Sunday, April 28, 2013

Dave's diaper keg/man shower

Dave had a fabulous diaper keg yesterday! We were a little concerned with the weather... since on Monday it was a blizzard of a snow storm.... yet... yesterday.... the day of the man shower.... 73 and plenty of sunshine!

There were a total of around 35 guys that showed up..... ranging from work friends, family, a few dads from my church, some of our mutual guy friends.... it was a hit!

Dave did a great job at prepping for most of it! His dad came over and smoked pulled pork, ribs, and hotdogs. Dave picked up the 16 gallon keg ( bring a pack of diapers, get a cup for the keg).
I made a few dips and salad... but Dave pretty much set it all up! He even had a jag/bomber shot station!

People came throughout the day, starting at 1pm and ending sometime around 10:30.... the keg was cashed by about 8:30!

Lawn games were were played, cigars were lit....a true guy bash! (ok ok..... a few girls showed up... spouses and my sister to say hi to me and join in a bit... but all in all.... it was true MAN shower!)

Here are a few pictures from the day!

bags and beer!

apparently the theme of the day was blue shirts!
Neal, Dave, and Michael

Dave and Michael having a bottle of beer chugging contest!

Two sets out of three of our Godparents!
Marina and Michael-  Ryan and Katie! 
Dear friends!

such a beautiful day!

All the diapers Dave collected at his diaper keg!
THANKS GUYS!


Baby update- 28 weeks 2 days!


How far along? 28 weeks 2 days

Sleep? Lying on my sides can be a hit or miss of comfortable... but back in now completely out of the question.... bring on more pillows!

Maternity Clothes? Now that it is nice out I gotta find a few more summery things

 Best Moment this week? Making it to 28 weeks... another big milestone. I also I had a good OB appointment. 

Miss Anything? "normal average day".... I have a new normal... which will be changing soon when those little guys show up. 

Movement? Oh yes, when I am on my side especially. 

Size of the Babies? Small cabbages. I will have new weight checks next Friday.

Food Cravings? Nothing specific... working on those 4000 calories a day. It is harder than you think.

Morning Sickness? no thank goodness!

Gender?  Three little BOYS! 

Bed Rest? Moving toward it, but not official yet.... My last day of work is May 5th. 

Limitations? Movement.... all movement.

 Weight Gain?  Not as much as I thought at this point... but again, the babies are taking what they are needing first...

Pregnancy Symptoms? Contractions still... and very swollen feet!

Belly Button In or Out? Not out... but I am growing!

Wedding Rings On or Off?  wedding rings on, but my cross ring on my right hand is off.... :(

Looking Forward To? Seeing the babies on Friday and getting a growth check. Finishing the final touches on the nursery... and finalizing my bag for the hospital.... gotta be ready, just in case!

What Dave is saying....  So... these babies could really come at anytime, couldn't they?
Well... baby, I am ready! But lets keep them cooking as long as possible!

BELLY PIC TIME!

28 weeks 2 days!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Our first hospital visit...

Well, it happened... We had to make a trip into the new Mommy-Baby center at Abbott last week.

It all started last Thursday, April 18th. I had come home from taking some of my youth to Luther Seminary for a high school previews day. Of course, it started snowing TERRIBLY that day around noon that day... so it made for an interesting drive home.
I made it home safe and around 2:45... and went right to bed to lay down and keep my feet up- a common practice after a work day these days. (especially after a Wednesday night of work at church too!)

I had started getting some abdominal cramping around 1:00 that day, that spread around to my back... and by 5pm it was not getting any better. I finally called the nurse line, just to check in... better safe then sorry. After describing my symptoms to the doctor he suggested that I come in to get checked.
Dave had just returned home from work... and a 2.5 hour commute home in this terrible weather. I felt kind of bad that we had to trek out in the snow again....

