9 Weeks to Go?!?!

22 Weeks, 5 Days

My babies turned 23 "weeks old" on Tuesday. 24 weeks is a milestone, so I'm told. My brother works at a fancy university with a bunch of fancy doctors who are all at the tops of their fields, so of course he tells them about me from time to time. One of them told him 24 weeks was a big milestone and that every week I could give them in the womb thereafter was a gift to them.

I saw my regular OB this week (I see either my high risk or my OB every Tuesday) and he told me some interesting news. He said he and my Peri had been discussing my pregnancy and were pretty sure that they will take the babies at 32 weeks - not 36 weeks like they had previously told me. That would put the babies being born the last week of August. I asked if we could pleeeeease wait until September 1st, for two reasons:

1) My new insurance doesn't kick in until that day, and....

2) I like sapphires soooooo much better than the peridot and you KNOW I am going to be getting myself some sweet mothers' jewelry (rephrase: my HUSBAND will be getting me some mothers' jewelry, with the help of my carefully placed and incredibly detailed hints).

Don't worry, I only mentioned reason #1 to my dr. Don't want to appear vain or anything! Yes, Dr. G, my delivery date is entirely based upon the jewelry I want to wear.

He said "Well, we can try but you may not have a choice."

It seems they are worried about me developing preeclampsia, since from what he told me, most triplet pregnancies result in the mother developing that at some point. He basically said it would be one of those issues where the babies would be safer on the outside. They took a bunch of blood and I got to do my second, super fun 24-hour urine test. They will run tests to see if I am already developing it (shouldn't be, my blood pressure is fine), and to have a baseline to compare against when I inevitably am tested for it again in the next month or so.

There appears to be a good chance of hospitalization in my future, probably for the last 2 or 3 weeks of the pregnancy. I have no idea what I am going to do with my kids. That will be the beginning of the school year, the busiest time for everybody I know, and especially my husband, who is a teacher.  I know it will all work out, but the unknowns right now are concerning to me.

But, thinking that I may be in the single digits for my "weeks to go" countdown IS a little exciting!  I am growing more tired of being pregnant day by day (yes, I'm complaining. Yes, I know how annoying that is. Sorry. Better written on a blog than me calling you up and moaning and groaning personally. Though my husband, mom, and my best friend have to hear it both ways. They should be sainted for putting up with me.). I am not one of those women that revels in the joy of being pregnant. I hesitate to say that out loud because I've had women in the past make me feel less motherly or feminine because I said that ("Oh, I loved every minute of being pregnant!" Really....you enjoyed throwing up several times a day?). But it's true. I miss being able to walk without pain. My back hates me, my belly itches and wants to tear apart. I miss being able to breathe and eat without it coming back to haunt me. I can't wait to sleep lying down, and without 7 pillows and 2 comforters, again. I long to go a day without coughing (my second pregnancy was the same as this....bad cough for the last 3 months. Went away the minute he was born.). And the scary part is, I know I'm just going to get bigger and more uncomfortable! But, at the same time, I want the babies to stay in there as long as possible so they can be as healthy as possible.

OK, I'm containing the complaining to that paragraph. Let's think positive. What do I like about this pregnancy?

-crickets chirping-

Haha, just kidding.

I like:

