17 weeks

Big week here in the Manning household.   We have been making strides toward preparing for modified bed rest.  Only three weeks away!  We've purchased a back pillow to make time spent in bed a little more comfortable and we got one of those breakfast-in-bed lap tables for me to eat meals and write on.  I stocked up on discount section books at Barnes & Noble, and made sure that I had plenty of scrapbooking goodies to keep me busy.  Next on the agenda is a subscription to Netflix and to a website where I can check out audiobooks for when my eyes get tired of reading.  I think I'm ready.  Well, as ready as you can be for spending four months doing absolutely nothing.

I asked Ryan to make me look skinny.  He didn't.

We're also well on our way to having our nursery completed before I go on bed rest and can no longer help.  Now that we know the genders of the babies, things are coming together very quickly.  We have purchased all of the baby bedding, I've been stocking up on clearance and discounted items and collecting coupons like a champion, and we have been able to finish our registry at Target.  The registry was a bit of a challenge.  It's hard enough putting together a registry when you're first time parents, but adding in the triplet factor complicates it further.  Also, it's hard not to think everyone in the aisle is staring at you like you're a greedy pig when you scan 10 3-packs of bottles or three different baby swings.  It kind of makes me want to wear a t-shirt that says, "Don't judge me, I'm having triplets."  But then I would have to add to the shirt, "No, I don't need your advice about the person you knew who had twins in 1976."  and other various disclaimers.  Then, after I got all of the disclaimers on the t-shirt, the font would be too small to read and I'd be back to square one.  I think I will just avoid going out in public from here on out.  Much easier.

The next three weeks are going to be big for us.  We will be trying to complete the nursery during that time period and prepare for bed rest.  Not to mention, we are making our trek back to KY to visit family and friends during the 19th week, just before bed rest begins.  During that time, we will be trying to catch up with all of the fabulous people we have missed and attending a baby shower hosted by the Illustrious Miss Lindsey Ransdell.  So excited.  Ok... so I think I've babbled about as much as I can about the happenings in our lives for the time being.  You're probably wondering what the heck we're having.  Well, on Thursday afternoon we had an ultrasound to make sure that the babies are all doing alright.  They are.  They're hearts are darn near beating in unison and they are all growing big and strong.  They were more active this trip then they've ever been, but our Ultrasound Tech was a rock star and she was able to tell us without a shadow of a doubt what the genders of our little ones are.

This is where each one of the babies are... and what they are!

16 Weeks

This week, we learned a lot about the babies and how my medical care is going to go throughout the pregnancy process.  First of all, we got a lot of test results back.  First is the Cystic Fibrosis screening test.  According to the test, I am not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis.  This means that our children have very little chance of being born with the disease.  Also, we got the results of the Nuchal Translucency Screening.  This is the test that measures certain markers on the ultrasound and then plugs those numbers along with our ages and genetic histories into an algorithm to determine the risk of our children having chromosomal abnormalities.  According to this testing, Baby A has a 1 in 3,500 chance of being born with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), Baby B has a 1 in 6,800 chance and baby C has a 1 in 4,000 chance.  Just to give you some frame of reference, the average risk is 1 in 400, so our babies have a very low chance of being born with Down Syndrome.  Also, all of our babies had a less than 1 in 10,000 chance of having more severe chromosomal abnormalities.  

The good thing about this is that they don't recommend that I have any further testing such as an amniocentesis or Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS).  This is good news for me because I would have refused those tests anyhow.  With any invasive testing, there is risk of harm to the babies, and that risk increases with multiples.  I wasn't willing to do that.  In my opinion, there are only two reasons to have further testing done.  One is so that you can be prepared by knowing exactly what you may be dealing with when your child is born.  My thought on this is that no one can ever be truly prepared to raise a child with special needs and, like all parenting, you will figure out what works for you and your family when the child arrives. The second reason is to determine whether or not you would want to terminate the pregnancy.  As far as we're concerned, this is not an option. 

Lastly, we got back all of my blood testing and it was 100% normal.  This is good because it means I don't need any additional treatments or medications at this time.  In addition to all of these test results, we had an ultrasound this week.  The ultrasound wasn't meant to do anything specific, only to make sure that the babies were all alright.  They most certainly were.  They are all measuring right on track, their heart beats are strong and healthy, and they were moving around like crazy.  This time, they were more developed so we were able to see them a little more clearly.  As far as gender goes, Baby A and Baby B were happy to share, but Baby C had its legs wound up tightly and wasn't willing to put on a show.  Compared to the gender predictions we received at the last ultrasound, one was the same and the other was different.  As soon as we know the genders of all three babies, we will announce them all together.  

