3 more boys!!! Are you kidding me?

Well, we're not kidding. Three more Liner boys!!

Melissa had her 18 week appointment today which is "the big one". This is the appointment where they do a very thorough ultrasound and look at every aspect of the babies from a developmental perspective. They obviously can now determine the sex of the babies with this ultrasound, and we are now expecting 3 more boys.

As you may recall, with Chase, we intentionally did not find out through the ultrasound that he was a boy. We did it the old-fashioned way and were simply surprised when he was born. With this pregnancy, we had every intention of doing it the same way...that is, until we found out about the triplets in our very first ultrasound. With minimal conversation, Melissa and I quickly agreed that we would find out this time around for several reasons. Primarily, we both agreed that we needed to have all the information possible to prepare for these 3 babies, including the sex of the babies. We also agreed that it would be really tough to come up with six names, accounting for the possibilities of 3 boys, 3 girls, or any combination. Knowing that we are expecting 3 boys, we can now start coming up with names, which by the way, we won't be sharing with anyone until the triplets arrive. You need some kind of surprise right?

The appointment was great all around. We actually had two appointments today. The first, at 8 am, was actually with a genetic counselor. This is pretty standard with triplets and it's intended to prepare the parents for the possibility of genetic deformities, just in case. When Melissa was pregnant with Chase, we heard about a lot of the possible genetic issues, as well as the tests that they offer these days to detect these things during the pregnancy, so today's appointment was about what I expected. They gathered information about our families' health history, discussed statistical chances of each of the major genetic issues, and talked about different tests that are available to detect these types of issues.

The second appointment was the actual ultrasound appointment. This started at about 8:45 and literally lasted more than an hour and a half...and that's before we even saw the doctor to talk about the results. The ultrasound tech took 266 pictures of the babies from every possible angle to look at every part of each of them. If you haven't seen an ultrasound, especially lately, it's a fascinating experience. They checked out the babies hearts (including each of the four chambers of the heart), brains, kidneys, arms, legs, hands, feet, eye sockets, lips, noses, spines, and yes, the genitals. They took measurements of many of these parts, which primarily help them understand the growth and development of the babies. All of the measurements and pictures show that all three babies are developing very well and completely normally. Throughout the ultrasound process, the technician talked to us about what he's looking for, what's normal, and anything that looked abnormal. There were two very small abnormalities (more on those in just a minute), but it was very reassuring to have him continue to say, "That's good" and "That's normal". One of the most likely defects is Downs Syndrome. Downs is typically detected early on by the measurement of skin and fluid around the spinal cord at the back of the neck. To you and me, this isn't obvious at all, but when the technician looked at this measurement, he was pleased and said that they were all normal, which was a big relief. He measured the length of the major arm and leg bones...all measuring normal. He looked at the hearts carefully. As blood flows through the four chambers of the heart, he looks at the flow to determine any potential holes in the lining between the chambers...all three hearts look normal. He looked at the brains and took measurements of the cerebrum...all normal. Again, very fascinating. Babies A and B measured 17 weeks and 5 days, while Baby C measured 17 weeks and 6 days. At this stage, that's extremely encouraging to see them all developing equally...and of course all right on track for their gestational age.

Once he was done with all of the pictures (which by the way he downloaded to a disc for us...we'll share some on the blog soon) we then met with the doctor (Dr Strauss). He talked to us in detail about everything including the two very minor issues that he saw and wants to keep an eye on. The first was a minor issue with Baby A's left kidney. He said that it was retaining fluid at a slightly above average rate. He said it could be classified at the high end of normal, or the low end of abnormal, depending on whether or not we were glass-half-full or glass-half-empty people. He said that this was of very little concern at all and was simply something that they would keep an eye on with future ultrasounds and it would probably resolve itself. Apparently I'm a "glass-half-empty" type of guy, because I had to ask about the worst case scenario. He said that the worst case scenario is that the problem doesn't resolve itself, Baby A is born with a kidney that doesn't fully drain due to mild blockage, and at a couple of months old the urologist would do a "very minor procedure through the back to relieve the blockage". Again, he said it was not something that he's concerned with at all, but I figured I'd share anyway. The other issue he saw was in the dura of Baby C. The dura is a cellophane-like membrane that surrounds the brain, between the brain and the skull. It apparently develops, or grows, from the sides of the head by the ears, up to the top of the head, and ultimately fuses together from the two sides. The ultrasound showed a very small area where the dura hasn't totally fused together yet, at the very top of the brain. The doctor assured us that it's nothing to worry about, especially since it's so early. He said that we'd watch it and it's likely that it will grow together by the next appointment.

