Too cute

Jason and I went over to his sister's house on Friday night for dinner.  Our nephew, Caleb, is 4 1/2 years old and pretty curious about my belly...

Caleb:  You have three babies in there? (as he's rubbing my belly)
Me:  Yes I do.  That's why it's so big!
Caleb:  Okay. (pausing to think)  Can you take them out now?
Me:  Not yet.  They're not ready to come out yet.
Caleb:  Do you have babies in there too? (as he tries to pat my chest)

Later in the evening, he and I were looking at pictures on my phone while I was laying on the couch.  He stood at my side and at one point, leaned over slightly to get a better look at the picture.  All of a sudden he jumped back.

Caleb:  Uh oh!  I'm sorry!  I squished your babies!

He had apparently felt himself lean into my tummy (I didn't feel him at all so it couldn't have been anything significant!) and was very worried and concerned that he had done something to hurt the babies.  For the next 5-10 minutes, he apologized a good handful of times to me for "squishing" my babies.  Too cute!


A few days ago, a fellow triplet mommy sent out a link to a website specializing in comical attire/gifts for multiples.  I got a pretty good laugh going through the site and thought I'd share some of my favorites.  After all, humor is probably the only way we're going to survive the first year with three baby boys in this house.

Lots of news!

Maybe all of this won't be as exciting for everyone else, but it's been an exciting couple of days in the Deen household.  First thing to celebrate- we've officially made it past the 28 week mark!  Our new goal is to make it to 32 weeks- lots of prayers and positive thoughts please!

And this is how Coltrane and Hana choose to celebrate

our making it to 28 weeks- they've literally been busting at

the seams with joy and excitement for us...

On Thursday, Jason and I got to go on a personal tour of the hospital where we'll be delivering, Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.  The social worker for the Sutter Mothers of Multiples program took us around and showed us all of the different floors that we'll probably be using- the OR where we'll deliver, high risk maternity (where my dear friend works!), the NICU, and postpartum unit.

Baby A's profile.  This little guy continues to rest his

sweet little head on my cervix.

I'm not going to lie- I got a little emotional when we got to the OR.  It's a little overwhelming to realize that is the place where I am going to get to lay eyes on my sweet munchkins for the first time ever.  It's a strange feeling to know that soon enough, we'll be walking out of that hospital with three little peanuts that are going to totally change our life...  Maybe you think I should have had that realization a little sooner than this point (!), but it's actually a feeling that has resurfaced throughout the pregnancy.  But when you're standing there looking at tiny babies in the NICU- any of which could have been ours!- it's shocking and a little surreal to say the least.

Baby B's profile.  Jason and I make

apparently make adorable babies!

They actually took us to the bedside of a two pound preemie in the NICU.  This was a breathtaking moment for both Jason and me- all three of our munchkins are at least that size (Baby A!) or larger (B & C!) at this point, so it was amazing to just know that we'll get to have three of those.  Jason will be the first to tell you that he is not exactly the most comfortable guy around all of the medical stuff, but I was so impressed that he neither wet himself nor ran screaming from the tour.  He did great and asked some thoughtful questions that even I hadn't previously considered.

Here's a facial shot of Baby C.  Top of the head on the left,

eyes in the center, chin on the right...

Overall, the tour was a success and I am so grateful for the exposure it gave BOTH Jason and me to what's coming up in our near future.  I felt a little bit like a celebrity- the staff was so excited whenever they heard that we were expecting triplet boys.  I'm sure they were playing it up a bit, but I'll take it!

I had another ultrasound on Friday, so Janelle and my mother-in-law, Lois, came with to watch the babies' performances.  This wasn't a growth ultrasound, so I don't have actual updated weights for the babes, but everything's looking good with them so far.  Their little heartbeats continue to be strong and each of them are moving and kicking like they should be (if anything had looked less than stellar with the babes, they would have done a more extensive job measuring, etc).

My cervix has started to shorten a bit, which I am not happy about.  My "titanium cervix" is apparently no longer totally titanium.  Dr. Gilbert tried to reassure me that it is normal for that to be happening at this point with triplets, and my current cervical length is actually quite normal for a triplet mommy at this stage of pregnancy.  And while a big part of me just wants to start panicking and freaking out... I'm surprisingly calm about this.  Dr. Gilbert didn't seem too bothered at all about this change and since he is an expert in his field, I'm going to try not to be too bothered either.  Okay, okay- confession time.  Perhaps I've been doing some reading since then on expected cervical lengths in triplet mothers in medical research journals...  :)

