U of I Visit

Finally a blog about our last doctor visit two days before our next.

Many of you know that Adam and I have been struggling with the decision to stay in the care of our current doctor, Dr. Hess and deliver here in Cedar Rapids at St. Luke's, or go to the University of Iowa Hospital to a specialist and deliver there where they have a level 3 NICU and doctors that specialize in high risk pregnancies. Finally after many discussions with many different people I made an appointment at the University for a consult. So, we went to Iowa City and it went great! I'm so glad we did it and it really proved to us to go with your gut and if something doesn't feel right then you need to be the one to change it.

I will admit the size of the hospital is a little overwhelming but the staff and doctors totally made up for it. Our appointment was at 2:00 and we didn't get out of there until 6:00, but we really only spent about 20 minutes waiting that whole time. And that wasn't even that bad because they have flat screen TVs in all the rooms. (Adam was really excited about that!)

We met with Dr. Rai who is a Fellow in the OB/GYN Department. Which means that she has completed her residency and could go practice anywhere but she has chose to continue her education for another three years to specialize in high risk pregnancies. The hospital has three Fellows and they are all supervised by Senior High Risk Obstetricians. We met with one the senior doctor's at the end of our visit with Dr. Ria, Dr. Andrea Greiner. She went over some more things with us and informed us that the twin to twin transfusion can happen at any time of the pregnancy. While Dr. Hess had told us that by week 20 they would know if that was occurring or going to occur. So I guess we need to keep praying about that, and here I thought we were in the clear. Then we went and had an ultrasound done. It was a lot like the ultrasounds we have had in the past. But this time when they were finished Dr. Ria came in with another senior doctor, Dr. Jerome Yankowitz. He went over the ultrasound results with us and when we were all finished up he even walked us out. It was so nice to feel like we were being cared for by someone that cared about us and feels that this pregnancy is as special as we do. It was what I had been looking for all along and I am so glad we decided to have the consult.

I don't have any pictures to share this time of the babies but they all looked good, the only thing that we are watching for is the twin to twin transfusion between the girls. One is measuring just a little smaller then the other so they are going to keep a close eye on them and even gave me some possible warning signs to look for. Other then that mom, dad, Olivia and babies are doing great!

Guess Who Loves Chucky Cheese!

Last Friday Olivia's cousin, Owen, celebrated his 5th birthday by having a party at Chuck E. Cheese's. I wasn't sure how it was going to go but turns out the Liv loves the Cheese! By the end of the night she was dancing in front of the stage and whenever Chuck E. Cheese would make a personal appearance she ended up chasing him around. Too cute!

Here she is in front of the stage with her cousin Mabry and Mabry's cousin Claire were she bounced and clapped and had a great time!

Needless to say when it was time to go she left kicking and screaming!

Starting to Feel Like I'm Pregnant with Triplets

Last Thursday we had our regular two week checkup. This time we did not do the regular ultrasound, but just saw the doctor. She looked me over and checked me out, and everything is still looking good. Since it is too hard to determine which baby they are getting over the fetal heart monitor she used a small ultrasound machine to check for movement of each one. And of course they were all dancing up a storm, but I could have told her that! Then for fun we measured my belly. She said that if I were carrying just one baby I measured at 27 weeks pregnant. So even though I was only 19 weeks at the time, I looked like I was 27 weeks! That's a whole two months farther along then I really am! I can't imagine what I will measure at when I am actually at 27 weeks. I am sure by then I will look like I am full term and about ready to explode at any minute!

It also seems that the more prego I look the less energy I have. I am trying so hard to get everything organized in case I would ever have to end up on bed rest, but it is really getting hard to not want to take a nap when Liv does. Not that I would actually end up falling asleep. That is something else that is already getting hard to come by. Even when I am exhausted my mind doesn't want to stop or I can't get comfortable. One good thing is that my appetite is great, but the down side of that is that I am starting to get acid reflux, and that too is starting to effect my sleeping. And then there is the lower back pain that has decided to come back! But honestly the worst part is that it is getting harder and harder to pick up and hold Liv. At nap time or night time I can hardly bend over far enough to lay her down in her crib. I kind of just have to drop her in there. I am truly dreading the day when mommy has to tell her that she can't pick her up because her belly is too big!

But just think, there are only 16 more weeks until I reach my goal of going 36 weeks. Then I can have my babies and all will back to normal. HA!!!

A Weekend to Remember

This weekend Adam and I were able to go to a conference hosted by FamilyLife called a Weekend to Remember. A Weekend to Remember is a weekend marriage conference that teaches God's design for marriage and family. It's a time for couples to refresh good marriages or heal troubled ones.

Adam and I are proud to say that we feel we have a pretty good marriage, but we thought that this would be a perfect time to buff up on some of the things we think all couples probably have troubles with... communication and dealing with conflict. And with a toddler at home and three babies on the way the last thing we need to be doing is fighting because we can't communicate! :) But of course we got way more out of it then just that. They also talked about why marriages fail, God's purpose and plan for marriage, having oneness with God, intimacy, how to be a good wife and mother, how to be a good husband and father, how marriages thrive, and what kind of legacy you leave.

Adam and I had thought that going to this conference is something we should do, but it wasn't until Saturday when we just "happened" to sit next to a triplet and next to a nurse that works at St. Luke's that new a lot about their NICU and the doctors that are in our practice. That is when we knew we were right where we were suppose to be.

We really had a great time and highly recommend it to any couple no matter how good or bad your relationship is, or how long you have been married. There was probably around a hundred couples there. One had only been married for two months and another for 46 years!

