Bring It on: 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?!?