An Ode to My Husband.

With Father's Day just around the corner, I'd like to take this time to appreciate the father of my children. He may not be a perfect man but then again, who is? The man that he is, can best be defined as hardworking, honest(most of the time), loyal, a wonderful playmate(for the kids that is), funny(at least I think so), trustworthy(the only person I know that will not tell a soul if I confide in him), dependable(the first person I call when I need help), silly(oh, the stories I could tell), cheerful(not many people love to laugh as much as he does), devoted(any of his family and friends can tell you about some way that he has helped them out and that they can always count on him), and the list could go on and on.

This is the man that gave me reason to get up every morning, for the 8 years that we struggled with infertility. He drove me to 3 different states for countless appointments, gave me hundreds of injections(he may have enjoyed that part), let me cry on his shoulder when times where the roughest, and didn't give up when we thought there was no hope.

He held my hand through the delivery of all 4 of our children. He spent 3 days and 3 nights, pushing with his fist as hard as he could on the small of my back, during back labor with Ashlyn. He cooked and cleaned for me, while working full time, during my bedrest with the triplets. He watched over our tiny newborn babies in the NICU when I was too exhausted to get out of bed after the delivery.

He has taught Ashlyn some of really important things. Things like sitting back and enjoying the view.

Snow is cold but it's also fun.
That shampoo can be more than just a cleaning product.
That a deer head can make a good wall ornament(in your basement, that is).

That it's not the size of fish you caught that matters, but how much fun you had catching it.He is the parent that teaches the kids that life isn't always scary. That fun can be found in the simplest things. He is the Ying to my Yang. I've heard that people are attracted to their opposite because it gives their children balance. If I would say "no, it's too dangerous", he would say "come on, lets run". Though our parenting styles are completely different, we have the same goal. To see our kids grow up happy and healthy.



So thank you Lance for giving me our children and for helping to make them who they are.

What I learned on Mother's Day.

I will be the first one to admit that I am a perfectionist. How can I just come right out and admit that?? Well the first thing you'll notice about a perfectionist is that they, at all times, want to appear perfect. The second thing you'll notice is that they like to brag about it. Today I learned a very valuable lesson which I hope to not forget any time soon.

Today was Mother's Day and it really was a beautiful day. Lance and I decided (ok I decided and he didn't disagree.......very much) a couple of months ago to have the babies baptised on Mother's Day, by the same person who baptised myself and Ashlyn 2 years ago. To make this work we had to get everyone dressed, pack up the van, and drive a half hour to be the church by 10:45 AM.

My perfectionistic self decided that not only could it be done but it could be done, well. Our perfect children would look perfect, as would I and so I set out to find the perfect outfits for the perfect price (meaning cheap). It wasn't easy but I did it. Then to make things easier for the morning of the baptism, I packed the diaper bag, you guessed it, perfectly. I made a list, I checked it twice. Everything we could possibly need to care for 3 infants and a toddler for approximately 2.5 hours (in case the sermon ran long) plus an afternoon at Grandma's house.

At approximately 6:30 am I woke up to feed the first baby and then proceeded to shower, dress, eat, get Ashlyn dressed, fix her hair, fix my hair, change diapers, undress babies, dress babies, strap them into car seats, pack them into the car with Ashlyn, and I think you get the picture. Lance did help a little, ok more than a little. My goal was to leave at 9:30 am. To my surprise we actually did! We made it to the church by 10 am so that we could dress the babies (who were wearing only onsies so that their perfect outfits wouldn't get messy on the way) and to be seated in our pew before the service began.

I took Ryan out of his carseat and started looking for his perfect outfit. Where is it?? I could have cried. All of the perfect outfits were still hanging on the kitchen chair, back at home, where I'd hung them so carefully this morning. At least the babies were all wearing white onsies. So I shrugged and said "Oh well".

The service started and was going well for about 5 minutes. I knew Ashlyn would get bored but I didn't count on her being replaced by psycho-child. She was up, she was down, she was sideways, she whined, she screamed, she talked louder than a whisper, she wanted to go outside, no inside, upstairs, no downstairs. OK so she's 2. I guess I can't expect her to be perfect in church especially when she was hungry, tired, bored, and battling a cold.

After all that I just gave up. I had a meltdown and a half, and then was just too tired to complain anymore about how my perfect day was ruined.

Now it is the end of the day and as I think back, I realize something. Does it really matter that they didn't get to wear their perfect outfits?? No. Does it matter that people saw that my 2 year old isn't perfect?? No. I could even sit and list a few more things that, in my mind, were not perfect enough.

Do you want to know what does matter?? I was lucky enough to carry Gabriella, Ryan, and Brooke to 35 weeks and they are healthy and beautiful. I was given Ashlyn after 8 years of wanting a baby desperately. I am a mom because of them. My babies were all baptised today, which brings them one step closer to knowing the God that I know. My 80 something Grandmother got to see her granddaughter, who shares her middle name, be baptised today. I got to spend time with my mom and mother-in-law, sitting around the kitchen table gossiping over coffee. These are the things that I will remember.

You want to know what I learned today?? If you stress about the small stuff, you miss out on the really big stuff.

But I did dress the babies up in their perfect outfits when we got home and took their picture. That way I can still say "Here you are in the outfits you wore on the day that you were baptised".

"This is SNOT what I signed up for"

Our house can be described as happily chaotic on most days of the week, deliriously joyful on some, and downright disastrous on a few. These past 2 weeks we've seen a few more of those days since our family caught a bug. And I don't mean we're keeping a beetle in a jar with holes in the lid. As you can see from the picture, our sense of humor remains in tact.

I have spent days and nights with a sick baby, while I myself was sick, in the past. Until now I had never spent endless days and endless nights with 4 babies, all of them sick. Wait, since Lance is also sick, make that 5 babies. (Girls, you know what I'm talking about.) I don't even want to discuss all the snot I've extracted in the past 2 weeks. And of course when they have legs to assist them in escape, it's never as simple as gently dabbing at the copious amounts of green goo hanging off of their face. You have to run after them, tackle them, and then while your begging them to "hold still, we're almost done" they start screaming and crying which only increases the amount of snot that has to be wiped. I don't know why but Ashlyn only gets the blowing part right when she doesn't have a tissue under her nose. If you put a tissue up to her face, she won't blow. As soon as she steals a tissue out of the box, when your not looking, she holds it 6 inches from her face and blows snot like she's getting paid for it. But we are on the mend. The bug is almost gone. We actually fared pretty well. Only a few nights of little sleep which is nothing new for an insomniac like me.

