We made it to 24 wks!! Now we will start counting down to our next goal which is 28 wks. At this point if they were born they would at least have a chance of surviving. We had an appt with the specialist in Sioux Falls on Monday and everything looked great. The babies are good weights: Baby A --1 lb 9 oz, Baby B --1 lb 7 oz, and Baby C --1 lb 9 oz. The heart rates were all similar and were nice and strong. The tech was even surprised to see all 3 babies are head down already. They may not stay that way but since we will more than likely have a C-section anyway it won't matter. That explains why I have been feeling more pressure in my pelvis lately. Somedays I feel like I am going to split in half. We even saw Baby A's head bouncing off of my cervix. I've been having feelings like someone is trying to dig their way out. That's the great thing about ultrasound. You can actually see what is going on in there. The babies are definitely getting cramped but seemed to be happy. We didn't see any fighting anyway this time.

I know I've said this before but I would like to remind everyone that we do not want to, or plan to, find out the sexes of these babies until they are born. It has been hard for us to share all of the excitement that each doctor's visit brings when we are bombarded each time with "Why don't you want to find out?". Lance and I discussed it and both agreed that we didn't want to know. We have been guessing for fun but are looking forward to the moment when the doctor pulls each one out and says what they are. I know it didn't make things any easier when Lance announced at Aunt Jean's that "we know, we just aren't telling anyone". He came up with this stupid plan to get everyone upset because he thought it would be funny. You all know Lance and his idea of humor. It isn't true but I'm sure he will keep saying just to get a reaction.

Anyway, back to our appt. We got a chance to tour the ICN (intensive care nursery) and it was a huge reality check for us. Sioux Valley just opened their new ICN a few months ago and we were very impressed. Each family has their own private room. There is even a triplet room so all of our babies can be together. Each room has a pull out sofa with a privacy screen so the parents can stay right with the babies. This is a huge difference than all of the families hanging out in the same room. Plus they have a neonatologist right there 24/7 in case the babies need something. All of this put us at ease but seeing all the tiny babies was very heartwrenching. We watched nurses working on brand new twins that were just brought up. They weighed around 4 lbs, which is a good size for preemies, but it was very difficult to imagine if that were our babies. I had to leave the room because I was starting to tear up. My raging hormones got the better of me. Then the last baby we saw was a little over 2 lbs, which is not much bigger than what our babies weigh right now. I gave my belly a good lecture after seeing that. They have strict orders to stay put for at least 2 more months. Speaking of my belly, I posted the latest photo which Lance took last night. I was 24 wks 3 days. I feel and look like I did right before I delivered Ashlyn. How I will manage 2 more months is beyond me but I know others have done it so it is possible. I am having a few contractions here and there but nothing to worry about. I have been doing a lot less at home and rarely go out anymore because my back hurts constantly now. Mostly I rest and play with Ashlyn as much as I can. She has been a comfort to me but I know she feels like mommy has turned into a couch potato. She loves it when daddy comes home and plays with her. At least she loves books so we read a LOT of books. Mostly the same ones over and over and over. I am just trying my hardest to stay out of the hospital because then I would never get to see her. I miss her when she is gone for half a day so it would be unbearable to be gone for any longer.

Well I think I have talked about pretty much everything now. The babies seem to move all the time now. I think they wake each other up. They seem to repond more to music and Ashlyn's voice. Yesterday Baby B rolled onto it's side and my stomach was lopsided with a shoulder sticking out. It was a little uncomfortable until it moved back. Lord help me when they weigh 3-4 lbs.

Thank you all for all the thoughts and prayers. Without all of you I don't think we would have made it this far and be doing so well. Our doctors are all impressed that we haven't had any serious complications yet. Also a huge thank you to all of you that have donated or allowed us to use their baby things. We already have a nursery almost packed. Oh, and I had another reality check when I bought 3 packs of newborn diapers thinking "I hope that isn't too many". I know for a fact that Ashlyn used more than one pack of newborn diapers so 3 will probably last me a few days. Yikes!! Good thing we are coupon people. Also I have learned that if I submit copies of the babies birth certificates to the major diaper companies, they will send lots of coupons.

So thanks again everyone. We feel so blessed that we were chosen to have these babies but even more blessed to have all of you for support.