• Watching my kids' faces light up when they feel the babies. They get SOOOO excited. 
• Watching my husbands' face light up when HE feels the babies. He always talks to them and I love that.
• Talking to my babies when I'm by myself, and being able to tell which one is kicking me at that moment. I wish I could sing to them but my singing voice hasn't returned since the bronchitis.
• Having friends bring me dinner several times a week. I am so grateful for their help. And for the new menu ideas I am getting from all these wonderful meals.
• Getting to see/hear my babies every single week. For a worrier like me, it's nice to have that confirmation that all is well every 7 days.
• Shopping (online, alas) for all sorts of fun baby stuff and cute baby clothes.
• Having a perfectly good excuse to sit and watch HGTV and the Discovery Channel all day long, and having people applaud me for my laziness!
• Speaking of laziness, I LOVE not doing dishes, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms....
• That I am gaining weight very slowly. I have barely budged in the last month even though the babies are growing ever faster now. I know there's a huge weight gain coming towards the end, but it's been nice to keep it to a minimum this time.
• Though this pregnancy may not bring out the best in me, I've noticed it brings out the best in everybody around me, and that seriously helps me get through every day. So many kindnesses have been shown to us, people have been so loving and concerned. I read triplet mom blogs about how people shun them for carrying three babies, or ask cruel questions, and we haven't had any of that. People make jokes, but I am totally okay with that! I have no problem laughing at myself. But for the most part, people are just concerned and helpful and I am so grateful for that.
• I like that this experience has greatly increased my testimony that the Lord is ever present in our lives, that He watches over me, my family, and these little pre-born babies constantly, and that He trusts me enough to carry three of His precious children. I pray I don't let Him down, now or ever. I am very aware that I am carrying three pieces of heaven in my belly, and even though I am in pain most of the day, there is also this feeling of peace and calm that I have. It's tough to find words for it, but I guess it really is the feeling of heaven inside of me.

Wow, this post was longer than I intended. Will I ever be able to be one of those short, sweet, to the point types? Errr....probably not.

Lastly, here are the 22 week ultrasound pictures. It takes me forever to get around to scanning them! Truthfully they still wouldn't be done if it weren't for my husband!

I feel such love for these boys already! I had a dream during my nap this afternoon where I was holding one of them. Of course they didn't look a thing like either of us or my kids, so it's possible that the dream hospital sent home the wrong boys, but it was a fun dream anyway!

Baby A:

 Baby B:

 Baby C yawning:

Week 22 Appointment: Mostly Good News!

21 weeks

Today we had our 22 week ultrasound at the perinatologists' office. I think this is the first ultrasound where I was more nervous for myself than for the babies. I have been in a lot of pain from the bronchitis (don't you just LOVE how the cough hangs on, and on, and on.....). My belly has been screaming at me for the past week, threatening to rip completely apart with every cough.  Add that to the normal growing and stretching discomfort and you have the perfect recipe for pain.

So this morning, when my 3 year old sweetheart climbed into bed with me to snuggle and gently started caressing my belly with his little hand and the slightest touch had me cringing, I really started to worry about how on earth I was going to make it through this appointment today. I knew it meant baring my belly to be poked and prodded for an hour and the thought of the pain that would accompany that had me fighting back tears - no kidding. I'm such a wimp.

I said a lot of prayers, took some cough medicine and some Tylenol, and headed off to my appointment.  I was worried all morning for nothing. There were only a few moments of discomfort, and only one time when I had to grip at something to prepare for the pain. But my sweet tech (LOVE HER) saw it and immediately softened up.

The "singleton", Baby A, weighed in at 1 pound, 3 ounces - so he's grown 6 ounces since the last ultrasound. Baby B's stats were the same. I knew they must have grown because I have been feeling their movements so much more frequently the past several days. Baby A is really low and breech. His kicks tickle a bit. Baby B has shocked me a few times with his strength. I love it.

And then on to Baby C. Ah, that baby. I worry about him so. He's given us a real run for our money this pregnancy. He grew only 3 ounces and weighed in at 12 ounces. He should be at least one pound at this point, so he's 4 ounces smaller than average and 7 ounces smaller than his brothers. Again, the tech confirmed it had nothing to do with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome and everything to do with his velamentous cord insertion. I nearly guessed his weight. I figured it would be 13 ounces because I feel him move about as much as I felt his brothers moving two weeks ago when they were 13 ounces. One ounce off, not too shabby.

I find it ironic that usually when I'm pregnant, I am spending my time worrying about how big the babies are - my oldest was just shy of 9 pounds at 38 1/2 weeks, and my son was 9 lbs 5 ounces at 38 1/2 weeks (it's my husbands' fault - he was about a 12 pound baby. Had I known that before I married him you might not be reading this blog right now!). Worrying about a baby being too small is a completely new ballgame for me.