During all the dosing of medication we discovered that Brooke has her first tooth. The second is also nearly through. She has been showing it off quite frequently. If she recognizes you and likes you, she will bust out into the cutest little grin. If she doesn't like you, or if you dare approach her with a towel on your head, she will bust out in something other than a grin. Very loudly.

So now that the babies are 6 months (I know, can you believe it?) and since Brooke was trying her hardest to eat every bite of my meal one evening, we started them on solids. We've decided for now it's best to feed them one at a time. I attempted to feed Ryan and Gaby at the same time just once and each one cried every time I gave the other a bite.

Gabriella is showing her sophisticated look. Don't you just want to kiss her??

"OK Dad, I'm ready to go to work!!" "Wait, now where did I leave my pants???"

"The binky fairy came, too bad I didn't have my gun"

It has been a pretty difficult week for Ashlyn. We decided that since she is 2 now, it was high time she gave up her binkies. We told her that the binky fairy would come and take all her binkies to give to a baby because she was a big girl now and didn't need them anymore. Then the fairy would leave her a present. She was really excited when she opened the drawer and saw the new frog bath toy and candy. Everything went great the first day and we were thinking things went way more smoothly than we had ever thought. Boy were we wrong. Every day was progressively worse until the 4th day. Since then, she hasn't asked for it once and goes to bed now without difficulty. She even started sleeping in her toddler bed, which she refused to do until now. I think the whole process was more heartbreaking for me than it was for her. My baby is hitting some major milestones which are taking her further and further away from me. In the end I know it is the best for her and I know that it is not my job to be her best friend or give her everything she wants. A parents job is to raise their child to be a healthy, well adjusted, individual. I hope one day she will be able to say we did that.

Snuggle up for a bedtime story. This is one of our favorite times of the day. Everyone in their jammies. We are so lucky that our kids all go to bed easily and sleep through the night (most of the time). I remember when Lance and I decided to start trying for a baby and we went to our family physician to make sure we were really ready. We told him we couldn't imagine our lives without kids and he jokingly said "kids are great................when they're asleep". I have to agree with him. Don't misunderstand me, I love my kids with all my heart and would readily give my life for any one of them. But nothing beats seeing your children all curled up, in bed, asleep. They look so peaceful. It makes you feel like a good parent and that you've accomplished something.

Ryan, Brooke and Gabriella with the blankets I started when I was pregnant but my back hurt to much to finish them then.

Brooke and Ryan have started rolling over but Gaby is way too interested in the ceiling to even try yet. They will be 6 months old on May 8th.

Go Ashlyn......it's your birthday!!

Ashlyn will be turning 2 on April 2nd. Yes, it is her golden birthday.

These are before and after photos from one of her parties. Thanks everyone, for making it so much fun!!

I'd like to know who coined the phrase "terrible twos". Have there actually been children who were angels one day and woke up on their 2nd birthday wearing horns and a red cape? I can't speak for other parents but my child has been going on 2 for a while now. Just when I thought she was the model child with her good manners and happy demeanor. Suddenly the word no entered her vocabulary. And she learned to whine. She no longer wants to bathe, get dressed, eat, brush her teeth, or go to bed unless fruit snacks are involved. She either wants to go with us when we choose to leave her behind or stay home when we want to take her with. She can do the "wet noodle maneuver" or the "stiff as a board" depending on whether your trying to pick her up or put her down . On a really good day she can throw herself backward and not crack her head open (at least she hasn't yet).

Actually, we can't complain too much. Over all she really is pretty good. We'll keep her.

Rub-a-dub-dub 3 babies in the tub.

The babies will be 5 months old on Easter!! I can hardly believe it. They are really getting big. Ryan is over 14 lbs now. Gabriella is 13 and a half. Brooke is still the peanut and weighs in at 12 lbs 9 oz.

For what she lacks in size Brooke makes up for in energy. If you put her in a bouncy seat she tries to sit up and hangs from the straps to grab her toes. If you sit her on your lap she waves her arms around and likes to stand as much as she can. She is still very smiley and it doesn't take much to make her laugh. She has lost a lot of her hair but she still has one lock that comes down on her forhead, or sticks straight up, depending on the day.




It's funny how you can tell someone's personality from the time they are infants. I hate to say it, and I apologize in advance to Gaby if she reads this some day, but we really named her appropriately. We didn't know anything about these babies when we named them but maybe she decided she should live up to her name. She will babble (and sometimes very loudly) from sun up to sun down. She has even, on occasion, been heard babbling in the middle of the night. She has become very shy of strangers lately. It's almost funny to watch her pucker her little bottom lip and then start to wail.

Ryan is such a relaxed, easy going, little guy. He smiles so easily and loves to laugh. He can fall asleep anywhere and is usually very easy to please. He is a a big flirt. He will sit and wait for any of the 3 girls to look his way and then he grins and squirms. They of course ignore him, poor guy. His hair is really coming in blonde. It looks just like Lance's when he was a baby. It's almost white, it's so light. He still has daddy's big blue eyes too.

These pictures were all taken after their bath a few days ago. Ryan is the one in blue, Gaby is the middle one, and Brooke is the one on top. I have a ton of pictures I would like to download but it's hard to find the time. I've moved my computer to the basement so now it's my place for quiet time. I've found it to be even more enjoyable if I turn on some music to drown out the toddler pounding on the door. Earplugs work also.

3 months old.

Cost of a triplet delivery and hospital stay -- $100,000 (don't worry, we had insurance)
Average cost of diapers for 1 baby for 1 year -- $1200 X 3 = $3600
Average cost of food for 1 baby for 1 year -- $2,348 X 3 = $7044
Average cost of clothing for 1 baby for 1 year -- $924 X 3 = $2,772
Average cost of healthcare for 1 baby for 1 year -- $991 X 3 = $2973

The look on our tax consultant's face when we told him we were adding 3 dependents --Priceless

And seeing these sweet little faces every morning (at 8am instead of 2am) -- Priceless.

The above info was collected from the internet and is just an estimation. We have been very fortunate to have been given a lot of the things we've needed for our babies. So far they have more than they can wear for clothes and we've only had to buy a few packages of diapers ourselves. Thank you to everyone for all your generosity. Also to the "diaper gnome", whoever you are, a special thank you. Hopefully you read our blog.

The babies are 3 months old now and are all over 11 lbs now. Ryan will be hitting the 12 lb mark real soon. You would never know they were premature. They seem to be hitting all the developmental milestones right on schedule. They are starting to entertain themselves now. You know how babies are. "Look, I have a hand", "And I can twirl it around and grab stuff", "Oh, and guess what? I can put everything I grab into my mouth".