Well it's after 10 pm and once again I hear snoring from both directions of the house and here I sit with 3 of my children jumping around like frogs. Of course they would happen to be the ones living inside my belly. I can almost hear them saying "Lets get this party started!". I just pray that they develop Ashlyn's sleeping habits early in life and then maybe I can get some sleep. I posted this picture of her, which was taken a few weeks ago, napping with 2 of her "pets". Don't' worry, she sleeps like her dad and a freight train couldn't wake her, so no harm came in the taking of this picture. I don't think there is much better in this world than to stare at your child while they are asleep. I have taken so many pictures of her asleep that Lance thinks I'm strange. I can be at times, but that's beside the point. I just want to be able to look back when she is away at college (or living in L.A. with Aunt Rita, if that is what she chooses) and see my little girl sound asleep in her crib, where no one could ever hurt her and she is still my baby. Yes, if you haven't already guessed, the hormones are building like a pressure cooker these days. I don't remember being this sensitive or sentimental (key word being mental) when I was pregnant with Ashlyn. I think it has something to do with watching a tiny baby turn into an independent toddler in a little over a year. I've realized how precious the time with your children really is. My mom gave me good advice when I was pregnant with Ashlyn. She said, don't ever say "I can't wait until she....." because they grow up so fast and soon they are gone. I have done my best to live by this. Even when she was waking every 2 hours to be fed I never complained once. So I have also tried to enjoy these moments with the babies all to myself. I realize this will probably be my last pregnancy (unless God has other plans that he hasn't told us about). Once they are born the days and nights will be so busy it will be hard to enjoy them the way I have with Ashlyn but you will never hear me say "I can't wait until they......". And my point is what, you ask? I don't know, forgive me if I don't really have one. Hopefully you can find something worth reading in this post. If not, at least maybe by spilling my rambling brain onto this page I will be able to sleep more and think less tonight, when I do make it back to bed. First I will stand at the crib and watch Ashlyn snore for a few more minutes. It has a much sweeter sound to it than the one that awaits me across the hall (sounds like a grizzly bear in hibernation). Good thing Lance never reads my babbling. He usually only looks at the pictures.

I hope everyone is well and that this didn't bore you all too much.

These were taken on Sunday. Two are from the Trainfest when we rode the train. Ashlyn was very tired and we neglected to pack a Binky, which she has never slept without. So daddy went and bought her this huge train-shaped sucker to try and "pacify" her. It worked, but she and daddy were sticky from head to toe by the time we got back. I never thought I would give my child candy to make her stop screaming, but I decided the rest of the passengers would not enjoy their ride unless we bribed her a little. Over all it was worth it because she really enjoyed the ride. We were worried that the train robbers would scare her but she loved them because they were riding horses.

The last picture is of that night when we were back home. After her bath we decided to wait to dress her until bedtime. She wanted to go outside and it was chilly so she wore snow boots and a fleece jacket. She loved the boots and had a great time outside.

Well yesterday I started my 23rd week of pregnancy. We will be happy to get to our first goal which is 24 weeks. Only 5 more days. Then the babies will be considered viable which means if they are born any time after that they will have a chance of surviving. Of course the longer they stay in the better their chances are so our next goal will be 28 wks, then 32, and then 34. Our Dr. in Sioux Falls says his average for delivering triplets is 34-35 wks. Though it will be torturous on my part to make it that far, the babies would be much better off so I will do my best. I seem to be getting bigger by the day. My belly measures 41 inches now and I've gained 20 lbs. Everyone says I don't look very big for triplets but I definitely feel like I did right before I delivered Ashlyn. So far no bedrest or hospital stays which makes me very happy. I would miss Ashlyn way too much. My blood pressure was up for a few days when Wilmot had their Harvest Fest and it was 100 plus degrees. But after resting for a few days it went back down. Over all I'm feeling pretty good. The babies should be over a pound now and close to a foot long. It's really hard to imagine 3 feet and 3 lbs of babies in there. I'm also starting to add to my stretch mark collection so that's another sign of my growth. I think Lance is amazed when he comes home from work each day and it seems like I've grown another inch. He always says "hey big mamma!" We go back to Sioux Falls on Monday to see the specialist again. I can't believe it has been a month already! We saw Dr. Benson on the 8th but they didn't even check for heartbeats and the only ultrasound we got was to check the length of my cervix. They will check this every appt now to make sure it doesn't start to shorten which would be a sign of beginning labor. Usually 4 or greater is good and mine was 4 1/2 to 5 so that was a relief. I'll have more news after Monday.