If you are interested in attending a conference click the link below. They do this all over the the US and it is definitely worth your time.

http://www.familylife.com/site/c.dnJHKLNnFoG/b.3204559/k.F5BB/Attend_a_conference.htm

Liv's Check Up

Olivia had her 15 month check up on Wednesday and believe it or not she is STILL not 20 lbs (19 lbs 15 oz)! But the doctor said that she is close enough that we can turn the car seats around and she should be fine. That is good news because despite her small waist she is pretty tall, 31.25 inches, so she could really use the extra leg room! She was also checked for anemia and her iron count was perfect. But then when we got to the ears I heard some unsuspecting news. She has another ear infection. This will be her second one, but it is in the opposite ear, so I guess that is a plus. But if we wouldn't have gone in for this check up I would have never known. She has been sleeping good, eating good, and hasn't pulled at her ears or been fussy at all. She did however have a runny nose and a little cough, but other then that, no symptoms of a an ear infection. So she put her on some medicine and then we decided to hold off on the shots until next week. Other then that she is doing great! She seems to be very quick and picks up on everything!

I found a couple of pictures that I thought were cute, and have shown how much she has grown.

Here is a picture of Liv in her bouncy seat at 1 month old.

And here she is rediscovering the bouncy seat a little over a year later while we were moving it from her closet to downstairs.

Wow, what a difference in such a short time!

17 Weeks

We had another ultrasound and doctor's appointment Thursday morning, and once again they all looked great! They checked each one to make sure that they were growing properly and so far everyone is right on track. The boy is just a little bigger then the girls, but he always has been right from the start. The girls seem to be doing a good job sharing all those important nutrients they get from their placenta so that is wonderful as well. They were all weighing in around 5 to 6 ounces. Pretty tiny yet!

She didn't print off as many pictures as normal, so I was kind of limited on what to post this time. She did do the 3D ones again, but like I said the last time, they are just too tiny yet and look a little scary. Although I do have to say they are looking a little better each time.

This is a picture of our little boy, he wasn't cooperating very well, so you get a good look at his spine.

This is one of our little girls and she seems to be sucking on her hand.

And here is her sister. She has her arm and hand up next to her face. And if you look closely you can see her beautiful little heart.

Our Last Vacation

Our trip to Scottsdale, AZ.

We had a really great time and got a lot of relaxing in! We really missed Liv but knew that she was in good hands.

This was the villa we stayed in.

On Sunday after we got in we got settled in and then went out for steaks at Flemings Steakhouse. The steak was soooo good!

Monday we got up and went to the Fashion Square Mall were I was only to be disappointed. They didn't have any maternity shops! Everything was for skinny rich people. Two things that I no longer am. Then after lunch we went back to lay out by the pool. We had supper later that night with Chris, Adam's cousin, at Oregano's. They had great pizza and the best half baked cookie/ice cream dessert ever!

Tuesday, we went to Galvin Park and hiked up to the "Hole in the Rock". It looks a lot more difficult then it was, trust me!

Then we decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo since it was right next to the hiking trail. We couldn't believe how many people were there. It was a zoo! And I have never seen so many double strollers in my lifetime! I think I spent more time checking out strollers then I did looking at the animals.

Tuesday night my grandma Eekhoff got into town, she stays there for the winter, and so we went over to her place, went out to eat, and made a quick stop at a near by BabiesRus.

Wednesday was our last full day there so in the morning Adam and I woke up early to get massages at the resorts spa and then soaked up some sun. That evening we went out to eat at McCormick and Schmicks. I had the best fish and by far the best ever apple dessert in my life. Seriously it was that good, a must if you ever go there!

Then it was off to the Phoenix Suns game. They got beat by Houston, but it was still a fun game to watch.

Finally, we flew out early Thursday morning. My sister picked us up and then it was off to get Liv from Nate and Jocelyn's. I have to admit I was worried that she wouldn't be happy to see us. But when we opened the door and she saw us, she gave us the biggest smile, started laughing and came running over for hugs and wouldn't let go. What a wonderful way to end our trip!

Drum Roll Please.......

We would like to officially announce the sexes of our babies! Baby B is in fact a BOY and babies A and C are both GIRLS!

Once again our visit went very well. All the babies seem to be developing very well at this time, as well as their momma. The doctor cleared us for our trip to Phoenix, so we are very grateful for that. Between work, doctor appointments, physical therapy for my back, taking care of Liv, and all the other day-to-day things that life brings Adam and I could really use a little R&R.

So while things are looking good Dr. Hess did say that between now and 20 weeks they will be carefully monitoring the girls at each appointment. Apparently, that is when twin to twin transfusion is most noticeable. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, twin to twin transfusion can occur when two babies share the same placenta. Basically, when this happens one of the babies ends up getting more of the nutrients from the placenta then the other baby. Which will leave one baby healthy and the other one in not so good of situation. But, like I said before, so far so good, and they seem to be sharing very well for the time being. Let's just all pray that they will continue to share at least for the next five months, and if I'm lucky the next 18 years!

Again they took a ton of pictures and even did some in 3D. I don't think I will be posting the 3D ones though because the babies are so tiny yet and I don't want to scare anyone. In those pictures you can see them like they are right there in the flesh. Once they get some meat on them I will show those. The ultrasound tech was able to get a good profile of the Baby B (the boy) and Baby A, but Baby C kept turning so you just get a side view. Otherwise I have a ton of body part pictures too if anyone is interested.

They are growing so fast and already look so cramped. I can't imagine how they are all going to fit in there! When I told my mom that she reminded me that I too will be growing with them. Growing out that is!