Dr. Gilbert didn't feel that there's any reason for me to be put on bed rest yet, so that was actually reassuring as well.  If this change in my cervix was a big deal, I'd be typing this blog entry from my doctor-ordered hospital bed, but since I'm still at home... :)  I'm going to be increasing my time spent laying on my side, which will help to take pressure off of my cervix, so we'll see how things go over the next week until my ultrasound next Thursday.  I don't know if I've ever asked for something so potentially awkward, but please include my cervix in your prayers!  :)

My husband has been a busy, busy man the last few days.  He and my father-in-law, Ken, assembled a storage shed in our backyard, and Jason has spent the entire day today organizing our garage and ferrying stuff between the garage and the shed.  With the influx of baby supplies- mainly strollers (I have a fetish for them!)- our garage has been full to busting.  We've only been able to park one car in the garage for the past few months, and we knew we needed more storage space.  Needless to say, Jason is hereby awarded the "husband of the week" award!!  Apparently preparing for babies is not just about assembling cribs and folding baby clothes in the dresser- who knew?!?

Jason and his dad demonstrating

some major craftsman skills while

assembling the shed

Building fodder all over the yard- thanks to my

mom-in-law Lois for getting this all picked up

after "Hurricane Jason and Ken" came through

Ta-dah!!  When I saw the finished shed for the first time,

I immediately burst into tears of joy (stupid hormones)

So excited!!

Last Friday, I had to take my second glucose tolerance test.  This test is designed to check if I've got gestational diabetes.  For those of you keeping track, I first had to take the test around my 18th week.  I passed that one with flying colors, which was a huge relief.  Gestational diabetes can be a huge challenge to treat and could set both the munchkins and myself up for complications.  And as I've learned, mothers of multiples (especially higher-order multiples) run a huge risk for developing gestational diabetes (hereafter referred to as the "dreaded GD").

So after that first glucose tolerance test, I figured I was off the hook.  But like most things with this pregnancy- not so much.  The doctor wanted me to repeat the test at 27-28 weeks because I am carrying triplets and have three separate placentas.  Apparently (and forgive me if I'm not explaining this clearly- I'm trying to remember the doctor's explanation from two months ago), the multiple placentas can release hormones into the body that will discourage it from releasing insulin (which decreases blood glucose) and encourage it to release even more glucose into the blood (glucose= food for the babies).  Basically a double whammy, which could equal the dreaded GD.

So I went in for the two hour test expecting a different result this time.  I guess I just figured that I'd been too lucky so far and was going to get some bad news.  Well, forget that nonsense!!!!

I PASSED AGAIN WITH FLYING COLORS!!  If you can't tell, I'm ecstatic!  I'm so glad that our little munchkins won't have to deal with my body being sugar-happy.  I had already prepared myself for the (what I thought would be) inevitable multiple finger pokes every day to check my blood sugar and giving myself insulin shots.  But I guess I don't have to worry about any of that- thank God for little gifts!

Every little piece of good news about this pregnancy that we get is just so encouraging and helps to keep me calm.  I'm going to sleep tonight with a big smile on my face...

Babymoon...

Jason and I just returned this afternoon from a short trip to Lake Tahoe, where we had ourselves a little "baby-moon".  I've been feeling the need to get out of town for awhile, so we planned a sweet little getaway to South Lake Tahoe.  We spent most of our time just being peaceful and relaxing.  We laid on the beach in the sun playing Scrabble together.  We went out for relaxed dinners (one was a buffet at a casino- nothing is more exciting to a pregnant lady than a buffet with a dessert station!!).  We went for gentle walks everyday- to Starbucks, to breakfast, along the pier, shopping.  We played more board games in the evening in front of the fireplace.  We even went for a ride one afternoon on a sailing cruise!  Getting to bask in time being spent with just my husband was the best gift ever.  

Jason and Brittany in front of our sailboat.

Not sure which is bigger- the boat or the belly...

All of it was lovely, and I enjoyed ALMOST every single second of it.  I had one of the roughest nights on our first night at the hotel- having to wake up almost EVERY hour on the hour to get to the bathroom (I blame the buffet) left me pretty darn exhausted.  Luckily Jason was able to take one for the team and snore his way through the drama...  :)

Relaxing in the sun at the back of the boat together

And on the second evening in Tahoe after we got back to the hotel, I had probably the most uncomfortable few hours of this entire pregnancy.  It didn't matter how many pillows or positions I tried- nothing was working.  Jason was so good- massaging my belly and my back, helping with pillows, bringing me water, working on the room temperature... Not sure why I was so uncomfortable.  I was not having contractions and the babies were moving and grooving like normal, but I just could not find a comfortable position to rest in.  Jason helped me finally find a comfortable position, and apparently the universe conspired to let me sleep for almost 4 1/2 hours straight!!  I haven't slept that long in an uninterrupted time period in 3-4 months.  So I guess you have to take the great with the not-so-great when it comes to pregnancy.  :)

I love this man!