The biggest worry to me, though, was his heart. The tech said she wanted to keep an eye on one of the vessels in his heart - she didn't say which one, but did show me on the screen. She said the blood was flowing through it properly, a good sign, and that it wasn't something I needed to worry about right now. She just wanted to make sure to keep checking its size and right now with him being so small it makes it more difficult.

Telling me not to worry is like telling a toddler to be quiet in the movie theater. It just ain't gonna happen. But I am trying not to jump to conclusions, and I am NOT googling it. For the record, I haven't googled the velamentous cord insertion either. My doctor already warned me that it's mostly doom and gloom in the search results, and that he really doesn't foresee it being much of a problem. So Google Search and I are not currently speaking, for the sake of my sanity.

So I will just continue to hope and pray that Baby C keeps growing and gains some ground and that his heart grows properly. He's certainly an active little bugger ("wild" is the word I think every ultrasound tech has used to describe him) so at least I know he's having a good time in there!

Oh, and for the cute factor this week - yesterday my son felt Baby B kick (his first time feeling their movement). With every kick he smiled big and said "I want to do that again!" It was adorable.

Hello Week 20!

Finally, week 20 is here! Not that there's really anything different about week 20, I am just glad to be out of the teens.

We had another ultrasound on Tuesday. They took a good look at their hearts, and thankfully they all have 4 chambers.  Baby C is such a little stinker - that child is going to be giving me heart attacks for the rest of my life I think. He's already given me way too many in utero! He was being WILD and the tech couldn't get a good picture of his heart for the longest time. I was starting to get really worried that it wasn't just the fact that he was moving all over that was keeping her from seeing those 4 chambers. We are talking 20 minutes have gone by and still no chambers. Finally she got a semi-good shot, and announced it was a picture of the 4 chambered heart. Sigh of relief!

Baby A and B are currently 13 ounces each, and Baby C is lagging behind at 9 ounces.  I do hope he'll start to grow faster soon. I asked my doctor if he felt this was Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, as my regular OB had mentioned that he was worried about it. He told me he didn't feel that all the signs were present for TTTTS and that he felt this was more likely just the natural consequences of sharing a placenta. I am sure his velamentous cord insertion isn't helping things either.

Oh, and apparently my babies are quite beautiful.The ultrasound tech said she was astounded at how photogenic they are. We are already fielding offers from modeling agencies. :o) 

Baby B in 3D/4D. The little blob sticking into his face is Baby C, trying to get in on the action. My boys are camera hogs.

I have been feeling the babies kick - mostly A and B right now as C is still small. Even my husband was able to feel them, and he was really excited. A's kicks tickle because he is so low in my abdomen. It's fun being able to feel them in there!

Personally, weeks 19 and 20 have been a doozy. I have been very sick with bronchitis and barely slept for days. I just assumed that there were not any medications I could take to help since I was pregnant, so for a week I just suffered through it. At my ultrasound on Tuesday, my doctor was so concerned about my health that he called my family doctor right then and there and asked her to see me immediately. We drove straight from the perinatologists' office to my family doctor and were seen very quickly despite the full waiting room (I could totally get used to the royal treatment!).  She prescribed me several things and I have noticed an improvement in the last few days. I just can't wait for the coughing to subside. Every time I cough I feel like my belly is going to tear apart!

I don't know if it's from the bronchitis and coughing or if this is just the natural progression in a triplet pregnancy, but my back is KILLING me. I spent most of yesterday sitting against a heating pad. I am hoping it will subside as the coughing lessens and that I will get a few more weeks of respite before the real muscle pain kicks in, but we will see!

My belly also feels really heavy, and that, combined with the aching back, make it really hard to support myself while walking. I find myself holding on to tables, walls and door knobs a lot. Again, I hope this is a side effect of the bronchitis and not a permanent thing for the rest of the pregnancy. Just in case, though, I ordered a maternity support contraption thingy called the "It's You Babe Prenatal Cradle", because I heard from a recent mother of twins that it was a lifesaver and really helped her in those last couple of months. If I am feeling this out of breath and this achy already, I will try it!