The biggest news is that they are all sleeping through the night now. Yesterday we separated them into 2 cribs. The girls are in one and Ryan gets his own bed. They were all starting to pile on top of each other. We plan to get a third crib real soon too so they will each have their own space. Last night they slept from 9pm to 8am. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have such good babies.

Last weekend Lance and I got some much needed quality time, away from the babies. It wasn't anything fancy, just Watertown, but we enjoyed it. Lance's mom, his sister Rita, his cousins Dolora and Annette (with her 2 kids), and his nephew Jeff all stayed with the babies. Thanks again for that!! We kind of celebrated Valentines Day and my birthday, which is at the end of the month. I am turning 30. I'm actually excited to be turning 30 but where does the time go? It seems like yesterday I was 10.

It's time to feed the babies their snack so I will have to go. I also wanted to say thank you to Melissa and Tanner, and Mike and Ellie for visiting this past weekend. It was so nice to catch up and we love baby holders. I hope everyone has a good week.

10 weeks old.

These photos were taken last week of the babies wearing "outfits". They spend 95% of the time wearing pajamas because it takes too long and too much laundry to dress them every day. We decided to dress them up that day so they could wear these clothes before they outgrew them. They are shown in order of their birth.

Gabby is first and she weighs 10 lbs 2 1/2 oz now. She is the most vocal of the three. She has the loudest cry still and also does the most cooing. She likes to say "goo". It has been decided that she looks the most like a Schwenn. She has the same big round head as I do in my baby pictures (sorry Gabby). There is even one of me that can be mistaken for her unless you know the difference.

Ryan is second and weighs 10 lbs 5 1/2 oz now. He is the biggest whiner of the three which I think shows his masculine side (sorry guys, I had to say it). He has big blue eyes like his daddy and is growing some beautiful, long, blond lashes. He likes to smile with his whole mouth open. We can see little blond hairs coming in on his balding head. Daddy has a mini-me.

Brooke is our littlest one. She is about 9 and 1/2 lbs. After holding the other 2 she feels like fluff. She is the most smiley of the three and seems so quiet and meek.......until she gets mad. She has a bit of a temper. She likes to shout, as if to say "hey you, get over here now". I think she realized that given her size, she was going to be left out unless she raised a little heck.

I could say so much more but Grandma needs rescuing in the living room. The babies don't care much about the blog and prefer their afternoon snack on time. Then it's bathtime which is one of my favorite times. Nothing beats a clean smelling baby with soft, fuzzy hair.

Ashlyn playing Hide and Seek.

Ashlyn has been so fun. She is definitely entertaining to watch. She has been talking a lot and it's amazing what she comes up with. Here she climbed up into our bookcase. The bottom shelves have been empty of books since she could crawl.

She has been really good with the babies. They are starting to watch her and she plays peek-a-boo with them. She also likes to play mommy by putting bottles and binkies in and out of their mouths. She lets them have a few sucks and then says "all done" and takes it out again. She has a strange fascination with bibs and likes to collect them all (dirty and clean) and throw them into the dirty clothes hamper. As if I don't have enough laundry to do as it is.

She is learning to count in English and also Spanish, thanks to Dora( a cartoon on TV for those of you without toddlers). She is also working on ABC's. She starts with A, then skips to about QRS and ends with XYZ, then makes an attempt to sing the "now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me" which is her favorite part. It is adorable. She loves to sing and the other night came running into the living room singing "shake, shake, shake......shake your booty". Don't know where she learned that one??

Daddy Daycare.

As you can see Lance is adjusting well to being the father of 4. If he looks a little tired that's because he is employed full time at work during the day and then works the night shift at home. At least the babies are only getting up twice a night now which has brought back some of the sanity in our lives. They usually go to bed around 9:30 pm and then wake around 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. Then they go back to sleep until about 5:00 or 6:00. We are hoping they will start sleeping through the night soon but we'll see. We have been lucky that they usually go to sleep fairly easy at night. We usually can just put them to bed and they go to sleep on their own. Sometimes they need a little coaxing which makes less sleep for us but I think it could be so much worse. We can hardly wait until they are sick or teething. We can't decide if it will be better if they all teeth at once or if we are teething babies one after another all year. I guess we'll find out.

Babies in bumbo seats.

I had heard and read that one of the best inventions for multiples was the bumbo seat. It's a seat that is made of a soft foam that babies can sit in from age 3 months to 14 months. It's supposed to provide good support and should help them strengthen their neck and back muscles. It's also made so that your baby can't get out or fall out as long as they are in the age limits. Well Lance's 10 month old niece and nephew managed to find their way out of them so you definitely want them to be supervised at all times. Anyway we were lucky enough to get three of them as gifts for the babies. Thank you again Aunt Jean, Autumn, and Dolora! I know our babies aren't quite old enough but they sure seem to like them. It does actually support their heads and then they can look around. I plan to use them for everything from playing to feeding when they get older. The babies are in order of their birth in these photos. Gabriella, Ryan, and Brooke.

The babies just turned 7 weeks on Wednesday and we can't believe how fast they are growing. This morning Gabriella weighed 9 lbs 8 oz, Ryan was 9 lbs 6 oz, and Brooke, who has become the lightweight, was 8 lbs 10 oz.

Now that I just got started posting on the blog again I may have to take a break again. We all seem to have caught a little cold over the holidays. It's only mild so far so hopefully it will be gone again soon. It just makes night feedings and baby cares a little tougher for Mommy. The babies seem to be coping well. So far Daddy hasn't caught it and we're hoping it stays that way. Mommy doesn't need another baby to take care of( Daddy can get a little whiny when he's sick).

We hope everyone has had a happy holiday and that the new year brings great things!!

3 naked babies.

My mom and I were having a little fun one day and took some cute photos of the babies. They were about a month old, I think. During this photo session, Ryan got really hungry and started sucking on the back of Gabby's head. We got it on video. It was so funny.

Rewind a bit.

Guess what? The babies are sleeping past the 3 hour mark right this instant and I have a spare minute to post. Never mind that there are loads of laundry and a sink of dirty dishes. Plus the house looks like a small tornado went through and left burp clothes, diapers, bottles, and toys. But, today I feel like reminding myself what brought me here in the first place. No I won't go into detail about the process of conception, I only want to talk a little bit about the birth of our little babies. I like to call it D-day, for "delivery day". As you can see in the photos, I am ginormous. Lance took these photos while we were waiting for our turn in the operating room. Even at this size it was hard for me to believe there were 3 babies in there totaling 16 lbs. Even to this day, if I didn't have the pictures, I wouldn't believe I carried them all. Maybe the doctors had one stashed somewhere in the OR and snuck it in and just told us it was ours. Even Lance didn't actually see them come out. We'll keep them anyway. The delivery was beautiful even though I couldn't see anything.

