Week 26: Thankful

On Thanksgiving Eve the Dye conglomerate is feeling sappy and truly, truly thankful.  So here goes my list (I LOVE LISTS)  of things we are thankful for!

1.  A great report from Dr. D last week about Baby Boy B (John Henry "Hank").  She said that it looks like my placenta is basically 'auto-correcting' itself the further along I get.  She said she's not worried about him anymore, as long as he keeps up with the growth!  Praise God!  We are so thankful for your prayers and positive thoughts.

2.  I don't have ANY doctors appointments this week! How crazy is that!?!

3.  I passed my glucose test! What, WHAT! Somebody pass the pumpkin pie!

4.  The generosity of our friends, family and co-workers through the showers and through donations of clothes, diapers, things for the nursery, and everything else these babies could need! It has truly humbled us to think how many people love these triplets already!

5.  I get 5 days off from school for some much needed cleaning, nesting and rest.

6.  I am still cooking 3 little babies!

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! We love you all!

Week 26 and counting!

Week 23: Measuring, Pictures, and Steroids...OH MY!

Welp. Here we are in week 23 of life for the babes!  SO crazy to think that these little beings have taken up residence in my body for  close to 6 months (this Sunday) now!  Well, they are certainly making themselves right at home.  'Don't mind us as we do flips and karate kick each other (and you and your insides)'!!!!  It's really an indescribable feeling having these lives inside of you...and the whole thing becomes even more real and FREAKY  and awe inspiring!  Every momma who has carried there child knows what I'm talkin' bout!

SO anyways...

We went back this week for the whole scan and check and measurements thing... which let me tell you, takes FOREVER! You lay there for about 2 hours, while they are measured (or try to be measured, because they are more interested in showing off their flying aerial circus skills at the time), aching and sweating (AC is not a thing in the back rooms), and seeing your babies, and hoping beyond hope that everything is consistent and not a problem.

Drumroll please....

Baby Girl A is measuring at 1 lb 3oz
Baby Boy B is measuring at 1lb 1 oz
Baby Boy C is measuring at 1lb 5 oz

Dr. Dhillon still says twin to twin transfusion is not present yet in the boys (YAY), and that all babies are measuring at what they should be.  Our boy B is about a week behind in growth, but she says she feels ok with it as long as he keeps progressing and growing and doesn't lag anymore behind.  Baby B is still dealing with Intermittent AEDF, but it has not moved into a persistent condition (YAY). I also started my first dose of steroids last night.  I will have one more round in a couple weeks as well, just in case they decide to come earlier than needed, their lung function will be much better than babies who are "unprepared" for pre-term birth!

Thankfulness
-Beginnings of community here in VA (talking 'bout work and outside of my awesome built in family through Travis)
-My mom and grandma are coming up for my shower this weekend!!!
-They are all growing!
-No TTTS!
-My cervix is still beautiful :)

Prayers Please!
-Continue to pray for our boy B and his blood flow and growth
-I have "a lot of baby" in me - so symptoms I should have later in pregnancy I'm starting to have now (swollen feet, fatigue, etc)
-Baby girl still has a "bright" spot on her heart, just continue to pray it is nothing!

AND now.... THE MOST PRECIOUS PICTURES I'VE EVER SEEN!

 (I had no idea they could roughly 3D them for us! It was the best surprise!!!)

She didn't want to be cooperative!

All that stuff in front is just them with their faces snuggled up to the placenta.

Little nose, lips, chin and cheeks!

Today's Doctor Visit

I'm tired (what's new?) so this will be a quick update!

Travis and I went to see Dr. Dhillon to see what was up with our Baby Boy B.  They were suspecting twin to twin transfusion, but in fact Dr. Dhillon found that the amniotic fluid was great, and that both twins have comparable stomachs and bladders. Dr. Dhillon told us that our boys do not have twin to twin transfusion! WOOHOO!!!! Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts.  We still need them though!!!

This is what Dr. D found...

Baby boy B has something called Intermittent AEDF (absent end diastolic flow).  This basically means that every 7-8 heart beats the blood flow from the placenta doesn't reach his heart.  This is a condition that can resolve itself potentially...so pray for that!  We will be going in every week now for him to be monitored, because if his condition turns into Persistent AEDF then other steps will have to be taken (surgery, etc.) otherwise he can develop selective growth restriction.  Selective growth restriction is basically he would stop growing.  

SO with all that being said, continue to pray for us and especially or boy Baby B.  Love you all!

Nikki + 3 OUT (sleepy time!!!)

Week 21 Update: Prayers Please!