So what's in store for momma?  Things are starting to change for me as the pregnancy progresses.  This week, I go on half days at work which should help me get some rest that I've been desperately needing.  I was informed at my last appointment that I will be having ultrasounds every two weeks beginning at 16 weeks (that's this week), and that I will be going to the doctor every week beginning at 20 weeks.  Also, beginning 20 weeks I will begin modified bed rest.  Still not totally clear on what that means other than I won't be able to work or leave the house much.  I'm sure I'll have more details on it as the time draws near.  I'm also sure that it's going to be a tough time for me; I just have to keep the goal of three healthy babies in mind.  Next on the agenda is an ultrasound on Thursday and we are hoping that Baby C "opens up" about what he or she is.    

15 Weeks

As I write this post, Ryan is beginning construction on Crib #3.  The babies' room is feeling smaller by the minute.  It is going to be cozy in here for sure.  This weekend has been all about collecting the big ticket items for the triplets.  On Friday night, we went to the Moms of Multiples sale for the Denver, CO group.  Unfortunately, because of the impending blizzard, it wasn't quite as fortuitous as we might have hoped.

The sale was initially scheduled for all day Saturday.  However, when I got home from work and got on their website to print out the New Mom's pass so I could shop a little earlier, they put up a message that said they were beginning the sale on Friday night due to the blizzard that was supposed to hit later in the evening.  Unfortunately, it was going to take us about 45 minutes to get there and the doors opened in about an hour.  By the time we got our stuff together and headed out, we were about 20 minutes late for the opening of the doors.  That meant that some of the bigger items like strollers and car seats were pretty picked over by the time we got inside.

It wasn't a total loss, though.  We managed to find three Pack n Plays so the babies have a place to sleep when we travel home to visit the grandparents, a Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat, three Boppy pillows with various covers, a bouncy seat, a playmat, and several Dr. Brown's bottles.  Things got a little crazy when we got in line.  The line was super long and we had more items than we could carry, so I carried the small things, and Ryan leap frogged the three Pack n Plays, the car seat, and the bouncy chair all the way up the line.  Poor guy was absolutely worn out when we finally made it to the cash register to check out.  While he was doing this, he said, "This is how our lives are going to feel from now on, huh?"  I think he's right.  We'll always have just a little bit more to deal with than the next person.

Isis kitty inspecting all of our gently used treasures.

Saturday, we ordered our convertible car seats (3 Diono Radians) at a huge discount and I found a gently used Chicco double stroller on Craigslist.  Our plan is to have a double and a single stroller for when we're together and to have a double stroller and wear one baby when we have them on our own.  I have friends who don't even own strollers, and if they can wear their babies all the time, I figure I can wear one of mine from time to time.  We'll see how it goes.

Today we picked up the Craigslist stroller and then went to get the cribs that we ordered a few weeks ago.  Things are starting to come together.  As far as big items go, all we need is two infant car seats and a single stroller.  We're hoping that on Wednesday we will know the genders of the babies for sure so we can pull everything together before I go on modified bed rest at 22 weeks.

As of right now, I am still working a regular schedule, but should be scaling back to half days beginning on March 18th.  I am definitely ready for it.  The long days are absolutely wearing me down.   I basically come home from work, take a nap, eat dinner with Ryan, watch TV (aka sleep in front of the television), then go to bed by 9:00 or 9:30.  It's pitiful how absolutely worthless I am in the evenings.  Realistically, I know it's only going to get more difficult as the pregnancy progresses, but hopefully scaling back at work will help me to manage it.

14 Weeks

Posts have been scarce lately because I'm getting over an illness.  Recently, I caught a virus that, for a normal person, would have been no big deal.  Unfortunately, my immune system isn't much to brag about these days as my body is super busy growing these babies.  I spent a week laid up in bed or on the couch with a horrible cough, sore throat, and congestion.  I couldn't sleep through the cough, speak through the sore throat, or breathe properly with the congestion.  This kind of thing has been going around at work, but for most people it only lasts a couple of days.  It took me a full 9 days to function again.  Around day four things got a little scary because I started to run a low grade fever.  Normally, I would just consider that my body doing it's thing to get me healthy.  Unfortunately, with a high risk pregnancy it's a little more complicated than that.  I had to monitor my temperature every two hours to make sure it didn't get over a certain point.  If it had, I would have been admitted to the hospital.  Thank goodness it didn't come to that.

