30 weeks and still going....

Here are some artsy pictures my friend Keturah took of us at 28 weeks.

So I got my 24hr pee test results back. Basically there is "protein" in there which means it could be a precursor to preeclampsia. Since my blood work looked normal and I don't have any other symptoms like high blood pressure, head aches, or blurred vision I don't have it yet and maybe I won't get it. They will be checking my blood for other indicators, along with my blood pressure every week. If I get preeclampsia I will be admitted to the hospital, given drugs, and kept on full watch to make sure it doesn't get too bad. Funny thing is it doesn't affect the baby much, the most common thing is prematurity...but who cares, they are lucky they made it this far. However it can take a toll on me.

I tried to get an idea of when we could schedule an elective c-section if it doesn't end up an emergency delivery. I was expecting my doc to say anywhere from 34-35 weeks but she actually said she would only feel comfortable with 36 weeks! Crap! However she did say she doesn't think I'll make it that far. So it looks like it will come down to a few days or hours notice before we know when the little stinkers will be born. I'm sure I'll make it to 31 weeks and I'm fairly confident I will make it to 32 weeks. After that is anyone's guess. I can barely get off the couch now, and my window for comfortable standing is shortening everyday. I can stand for 5 min intervals maybe 4 times a day. Any more than that the pressure in my lower abdomen is too much, even my little belt support thing doesn't work anymore, it just takes the edge off but mostly makes me want to pee more.

It's been several weeks since I stopped working, as my last day neared I was really sad about leaving a job I'd had for almost 4 years and really enjoyed. Great co-workers, nice environment, interesting work, lots of independence and on the cusp of a nice promotion that would have given me a sweet raise and not much more responsibility. I'm still trying to get over the whole raise thing since we'll be very poor as soon as my paid leave runs out (thankfully I've got a ton) but I haven't missed working too bad (you can check out what I've worked on if you just Google my name but usually you have to go to the next page to see it). In fact I thought I'd be terribly bored at home but am amazed at how content I am. I'm a real homebody by nature so if I have plenty of stuff to do I don't get cabin fever. I've got lots of projects, such as:

1. Thank you cards. I'm finished and I estimated that I wrote about 55.

2. Transferring my family's home videos onto DVD. I'll be done today and can start on all the ones Phil and I have accumulated.

3. Doing "territorios" for the congregation. Actually Phil's job but it's the least I can do since he waits on me hand and foot.

4. Figuring out what was still needed at least for the immediate future. I only want to focus on the babies once they are born and don't want to worry about having someone run to the store because we need something. So Phil got some stuff at Babies R Us and I ordered some things online from Target and am pretty sure that I have EVERYTHING.

5. Packing in case of an extended hospital stay. I sort of did this but a lot of things I use every day so I'll just have to leave some stuff to the last minute. I even packed the diaper bag for the boys, it has all their preemie clothes and a few other little items.

6. Reading other triplet mom's blogs to get as much info as I can. This consumed my life for a while. I feel they are the most reliable source of advice since they know what works and what doesn't on triplets. I have corresponded with some through email, telephone, and even got to meet a very cute set of triplets that we made cry cause we were staring at them too intently. Thankfully they cheered up rather quickly once we weren't gawking at them.

7. Reading parenting books such as "Happiest Baby on the Block" for calming techniques, everyone swears by the five S's so I thought I'd look into it. "Baby Wise" has a good chapter on multiples and establishing a schedule. "Preemies: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies" so I can get the low down of how babies are cared for in the NICU.

8. Plenty to watch since we can stream Netflix through our Wii now. I've been watching "Lost", I'm totally hooked and just finished the first season. So glad I have 5 more seasons to go!

JP