Appointment Update (21.5 weeks)

Melissa had another appointment this afternoon and everything looks great, both with her and all 3 babies. They performed ultrasounds to get growth and development measurements on all three boys. They all checked out great. "A" and "B" are measuring 15 ounces while "C" is exactly one pound. All of the measurements are right in line with expectations for 21+ weeks.

If you recall from the last appointment (9/21) there were two very minor issues that the doctor wanted to keep an eye on. Boy A had a little bit of excess fluid in his left kidney...and Boy C had a slight issue with the dura not completely fusing together at the top the brain. Well, we are happy to report that today's ultrasounds show that both of these issues are no longer issues. Boy C's dura shows no issues any more, meaning it has completely fused, like normal. Boy A's kidney was measuring a proper amount of fluid, well within normal range, so everything is fine there too!

The doctor was also extremely pleased with Melissa's condition as well. She's been feeling very well (relatively speaking of course). She obviously gets fatigued quicker than normal, but for being almost 22 weeks pregnant with triplets, she's holding up really, really well. And, according to the doctor, her cervix looks fantastic! Trust me, that's all the details you want. :)

We have appointments scheduled on two week intervals (for the next 6 weeks), which gets us through Thanksgiving and then he said we'd go to weekly after that. So the next one is on Tuesday, Nov 2nd. As for bed-rest, the doctor still has no specific time-line for Melissa, but he said that Melissa can continue with her current schedule and we will continue to play things by ear. Since Melissa has her planning period as the first class of the day, she's going to try to go in late (sometime during the middle of that planning period) a couple of days a week. Occasionally if she doesn't sleep well at night, or has had a rough day the day before, going in late will really help her body to just chill out a little bit. The doctor liked this idea a lot. He said that her body will be the judge of when she needs to change her work schedule and/or eventually go on bed-rest. He has the philosophy that unless it's medically necessary for bed-rest, he is fine for Melissa to continue working and doing things that she feels comfortable doing. He obviously wants her to continue to take it easy, but at least for now, he thinks it's actually better for her to continue being active (relatively speaking of course). That made us both feel great, because Melissa and I are both pretty sure that she would go crazy if she was forced to be on bed-rest before she really felt her body needed it. And when Momma's crazy, we're all crazy!

We are extremely pleased with today's appointment and the results. Again, the next appointment is Tuesday, Nov 2nd. We'll have another update that evening. Here are a few ultrasound pictures of the triplets.

Supposedly this first one is a picture of all 3...if you can pick out three heads, well, you should be an ultrasound technician!


This is a profile picture of Boy A.



And Boy B...


And Boy C...

But Dad, it's raining outside...

So, this is what happens at 7 am when it's raining like crazy and you tell the dogs to go outside. They panic and run to the crate...nevermind that other crate back there in the corner...they have to go to the same crate...all three of them!


Yep, Champ is under there somewhere!



Unbelievable...outside can't be THAT uncomfortable!!

Mirror, mirror on the wall.....

20 weeks versus 16 weeks

If I get any bigger, I just might fall...OVER! Even though I know things are going well for 20 weeks pregnant with triplets, I am having a hard time imagining how I can get bigger than I am right now. I still have 14 weeks to go, if all goes well and each boy needs to gain about 4 pounds still. Again, where in the world are they supposed to go?
Chase was supposed to smile and say cheese but instead, he decided to act like a two-year-old and bury his head and cry. I figured this could be the new reference point for the belly. How long until my belly sticks out further than his head? That, my friends, is the new question!

Again, so much for the smiles with mommy. I will forgive him though, it is Friday night after a long week of school, work and playing! Turns out, he was really only upset because he wanted to take a picture. Hence, the next shot...
For a two-year-old, he actually did a pretty good job. Managed to get us both in the frame and semi-centered!

Our next appointment for the Herd is the 19th of the month and it will be a full ultrasound growth and measurement appointment so we will have new weights and progress reports for all the boys. According to information for a singleton pregnancy, each baby is about 10 inches long (about the length of a banana) and weighs about 10 1/2 ounces. Good gracious is all I can think when I multiply those by three!

Chase is doing well. I personally think he is starting to realize that something is different with Mommy since I can't pick him up or carry him for any distance. I also don't do baths or bedtime any more which has been the case for a while but he is starting to notice it more and more. I am not really sure how things will go when I get to the point where I am not supposed to be mobile. At least right now, with the cooler weather and my energy level being okay in the afternoons, we can go outside and he plays while I watch. Every so often, I have to throw a ball to be batted but for the most part, he just wants me to watch. Thank goodness he is so self-amusing or this could be a really bad time for all of us!

More to come as news is breaking (or Chase does something we get on film or video)

Quick Appt Update

We were scheduled to have another appointment yesterday, which was supposed to just be a quick check in...a "consult" per Dr Strauss. They called Melissa yesterday morning to say that Dr Strauss had some kind of scheduling "SNAFU" and couldn't see us. His partner is the one that actually called. She asked Melissa some questions about how things were going, how she was feeling, etc. Melissa has been doing great, other than the obvious tiredness. Apparently the doctor liked what she heard and said there was no reason to re-schedule...that we should just come see Dr Strauss in two weeks on the next scheduled appointment. So, that's the plan. Next appointment is on Tuesday, Oct. 19th. We'll have an update that day (that night really).
Until then, keep thinking good thoughts and saying lots of prayers...so far, so good.

Love,
Jason, Melissa Chase & The Herd

Chase goes off-roading

This is Chase's new back-yard fun. Is that a deer in the road?
Notice the steering wheel come off in his hands after we jump the stump!

Newest Pictures of The Herd

So here are a few shots of each of the boys from our latest ultrasound. I have to honestly say that the 3D images are creepy in my opinion, it makes them look like little aliens! However, it definitely makes them much more 'real' than just a black and white scan.


CCC snuggles up to mommy from the inside

CCC is a boy even without the label on this one. You can see a little peek on the far right of the shot between his bottom and his legs/heels.

BBB - no doubt this one is a boy
BBB about to suck his thumb or fingers
AAA waving hello
AAA: say "aaahhh"
AAA - again, no doubt this is a boy

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

This video was too large to load here on the blog, so I've loaded it here on youtube.
How cute is that little guy?