And now for my favorite part of this pregnancy: yet another small miracle happened this week.  My husband brought in the mail and found a hand-addressed card. There was no return address and the zip code didn't print on the postmark (yes, I am a snoop). Inside the card he saw a typed letter, opened it, and $200 fell out. We were both so deeply touched. We are so blessed to have loving and kind friends who sacrifice what I am sure are needed funds in their own family for us.

My ward family has also been fantastic. Members of my ward have brought dinner several times this week and they have had babysitters here every day that my husband is working (he works some crazy long hours in the summer). It has been such a blessing, especially being so sick. My dearest friend drove me and my kids to the pediatrician since the medicine I was on made me too dizzy to drive and both of my children came down with bronchitis too. My sister-in-law also just brought me dinner for tonight, which is awesome considering the aforementioned heavy belly and aching back. I am so lucky to have wonderful friends and family! I don't feel worthy to receive such blessings!

Babies B and C fighting for the spotlight

 

More About My Infertility Journey

Note: This post is taken directly from another blog I used to write in 2011, before my triplet pregnancy. I repost this here for those who are also struggling with PCOS or other forms of infertility in the hopes that you might find something helpful. You will notice the wording is a bit outdated. When I read the second to last paragraph, it cracked me up a bit!

My PCOS Story
My husband and I were married in 2000, while juniors in college.  I had never had a regular cycle, but never thought much of it. In fact, other women were jealous of me! A doctor put me on birth control to regulate my cycles, and it did just that.  But when we started our final year of college in 2002, my husband and I decided to go off the birth control and open ourselves to the possibility of getting pregnant.


Of course, my cycles returned to being almost non-existent (it was not unusual for me to have one only once a year, and only for a couple of days) and we were not able to conceive. Since we were both in our student teaching, then our first year as educators, we didn't worry too much about it. But after my first year of teaching I decided it was time to start getting serious about starting a family and, knowing I would need to be available to see doctors, I decided to leave the school and just focus on my private piano studio. It was a good decision, because the next few years were full of doctors!

I don't remember exactly when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I think it was probably about 2004, maybe early 2005.  My first clue that something was wrong was when I gained almost 60 pounds over the course of about 6 months - all while I was going to the gym each day, which I had never done before, and eating healthier than I had in my entire life. I met with a nutritionist, a doctor that focused on diet and exercise, worked out with my super athletic, sports-medicine-major friend...nothing helped. I just kept gaining weight. I was miserable!

Finally, I went to an ObGYN.  He did the usual tests - bloodwork, followed by an ultrasound, and upon finding my ovaries riddled with cysts, diagnosed me with PCOS. At the time, all I knew about PCOS was that it made it hard to get pregnant. That was pretty much it.

We had bought our first house shortly after we graduated from college and moved into the new home and our new ward. It was full of childless young couples, just like us.  Every Monday night we got together for Family Home Evening. We called our group "The Young and the Childless". We had a great time together. There were probably a good 10 couples in our ward, and it was comforting to know that we all were in the same stage of life.

As my husband and I continued to try and get pregnant and fail, we watched as, one by one, each and every couple in our little "childless" group became pregnant and had babies. We endured countless Sundays of going to church and seeing big round bellies. I remember the lowest Sunday I had was when the final remaining childless couple got up in Sacrament Meeting and announced their pregnancy. It took all the strength I had not to run out of the chapel right then.  I managed to hold in the tears until after Sacrament, then broke down in the hall. The sadness was indescribable.

We also watched, one by one, as each couple completely forgot about us as they became engrossed in their new families. At the time, the loss of their friendships hurt.  Now I understand that that is just what happens when you have a new baby, you can't really help it. You're busy, and you're exhausted. You're in survival mode. What you once knew as normal life doesn't exist anymore. But I didn't understand that then, in my childless state of mind. It was just adding insult to injury, to be left in the dust, not only not being able to start a family, but losing all of our friends as well.

