this awesome dip that I can't even describe to you but I can tell you it had chocolate chips and you can never go wrong with chocolate chips, nanaimo squares, brownies, CANDY, just a bunch of yummy yums!!   It was great to see my girlfriends that I don't get to see all that often anymore.  It made me a bit nostalgic as about half of them I was used to seeing everyday at work and I feel totally out of the loop and makes me miss being at work that much more.  I spent most of the time just sitting back, soaking it all in and enjoying having them around me.  I was spent within the first 1/2 hour, I guess the day before really took a lot out of me, but I still had a really good time.  Don't you always when you're surrounded by people who love you and you love?  Again, I was showered with amazing gifts and generosity.  We got some awesome preemie clothes that the boys will surely need at the hospital or when they just get home from there.  We were also given a video monitor that swivels so that we can spy on all three boys, it's in colour and we can talk to the babies through it!  Gabe tried it the moment I got home from the shower, it's super neat. It even has a little night light on it!

Three "It's a boy" banners welcomed the guests... cute! 

My wonderful friends... xox
The sign says "Week 25"

Anyways, so much love, generosity, support... SO MUCH STUFF!!! My mom is going to come this week to help me sort out what we need right away and what we can put aside for a few months.  That will give me a chance to really look at everything and actually appreciate it without feeling completely overwhelmed and honestly a little guilty about all the stuff we were given.  I know people don't give what they can't afford, but it still made me feel guilty accepting all of it.  Trust me, I normally like being the centre of attention, but this was a little much, even for me.  It was another very humbling weekend.

I also got to spend some time with my book club girls this week.  I think we're on year 5 or 6, no one knows for sure.  All I know is that I would be lost without them...  When I started with them, Sondra was the only one who already had a baby, Claire.  Through the years, our book club meetings became less and less about books (although we always had the best book choices) and more and more about babies and everything surrounding baby making in general.  Our club is special in the way that we've dealt with everything a woman can go through during the baby making process... we dealt with infertility and loss and even through it all, we've been each other's biggest support, knowing that we would be there for one another no matter what.  Some of us had a hard time being part of the club when there was joyous talks of new babies while we were dealing with the negative sides of baby making, but we always came back to each other.  Through the years, we saw the appearance of, in order of their births, Sondra's #2 Wyatt, Kari's Jackson, shortly followed by Becky's Sawyer, Mel's twin girls Leah and Lily shortly followed by Alicia's Alfie, then there was Sarah's Isaac and Kari's #2 Avery and just last week we got our newest addition, Meg's baby girl Mackenzie.  My boys will be next and then who knows?  Our book club family has grown so much in the last 5 years, I can't even imagine what the next 5 will bring us. I'm sure our baby making topics will change to the toddler years and etc...  Our husbands got a little jealous of our monthly meetings I think because they established their own "Thirsty Thursday" tradition, where they also meet once a month at a pub and probably bitch about us! haha...  We certainly bitch about them... I mean... share how much we love them... yes, that's it!  We always have our yearly selections of books, as that's what ultimately brought us together, but it's certainly not what keeps us together... xox ladies...

So the babies are apparently the size of a rutabaga, whatever that is, and are supposed to be about a pound and a half each.  I have another appointment on Wednesday, so we'll see how much they've grown.  I can't wait to see them again!

A little closer view
That's Sarah's little guy Isaac being held by my fiend Shawna :) 

Rutabaga