Well I'm going to have to cut this short because the babies are waking and it's time for the last feeding before bedtime. They will awaken again in 3-4 hours so the sooner we are all in bed the better. I will try and post more photos tomorrow. I have some cute ones of the babies. They are growing so fast. Gabriella and Ryan weigh over 9 lbs now and Brooke is getting there also.

Christmas photos.

Here is Ashlyn in her Christmas dress. She loves to get all dressed up. She has really grown up in the last couple of weeks. She has been good with the babies for the most part and has only accidentally hit them a couple of times. We took Christmas pictures of her and the babies sitting in the recliner the other day and she loved cuddling with them. She even tried to help us carry them all back to their crib when we were done.

Here the babies are all wearing T-shirts that say "All mommy wants for Christmas is a Silent Night". Gabriella is on the left, Ryan in the middle, and Brooke on the right.

Speak no evil, Hear no evil, See no evil.

Ok so Brooke doesn't exactly have her hand over her eyes, nor does Ryan have his hands directly over his ears but this is what I think of when I see this picture. The babies have been good most of the time. They are still sleeping about the same but starting to eat a little more and have slept 4 hours a couple of times instead of 3. You'd be surprised how much one hour can change your whole attitude. We felt like throwing a party. We are hoping some sleep for mom and dad is right around the corner. Remember how I said I would never say, "I can't wait until....."? Well it would be nice if they were sleeping a little longer. They will still be babies so I'm not wishing the baby stage away. I just think it would be nice if I had the mental capabilities of a normal human being again instead of feeling like I've had a lobotomy. Luckily no one has entrusted me to stay home with the babies by myself yet. My mom has been here almost every day and Vicky has come a few days and started coming in the evening twice a week so one of us can get a nap in. It has been so wonderful to have help because there is no way I could do it all on my own. I have fed all 3 babies at once a couple of times but it is no easy task and I would rather each baby get there own quality time. So far I have been able to breast feed one baby each feeding and I try to rotate so they all get their turn. Brooke is still a little slower with feeding so I usually pump for her. Ryan is gaining weight the fastest. I think he doesn't like that we tell him his sisters are going to beat him up if he doesn't grow a little. He is usually the first to wake up hungry and almost drank 4 oz last night. Gabriella and Brooke take turns wanting to be cuddled. Luckily there have only been a few times when they both wanted to be held at the same time. I have spent a few hours sleeping in the recliner with both of them which wasn't too difficult until I had to stand up. We are all practicing juggling 2 babies at once and getting pretty good at it.

Brooke is Home!!!

As of 8 pm on last Friday night, all our babies are home. It has been so great having them all home and healthy. They have been sleeping 3-4 hours at a stretch for the most part. Gabriella wakes up and cries sometimes and needs to be held but it doesn't take long to settle her down again. I have to keep this short because they will be waking up soon. We had a Dr. appt today and they have all gained weight. Gabriella weighs 7lbs. Ryan weighs 5lbs 15oz. Brooke weighs 6lbs 8oz.

Thanks to everyone for all the gifts, visits, food, or anything else you've done. Hopefully I will get formal thank you's sent out soon. At least before they graduate from high school.

Brooke may come home soon!!

We called this evening to check on Brooke and the nurse said she has shown improvement enough that they took out her feeding tube and she may come home Thursday or Friday. We are thrilled of course. We miss her terribly. I think Ryan and Gabriella miss her too. This photo is of her getting her hearing checked. I think she looks like a helicopter pilot. She also had her thumb in her binky. As soon as she comes home I will try and get a photo of big sister Ashlyn with all the babies.

Life around here is settling down pretty well. The babies have been good sleepers which makes it so much easier. They sleep about 3-4 hours at a time and then wake to eat and go back to sleep. They usually only cry when we change them or give baths. Ashlyn has even settled back down to her usually self. She has been so good and such a good helper. Lance and I were just saying it will be so fun when the babies start to interact with her and she has her own little audience. She will love that.

We plan to spend Thanksgiving at home unless Lance has to go pick up Brooke. I am too afraid to take them anywhere because I would feel very bad if anyone got sick. Hopefully by Christmas they will be ready to go visiting.

We took the 2 babies to see their doctor today and they have both gained weight. Ryan is 5 lbs and 4 oz. Gabriella is 6 lbs and 4 oz. Ryan is slowly catching up to his big sister, though he still looks like a string bean. We also asked what Brooke weighed today and she is 5 lbs and 8 oz. Which is only an oz. more than her birth weight but she looks so much like Ashlyn and she was a slow gainer also. I think once she comes home and spends time with her brother and sisters, she will pick up speed.

Well I better try and get some sleep. The next feeding will be starting in a couple of hours. I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving and we will be thinking about all of you and how thankful we are to have you in our lives. We definitely have a lot to be thankful about this year.

Two out of three ain't bad.

Well we came home on Saturday with Gabriella and Ryan. Gabriella was discharged on Thursday and we kept her in Sioux Falls until Ryan was discharged on Saturday. Then we made the trip home. All babies slept all the way home, including Ashlyn. I even caught a cat nap, which was much needed. Brooke will have to stay until she can take all her feedings by bottle and none through her feeding tube. She is taking about half but has moments when she does better. We are hoping it won't be much longer since she is so far away and daddy has to work and mommy has her brother and sister. We miss her but it will be hard to visit. Grandma Vicky went down today to see her so at least she isn't alone today.

The two are doing great so far and adjusting to home life. They have been eating every 3-4 hours and sleeping most of the time in between. They seem to be good babies so far. Ashlyn is doing much better now that we are home and she is getting used to them staying here. The first night home she had a melt down and we had to call for reinforcments. Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Sarah came over to hold babies so mommy and daddy could spend some time with her.

Today started the first day of Mom and Grandma daycare. My mom has decided to quit her job to come and help out with the babies most days during the week. So far, so good. The babies haven't kept us running too much. We even managed to get a few things done around the house. Things will be a bit different when Brooke comes home. Especially when they all get a little older.

As much as everyone wants to come over and visit to see the babies, we are trying to limit the number of visitors due to it being cold and flu season. I have heard there are a lot of bugs out there and we are just asking that you use your best judgement before stopping by. If you or anyone you know has been sick or exposed to sickness, please try to hold out a little longer before coming to visit. I will try and post pictures here more often so you can see them. It takes a while to upload each photo so I can't usually post more than one at a time.