We hopped in the car, and to top it all off, I couldn't find my wristlet... the thing I carry all my cards and valuables in! I PANICKED!
We started checking the house, and calling around at all the places I had been the last day and a half.
Long story short, after driving to church to check, and a few phone calls... I discovered I left it at Petsmart when I picked Bosley up from his hair cut....
PS... here is his new do!
We love our puppy Bosley!

ANYWAY... we made it to the hospital around 7:15pm in the terrible blizzard... on April 18th. They have  a smooth system of checking in and getting me into a maternal assessment room very quickly! I did have to sign a lot of papers... a set for each baby! WOW! 
They hooked me up to monitors to find each babies heartbeat to make sure they were not under any stress (they had to bring in a second machine, because 1 machine can only monitor 2 babies at a time)

Plus they added another monitor to see how often I was contracting. It took a few nurses to not only find all three heartbeats but to maintain them... because they were moving all over the place! (more specifically, stubborn baby B)

All the monitors and their contraptions to stay on all three heartbeats!!!!


The doctor finally came in and checked me over... and said that I was contracting every 2 minutes, but not strong enough to "progress"or have anything change drastically.  GOOD NEWS!!

We finally were sent home at 10:15 with the instructions to cut back in work hours.. and to be off my feet more than I am on my feet.... I am entering the window where these little guys could come at anytime... so I need to do as much as I can to keep them in there, and keep the stress on my body LOW!

So a bit of a life style change will be happening... but it is for the benefit of our boys... which is totally worth it! So here we go! No official bed rest yet... but moving in that direction! I want to stay out of the hospital!

Dave and I stopped at Perkins on the way home because we were so hungry with no dinner! We were the only ones in Perkins... where they were waiting on their cook to show up... so our server actually cooked our tremendous 12.... VERY TASTY!

It was quite a day! 



Baby Update- 27 weeks!


How far along? 27 weeks 2 days

Sleep? Its tough... but I am tired enough these days I am getting some...

Maternity Clothes? Well right.

 Best Moment this week? Finalizing our list of things we "need" as we prepare for these little guys! We are feeling so prepared!

Miss Anything? Being able to run to Target and just meander around... Just thinking about making a Target run, or any run for that matter takes up so much energy...

Movement? morning time, late evening, and right before bed.

Size of the Babies? Cauliflowers

Food Cravings? Nothing specific, just trying to get all the nutrients in!

Morning Sickness? no thank goodness!

Gender?  Three little BOYS! 

Bed Rest? Moving toward it, but not official yet. I am going to have to cut back in work hours and time on my feet.

Limitations? Everything these days.

 Weight Gain?  I put on a whopping 8 pounds in 2 weeks... so a total of 23ish pounds.

Pregnancy Symptoms? Contractions, belly pain, back pain, swollen feet and hands.

Belly Button In or Out? Still in.... 

Wedding Rings On or Off?  wedding rings on, but my cross ring on my right hand is off.... :(

Looking Forward To? A birthday dinner at Benihana this week.

What Dave is saying.... He is getting all excited and prepped for his diaper keg/daddy shower this next weekend.  Lots of beer, smoked meat, diapers, and men! It is his time to shine! I will be keeping my feet up in the house, so if any spouses come to drop their guys off they can come in and visit me!

BELLY PIC TIME!


27 weeks!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Baby Update- 26 weeks! (Happy birthday mommy!)


How far along? 26 weeks 2 day

Sleep? With each night that passes... I am more tired, but it gets tougher to rotate from side to side!

Maternity Clothes? of course!

 Best Moment this week? We attended an amazing shower hosted by my church today... So grateful for our church family! AMAZING sweet treats, generous people, cute decorations. I will blog soon about it... with pics!

Also, it was my birthday today.. so I had fun celebrating all weekend with groups of friends!

Miss Anything? A cold glass of Moscato....

Movement? oh yes... mainly at night time!

Size of the Babies? Cucumbers this week...
Roughly around 2 pounds... each

My stomach was measured today... I am 48 inches around... that is 4 feet around... the height of a child! So crazy!!!

