Great news all around today...
...Bridget's potty training is going well. Only 1 accident today. She pooped in her pants (on Shawn's watch..hee-hee!) She's still not taking the initiative to tell us when she needs to go. We've been making her try about every hour and a half. She's been dry overnight since the beginning. That's fantastic! We're very proud of her. Make sure when you see her you tell her how proud you are of her. She really likes that she's "almost a big girl now."
...Had a visit with the specialist today. Shawn and I were both a bit nervous because the specialist is very thorough, and if the slightest thing were wrong, he'd be the one to tell us so. I had 3 different exams in 3 different rooms in under 2 hours, so it was quite a marathon visit.
...Room #1: Ultrasound. The ultrasound tech measured bones, head, etc., checked out the organs and ran the numbers to give us an approximate weight for each baby. The girls are weighing in at about 4 lbs. 1 oz, 4 lbs. 4 oz, and the boy is weighing in at a hefty 4 lbs. 9 oz. I'm at 32 weeks now, and they've been telling us since 28 weeks that the babies growth should start to slow down the rest of the pregnancy as the babies start competing for space. Well, all three are still measuring average compared to singleton babies. YEAY! That's really great news. When the dr. came in to check the babies out, he thought he'd be the jokester today. He said, "Babies 1, 2, and 3 look great, but I just can't seem to find baby 4." Ha-ha dude! Not funny! Then he checked my cervix and said, "Doesn't look like anything's happening with you. You may just have 40 week triplets going on here!" Yah, again, not funny dude! But it didn't stop Shawn from chiming in, "Only 2 more months to go, honey." Why do men think they can say things like that? It's not like they've ever been pregnant! Oh yah, all three babies are lined up like little soldiers. Their heads are up and their feet are down (all breech). This showed some major movement in the past month. They are no longer in a triangular shape. This also explains why the majority of the movement that I feel is in my lower belly. There are 6 feet kicking me in roughly the same spot. Also, lucky me, all three of their butts are resting comfortably on my bladder.
...Room #2: Fetal Monitoring/Non-Stress Test. Very boring. Uneventful. What the tech is looking for is that the babies heart rate varies in response to its own movements (or my movements). Shawn thought playing games on his cell phone was more entertaining than talking to me, so I was bored to tears the entire time.
...Room #3: Biophysical Exam: This was a new test for me. The tech explained that it's kinda like a pre-Apgar test. There are 5 things they are looking for, each worth 2 points. So each baby gets a score out of ten. This was a very quick exam, done by ultrasound. BTW, I should have bought stock in ultrasound gel, because I swear I've been through a few cases of the stuff the past 7 months. Anyway, I only remember 2 of the things they looked at: amniotic fluid level and indication of "fetal breathing". All three babies were showing signs that they are practicing their fetal breathing. Of course, they're not breathing like we breathe, but there's this little movement that can be seen, and babies that do this earn their 2 points. The technician said that it's almost unheard of for 32 week babies to be showing signs of fetal breathing, and all three of mine were, so that was outstanding! My little over-achievers, I'm so proud of them for being at the head of their class before they're even born! When all was said and done, all three babies scored a 10 out of 10 on this exam. Yipee!
So that was it for the doctor. The routine from here on out will be that I see the specialist every Monday for the fetal monitoring and biophysical exam, and I see my regular doctor at the end of the week for fetal monitoring. If any of the exams show signs of distress or if I go into labor naturally, then the little ones will be born. So basically, it's a wait and see what happens game from here on out.
After that, we picked up Bridget from Grandma Joan's house. I asked Shawn for a little help getting out of the car, and ya know what he said? "You're not crippled." And he didn't help me out. What a jerk! I know he was extremely happy to have just gotten such good news, but that's no excuse!
It sounded like Bridget had a great afternoon with Grandma Joan. She took a 2 hour nap. Now, why won't she take a nap at her own house? She ate a great lunch. She found hidden pictures in her magazine. She colored and made a Thanksgiving picture for grandma. And, she went potty without any accidents.
Next up, the three of us headed to Aunt Mary's house for pizza. That was a lot of fun. Mary gave us some preemie hats and bibs, and Bridget had a blast putting all the gear on her stuffed animal named Super Dog. Bridget also ate a bunch of deep dish pizza, probably 3/4 of a whole slice all by herself! She got a bit crabby near the end of the visit, and she threw a tantrum because we wouldn't let her play with scissors, but other than that, it was a very nice visit. Aunt Mary also gave us a huge basket-o-baby-stuff. Pj's, swaddling blankets, onesies, burp cloths, bedtime blankies and preemie diapers. The outfits were very cute, and I'm sure we'll be bringing them to the hospital with us.
After that, Shawn stopped at Frye's to pick up memory for his new work computer, then we finally made it home by about 9 pm. What a long day, but also what a great day. It's looking like the triplets really have a shot at avoiding the NICU and coming home with us by the time I'm discharged from the hospital!
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