The good news is, I'm healthy now.  So let's talk about these little munchkins.  First of all, my belly is growing by the day.  Normal clothing is absolutely out of the question.  I can't even fit into most of my hoodies anymore.  It's amazing to think that at this point some women with singletons aren't even showing yet.  Here's a visual:

On Wednesday, we went to the perinatologist for a visit.  It was about a three hour appointment.  We began with vitals and a weigh-in.  I've gained about 18 pounds so far.  They recommend that I gain 36 pounds by 24 weeks.  The reason for that is that these babies take a lot of calories and as they grow, it will become impossible for me to take in the calories they require, so I will need to have stores. And the calories need to be balanced and nutritious; I can't just eat a whole pizza and a bag of Oreos every day. Currently, I'm eating nearly 3000 calories per day.  I still am not putting on weight quite fast enough.  After a lifetime focusing on decreasing calories and wanting the number on the scale to go down, it's crazy to be disappointed that I'm not gaining enough weight.  But I'll do anything it takes to grow big healthy babies.  I'll deal with my own vanity later.

Also at this visit, we met with a genetic counselor and discussed our family histories.  For the most part, we're pretty lucky.  No major genetic abnormalities in either of our families.  Because we are both of Northern European descent, they did want us to get screened for Cystic Fibrosis.  They are screening me first to see if I'm a carrier.  If so, then they will test Ryan and if we're both carriers then our children have a 25% chance of contracting Cystic Fibrosis.  We should get the results sometime in the coming week.

The next test was an ultrasound known as a Nuchal Translucency scan (NT scan).  What they do is measure specific markers including fluid at the base of the neck and the nasal bone to determine risk of chromosomal abnormality.   All of the measurements for our babies were amazing.  They came out better than average.  Also, the heart rates were really good and they looked very healthy.  Baby A's heartbeat was 152 bpm, Baby B was 147 bpm, and Baby C was 154 bpm.  They took an educated guess at genders, but we won't be ready to share until we get confirmation at our next visit on March 13th.  We're certainly not confident enough to go out and buy pink or blue baby things just yet.

I was hooked up to the ultrasound for quite some time as they got all of the measurements for each baby.  It's amazing how they've all developed little personalities even in utero and they're consistent from visit to visit.  Baby A is our shy baby who is always turning away from the camera and covering the face with the hands.  Baby B is our wild child.  Baby B constantly flips and turns and stands on it's head.  It's really fun to watch, but really difficult to get a decent picture.  Baby C is our chill baby who just lays and relaxes with slow controlled movements.  We always get beautiful pictures of Baby C.  It will be interesting to see if any of these personality traits continue after they're born.

Right now we're just busy trying to prepare for our little bundles of joy.  We have one crib set up and the other two are on order.  Their room is going to be a crowded place, for sure.  We've got most of our registry done, although we haven't published it just yet.  We've almost nailed down daycare and should have that ready to go by the end of next week.  Next weekend we're headed to a sale by the Moms of Multiples in Colorado and are hoping to collect some of the big ticket items.  I would say we're definitely starting to feel more in control of our situation.  On a fun note, I recently purchased the diaper bag that I'm planning to carry and I love it!  It's huge with lots of pockets and I can't wait to use it.  Here it is!

 

10 Weeks Plus

Last Sunday, we took the first baby bump picture at exactly 10 weeks.  I've actually grown since then, but we'll take another picture tomorrow when I hit 11 weeks.  

Right now I'm at that awkward stage where I look like I might be pregnant, or I might be chubby and carry all of my weight in the middle.  