Well I need to go now and eat some lunch before the babies wake up to eat. Thanks to everyone who has called, visited, sent things, and prepared food for us. Everything has been much appreciated.

The babies are doing great.

By the way this is Cadi again and thanks to my sister for updating in my absence. I'm sure you all appreciate getting to see and hear about the babies sooner than now. This is the best photo I can post right now. It was taken quickly while the nurse was snapping the ones for the cradle roll. Gabriella was crying and we had to keep giving her her binky and then taking it away right before the camera flashed. Ryan looks mad but it passed. At one point he and Brooke were holding hands.

I just wanted to post a little and update you on their progress. It is pretty late, at 1:27 am, but apparently giving birth didn't help my sleeping issues. Guess that will help out when we enter the teenage years. I was released from the hospital today at about 2:00 in the afternoon. I am feeling a little better but still have a long way to go. I lost a lot of blood after the delivery, which the Dr. said is very typical of multiple births due to the uterus being so stretched and then having to return to it's original size. It was scary for a couple of hours and I was just praying I wouldn't have to go back to surgery. But things got better after the first day and now I just have to get my hemoglobin back up where is should be. Normal range for a female is 12-16 and mine was down to 7. I almost had to have a blood transfusion but instead they put me on some huge iron pills. It is coming back up slowly now. The only effects I am feeling now are extreme fatigue. Simple things like showering and getting dressed, wipe me out enough that I feel like I can't get my breath. So I decided to boycott showering for a while. Just kidding, I will just consider it exercise and I am well on my way to getting back into my bikini by bathing suit season. That was another joke. I promise I won't post a photo of my post birth belly. Just don't be surprised when you still see me wearing maternity clothes and sweat pants next summer. Right now I still look about 6 months pregnant. Plus I have that washed out china doll look that everyone wants now days. Lets just say my eyes and hair have never looked so dark next to my pasty white skin. Everyone at the hospital kept saying, "you look so much better than yesterday". I just can't imagine how awful I must have looked because I think I look like crap. An added bonus of the blood loss was all the fluids they pumped into me. If anyone saw how huge my legs and feet were before giving birth, you should see them now. I have been referring to them as my "pillow feet", and "elephant feet". I can barely wear socks, and shoes are out of the question. Unless I can find some in the clown shoe department. So anyway after being discharged we made the difficult decision to come home for one night so I could try and get some rest and recover a little bit. See how well I am at resting? Lance is going back to work tomorrow until Wednesday (he just wants to show off pictures of the babies) and my mom and I are going back to Sioux Falls tomorrow after we get some things organized. It was very hard leaving the babies but they are in good hands and so far don't even know we are gone. We called to check on them this evening and they were just as we left them.

So on to the good stuff:

Gabriella is still the best eater and the most vocal. We refer to her as the cry baby, which I'm sure will win her a ticket to therapy some day. Her favorite things in life right now seem to be eating and her binky. She also likes to snuggle. She was 5 lbs 9 oz. yesterday and the staff is already warning us that she may go home sooner than the others. She has been doing so well with her feedings that she hasn't had to have any tube feedings since yesterday, which was only once. Yah Gabriella!! None of the staff will even attempt to try and tell us when any of them will come home. I actually would rather they not try and predict a date because I know, working in health care, that it never turns out the way they guess it will.

Ryan is still under the bili lights. His numbers are coming back down and he seems to be feeling better. At first he seemed to really like the lights and would stretch out like he was tanning on the beach. It was even more authentic with his purple foam sunglasses on. He has been a lot more active now and seems to be fighting to get out and get some clothes on. He has been taking less from the bottle and more from the feeding tube lately. They always try the bottle first and then whatever he doesn't eat he gets through his tube. We have also been experimenting with breastfeeding and he seems to do well with that except that he falls asleep more lately. All three babies have at least had breast milk through the bottle, breast, or tube in addition to the formula. Gabriella shows the most interest while Brooke shows the least. They are still pretty little though and hopefully things will pick up soon. Ryan's weight was 4 lbs 6 oz. (I think) today. We still think he looks like daddy and will maybe have blond hair and blue eyes. He seems to have lighter hair all over and his eyes definitely are shaped most like Lance.

Brooke is also lagging in her feeding skills but seems to be improving. She did take half of her feeding through the bottle today at one point. She weighed 5 lbs 2 oz today. She is so funny to watch because she is the most quiet of the three and when she's awake she studies everything. She will sit and stare at everyone and everything for the longest time. I said yesterday she is probably amazed at what the world looks like because she spent the better part of the last few months with her face buried in my hip. I am also very relieved to tell you all that after her little ordeal the other morning she is just fine and doesn't seem to have any lasting results. Everyone has been watching her closer and they cut back on her feedings to try and get her to stop spitting up. I also want to tell everyone that it was the nurse who saved the day, not me. I was only jiggling her and calling her name, trying to find out what was wrong with her. Lance ran and got the nurse and she whacked her on the back which caused her to cough up the formula and start breathing again. Thank God that she is ok and hopefully we won't see something like that happen again. I can't even think about what might have happened if Lance and I hadn't stopped in one last time to tell her goodbye. Obviously it was meant to happen that way and God spared us the agony of losing our little girl. Lets change the subject shall we.

Ashlyn has been such a good girl this past week. She has been staying with Grandma Vicky and visited us at the hospital for a few days. She hasn't even gotten to see her new brother and sisters yet because she isn't allowed in the NICU but she has seen lots of pictures and is starting to learn their names. It will be interesting to see her reaction when she sees the real thing. At the hospital she knew right where my room was and learned real fast that the bassinets being wheeled by from the nursery had babies (these were the full term babies from the OB floor, not ours) in them. Sioux Valley does a great job having lots of play areas for kids and I think she thought we were on vacation.

Well I think it's time to go back to bed. I will regret this tomorrow, I'm sure. Thanks again to all of you that have sent gifts and visited, or even thought about us and prayed for us. I am constantly reminded how great God is when I see the faces of all 4 of my children. I will try and keep you updated but it will get harder especially when they all come home. We keep saying reality is setting in when we think about not being able to say to the nurses "well we are going to bed now, see you in the morning". I've tried to bribe a few to come home with us but the pay isn't nearly as good. Everyone at the hospital says how well the babies are doing and they are impressed that we were able to carry them so long. I officially take back every complaint I had about this pregnancy. Every minute was worth it when I see how healthy they are.

The Pictures Are In.