Even with the not-so-great stuff, I feel like I am so lucky to have had this gentle of a pregnancy.  Apparently my body handles pregnancy very well for the most part!  It makes me a little sad to realize this, because Jason and I are definitely planning on being done with family additions after this pregnancy (you can understand, can't you?), so I'll only be pregnant once.  And I.  Love.  Being.  Pregnant.

Playing Scrabble on the beach

I love carrying these little munchkins around.  I love that my body has been able to provide for them and nurture them.  I love waking up and feeling their little kicks and movements in the middle of the night.  I love seeing other peoples' joy when they learn about the peanuts.  I love hearing the way my husband talks to his unborn sons before we fall asleep at night.

And in a silly way, I love the challenges that this pregnancy has brought.  Trying to find a comfortable position, being unable to do things at my normal speed or ability, trying to catch my breath in the thinner mountain air when climbing up steps, dealing with the back pain that I'm now beginning to have, frequent bathroom trips, being unable to bend over fully... they may not be quite as exciting as feeling a baby move or seeing their heartbeats on an ultrasound, but they are serving to remind me of how precious the cargo is that I'm carrying around.

Maternity leave so far...

Five days since my last day of work.  Not too shabby- I haven't hurt my husband yet or lost my mind... I knew that it would be emotionally tough for me as I was adjusting to being on early maternity leave, so I made sure that I had a daily activity outside of the house everyday this week.  I'm not on official bed rest (yet), so it's okay for me to be up and about as long as I really pace myself.  And to be honest, my physical state kind of self-limits how much I can do right now anyway!

On Tuesday, I went to see a musical here in town with friends.  While the performance by the actors wasn't too impressive, the munchkins' performance in my belly sure was.  They were moving around like CRAZY (I think they really respond to music) and I spent at least half of the performance just watching their little arms/legs poking out all over my belly.  I'm pretty convinced at some point one of them will just burst on through a la the movie "Alien"... but until then, I LOVE watching them.  So if you see the pregnant lady around town looking at her belly and just giggling, that's me.  Please don't think I'm off my meds.  :)  I play a lot of music for the boys and sing to them all the time.  Jason's concerned that I'm not providing them with a wide enough variety of musical genres and has declared that we will have jazz and classical music playing at all times in the nursery (apparently, the steady musical diet I've been providing so far of pop, folk, reggae, oldies, alternative, and show tunes isn't good enough for them!).

Jason onstage playing with the band-

these munchkins have been surrounded

by music since conception...

On Wednesday, I had my ultrasound.  Janelle came with, so we had a great time together fawning over the munchkins onscreen.  With each ultrasound now, I'm kind of half-expecting them to announce that it's time for bed rest.  But that didn't happen this week!

Everything is going well with Momma.  My blood pressure is still hanging out in a healthy range.  They're watching this very closely because of the huge risk for hypertension/preeclampsia (VERY bad for the babies and me).  I've also gained healthy weight thanks to my steady diet of carbs, whole milk dairy, and frequent snacks.  For those curious, I've gained almost 45 pounds since my first trimester (when I actually lost 10 pounds at first).  While that sounds like a ridiculous number to me, everyone keeps telling me that it appears that I'm only gaining in my tummy.  I'm not sure if I believe them, but I keep hearing people say that I don't look pregnant from behind.  :)

Good ultrasound pics are getting harder to capture because

the babes are getting so big and so close to each other, but

this is a pic of Baby A's perfect spinal column

GROSS update (but you've been forewarned): they're checking to see if I'm "spilling" sugar or protein into my pee.  Both would be bad, but I'm not doing either!  Sugar might mean gestational diabetes, and protein might mean preeclampsia- both would be bad for both babies and momma, so thank goodness that I'm not showing signs of either yet.  My cervix is still apparently made of titanium (a good thing) and I'm just so thankful that this is our first pregnancy and that my cervix and uterus have never had to be worked before like they are being worked now!  (never dreamed that I would be typing a sentence like that)

Baby C's spinal column and head (on the right side of

the pic).  We were lucky to get a pic of him because he

was literally FLIPPING between being face up and face

down during the ultrasound- future gymnast?