It was about this time that I went to Utah for a family reunion and had a conversation that changed my journey. My cousins' wife also had PCOS. She told me to talk to my doctor about going on Metformin to help my cycles regulate. Even though it is a medication traditionally used with diabetes, it has proven to be helpful to PCOS patients as well, likely because of the PCOS link to insulin and sugar metabolism. 

I am reeeeaally bad about seeing doctors. I just HATE going to the doctor. So it would often take me a few months just to get around to making an appointment. I SO regret that I dragged my feet so much in the early years of this condition. Though I do not regret God's timing, I sure wish my own had been a little better.

When I finally went back to see my doctor later that Fall, he put me on clomid. Nothing happened. 

Shortly afterward, I began seeing another doctor, about 45 minutes drive from my home (far for my city, where there are doctors every couple of miles). I had been referred to this doctor by another friend who had some fertility struggles.  I saw him every month. He prescribed Metformin, and I took it faithfully. It had some pretty awful side effects - I was sick quite often, and it usually happened when I least expected it (like one day when I was driving on the desolate side of Utah Lake and was miles and miles away from the nearest public restroom. AND it was on a Sunday so almost everything was closed!) But I learned how to manage it, each episode would usually last less than half an hour, and besides, being sick so much was helping me lose weight so there were some benefits!! This doctor had me come in each month for an ultrasound to see if I had ovulated.  I never did.

I was on Metformin for 8 months, when lo and behold, my cycle started!  The medicine had helped me lose about 25 pounds. I don't know if it was the medicine, the weight loss, or a combination that helped my cycles to start again, but I was happy to have them back. 

It was now Fall 2006. We had been trying for over four years to get pregnant. We had moved to a new home and a new ward.  In this ward were several families who had adopted, had fertility issues, etc. It was nice to be in a place where people understood me! Still, the pain of not being able to conceive was ever present.  I struggled with depression. I remember one day sinking into the depths of despair (not trying to be dramatic...that's really how it felt) and crumbling into my chair and crying harder than I think I ever had before. I was just certain I would never be a mother. Why was this blessing being withheld from me?  Was I not good enough? Was I not living righteously enough? Would I EVER know what it was like to be a mom? Did Heavenly Father know what I was going through? I sobbed and sobbed. I had never felt more alone in my entire life.

Then my doorbell rang, and there stood a friend of mine from my ward. Heavenly Father hadn't forgotten me and had sent her to remind me. She had 2 children, one had been a preemie, and about 10 miscarriages. She had been through it all too, and she had survived and become stronger. She comforted me. Then, just as though Heavenly Father wanted to show me He really hadn't forgotten about me, the doorbell rang again, and there stood another friend. She comforted me as well, even though she didn't have children and at that time was not actively trying to have them. Having both of those women there saved me that day.

I started seeing a fertility specialist ("the doctor that doctors go to when they want to get pregnant", as my family doctor told me).  Since my cycles had started, he kept me on the metformin and added clomid.  This was in November 2006. After I finished that cycle of Clomid, he sent me for bloodwork, then called me with the good news that I had actually ovulated that month! First time in years, most likely. He told me to come in for artificial insemination after my next cycle.

That next Sunday as I was leading the music in Primary, I got really dizzy. As in, never felt this before, are-we-having-an-earthquake kind of dizzy.  I remember looking at my friend, who had a worried look on her face as she watched me sway back and forth. I asked if she had felt the room shake. She must have thought I was nuts. After church, my husband, who was Elders Quorum President at the time, had a meeting, so I went home and grabbed a pregnancy test, wondering if that could explain my dizziness.

I looked at the test in absolute disbelief. PREGNANT. I couldn't believe it. I had always planned on telling my husband in some creative way when we finally got pregnant, but all I could do was just smile stupidly when he got home and show him the test. FINALLY, our dreams were coming true.

I had a fairly uneventful pregnancy and in July 2007, my little girl was born.  As indescribable as was my sadness when dealing with infertility, so was my joy equally as indescribable when I finally saw my baby girl.

