Zuck Kids

Playgroup Halloween Party

2011-10-24T16:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the Kliepfel's for hosting an AWESOME Halloween Party for the triplets' playgroup. We had a fun singer who brought instruments for the kids to play with. Yummy snacks, a fun craft, and a treat bag to bring home.

Here are some cute pics:

Aubrey (the hostess/fish) and Audrey (Dorothy)

Katherine (Glinda) and a hand bell

Mason (the friendly lion)

Thanks to all the playgroup Mom's and nanny's for making this party so fun!

Fall 2011 Trip pics

2011-10-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Brody and I went to Kansas City a couple of weekends ago to visit Uncle Ron. While we were there Dave took the trips up to the Art Center Rose Garden to get fall pictures. Here are a few of the cute ones.

You have to love the Cairns:

Katherine Ann

Mason William

Audrey Grace

Potty Training

2011-08-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

The potty training is going well. The triplets friend Aubrey was over and went #1 in the potty 4 times in a row!! When Audrey saw that she got an M & M every time she decided she wanted to get one, too!

You hear about boys being harder to train but for us so far Mason has been the most consistent. Audrey just wants to tell you why she doesn't want to sit on the potty. Ha ha!

I thought since the cost of diapers were going up this would be a good time to focus on this new skill. Only problem is the pull ups hold less "matter" so we have to change them more often. I am not sure if I am winning here or not?

Bless Miss Amber - she has spent the last week in the downstairs bathroom. I give her credit though she has potty songs pulled up on her smart phone and they are singing while they are in there.

Thanks be to God for blessing us with Miss Amber!

Mason, Katherine, & Audrey Turn 2!

2011-08-12T11:10:00.002-05:00

So sorry to everyone that this has taken so long to get posted. Here is what I remember from the day.

It rained, and rained, and rained!

We did not rent the shelter but luckily no one was using it so we set up shop there. There was someone graduating from Drake that came right as the party ended so it worked out perfectly.

Brody (5) Audrey (2) Mason (2) Katherine (2)

Look at the wide mouths full of cake!!

Dave let one of the triplets in the super big and curvy slide, I think it was Mason, and he got stuck! We almost had to send Amber the nanny (she is 4' 11') up the slide to get him.

Thank you to all our friends and family that braved the weather for an outdoor party in May.

If these were taken in April can I count them as their 2 year?

2011-05-06T17:43:00.002-05:00

Easter 2011

2011-05-06T13:14:00.003-05:00

I have had several people mention to me that I needed to update my blog so here is my effort.

Easter was a fun weekend but also very tiring. On Saturday we went to church for an egg hunt, to meet EB, and play games. There were over 5000 eggs this year. Kudos to the volunteers at the church.

That night Katherine would not fall asleep for some reason so I was up until 10:30pm with her. Then the EB could come but she did not get to bed until midnight.

Flash forward to Easter morning at 7:15am everyone was up and noticed there were eggs out. EB tried to hide some of the eggs at triplet level but Brody found them very easily. We ended up having to ask him to let the trips find some.

Mason in his Mason style grabbed 2 of his 6 eggs (one in each hand) and got up in the recliner and watched everyone find the eggs for him. He is going to be a manager one day with those skills.

Katherine (our stripper) you will notice was in her diaper since she had removed her pesky PJ's some time in the middle of the night.

I hope everyone had a great Easter, too!

Downstairs Bath and Playroom (formerly the den).

2011-03-10T16:39:00.007-06:00

Here is a shot of the custom Mirror, 2x2 mosaic tiles, extra storage, and the furniture style cabinet and drawers designed by Dave and built by Joe the trim carpenter in a shaker style. It is truly AWESOME!! Note the squares for the tile, the lights, the pull knobs, etc.
This is a close up of the granite counter top and the drawers. There is one for each member of the family and two for visitors. Note the lovely towel next to the sink. We still need a towel rack. :O)
Here is a view of the toilet. For the men in my family you will now be able to sit without your knees hitting the door. There more mosaic around the wainscot. You can also see the pinwheel pattern on the floor. We lost a closet but Joe made sure we had plenty of storage. Enough to hold towels, soap, and TP.
This is a shot of the new closet, just large enough for cleaning supplies, the vacuum, and some games. The carpet pad is super squishy. We highly recommend our contractor and Ryan Jones at Amerifloor in Urbandale.

No more highchairs!

2011-02-18T14:06:00.003-06:00

So I finally decided I can no longer tolerate the noise the triplets make in their highchairs when they slam their heads back and forth. It drives me crazy especially after a long and tiring day of work. So the highchairs have been removed and now we have this:

The kids are really growing up. *sniff sniff* It is bittersweet.

For those of you who know I am job searching please say an extra prayer for me this weekend.

Also say a prayer for my broken car that I am going to have to drive to Omaha to get fixed. It is going to be VERY, VERY expensive and we spent all our money on kids and the house. :p)

Guess who pooped on the potty!

2011-02-18T13:58:00.003-06:00

Yeah, Katherine sat on the potty (like we've been doing for a few weeks now) and guess what she did last night?? You got it - she pooped! Oh please lord to not have to buy diapers anymore that would be so wonderful.

Grandpa and Grandma are also back from Florida. They were gone 6 or 8 weeks. It is just amazing how much the kids have changed in that short period of time.

Grandma and Katherine

Mason, Grandpa, and Audrey

Cute video

2011-02-18T13:53:00.002-06:00

The kids got a teeter totter from Uncle Harold and Auntie Joyce for Christmas. They really enjoy it and they can all do it together.