Week 21...WOW what a busy week!  2 doctor appointments, 2 soccer game duties at good ol' school, a pile of paperwork and a Hokie football game...all with three babies in tow!  (I imagine it's way easier to carry them how I'm carrying them now, than when they make their final escape and are running wild and free in this world!)
 I just can't believe 5 months has gone by like that.  The weird time paradigm that makes children grow up so quickly must already be in effect.

Wild was the word used to describe our twin boys this week at Dr. Dhillon's office!  She said, "Oh Ms. Dye, you are going to have some WILD boys."  They are quite the wigglers in there.  It really feels like a three ring circus for parts of the day. All their moving and shaking makes it all that much more real and terrifying exciting!  Beyond their wiggling there was an all over good report on Thursday.  Baby Girl A (AKA Miss Piggy) is weighing in at 14oz., Baby Boy B is 12oz., and Baby C is 13 oz.  They said that their weight was normal and on track.  The ultrasound tech found something she mentioned to Dr. D that day, but then it wasn't picked up again (more on this part of the update and how you can pray in  a moment).  I left Thursday happy as a clam (weird American saying)!

Then the next day I went to my OBGYN and another good report with measurements blood pressure and all the other junk they test.  I was told that I was a poster child for a healthy pregnancy (sounds weird right?) and to keep on keepin' on.

SCREEEECH.  Put on the brakes!  While I was at the OBGYN I got a call from Dr. Dhillon's office. ( Never a good feeling getting a call from a doctor you just saw and scheduled an appointment in 2 weeks for.)  Now those of you who have been following our journey you know that there was a need to watch for Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome which can occur in the type of twins we have (they share a blood supply) She expressed concern for Baby Boy B.  She said that she had been reviewing my case and the pictures that the tech took (first of all AWESOME care, feelin' the Dr. D love)  and she has some concerns.  She noticed that Baby Boy B's stomach was a little smaller and that they were noticing some pictures that might indicate an issue with his cord.

SO....

Number 1:  I have to go back Monday to allow them to poke and prod Baby Boy B some more.

Number 2: I need your prayers and best wishes for Baby Boy B, that everything is ok and that they don't see anything wrong!  Pray for his blood supply and nutrition!

Number 3:  Pray that we take any news given on Monday in stride and with the outlook of trust and hope.

Number 4: Pray that my good health continues.

Thanks for your continued support and love for us and these WILD boys and sweet little girl!

Now for the best part...

PICTURES!!!!

Gender Reveal!!!! and Update from Week 17

SOOOOO...

There you have it folks! We have two identically mustachioed boys and a little girl!  We are extremely excited with the mixed bag we've been dealt. We knocked out all our options in one foul swoop. How's that for efficiency?! So I promise our children aren't just little balls...the best the tech could do at this point to get them all in one frame was take a picture of their cute little bellies!  And let me tell you, the growth has just been crazy to watch (and feel *ouch).

Onto the update from our perinatologist (which by the way is always marked as spelled wrong...even the Google machine can't understand this heinous word)...I went in last week (side note: I have been the worst blogger and here are my excuses: school has started...that is all) there were no tears shed in the first 15 minutes, which if you haven't heard it's been one thing after another on the business side of things previously.  So I was feeling good! Life was good!  In the first 2 minutes of the ultrasound the awesome tech told me the genders (eep! only a couple happy tears shed) and then she proceeded to measure and roll around in the goo on my belly (well she didn't, she rolled the ultrasound wand thingy around, geez).  This took over an hour... AN HOUR! But I can honestly say the cramp in my back and the lack of comfort was made up for seeing these babies and hearing  her say over and over again that they looked great.  Here's some snapshots!

Our Baby Girl A

Predator Baby Boy B

Spine from Baby Boy C

After she took all these great pictures and measured them and fought with the boys so that they would quit trying to move away from her and cover their faces...obstinate already....  Dr. Dhillon came in to talk things over.

She said that everything looked great.  That the boys only weighing a tiny bit behind their sister and that the fluid levels were good, was a great sign that Twin to Twin Transfusion (their worry) was not happening right now! So praise God, thanks for your prayers and positive thoughts, keep them coming! They will be monitored every two weeks. 

 She also said that there are no signs thus far of pre-term labor starting, everything looks good in that regard as well. I was told I can't  shouldn't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk...my response in my head was, 'well at least I can pour myself a bowl of cereal...oooh I want cereal'.

The only slightly concerning take away from this appointment was that they saw a "bright spot" on Baby Girl's heart.  10 years ago this was a huge indicator of a heart defect or Down's Syndrome...research has continued and Dr's are starting to see that without an age correlation from the mom (me) there is significantly less risk, and that these bright spots either go away or wind up being nothing.  Dr. Dhillon looked me in the eyes and said that after looking over Baby Girl she can't tell me for 100% certainty that it won't turn out to be anything (of course), but she feels strongly that it is nothing to worry about.  Please pray with us that this is true!  