Our son was then born in November of 2009, after using the same combination of drugs - metformin and clomid.  This seemed to be the magic potion for me.

I realize I am blessed and lucky to have had a relatively easy road. I know 5 years is a long time to try, hope, and wait, but when it came down to it I was able to get pregnant using relatively simple means.  I've had friends have to go the route of AI and IVF and I am grateful I didn't have to - we're teachers and we didn't have the money.  Sometimes I feel guilty that I got off "easy" while so many people had to go to such greater lengths, and some are still struggling.  But I've realized it doesn't matter how you reach your goal. Infertility is painful, no matter how you experience it, or for how long. And even after you have kids, the pain associated with infertility doesn't really go away, especially if you know you want more. But it is more easily forgotten just as soon as you start playing with your child or children.

We are hoping to be blessed with a third (and maybe even a fourth, if we are lucky!) child sometime in the near future. I am getting older, almost 32, so I realize the clock is ticking. Unfortunately I have had some health issues recently, related to the PCOS, which have made it necessary for both my physical and mental health to again patiently wait to have another child. And those old feelings have started creeping back in - jealousy when a friend gets pregnant, longing when you hold a baby, frustration at the conditions that make waiting necessary, etc.  You always wonder if you'll be able to get pregnant again - just because something worked once or twice doesn't mean it always will. But I just try and have faith in Heavenly Father's plan for me.

Although PCOS is not fun, I've come to realize that Heavenly Father gives us challenges for our own good, to strengthen ourselves as well as those around us. I have always been very open about this condition, and as such, I've had the opportunity to meet and/or be contacted by other women who just want somebody to talk to who understands them.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or just want to talk/cry/yell, whatever!

*Note: If you have read other posts on my blog you know that we again struggled with infertility for 2 years to achieve our third pregnancy. This time, the "magic combo" of metformin and clomid did not work well for me. Not until I researched and started taking an herbal supplement called "Pregnitude" did my cycles finally start again, after a couple of months - they had not started on their own in almost 2 years, whereas before Metformin always was able to get them going. I was having to use Provera, which is an awful drug I wanted to stay away from. Pregnitude helped me get off of Provera and start my cycle naturally. Then the high dose of clomid I was on was finally able to make me ovulate, multiple times apparently, because you know the rest of the story!

If you have PCOS and have not come across the PCOS Diva website and blog, please visit it right now. She has so many solutions and helpful suggestions to help your body get back on track!

18 Week Update

I think I am declaring week 18 as the week it really starts "getting real", in some good ways and some not-so-good ways.

I have started feeling little kicks here and there and I am now 95% sure it is actually the babies I am feeling. That's the good part of getting real (at least until they kick me as hard as a soccer ball...then this might go over to the "not-so-good getting real" category).

And one more for the good category: I am finally past morning sickness (knock on wood)! I haven't thrown up in 2 weeks! Still can't drink milk or eat ice cream without getting sick though :o( But no throwing up is reason enough to do a happy dance!

As for the not-so-good, I am getting more and more uncomfortable by the day. I couldn't sit all the way through an hour long church service yesterday, even though I tried to put my legs up on the pew occasionally. It was hard to breathe and my legs were so uncomfortable and hot (thanks a lot, compression hose). I ended up ditching after about 45 minutes and listening to the last speaker from a soft rocking chair in the mothers' area and propping my legs up on the diaper pail (luckily it did have a cover on the top). Yeah, gross I know, but you do what you gotta do! I figured the diaper pail was better than ditching church altogether.

Speaking of legs, they are getting increasingly purple and blue with lovely spider and varicose veins. Painful ones. Compression hose have now gone from a nuisance to the only way I can walk without pain. Okay, I admit, they are still a nuisance...but a necessary one.

Breathing is getting ever more difficult, especially when I lie down at night. I think my recliner will soon take over as my place of nighttime slumber since that is just about the only place I feel somewhat comfortable now.