NON-GROSS update:  And the babies are doing pretty well overall too!  All of their heartbeats are good and steady where they should be.  The levels of amniotic fluid in their sacs are all perfect.  They're moving like crazy and gaining weight.  The only real concern at this point is Baby A's weight.  Remember that Baby A is the munchkin situated lowest in my pelvis (when my bladder gets tapped on, it's him!).  He weighs approximately 1 pound 15 ounces, which puts him in the teens (14-17%) on the growth chart.  While he is still gaining weight (12 ounces since our last visit!), he isn't gaining as fast as his brothers.  Baby B is weighing in around 2 pounds 8 ounces, which now puts him at the 90th percentile on the growth chart, and Baby C is still our little piglet, weighing in at 2 pounds 12 ounces (well above the 90th percentile!).  Keep in mind that the growth chart I'm referencing is the same one used for single pregnancies!

What's this?!?  Baby B's left ear and shoulder!  His ear is the

white backwards 'C' shape at the top right of the screen and his

shoulder is the white blob in the center of the pic (and that's

his arm with a flexed elbow to the left of the shoulder!)

So we're very concerned about Baby A.  Athena, the ultrasound tech from heaven, mentioned that they usually see the baby that's lowest in the pelvis gain weight the slowest due to space restrictions and having their siblings on top of them.  And it's also not unusual for multiples to be different weights in the womb.  Dr. Gilbert was very calm when he was reviewing the results of the ultrasound with me, but  he did say that this would mean that they'd be keeping a very close eye on Baby A's weight gain.

As of right now, there's no reason to panic, so of course I'm panicking because this is the first real development in the pregnancy that hasn't been absolutely stellar.  I came home and had to let myself have a good cry because I'm so worried about my munchkins.  A good introduction to parenthood for me- making yourself worried sick over your little ones...

Well, hello there Baby B!  Such a cute nose you have!

This news actually doesn't change any of the doctor's plans for me.  He didn't add any additional monitoring or bed rest to the regimen, although I just guaranteed a continued weekly ultrasound schedule for myself.  Dr. Gilbert did say that we're in a "watching and monitoring" phase with this news, not in an "action needs to be taken" phase.  My plan is to spend even more time everyday (thank goodness for maternity leave!) laying on my side to take the pressure off of Baby A and to hopefully allow better blood flow to him.  My next ultrasound is on Friday, so we'll keep asking you all to offer up prayers for Baby A's continued weight gain (and Baby B's and C's too!) and keep our fingers crossed.

Jason rubs my belly multiple times every day and talks to the boys- they're developed enough to hear us!  It's so sweet to hear him telling Babies B and C to share the food with their brother.  I love watching Jason's face when he's doing this.  He's going to be an amazing father (of course I'm biased here!) and I'm so excited to see him hold his sons for the first time.


But we've got a lot of work before then.  I'm currently 27 weeks and 2 days pregnant, so here are the upcoming goals that we want to make it to:

28 WEEKS: At 28 weeks, we're talking about quality of life.  The risk for developmental delays and major health issues drops slightly.  Almost there!

32 WEEKS: At 32 weeks, we're talking about their little lungs being much more developed and much more ready to survive outside of the womb without the need for major medical interventions (they'll still need help probably even at this stage, but it will be of a much less invasive, dramatic nature).  This is the doctor's goal for us to get to.

34 WEEKS: At 34 weeks, we're talking about much bigger babies who will have to spend less time in the NICU, which means they can be home with us sooner!!

37 WEEKS: My actual goal for when I want the babies to come out.  It's a pretty tough goal to meet, but I figure you might as well aim high, right?!?

Last day of work

I had my last day of work yesterday... totally bittersweet.  On the one hand, I am going to miss my coworkers and my job so much.  They were all so sweet yesterday, giving me hugs and being the supportive group that they've been throughout this pregnancy.

But on the other hand, I am tired.  My body is tired.  I love working with patients and being invited into their worlds for the day, but I had a very telling moment yesterday that this was the right choice to go on maternity leave.

I was in a patient's room hanging an IV antibiotic and the family started asking some questions about his upcoming surgery.  Hanging the antibiotic required me to be standing up and at times having my arms lifted up to actually hang the bag of medicine off of the IV pole.  As I was talking, I realized that I was having to stop talking at times to catch my breath.  The combo of standing and talking was apparently too much for me at that point!  It sounds so stupid, but something finally clicked for me, kind of like an "a-ha moment" for me.  How ridiculous is it that sometimes I can't even stand and talk at the same time?!?!

So I've concluded that I'm definitely physically ready to NOT be on my feet for 12 hours a day at the hospital anymore.  And while I'm still grappling with being mentally and emotionally ready for maternity leave, let's take a look at some pictures that were taken on my last day at the hospital...

Sassy!  How sad is it that I don't even fit into my

maternity scrub shirts anymore?  I had to rock a white

t-shirt and a button-down just to cover my girth!