I've expanded so much that I no longer fit into my pre-pregnancy pants.  I'm actually wearing maternity jeans in the picture.  Last Saturday, we headed to the Motherhood Maternity outlet in Castle Rock, CO to stock up on maternity clothes.  I actually came away with a pretty cute wardrobe.  I spent a long time there trying on clothes with the little velcro bump they give you to help you choose sizes.  They let me use two bumps to simulate the monster I will be in a few months.  I bought all of my shirts in a large and, although I am drowning in them now, I am sure that I will be happy I did.  It was tough to find things that would fit around the shoulders and still allow for a huge belly in the future.  As far as the jeans, I just got two pairs and I'm sure I will have to go back for more in the future. The jeans that I got were a size medium because I wasn't ready for that I-just-pooped-my-pants look that a size large provided.  This isn't everything, but here's a sneak peak of the wardrobe:

We also picked up our baby monitor this week.  Several weeks ago, I found a monitor to which you could attach multiple cameras.  By happenstance, I found two cameras on clearance for $30 (normally $100), so it was just a matter of waiting for the monitor to go on sale.  This week, we walked into Target and the monitor had been marked down $60, so we jumped at it.  It's really great.  Now we have a monitor and three cameras so we will be able to watch each of the babies in their cribs.  The cameras all zoom and pan 180 degrees around the room.  We set them up today and Ryan has been having fun spying on all of our animals.  We can also talk through the cameras, so if we see the dogs doing something we don't like we can tell them "no" from a completely different room.  It's super fun.  

We are starting to get past the fear a little bit and have fun with the idea that we are having triplets.  I am researching and bargain shopping like crazy.  We've started talking about how we're going to set up the nursery and where we are going to put things around the house.  I am hoping to have the nursery complete by the time I hit 20 weeks just in case I have to go on bed rest.  I know that seems early, but if I'm not prepared I will go absolutely insane.  Not to mention, Ryan isn't excited about the idea of doing the whole thing by himself.  And he shouldn't have to.  We're a team.  That's why I can't wait to be a parent with him.  

Triplet Logistics

I can always tell it's been too long between posts when I get a Facebook message from my Louisville neighbor Lynne asking what's going on with the mini Mannings.  It's just the kick in the pants I need to sit down and write a post.  It's been an eventful couple of weeks.  We've figured out a lot of triplet logistics and made our first visit to the Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists at Memorial Hospital here in Colorado Springs.

As far as the daycare thing goes, we have a few leads.  The fact of the matter is that we are going to have to shell out a couple thousand dollars a month and we will have to compromise on some of the things that we wanted.  A nanny or fancy daycare is out of the question due to financial constraints.  That means I'm probably going to have to let go of the cloth diaper dream.  Most of the affordable day care centers won't do cloth diapers.  I am still holding out hope that we will find someone that will.  But, we do have a few options and are hoping to have something nailed down by the end of the month.

We made our first trip to the car dealership to look around.  We were thinking a van would probably be the way to go.  We began by looking at a brand new version of the #1 selling mini van in America, the Toyota Sienna.  Let me assure you that I am understating things when I say, I HATED IT.  The sheer size of the vehicle gave me anxiety.  It's like driving around a living room.  Not to mention, the average 18-20 MPG was really upsetting.  Currently, we drive a Prius that averages 48-50 MPG.  I had no idea that I would have such an aversion to it until we got inside of one.  It's not that I think I'm too cool for a van; that problem could be solved with a big fancy SUV.  It's that I hate really large vehicles.  They make me feel uncomfortable.  

This realization sent me on a frantic research mission to find car seats that fit three across in a vehicle.  If I'm not willing to drive a car big enough for a third row, that means that we have to be able to fit all of the kiddos in one row.  It wasn't easy to find them, but there are car seats that are designed to be much slimmer and that will fit three in a row in a car.  Thank goodness.  Yes, I realize that it will be a challenge to get to the center seat, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.  Now it's just a matter of finding a vehicle with enough storage space to put all of the baby things in.  I think we've found our perfect match in the Prius V.  It has the width for three car seats and 34.3 cubic feet of storage (that's only 4.8 less than a van!).  So, we are probably going to save for a few months and go that route.  I would like to take this moment to add a quick disclaimer.  My feeling about large vehicles is in no way a judgment on all of my amazing mom friends that have them, it is simply a personal preference.  

On Wednesday, we headed to Memorial Hospital to the Maternal Fetal Medicine department for my very first visit with the perinatologist.  Yay!  I'm no longer a reproductive medicine patient!  I'm a future mom!  This place was super fancy with a lot of amazing technology.  They started off with an ultrasound to make sure everyone was doing ok.  The change in a week and a half was astonishing.  All three babies were doing well with their development being right on track and their heartbeats nice and strong.  They actually looked like little babies!  They were even flapping their little arms and kicking their tiny legs.  Absolutely breathtaking.  We go back on February 27th for a very long appointment with lots of testing.  That will be the longest that I've gone without seeing the babies on the ultrasound.  It makes me a little nervous, but now that my belly is growing by the day, I have another indicator of how they're doing.  Tomorrow marks the 10 week point, and I will start taking weekly belly pictures.  I'll also try my best to blog a little more frequently so the posts aren't quite so long.  Here's a sneak peak of our little angels.  