Food Cravings? Whatever I am in the mood for when I get hungry.

Morning Sickness? no thank goodness!

Gender?  Three little BOYS! 

Bed Rest? Nope... moving right along!

Limitations? Just basic movement... slowing down.

 Weight Gain?  Nothing new really. I get weighed on Friday.

Pregnancy Symptoms? Braxton Hicks, exhaustion...

Belly Button In or Out? More like a belly button slit...

Wedding Rings On or Off?  Still On

Looking Forward To? Finding a pediatrician this week!

What Dave is saying.... Had so much fun at the church shower!! Cant wait for my boy shower -( Dave is having a diaper keg on April 27th... beer, lawn games (hopefully), smoked meat...)

Belly pic!
26 weeks 2 days


Sunday, April 7, 2013

A new baby!!!

No not ours... we only make them in threes.... this is another baby that made his entrance into the world!

My dearest friend Marina had her baby this last Friday, April 5th.

Welcome to the world....

Lucas Jhon Kern
8 lbs 4 oz

We are so happy for Michael, Marina, and big sister Ellie! 

So fun to have this little guy as a friend for our triplets to grow up and play with!

I can't believe in a month or two... We will have three of these!!! :)



A busy week and weekend!

It was a busy week! We had a lot going on under the theme of baby!

On Thursday, two dear ladies who I have known for many years offered to come over to our house and organize all our baby stuff...
as you can remember, this is what our basement looked like after 4 baby showers...

It was chaos!

Joyce and Cindy are master organizers... so I felt completely comfortable to have them come in and take charge of this matter... especially when I shouldn't be bending, turning, and going up and down stairs too much.
The incredible Joyce and Cindy!!!!!


So after about 3 and a half hours of laundry and organizing baby shower bags, linen closet shelves, and garbage and recycling... this is now what our house looks like when it comes to baby stuff...

Our changing table, dresser filled with washed clothes!
(basket- filled with infant toys)

Clean clothes organized by size!

Cribs... mattresses... clean sheets... and car seats!

The beginning of our diaper and wipes stash... much more to come I am sure! ;)

I am so grateful for all the help people are offering, whether it be coming over to organize, offering to baby sit, clean our house,  or make us a meal! Other moms are also offering up their gently used items such as clothes, swings, mattresses...etc... We couldn't do it without the love of our family and friends! We are so overwhelmed with thanks!



Baby Update- 25 Weeks!


How far along? 25 weeks 1 day

Sleep? Yes please... so tired these days!

Maternity Clothes? of course!

 Best Moment this week? We had an AWESOME Dr. appointment this week. The babies are measuring a few days ahead of schedule... All healthy... I am healthy... the doc said I am a boring patient and that I clearly know how to grow triplets! 

Miss Anything? Movement... it is just tough.

Movement? active little guys. It is fun to watch my belly.

Size of the Babies?
 A- 1 lb 11 oz
B- 1 lb 13 oz
C- 1 lb 11 oz

Food Cravings? This week... italian

Morning Sickness? NO, although I had a rough morning on Friday, when our dog Bosley's morning breath made me queasy... lol

Gender?  Three little BOYS! 

Bed Rest? Not yet.... a few braxton hicks though...

Limitations? feet up atleast three times a day.

 Weight Gain?  a total of only 15 pounds... but they said as long as the babies are getting what they are needing... it is fine.

Pregnancy Symptoms?  ligament pain on lower left side, back pain, heartburn

Belly Button In or Out? stretched but still in!

Wedding Rings On or Off?  Still On

Looking Forward To? Finalizing a few pieces in the nursery.... anyone want to make us some Window valences? Blue Elephant themed? ;)

What Dave is saying.... I am hoping you are staying off bed rest as long as possible! So far so good!

What others are saying... "you look so cute!"  "You do not look THAT big"   " How are you feeling?"


25 week Belly picture!