Dr. Dhillon also said that the initial goal for me to keep the kids cooking is 28 weeks, then if I make that they will bump it to 30, then she said anything after 30 is just lagniappe (New Orleanian/Louisianan for bonus).  Pray with us again that I can keep them in as long as possible to give them the best chance we can!

Well that's about all I have this time, sorry for the long update...but had a bunch of info!  These babies are so loved already and we are so thankful to you!

Baby Boy C says BYE!

Update in Week 11: How to Pray for the Trips

Baby A, B and C in all their glory

It's been a busy week!  Gearing up for school, Travis got a new job with CarMax (yay stability and benefits!), and had two appointments with two different doctors!

We saw Dr. Dhillon the paleontologist  perinatologist on Monday.   This was the doctor that no one would tell me why I  needed to see her other than the very helpful answer of, "You're having triplets".  I soon found out why they wanted to see me so quickly.  Radiology had sent over my report that the "twins" as we so lovingly refer to them (the babies in the same side) were being reported as something called mono/mono which means that they were sharing a sack and sharing a blood supply.  This is an EXTREMELY rare and dangerous thing, so they wanted to either confirm or deny this right away.  Dr. Dhillon was able to confirm that they are not together in one sack and will therefore not have to battle it out in my womb. PHEW.

BUT, the "twins" are something called mono/di which means they have one blood supply and two sacks.  This makes my already high risk pregnancy a little higher risk.  As my OB so eloquently put it, "There's high risk and then there's you." Awesome my own category!

But anyway, I digress, the issue that could come up with our little mono/di (dye heehee) "twins" is that they can develop something called twin to twin transfusion syndrome.  If you must put it in the Google machine go here http://www.tttsfoundation.org/ instead, good info, not so scary or infinitely crazy as a Google search.  The kids don't have this yet, it's just something that can happen and cause issues for the babies because they are sharing a blood supply.  In fact, as Dr. Dhillon was telling me all of this and I was tearing up she said, "Oh no, your babies don't have this, and I'm not saying they will, they are all beautiful right now and right on schedule, we just need to monitor."

The second appointment was fairly uneventful. They finally gave me a due date of March 7th. Waiting on a due date was like waiting on a 4 year old to solve a Rubix cube I swear, so many factors and people all saying different things...sheesh! They took all my blood, told me I was a high risk pregnancy...again... and sent me packing with a follow up slip for the end of the month in tow.

So with all that said we are asking for your prayers and happy thoughts!
Pray that:

• the twins don't develop twin to twin transfusion syndrome
• Give the doctor's discernment in diagnosis and treatment if the need arises
• that we have a continued attitude of "we'll cross that bridge once we get to it"
• that the Great Insurance Saga of 2015 is over
• that my sickness continues to get better before school starts (Sept. 7)

Hard to tell because of the picture, but the triplets are trying to show
The Dr's say that my belly will probably measure 2-3 weeks ahead of a normal pregnancy

Me, Myself and Leslie Knope

Those that know me, know I have a serious obsession with all things Parks and Rec.  For those of you that haven't watched Parks and Rec...I'm sorry and you should rectify that promptly.  Anywho, Leslie Knope is the main character and she and I share much more than I ever thought. It has become so apparent that I wanted to share my top five reasons why Leslie Knope and I are the same person have many things in common.

1.  We are both having spontaneous, natural triplets.
The episode that she learns this in is aptly called 1 in 8,000 (the odds in which this crazy little phenomenon happens) and her outlook was a little more positive than mine. Mine was more of a "holy crap" moment, BUT I mean I'm excited now.

2. We are efficient in both baby making and life.





She runs the parks department in Pawnee, I run English as a Second Language Programs and by god we do it with pizazz, a passion and efficiency if I do say so myself!  And hey, I don't know about her, but I got all of my offspring checked off the list in one swoop.

3.  Our facial expressions are killer.

Just watch us sometime. Nuff said.

4.  We both have an obscene love for all breakfast foods (especially waffles).
It's so good. Especially the syrup. Just give me the syrup. I have a problem.

5.  Miniature horses are easily our favorite animals.
Little Sebastian was loved and cherished by Leslie.  All other mini-horses are loved and cherished by yours truly.
(I've also realized I have no pictures of myself and a mini-horse...problem)

Thanks for reading my silly post, an update on the latest Dr's visit(s) is coming this weekend! 
*Also sorry for the formatting issues...I'm hoping you still get the gist**