And lastly, my heart. Oh how it pumps. And pumps. And thumps. I can feel it in my neck, hear it in my ears. It's working overtime, that's for sure! But as long as it keeps my babies healthy this is one thing I can handle. My doctor just wants me to keep an eye on it just to be careful. He says I may have to meet with a cardiologist at some point. But it's been a little better the past few days so I'm hoping it continues.

And to think...14 to 18 MORE weeks to get uncomfortable by the day. At least there will be a BIG payoff in the end! I can't wait for three little boys to kiss and cuddle.

My 18 week appointment went well. The boys are all growing. Baby A and B are up to 9 ounces from 5 ounces and 6 ounces, respectively. Baby C is up to 7 ounces from 4 ounces. They were kicking and moving like crazy in there. The tech thought I must have had something very sugary for lunch, and when I told her I hadn't eaten yet, she said "Wow, I wonder what they'll be like when you DO eat!"  It was so neat, though, watching them cross and uncross their arms, touch their faces, and kick. And it was also fun seeing their "little penises", as the ultrasound tech kept calling out: "There's Baby A's little penis, there's Baby B's little penis..." and so on. It cracked me up.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, is my 18 week belly shot. At 16 weeks, my OB said my belly was measuring the same as a 26 week single pregnancy. I'm sure it's more like 28 now, because I can tell I've popped out some in the last 2 weeks.

More Favorite Quotes

Here are two of my favorite recent quotes. They aren't funny, but they came from a fellow triplet mom (hers are in high school now) as I was telling her how it makes me so nervous to get ultrasounds every 2 weeks:

"They can be nerve racking for sure. I finally just decided to enjoy the babies for as long as God decided to let me have them ... whether that was 14 weeks, 32 weeks, 10 years, or my whole lifetime. I decided I was cheating myself of the joy by worrying. God would bring me through whatever he had in store."

And this was my favorite from this particular conversation:

"Enjoy each moment, this is a blink in your life and everything to theirs."

She really helped me put things into perspective. Even with the huge miracle we have already experienced, carrying triplets is still a daunting undertaking. I love seeing the babies at every ultrasound, but I also fear what they might find. She helped me remember what I already knew but, like all of us, forget sometimes - God is in control and He won't give us anything we can't handle. Find joy in the journey! And this is certainly SOME journey!

Facebook Loves a Miracle!

I had fun making this shirt! 16 1/2 weeks

Here is what I posted on Facebook the day we found out the defect was miraculously gone:

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to my Heavenly Father and Savior at this moment. They could find no trace of the birth defect at our appointment this afternoon. My doctor said he was absolutely amazed, that he'd never seen anything like this before. He said, "If you had asked me 15 minutes ago if this was possible, I would have said no. I don't know how this happened." But I know! Miracles do happen and we are the blessed recipients of one today. Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family for your faith, fasting and prayers! I feel so blessed that I can't even find the right words!!

Kaitlynn B., Thomas A., Erin C. and 201 others like this.