All in all, the doctor is REALLY happy with how things look. After going through all of the results, he even said that frequently with triplets, there are some relatively serious things that they want to keep an eye on throughout the pregnancy and can be troublesome. He explained that it's just very common with triplets to have some of that. He actually sounded somewhat surprised that everything looked so well and the babies had no issues to be overly concerned about. He also said that Melissa looked great. I believe the exact words were "You have the cervix of a 20 year old." I'm not sure whether to be proud or offended, but either way, I was happy to hear it. We are ecstatic with the results of today's appointment and how things are going with the babies and with Melissa!!

The next two appointments are scheduled for October 5th and October 19th (2 and 4 weeks from today, respectively). The one on the 19th will be another full ultrasound appointment, where they will do measurements of organs, bones, etc to track developmental progress of the babies. The one on the 5th will be a "quick consult" where the doctor will check on things and maybe even "take a quick look" on the ultrasound.

That's all for now. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. At almost 18 weeks, we are just past the half way point, but we have a long way to go. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming. We are very grateful to have the support system that we have with all of you!

Love,
Jason, Melissa and the Boys (all 4 of them!)

16 weeks and counting

It is hard to believe that I am already to the 16 week point in this pregnancy. The reason I say this is two-fold: the first is that it means that I am almost half-way there and that is a cause for panic when I think of all the things I still need to consider. The second is because of the size of my stomach. I am friends with a girl at work who has the same due date as I do. We laugh when we stand side-by-side because she only has this delicate little "breakfast bump" while I on the other hand - well, I will let the photo do the talking! (Then keep reading the entry)

My energy level is pretty good all things considered. I am still battling the acid reflux. My doctor prescribed me Nexium which didn't seem to really help all that much so I have switched to an OTC and we'll see how it goes. Jason and I went to our first TMOTT (Triangle Mothers of Twins and Triplets) meeting this past week and it was eye-opening and helpful in a couple of ways. While there weren't many 'newcomers' in our meeting, there was only 1 other woman there with triplets and she was only 20 weeks along. So while we think it will help to be members, we are also taking advantage of the 'triplet connection' which is a program geared specifically toward triplets and quads. There really is a big difference between having 2 babies and having 3 babies (other than the number itself) so we are looking for people who have triplets for advice.

Chase is still doing well at daycare and they love him. His teacher tells me everyday how much she enjoys having him and what a sweet boy he is, which a mother never hears too much!

Jason and I are still in the process of meeting with contractors to make a final decision on finishing the attic. We have narrowed down the plans and are now having contractors return to make a 'final bid' on the project as we have drawn to this point. We need to get started sooner rather than later if we are going to make our Christmas deadline. It could get real interesting around here during the holidays!

We find out next week the genders of the babies and I have to admit that while I was disappointed with having to find out, now that I have resigned myself to the fact, I am anxious to know. We will be sharing the genders with everyone but not the names. We still feel like there should be some sort of mystery involved with their birth since so much of the rest will be planned (scheduled C-section unless there are complications, etc).

Feeling guilty

So the guilt is already kicking in and the babies aren't even here yet. I feel like all the recent blog entries have been about the babies and Chase has been brushed aside so I thought I would update people on what he has been up to.

With my imminent bed rest and the need for outside help, Jason and I decided that it would be a wise decision to move Chase to a daycare closer to the house. While we loved where he was, it just wasn't close enough to the house to feel comfortable asking people to pick him up and bring him home. Since he was out of daycare all summer and would have been in a new room with new teachers when he re-enrolled, we searched for a new place for him. We ended up finding a great center that has smaller class sizes and is brand-new (as in they opened about 2 weeks before we enrolled him!). Good news: He loves it! We have to pack his lunch, let me rephrase, Jason has to pack his lunch since he does morning drop-off which means we got to buy a fancy lunchbox! Since he is all about the "Cars" movie, we have a lunchbox with Lightning McQueen on the front. It is the highlight of his day to carry his lunchbox out of school!

He is making friends like crazy with his new BFF being TODD! (Yes, it is in caps on purpose because we don't say Todd's name, we yell it). His teachers, Ms. Rachelle and Ms. Erin love him and tell me daily how great he is and how much they enjoy him (what mom doesn't love hearing that kind of daily report!) and he is adjusting really well.