This is a picture of Ryan. He was the smallest of the three. He is the one Cadi said looks like Lance. He has already gained weight. He was up to 5 pounds last I heard.








This one is Brooke. The middle weight. I just found out this morning that she gave everyone a big scare. Last night during her feeding, from her feeding tube, Cadi laid her down and went to check on Ryan. They are in seperate rooms. When she returned Brooke was not breathing. Cadi shook her and wacked her back and she then coughed up some formula. Thankfully she was breathing again. So this just shows us how little and fragile they are. Please keep them in your prayers.


So this one is Gabriella. She is the biggest and yesterday she ate all of her milk from a bottle. Cadi called her the cupcake baby. She is the one who gained all the weight from the sweets Cadi ate. Someone told me it was said that she sort of had the same look as my son Nicholas did when he was little. I can see this in this picture. It is something in the eyes. I have a hard time telling them apart. They are all cute.

Babies, Babies, Babies.

I am writing this on behalf of my sister. For thoes who haven't already heard Lance and Cadi are now the proud parents of three more children.
To end the suspence they had 2 girls and a boy. I am sorry to say I don't have any pictures yet but will get them on as soon as I can.
Baby A was a Girl. They named her Gabriella Mae and she weighed 6 pounds. Cadi said her name means Her strength comes from God. She was the one on the bottom holding them all in.
Baby B was a Boy. His name is Ryan Lance and he weighed 4 pounds 11 oz.
And last but not least was Baby C A Girl. Her name is Brooke Elisa and she weighed 5 pounds 7 oz.
All are reported to be doing well. About the only thing they are concerened about is they aren't eating quite as well as they would like them to be. So they put feeding tubes in. They are eating some on their own though so this is a good sign.
Cadi is also doing well. She was hoping to do this herself, but still wasn't feeling quite up to it yet. She asked me to help her out since she knew everyone was waiting to her from her. They are very greatful for all your support and prayers.
Cadi also said she would welcome any visitors. Since she can't get around well yet the days get a little long. Well I guess that about sums it up. I will try to add more tomarrow.

If stretch marks make you sick, don't look at this.

I've had a couple of requests that I take a photo of my actual belly. At first I said I couldn't because I didn't want to disgust anyone. Then I decided if I could make it look somewhat tasteful by changing the color to black and white, I would like to have the photo for the sake of my memory. Also to show the kids someday when they are teenagers and complaining that I never do anything for them. So here I am in all my glory at 34 weeks and 3 days. As you can see, the babies have pretty much taken over my body. I don't even think this picture shows exactly how big my belly is. Lance kept saying, while he was trying to get the right angle, "your belly is so big, I mean, it's really huge". I said, thank you. Actually I'm proud of my belly, stretch marks and all. It was a lot of hard work to get to this point and I feel like I've earned the right to expose myself on the internet. So if you are offended or it made you sick, my apologies.

Everything else has been going pretty good, lately. I've been feeding my nesting instinct just a little here and there, but also resting some. It's so hard to just sit or lay around anymore. I am tired of people waiting on me. When you are used to taking care of other people it's really hard to sit back and let someone else take care of you. Even after I had Ashlyn by C-section and was a patient in the hospital, I was pretty much taking care of myself. The nurses would come in and everything would be done already.

Ashlyn has been very cute lately, as she usually is. We have been telling her the babies are coming out next week so she can see them. Now she lifts up my shirt and not only kisses and hugs them but keeps saying "out", "out". Then she puts my shirt down and says "night night, bye". She even waves to them. I can't wait to see her reaction when she actually does see them. She will definitely have a big adjustment to make but hopefully she learns to like them after a while. We got her a "baby" of her own that we will giver her when the babies come home. It has a little infant carrier just like the real babies have and a bottle. We are hoping when she is trying to "help" with the babies we can distract her by asking where her baby is. If anyone else has any suggestions for the transition I would like to hear them. I do plan to take a few hours a week where she and I can just have mommy and me time. I don't want her to feel like she is being replaced.

As for Lance, he is trying to squeeze in some last minute hunting over the next few days. He is also getting really excited about seeing the babies. Once they are out though we will actually have to come up with some names. So far they they have been everything from Hewie, Dewie, and Lewie to Curly, Larry, and Moe.

Well my legs are starting to feel numb and my feet are swelling even more so I will stop here. It is so great to hear from all of you. Whether its through email, the comment section, or word of mouth. I am so surprised that there are so many people reading my rambling thoughts. This blog has definitely kept me sane through the months. I will try my best to keep it up after the babies come home. Take care everyone and enjoy the upcoming weekend.

The babies decided to wait a week.

Just wanted to post a quick note to say that we had the Amnio done today and the lungs aren't ready so they scheduled a c-section for next Wednesday, November 8th. The Dr. said they put the sample of the amniotic fluid into a machine and it would show up as a number. The number should be between 0 and 140. The higher, the better, and around 100 was good. They only tested one baby which was baby C and it's number was only 35 which isn't even close. We were really disappointed because we really thought we were going to see our babies tomorrow. The Dr. said they will definitely be ready by next week and we are on the schedule for sure. We have to be there at 10 am to get ready for the surgery at noon.

On the plus side, we seem to have some big babies in there. According to the ultrasound today, which could be off, baby C weighs 5 lbs and 2 oz and baby A weighs 6 lbs and 2 oz. They couldn't get a weight on baby B because it was so squished she couldn't measure it's femur bone. In the past it has been almost an identical weight to baby C so I'm guessing that they should still be close. So that is why I have been having so much trouble walking, sitting, rolling over, and getting out of bed lately. It is truly getting painful and I don't plan to venture far from my bed this week. I just hope the time goes fast and I don't totally lose it by next week. I know, I know, it's better for the babies and they will spend less time in the hospital. I just hope I don't go into labor before then and I hope the pain doesn't get much worse. Lots of prayers will be needed this week so keep them coming. Well, I will stop here since I am totally exhausted from our trip today. I'll try and post in a few days and maybe have a picture.

Happy Halloween!!

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to post one last time before tomorrow. We are just doing some last minute things in case we don't come home until the babies are discharged. My nesting instincts are kicking in full force. I got a lot of things done today that I've been wanting to do and it feels good but I am tired. Hopefully I can sleep good tonight.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I hand copied everyone's email address so I can email everyone even if I can't get to my home computer. So if I have emailed you in the past and you don't hear from me but you know someone else got an email, I probably copied it wrong. My apologies in advance. Once I get home and can use my own computer things will be back to normal. Well, except I may have a couple of kids on my lap.