My belly at 26 1/2 weeks...

Ok fine.  I guess I can see why it might not be the best

idea anymore to be on my feet for 12 hours at a time.

So time to retire the scrubs for now...

Bittersweet...

We had the best day today...

After working two days straight (Thursday and Friday), I was TIRED.  I spent most of Saturday either sleeping or eating.  We're talking multiple naps throughout the day.  Basically my day looked like this:

Step 1:  Nap for 2-3 hours

Step 2:  Go to the bathroom

Step 3:  Eat a meal/snack

Step 4:  Immediately repeat steps 1-3

Whew!  But apparently I needed all of that rest so that I could fully enjoy today!  

I started out my day with a lovely bubble bath and soak in the tub for 90 minutes.  That may seem excessive to some, but it really helps out with some of my pregnancy umcomfortable-ness.  I've been very blessed in that so far I haven't really had too much in the way of pains or aches.  But over the last week or so, it's definitely been a bigger challenge to find resting positions that are comfortable for me and the munchkins.  

They seem to be enjoying a little migration up into my diaphragm, which makes it more difficult for me to catch my breath and can be quite uncomfortable too.  Whenever I want to complain about this fact, I try to remind myself that it's probably better that they're trying to climb into my lungs versus trying to sneak out of my cervix!  

And it's become more of a challenge to find comfortable positions for sleeping at night.  Granted, I only sleep for 2-3 hours at a time (thanks to the combo of the boys resting on my bladder and hormones, I actually haven't had a full night's sleep since March).  But I am finding it harder at night to get into that "sweet spot" where I can drift off to sleep.  I feel so badly sometimes because I don't want my tossing and turning to keep Jason awake.  I now have a body pillow that's helping a lot, but sometimes even that fails to do the trick.

Hence the bubble baths!  They calm me down, relax my body and hips, and take a lot of the pressure off of my tummy.  Our puppy Hana loves to come in to the bathroom when I take my baths, inspect things to make sure I'm okay, and lay right next to the tub for a watchful nap.  I read books in there (don't tell the Sacramento Public Library System about that!), eat snacks, listen to music, etc.  Jason brought me "breakfast in bath" today, which totally hit the spot.  He takes such good care of me! 

After I got out of the tub and got ready, both Jason and I headed off to the hospital where I work for a baby shower thrown by my coworkers!!!!!  It was so sweet to walk in and see blue streamers and posters on the wall.  We ate absolutely delicious food, and I had so much fun just sitting and chatting with my coworkers.  We opened presents, and I am proud to say that I only cried once (which may be a record for me).  

At the baby shower

Everyone was fascinated by the size of my belly

now that I wasn't hiding it (as if that's even possible)

under some maternity scrubs!

And that's the bittersweet part of all of this.  As I've said time and again, I love my coworkers.  I work with some of the most amazing people ever, and they have been so intensely supportive of me throughout this pregnancy.  They've been positive and encouraging and so loving.  One truly couldn't ask for a better group of people to be associated with.  Amazing nurses-  and amazing people.

Tomorrow's my last day of work before going on maternity leave.  I can't believe I just typed that.  It seems surreal that I'm not going to be walking into the hospital at dawn three days a week and chatting with coworkers about whatever our patients have been up to.  It seems surreal that I'm not going to be laughing with them, cracking jokes and sharing stories about what we've been doing on our days off.  It seems surreal that I'm not going to be squawking at patients to take their meds and starting IVs for awhile.  

I think it's harder because I don't have an exact return date.  I don't even know what to tell people other than emphatically letting them know that I DO plan to return to work after the boys are born.  It's all dependent on when they're delivered and what, if any, medical issues they come out with.  And even though this having to "play things by ear" is not a new thing in regards to this pregnancy, I still struggle with it.  Physically I'm ready to be done with work, but mentally I'm not quite there.  I'll just have to keep reminding myself that this is what is absolutely best for the munchkins...

While I was napping after the shower, Jason was a busy little bee.  He was very excited to show me the "surprise" that he'd been working on when I woke up.  It's official- we can fit all three infant seats AND a stroller for triplets in my car at the same time!!!!

Three car seats safely buckled in to my car!

There's our brand new stroller for triplets just

ready to go to the park for a stroll

Ta-dah!!  Thank you Grandpa Ken, Grandma Lois, and Aunt Lara

for our new triplet stroller- it's definitely going to come in handy

for corralling the peanuts! 

I wish you all could have seen how excited Jason was about getting the stroller and car seats set up.  He was like a little kid on Christmas morning pushing that stroller around the driveway!