Tick Tock....

How much longer? I just keep wondering how much longer until the babies are born. It's amazing to see how much my belly has grown, but how much more can it grow? Now don't get me wrong, I want the babies to stay in as long as possible and to be as healthy as possible when they are born. I'm just not sure how much more my body can take. Breathing is getting to be a struggle. Taking a deep breath...forget it. It seems to take almost all my strength to get up from a sitting position. Once the babies are born I'll feel like a new person.

Father Friday - Part 2

The Future Life of a Father of Triplets???

from Dilbert.com

Father Friday - Baby Product Packaging

Has anyone else noticed that almost all baby products come packaged in something that is labeled "This is not a toy. Keep away from babies and children."? Be it a plastic bag, container, bottle, ...

It sure is a dangerous world.

Packing for Delivery

I've been packing the items needed for delivery of the babies. I've got a small case of items for me and I'm also working on items for the babies. I have a list of items I should take, but it's hard to know what size items I should pack for all of us. Will the babies need preemie outfits or just the regular newborn clothing? How much smaller will I be when the babies are delivered? I know I'll probably be wearing some form of maternity clothes home, but I'm not sure what to take - larger or smaller maternity wear. This will probably be like packing for most trips I take. I'll overpack and have much more than I need.

A slow triplet news day

I can't think of much to say today. I'm going at an even slower pace than before and seem to be taking a nap at every opportunity. Yesterday was a day full of activities and that seems to have made me more tired than I usually am. I'll need to nap even more today.

Doctor Update

It was back to the doctor yesterday afternoon. The babies and I were checked. The heartrates for all 3 were great. They attempted to guess the weight of the babies again based on the measurements they took. The boy is now around 3 pounds and 5 ounces. The first girl is between 2 and 3 pounds. The second girl has grown some, but not as much as the other two. She's just above 2 pounds. She's the one they want to keep a closer check on. In 2 weeks, they'll do another ultrasound and check measurements. If her growth is steadily continuing, the doctor said he wouldn't be too concerned about her. If her growth has slowed even more, they'll want to do more tests to see if they can determine the problem with her growth.

My big question yesterday was this - "How much longer am I going to go?". We discussed how the average birth time for triplets is around 32 weeks. Some people go to 34 or 35 weeks, but not usually. The doctor really wants me to go 32 weeks because studies have shown that babies born at that point are usually just as healthy as babies born at 37 weeks. So I guess I'll just keep on coasting along for at least 3 more weeks.

Official Energy Level - Zero

I guess it's the approach of the third trimester, but I officially no longer have any energy. It seemed to start at the end of last week and has only gotten worse over the weekend. I now get exhausted just sitting on the couch. That's enough for today. It's too tiring to type and try to hold a laptop on my nonexistent lap.

Father Friday - Batteries

Toys love batteries and lots of them.

A lot of the baby toys we have require batteries to light up or play music. And we're not talking 1 or 2 batteries, it's usually 3 or 4 for each item. There must be some collaboration between the toy makers and battery companies.

Would it be considered money laundering if I purchased stock in battery companies to fund future college educations and then purchased batteries for all the toys and in turn increased stock prices?

"You're about ready to have that baby, aren't you?"

That's a common question I seem to get everywhere I go now from people that don't know me. My belly has grown a lot and I look like someone that's about ready to deliver, but I'm not that close. Sometimes it's easier just to say yes to that question than to go into any details. When I want to have some fun though, I like to say "No, not really. I'm just at 28 weeks". After I watch their eyes and mouth open wide, I tell them that I'm expecting triplets. And as I walk away, I always seem to hear them mumble something like "Triplets?! I just can't imagine how that would be".

Results from doctor visit

Back to the doctor again yesterday. In my opinion, it wasn't the best visit ever. The doctor I usually see wasn't in the office, so I had to see a house officer. The doctor's office is at a teaching hospital, so it's possible to see a house officer or some other medical student during a regular visit, but I hadn't up to this point. She did a quick ultrasound to check for heartbeats, answered the questions I had and that was just about it. She didn't find any problems, but I was hoping to see my regular doctor. At least my visit next week is scheduled with him.

First Goal Completed - 28 Weeks

Today is the first goal in the pregnancy - 28 weeks. I'll be counting each week from this point on as a major milestone. The doctor really wants the babies to stay in until 32 weeks and longer if possible. I go back to the doctor today. I just hope and pray that things continue as well as they have up until this point.

Glucose Test Results

I talked to the doctor's office on Friday afternoon and they said everything looked normal for the latest glucose test. They did, however, forget to take blood samples four times. They took the last three but forgot to take a sample before I had the glucose solution. They seemed confident they could get that number based on the levels from the other three blood draws, plus they have the levels from the first time I took the simpler glucose test. All I know is that I don't want to have to take the test again.

"Father Friday"

We've decided that unless we have some big news to report, Fridays will now become "Father Friday" - a time to post some of the ideas and observations I've had about pregnancy. There is no big news to report today about the mother and babies. We're still waiting on the results from the latest glucose test.

Here's my first topic - Things I've discovered so far during the pregnancy.