So thanks again for all of the support we've recieved. I know I keep saying that but it has definitely made this whole pregnancy easier. I couln't have done it without all of you.

I'll try to update tomorrow with the results of the amnio. If we can deliver the next day we will stay overnight in Sioux Falls but hopefully I can find internet access.

Keep your fingers crossed!!

33 weeks!!

Here is a photo that was taken last night. My belly is measuring 46 inches and I have gained 39 lbs according to my weight at the clinic yesterday. I think I am growing more down than out lately due to the weight of the babies. Even though I have been eating everything that's not nailed down I haven't gained anything in the past week. I think my own body weight is starting to transfer to the babies. At least I hope they are still gaining. My belly feels heavier every day. There isn't much to report about our appt yesterday with Dr. Benson. He said he was disappointed that he wouldn't get to deliver the babies but he also said he understood, and if it was him he would do the same thing. I felt really bad because they have taken such good care of us and I know it would be really exciting for them to deliver triplets again in Watertown. They delivered a set 7 years ago and the staff all still talks about it. But we are doing what we think is best for our babies. Just in case something went wrong we would much rather be in Sioux Falls then try to transfer there. So hopefully we will make it through this week without any surprises and do the Amnio on Tues next week. My cervix is still closed and Dr. Benson said he is amazed and that it's very rare to still have a closed cervix at 33 weeks with triplets. He also said that if the lungs are mature and nothing unusual happens, the babies might come right home with us after I am discharged. Usually they keep a mom about 4 days after a c-section if there are no complications. That scared me a little to think that we may be bringing 3 babies home at the end of next week. Of course Lance still doesn't see why I am so nervous. He just thinks it will be a piece of cake. So I am just lounging and trying to get comfortable for the next week and hoping that the lungs are mature on Tues.

We took Ashlyn trick-or-treating last Friday evening so I could still participate. We only took her to 4 houses and she made quite a haul. Her pumpkin bucket was full. She loved it, and I'm so glad that I got to share that with her. Thanks to everyone that allowed us to take her early.

2 weeks and counting!!

There is an end in sight, or I guess you could say a beginning. We turned 32 weeks yesterday and saw the Perinatologist in Sioux Falls. He says because the babies appear to be growing well and are healthy we may be able to deliver at 34 weeks. This was a huge relief to both Lance and I because at this point I can barely walk and even getting out of bed is difficult. In 2 weeks, I can't even imagine what it will be like. Here are the weights of the babies:

Baby A - 4 lbs 14 oz (tech said it had a lot of hair on it's head. It is still head down)
Baby B - 4 lbs (flipped head up again)
Baby C- 4 lbs (head is still wedged against my Rt hip)

At the rate they have been growing they should be at least 5 lbs in 2 weeks. So right now we are scheduled for an amnio (they take a really long needle and insert it through my belly to take a sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding each baby) on Oct 31 to see if the lungs are mature. If they are, then we will do a c-section sometime that week (the first week in Nov). If they aren't mature I think we will have to wait another week.

We are just hoping that now since we have a plan, I won't go into labor before the 31st. So far I've still been having tons of contractions but my cervix is still holding up well. I have no doubt in my mind that the babies will be healthy and hopefully won't have to spend too much time in the hospital. We are being optimistic and hoping it will be only a couple of weeks. Before they can go home they need to be able to maintain their own tempurature, suck from a breast or bottle on a regular schedule, gain weight, have no infections, be off all medications except vitamins, and be off oxygen. I think that's it but there may be more. The kicks these babies give me remind me of when I was pregnant with Ashlyn, and she is still very strong for her size, so I know they are little fighters.

So please keep us in your thoughts these next 2 weeks as we count down days and watch the clock. I am getting a little nervous but Lance is nothing but excited. I'm not looking forward to having an amnio or surgery but it will be worth it to finally see our babies. We will let you know is anything changes.

32 wk fetus.

Here is another photo from the book I have by Lennart Nilsson. It's called A Child is born. This photo is of a 32 wk fetus which is what our babies will be on Monday. The picture didn't come out as well as I had hoped but you can at least see how cramped they are in there. Now imagine him (if you look close enough you can see that this is a boy baby) to have 2 siblings knocking him around in there.

Ashlyn has added her 2 cents also. The other night I was laying on my side and she climbed up and sat on my belly. The baby on the right rolled onto its side and got stuck there. I had to stand up and push it back because it was very painful.

31 wks 4 days.

We are almost to 32 weeks which was our biggest goal to start with. We will be 32 wks on Monday. My appt with Dr. Benson on Wed. went really well. He did the test on my cervix again and it was still negative which means we should be able to make it at least to 33 1/2 wks. I have still been having a lot of contractions but they don't seem to be doing anything but driving me crazy. My cervix still had not changed. It is still closed.

Dr. Benson has told us that he would feel comfortable delivering the babies at 34 weeks in Watertown but so far we are too scared to take him up on the offer. But we have decided when we see the Dr. in Sioux Falls on Monday we will ask him if he would consider delivering at 34 wks. We feel that Sioux Valley is much more prepared should something go wrong. They also have a very good lactation department to hopefully get me started in the right direction regarding breast feeding. Yes, I do plan to attempt to feed as many as I can. I am not setting my expectations too high but any is better than none. So we will see what the Dr. says. From what I've read 34 wks is considered full term for triplets and I have also received one dose of steroids (I get the other dose today) to help the lungs develop. Usually at 34 wks the lungs are developed on their own but we didn't want to take any chances. The babies should weigh close to 4 lbs now and should be around 5 by then so we feel pretty confident that they would do well if born at 34 wks.