Baby A didn't want to get in a good position for pictures.

Baby B was moving so much all the pics were blurry.

Baby C is our photogenic child.

  

Child Care Woes

I've been feeling a little bit better lately.  As long as I eat often and I don't eat anything greasy, I don't get too terribly nauseated.  It's been really nice to be able to function again for the past 3-4 days.  On Thursday we went in for our ultrasound.  It was our last official appointment with the Reproductive Endocrinologist, which was definitely bitter sweet.  I am thankful to be graduating to prenatal care with a specialist, but I am sure going to miss the folks at Dr. Magarelli's office.  I felt totally comfortable asking them any questions and calling with any concerns.  I hope I can forge those kinds of relationships with the new doctors and nurses.

At the Ultrasound on Thursday, we were again able to clearly see all three babies.  It's absolutely amazing how quickly they grow.  This time, we could discern little arm buds on babies A and C.  Baby B still doesn't like to cooperate with good positioning.  They are all three measuring perfectly on track and have very strong heart beats.  Baby A and Baby B were fluttering at 150 bpm and Baby C was a solid 152 bpm.  So, basically, they are perfect.  The nurse gave us an 80% survival rate for all three.  That's really high at only 7 weeks and 4 days pregnant.

Finally, a group picture with all three!

Now, we feel pretty comfortable proceeding as if we are going to be bringing home three babies.  Up until this point, it still felt a little tentative to me.  Our first order of business is to find someone to care for our children while we are away at work.  As it turns out, getting an infant into a day care is quite a process because each facility only has a few spots.  Getting three in at the same time means we have to start searching immediately.  I have been absolutely shocked at both the cost and the logistics associated with this process.  We haven't found a solution just yet, but let me walk you through the process thus far.

First of all, neither Ryan nor I are available to stay home with the children.  I'm in the military, so I still owe them until July 5th, 2014.  After a brief period of working for a terrible CPA firm here in Colorado, Ryan has finally found a job that he really enjoys.  He is as happy and fulfilled as I've seen him in a long time, so it would be best for him to stay where he is for the time being.  Not to mention, neither one of us is cut out for staying home during the day and taking care of the children.  I admire those who can do it, but we are just not those people.

So, we've established that the best thing for us will be to find child care for the triplets during the day while we are at work.  There are tons of options, each with their own issues.  A lot of people take their children to a private home provider.  That is when you take your child over to someone's house who is a licensed provider, and they watch them during the day.  It is usually a very cost effective option.  However, we are not eligible for that kind of care while our children are infants.  As it turns out, in the state of Colorado, these types of providers are only legally able to have a maximum of two infants in their homes.  Unless we split our kids up, that's not an option.  On Ryan's Facebook page, multiple people recommended nannies.  Unfortunately, we can't possibly afford that option.  For triplet infants, it would cost about $150 per day at a minimum.  A really qualified nanny would be more like $200.  That's an average of $3500-$4500 a month depending on the nanny.  I know that there are plenty of people who pay nannies "under the table" to cut expenses, but we are not willing to do that.  In fact, we are not willing to do anything that breaks laws in order to have our children cared for.

It is seeming more and more like day care is our most appropriate option.  Yesterday, we toured a high end day care only a stone's throw away from our house.  It was amazing.  It had great security, was shockingly clean, and they would teach the infants sign language throughout the day.  They were even willing to do cloth diapers.  It was all sounding absolutely wonderful until they told us the price.  $3,374 a month for the triplets.  Holy crap.  Many of the daycares that I have contacted are unable to accommodate all three of our infants.  Our next stop is going to be the day care center on base.  For three infants it will be about $400 a week.  That's $1600 a month during months with 4 Fridays and $2000 a month during months with 5 Fridays.   It sucks, but it's doable.  We will tour many other facilities over the coming weeks, but we need to come to a decision quickly in order to get our kiddos on the waiting lists.  I will keep you updated about our child care journey over the coming weeks.  After that, the next order of business will be Project Van.  Yuck.