• People are both shocked and interested by the idea of multiples and they can't seem to talk about them enough.
• Too many pieces of maternity clothing have to be ironed.
• Gift bags and tissue paper should not be made with glitter on it. It goes everywhere.
• I enjoy grocery shopping. It's like some type of challenge to get everything on the list and get out of the store as soon as possible.
• When you have babies on the way, everyone sends you something in the mail to try and get you to buy their product, subscribe to their magazine or buy their insurance.
• You can get 8 pillows and 2 people in a bed at the same time.
• God must be preparing you for sleepless nights with children during pregnancy because when the mother isn't sleeping, you probably aren't either.
• I could sit for hours with my hands on the mother's belly and enjoy feeling the babies move.
• I think it's just adorable every time I remove a piece of baby clothing from the dryer.
• It's okay to ask for help because you can't do everything yourself. Actually I seem to keep learning that over and over.
• You can sit in a classroom full of people and talk about breastfeeding without being embarrassed.
• Picking a doctor for your babies is a tough decision.
• There's nothing I wouldn't do for my wife and now my children.

Glucose Test Completed

I've completed the second glucose test. I have to wait on the results.

Not much to report today

No big items to post today. I feel like I'm on cruise control just coasting along and waiting for the babies. Based on the belly measurements we took last night, there wasn't a change from the last week. I can't say I'm too surprised. I don't see how the babies can grow more horizontally. I don't know if my skin can stretch more in that direction. They seem to be growing more vertically now. I've noticed that my belly seems to be getting larger at the bottom. Maybe they are growing longer instead of gaining body girth.

And the doctor said...

Another visit to the doctor yesterday. The babies are doing well. Their heartrates were 167 bpm (Baby A - the boy), 150 bpm (Baby B - the girl) and 167 bpm (Baby C - the other girl).

The comments about me weren't exactly the same. Because of the triplets, I'm anemic. That's common during pregnancy, but it's usually worse with multiples. I've been taking iron supplements, but now I have to increase the amount of iron each day.

I also found out I failed the glucose test from the last appointment. I now have to have a more extensive glucose test. That means I have to fast starting at midnight until the test is completed the next day. The appointment is at 8am on Thursday and the test will last for 3 hours. It starts with blood being drawn, drinking the glucose solution and then enduring blood being drawn at each hour interval until the 3 hour mark. I'll certainly be ready for lunch by the time I finish the test. This test will determine if I have gestational diabetes or not.

Here are the scans of the babies from this visit.


This is Baby A. If you look closely, you can see that his mouth is open.


This is Baby B.


This is Baby C. If you look closely, you can see a smile and part of her tongue showing in her mouth.

Or you might think all three images look like something Michael Keaton would have seen in "White Noise".

Virginian Woman's Unborn Triplets Go For $12,000 On eBay

No, that's not me. Story here.

No News Is Good News

Not much to report today. Everything seems about the same. I head back to the doctor this afternoon for a routine appointment. I made it through the weekend and had a nice mother's day. I even received a card from the babies and a gift from Amazon.com. They must be really smart to know how to sign a card and order a gift all from the womb. They must have a wireless internet connection in there that I don't know about.

Closing in on 28 weeks

Twenty-eight weeks is the first goal set by my doctor. I'm almost there. Just under two weeks to go. Once I reach that goal, the next one is 32 weeks. Overall I think things are going really well. Sure, I've had my share of pregnancy-related issues and maybe earlier than normal because of three babies, but still things seem to be going well. I, along with others, just keep praying that things will go well and God is certainly answering those prayers.

The Diaper Champ

We have 2 of the largest dirty diaper containers we could find - The Diaper Champ. We've set them up in the nursery and they are ready for work. This product is better than some of the alternatives because it uses regular trash bags instead of special bags made exclusively for the unit.

It looks like it will be fun to use. You just drop the diaper in the hole, flip the top and you're ready for the next diaper. It might be too much fun. Once the triplets are a bit older and can figure out how to use it, I can imagine us finding clothes, shoes and who knows what else they can drop in there.

We're just not convinced it's large enough for 3 babies. We were thinking someone should make a diaper disposal unit that's for multiple babies. Maybe something like the King Kong Diaper Disposer.

When you thought I wasn't looking

We all get the chain emails that are passed from person to person. Occasionally you get a really good one that you want to share. This email reminded me that those triplets will be looking at everything we do.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."

Ultrasound results

Yesterday was the ultrasound of my legs checking for blood clots. There was no evidence of any clots in my legs. I guess it's just a case of normal pregnancy swelling.

Update - 25 weeks 6 days

It was back to the doctor yesterday for another check of the babies. The babies are doing well. They all had normal heartrates (A - 167 bpm, B - 141 bpm, C - 163 bpm) and are growing a lot. Based on the measurements they took yesterday, the estimated baby weights are A - 1lb 15 oz, B - 1lb 13oz and C - 1lb 14 oz. Each one is almost 2 pounds so that's about 6 pounds of total baby. That puts each baby around the 50th percentile in size. The doctor seemed happy that they are growing that much.

While I was at the doctor I had to take glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes. I have to wait to get the results from that test. I also have to go back to the hospital today for an ultrasound of my leg. They want to check the leg that was swelling to make sure there isn't a blood clot in there.

Here are the scans from yesterday.

Baby A


Baby B


Baby C

Another Big Thank You

Yesterday afternoon was another baby shower. This one was at my church. I just want to say thank you to everyone that helped plan, prepare, worked at and cleaned up. I also want to say thank you to everyone that brought a gift to the shower. We certainly do appreciate it. Now I'm going to start thinking about writing the next wave of thank you cards.