• Jennifer F: Prayers are answered! GREAT NEWS!!!!
• Chelsea D: I'm in tears that is wonderful! Prayer works
• Michelle Z: Oh Genny, you are so blessed! Congratulations!
• Gary E: Beyond awesome!!!
• Susan B: Wow, major chills! I'm so happy for you guys! What a blessing.
• Genny: Seriously, it didn't really hit me until my doctor was sitting there shaking his head, saying he couldn't believe it! This is my incredibly brilliant specialist too! The ones that see this all the time! He said "Defects don't go away in my practice. We usually find more here!"
• Elizabeth W: I am so happy for you! What a wonderful blessing.
• Amy C: Answered prayers!! So thankful and happy to hear this!!
• Jaime V: Oh I had no idea! What did they think it was before today's appointment? So glad the babies are healthy!
• Genny:  Jaime, At our last ultrasound two weeks ago, the intestines were outside of the abdomen on Baby C. They weren't sure if it was a gastroschisis or an omphalocele. Either one would have required immediate surgery upon birth. Omphalocele is often accompanied by other chromosomal abnormalities as well. Since they couldn't tell at 14 weeks they asked us to come back at 16. As you can imagine I was so nervous going in there today, as much as I was trying to stay calm and have faith. You know the doctor! He is brilliant and amazing, and to hear him say he was amazed at this was really incredible! The only thing that was a little off was the same baby's umbilical cord is a little oddly shaped, but the dr. said he's not too concerned about it. I am still absolutely beside myself with relief and joy and gratitude! I have never experienced a miracle like this in my own life, short of getting pregnant with my first two after years of infertility!
• Shere W: So happy for your family. Prayers were answered.
• Elise E: So amazing, very wonderful and miraculous news!
• Shawna H: YAY for answered prayer!!!!
• Alexandria J: INCREDIBLE!!!
• Marsha P: I am still crying. Truly you guys have been the recipient's of a miracle. I am so overwhelmed with gratitude.
• Tony V: OMG!!!! That is amazing. So happy for u both and will continue to send luv and prayers your way.
• Nila P: I want to shout to the universe that MIRACLES do happen.So happy for all of you.Love Grandma.
• Leeann T: I have been waiting for an update and now I'm bawling!!!!!! Praises to our Father! Wohoo!!!!!
• Jennifer R: YAY!!!
• Hailee B: Amazing. My kids will be relieved too.
• Kelly Ann H: And, this family has amazing faith in fasting! Miracles do happen.
• Kenra J: Yay!! So happy for you guys!!
• Misty M: So pleased, and Yes prayers will continue.
• Mary-Helen F: We are so thrilled by this news of your miracle today. What a great blessing!!
• Kirsten S: Oh Genny!
• Patricia H: You had the faith to put that baby in Gods hands and He gave you a miracle, now your miracle is strengthening the faith and hope of others!
• Amye G: Wonderful and miraculous!
• Chris J: Genny, I was so happy to hear that everything is going to be fine.
• Robyn D: Genny what a wonderful miracle!! I'm crying as I read this and all the comments.
• Marianne S: Yay! Yay! Yay! What an amazing God He is!
• Erin C: LOVE this post!!!!
• Natalie L: So So Wonderful!!! I'm happy for you guys!!!
• Jacki A: I'm so glad Genny!! Thanks for sharing the news.
• Allison L: That is so amazing! God is soooo good! Proof that miracles are still happening!
• Brooke P: Wow! Tears of joy!
• Anthony H: So amazing! Marc and I are thrilled at the news!
• Lois R: Why r drs so amazed, I'm sure they have seen this countless times. So glad to hear of your neat blessing!!
• Bill H: So happy for your great news. You and JJ have shown your faith and complete trust in Heavenly Father and he has blessed you with a miracle.
• Doni B: Miracles do happen.
• Chris M: Thats is awesome news Genny
• Judy Y: Amazing! I had hoped this would happen because sometimes these things fix themselves because baby is still developing. So happy!
• Kathy W: Such wonderful news!
• Deanna S: Wonderful!!!!
• Nikki P: I have been thinking about you all day. I even told my lead tech about you today. I'm crying with joy right now. I'm so happy. I know how rare this is to be there in week 14 and gone in week 16. It truly is a blessing and miracle from our Heavenly Father. Prayers have been answered.
• Frances O: Gave me goosebumps to read your post. :o)
• Mary R: One very big word.....WOW!!! Love to you.
• Bridgitte H: Sooooo amazing! So happy for your family right now!
• Ariana U: Hurray! So happy for your miracle.
• Brenda P: So happy for you guys and your three little miracles!
• Thomas H: That's awesome Genny! I find myself remarkably fond of this god guy on a pretty regular basis. So excited for your miracle!
• Caryn B: Seriously loved getting that text yesterday. I know miracles happen. Now you do too! Love you guys.
• Kari P: Magnificent! wow. Just...wow. Tears of joy and gratitude happening here too. What an amazing miracle. hugs~
• Andy V: God is working still
• Deana C: Miracles absolutely do happen! We are so happy for you.