With the impending chaos that will become his life, we are striving right now to find a routine that we can keep with him once the babies come. We are keeping him in his room instead of moving him (and he is staying in a crib since he really doesn't mind it - thank you for small favors!) and we are not making any changes to his playroom. What that means is that we are losing our guest room. Since that really isn't an option with all the help we are going to need, it has forced us to start some investigating. We are going to finish the attic upstairs with 2 bedrooms and a full bath. Not that financially this is what we want to do right now, we can't seem to think of another feasible option. So let the games begin. We have quotes coming in right now and will make our decision in the next few weeks and then the remodel will begin. How fun will it be to have the house 'torn apart', me on bed rest, a 2 year old running around and 3 dogs? Can you already hear some of the stories that will come from this escapade?

Anyway, I just felt like Chase was getting blog-ignored after being the focus for 2 years and wanted to recapture his first week at his new daycare since I know I will never remember these little things in a few months!

8/24 Appt went great!

Just a very quick post to let folks know that Melissa's appt yesterday went great. Babies all look good. Heart beats are still measuring in the expected range (I think a little over 150). Growth rate still even and all measuring over 13 weeks (she was 13 weeks and 2 days, so that's great news). Dr said that Melissa looks great too and he's very happy with everything at this point. Other than the reflux/heartburn and obviously just being tired, Melissa is doing remarkably well!

Melissa will try to post more details about the appt and how she's doing this weekend (she may not have exactly the same perspective as me, but even she will admit that she's doing really well). She's obviously tired and going to bed early these days, so she doesn't exactly have tons of time to make blog entries. School started back for the kids today, so today was her first "real" day of school this year. It was a very long day obviously. She has about a 30 minute commute, and of course high school starts at 7:15 or so, so she leaves the house around 6:20. That's early for anyone, but for someone carrying triplets, that's just ridiculous. The good news is that she doesn't have a first block class (they have 4 blocks, one of which is a planning period, and her planning period is in the 1st block). She's still supposed to be there early, but I'm trying to get her to use the "triplets card" to see if she can come in at least a little later. Hopefully she can make that happen soon!

The next appointment is scheduled for 9/21...that's the biggie (at 18 weeks) where we find out the sex of the babies and look at everything developmentally. Pray for good news at that one! We'll be updating before then, but just wanted to keep everyone updated on the appt schedule.

and a lawnmower built for two!

While I rested after our traditional Friday night dinner at Las Palmas, Chase went outside to help Daddy mow the yard. Too cute!

But it was just too much work, so Chase had to take a break on a tree stump while Dad kept going.

Ever seen an ultrasound like this?

For those not in the world of Facebook (Melissa posted this on Facebook last night), this is what an ultrasound of fraternal triplets looks like at 7.5 weeks. It is a picture of the ultrasound print-out that they gave us, so it's not extremely clear, but you can clearly see the three separate placentas. Pretty cool huh?

Oh, and here's a great picture of Chase from the beach a few weeks ago.

Appointment Recaps and Future Appointments

Well, we are now "public" with our news about the triplets. We are overwhelmed with the whole situation, including the outpouring of kind words, encouragement and support that we are already getting. We have such a great group of friends and family. This huge support group gives us a lot of comfort in a situation that is not very comfortable (just ask Melissa)!

Among other things on this blog, we will try to keep everyone updated of upcoming appointments. The easiest format for me to track appointments and results looks like this:
9/21/2010: (17.5 weeks) - Planned appt for the developmental ultrasound. This is the one where they will be able to check out the sex of the babies, look at the heart, lungs, etc.
8/24/2010: (13.5 weeks) - Planned appt for standard consult. Probably will take a quick peak at the babies on ultrasound and talk about how things are going.
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8/10/2010: (11.5 weeks) - Standard check-up with Dr Strauss. Full ultrasound. Everything looks good with both Melissa and the babies.
7/21/2010: (8.5 weeks) - First appt at UNC. Dr Strauss. On ultrasound, we saw all three babies heartbeats and actually watched them each move. Mostly a consultative appt. Dr Strauss helped us better understand what to expect throughout the pregnancy. Very overwhelming, but Dr Strauss had a great way of putting us at ease.
7/13/2010 (7.5 weeks) - Initial appt with Centre OBGYN. Initial ultrasound. Discover triplets. Were referred to UNC Maternal Fetal Specialist group.