Now I come to the whining section of my post. I will try and keep it to a minimum because I just read about a mom who is 29 wks with triplets and has been in the hospital for 2 months. She can barely breathe and says it is excruciating to even move from the bed to a stretcher for her ultrasounds. They are praying to make it to 32 wks. As for me I am still somewhat mobile. I moved my bed to the pull out sofa in the living room because for some reason it is more comfortable than my own bed, plus I can lay on it all day instead of trying to fit on the sofa itself. It is getting harder to walk due to so much pressure on my pelvis and my hips feel like they are falling off. I actually drove myself to my appt in Milbank yesterday but I think that will be ending soon since it is getting harder to reach the gas and brake because my belly gets in the way. I also think I will be resorting to a wheel chair on outings soon which I have been too embarrassed to do yet. The motorized carts at Wal-Mart have caught my eye a few times but I'm afraid I would run into something, or someone, so I haven't fired one up yet. I told my mom that I hadn't used one yet because I was worried people wouldn't look hard enough and realize I was pregnant, and they would wonder why I was using one. She said, "Oh, I think they can tell". So I don't really have much to complain about but that doesn't mean I won't complain. I found a book that had the weights of everything you gain during pregnancy (placenta, water, baby, uterus, etc.) and I added them all up (I didn't even add the fat) and took it times 3 but used the weights of our babies, not the full term 7.5 lbs. It came up to 33 lbs. I have so far gained a total of 35-40, so basically I am carrying around a 30 plus pound belly. The rest I attribute to water since my ankles and feet are starting to look like tree trunks (and my cheeks must belong to the chipmunks living in them). I do have good days and bad days, though. Some days I even still love being pregnant. Other days I feel like Lance should hide the cutlery (because I would perform my own c-section, not slit my wrists). Actually I can't even mention a DIY c-section to Lance because he would be all too willing to try it. He has told me several times that he has gutted plenty of deer in his life, it can't be much harder than that. My anesthesia options would be either whiskey or biting a stick, or both if I really needed it. I think I have convinced him that the surgical team of 30 or so at Sioux Valley would be much more experienced but that depends on how desperate I get. Right now adding 2 weeks is about all I can handle. If they try and hold off too long I may be sharpening the knives myself.

The babies seem to be getting pretty squished. Usually if I stand up I can feel lots of arms, legs, elbows, knees, and whatever sticking out. I think they are all still head down but we will see for sure on Monday. Baby C still feels most comfortable with it's butt under my rib cage. We are getting anxious to see them and finally see what the sexes are. They still don't have any names but we are the kind of people who like to see them before we name them anyway.

I am still amazed that we have made it this far without any major problems. We are very grateful and are hoping that it will continue. Dr. Benson said at my last appt that he was worried since I have been so "lucky" that eventually my luck would run out. I wouldn't call it luck, myself. I feel it has more to do with all the love, prayer, and support we have been surrounded by. So thank you, once again for helping to keep our babies healthy and strong.

Ashlyn and her cousins.

Here is a picture of Ashlyn and 2 of her cousins. Then one on the left is Kayla (my sister, Sarah's little girl) who was born just 10 hours before Ashlyn. They are pretty good buddies, most of the time. They also like to fight and steal each other's toys. The one on the right is Abigail (my brother, Patrick's little girl). She lives in Colorado and Ashlyn can't wait to see her again at Christmas. They all had fun together at Grandma's house.

30 wks 4 days.

Here are 2 new belly pics. One is a side view and one is from the front. I don't think I even look pregnant from the front. Just chubby. But from the side, I could easily hide a large oak tree. Don't worry, you can crack all the jokes you want, I won't get offended. Sometimes you just have to laugh.

First of all I just wanted to post an update from our last appt which was Monday the 2nd. Everything looked really good. No change in my cervix. Babies were all active and had grown a lot since our last visit.

Baby A is still head down right over my cervix and weighed 3 lbs 12 oz. We got a picture of it's foot which you can see in the top right corner. I think if you click on them you can enlarge them to see more clearly.


Baby B is also head down again and had it's feet over it's head. It weighed 3 lbs 1 oz. We got a good profile of it which you can see to the right.

Baby C managed to flip to head down position also and was looking directly at my right hip. It also has its little butt wedged under my right rib cage which is pretty painful. Ashlyn did the exact same thing so there must be a nice pocket there. We were unable to get a picture of this baby because of it's position but it weighed 3 lbs 2 oz.

As of today I've gained a total of 35 lbs and my belly circumference is about 45 inches. I'm still retaining water, some days are worse than others. I had bought a cheap ring I could wear in place of my wedding ring which was getting too small. I got a size bigger and now that one doesn't fit either. Guess I'll just go ringless for a few more weeks.

We tried to get the Dr. to let us set a date for the c-section but he wouldn't commit to anything. He is still hoping for 36 wks which is Nov. 13 but he thinks I may go sooner because of the problems I've been having. I am 30 wks and 4 days today and they say that is good and any further we get now is like a bonus. Especially if we can get the steroid shots to develop the lungs in time. I guess there is a certain window before birth that works best.

Now with all that said we got to spend another lovely night in the hospital on Wed night. Ashlyn was sick with stomach flu on Tues night. I was really careful to wash my hands really good after cleaning her up but I must have been already exposed to it because I got sick on Wed morning. All of the vomiting increased my contractions so the Dr. wanted me to come in to try and stop it so I wouldn't break my water. I was given so many medications I can hardly remember what they all were. I finally stopped throwing up at 9:00 that evening and the contractions, which had been 2-3 min apart when we got there, slowed to 5-6 min. So I spent the rest of the night getting no sleep due to the uncomfortable bed and extremely dry mouth. He checked my cervix again in the morning and still no change so we were able to go home. If my water breaks, I have any bleeding, or my contractions worsen we are to come back. Since I have basically slept from the time we got home until this morning, I am starting to feel better and the contractions are hardly noticeable anymore. I think the only thing saving us is that baby A, although the head is right on my cervix, is turned enough so that the head is not engaged in my pelvis. If that happens I think I will actually start to dilate. Lets hope that doesn't happen for a few more weeks.

There is a battle going on between Watertown hospital and Sioux Valley. Both want us to deliver in their hospital. They both have very good points but we are not quite sure which way to go. Sioux Valley wants us because they have just built a new NICU with a special triplet room and they haven't had triplets yet since it was opened. They seem a lot more high tech and we really loved what we saw on our tours. I think the babies would have exceptional care there. Watertown hasn't delivered triplets for 9 years or so and I think it would be exciting for them. Dr. Benson says he would feel very comfortable delivering them there if we get past 34 weeks. Although he has been a great Dr. and we love the staff there, it's tough after seeing Sioux Valley and how much more prepared they are for multiples. Also it would be nice to not have to travel all the way to Sioux Falls and Watertown is much closer. We've decided to not worry ourselves about it and just wait and see when the time comes. We feel that the right choice will be clear when the time comes.

So anyway the babies are still doing fine and growing like weeds. If the keep this up I think they will be 5 lbs by 34 wks. They still move a lot and some days it almost drives me crazy but I will miss them when they are out. They were very active at the hospital. I think they could hear all the other babies and wanted to come out and play. There were 12 babies and 3 more on the way when we left. The babies have been pretty calm since we got home I think they are catching up on sleep just like mommy. Speaking of I think its time to go back to bed. I am still exhausted. I will update any new info that I get and my next appt is with Dr. Benson on Wed the 11th. I'll try to remember to have Lance take another belly photo tonight.

Take care everyone and thanks for the prayer.