Late Valentine's Day Update

2011-02-18T13:44:00.003-06:00

As many of you know things have been a little crazy around our house for the last several months (or years depending how you look at it). So along came Valentines Day which is mostly a Hallmark holiday anyway.

I didn't feel well all weekend and ended up staying in bed Monday for a couple of hours before going into my job. Imagine my surprise when I came down and saw this on the table.

Good job Dave! Good job!
Then my birthday present came in a box with presents for the kids for Valentine's Day from Poppa Don and Nanny Kaye. Of course the kids thoroughly enjoyed the tissue paper and box. Oh and I think they liked the gift, too. :O)

Downstairs Playroom and Bathroom

2011-02-03T12:58:00.005-06:00

This used to be the closet. Now it is a sink with some extra storage.

This is a close up of the decorative mosaic. Once the tiler started placing them he found out that the wall was crooked so wasn't able to finish.

Here is additional storage. Lord knows that these old houses don"t have much of that.

This is the floor in a pinwheel pattern. I can hardly wait for the grout!

Now we just need some paint in the playroom and some carpet and we have a place for the kids to play.

Woo hoo!!!

Happy Birthday Momma! 29 again.

2011-02-03T12:52:00.002-06:00

And we didn't even set off the fire alarm!!!!

Christmas photos 2010

2010-12-07T11:21:00.004-06:00

Well we did it! We got our kids pictures taken for our Christmas card! Thanks to our good friend Stephanie.

Mason for some reason did not want to sit there for the photos again. So when he is 14 and asks me why we have an 8x10 of his sisters and brother I can tell him because you kept running away.

The one picutre with Brody and Mason looks like they are wrestling!!

Click on this link or add it to your browser to check out the photos:

https://viewimages.targetportraits.com/sharealbum/sharealbumlist?rndId=AAMJAQdCW1pdXA==&uId=CAMFBQZF

Beggars night

2010-11-09T12:07:00.003-06:00

So some lady in the 40's (I think) in her infinite wisdom decided that there would be less tricks if Halloween was celebrated on a day rather than October 31. So now here in Des Moines either the day before or afterwards the kids have "Beggars Night". The home owners open the door and expect you to tell them a joke, sing a song, or do some type of trick. I don't get it! The kids who want to ruin pumpkins or soap your car can still do so on either night.

Anyway, comparing the loot and separating the candy into piles is something I remember from my youth.

Here are Brody and our neighbor (his buddy) Seth checking out their loot. This is the first year we made it to every house on the block with the light on. How old do you think he will be when we won't get to sneak some of his candy anymore?? :O)

Trick or Trunk

2010-11-09T11:46:00.003-06:00

Our church hosts a trick or trunk every year as an outreach activity to the community. The weather that night was horrible, cold, and raining. Luckily we purchased a building to the East of our church that we were able to open up and move the "trunks" inside. This was also a great opportunity to see the updates to the building since we took it over. It is super nice inside.

Then we went back over to the church to play games. They had a bounce house that even the triplets got to enjoy. Brody went in there with them to show them how to do it and he was very gentle with them. When he went with kids his own age he was jumping much higher and crazy so I was really impressed that he was so nice to his brother and sisters.

Mason loved the bags game (it is a tailgating game where you throw a bean bag into a hole in a "football" field made out of wood). He would get mad whenever he had to let someone else have a turn. Thanks to Grandpa Z for his help on this night. We really needed all hands on deck!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-09T11:40:00.006-06:00

We had a Butterfly (Katherine), a Flower (Audrey), and a Bee (Mason). Brody chose to be Buzz Lightyear. Is this the biggest pumpkin you've ever seen?
We all had a blast!

Thank you to the Gulbronson's who went trick-or-treating with us at Living History Farms with Joey. Brody had someone to play with and Mommy and Daddy had adults to talk to and extra hands when needed.

(Check out the moon in the background - Hollywood couldn't have staged anything better then that!)

How old do you think the triplets will have to be before they all will look at the camera at the same time? The only cool thing about this picture is the fact that you can see the wings on the bee and the butterfly.

MiMi's Visit in Late September Early October

2010-10-25T15:17:00.005-05:00

Brody and MiMi with all the decorations.

Howell Tree and Pumpkin Farm. We got a beautiful purple mum!

The babies spent about a half an hour in the corn crib while Brody did big boy things.

You can't tell but Brody's feet are completely covered with corn.

Mason liked crawling around in the corn.

Katherine liked the take it out and put it in game.

Brody is almost 4 feet tall now. I think he had a spurt this summer. He usually waits until December after I've already bought his back to school clothes so I have to do it twice!

They LOVED it when MiMi sprinkled corn into the cake pan and it made a cool noise.
More playing.

Triplets Carving a Pumpkin - sensory activity

2010-10-25T15:11:00.002-05:00

Danie the nanny, Katherine, Mason digging out the inside of the pumpkin. Audrey, Danie the Nanny, Katherine, Mason it feels weird - look at their faces.

The trips and Danie the nanny.

Audrey and Mason with Danie the Nanny.

Timeless Prairie Orchard

2010-10-25T14:24:00.002-05:00

So far the best Apple Pie I've made in my 15 years or so of baking them.

Lucky Carson it was for his birthday. It was made with Honey Crisp Apples from TPO owned and operated by my cousins Susie and David Differding. They are at the DSM farmers Market every Saturday. They are by the parking garage closest to the river on the East side of the road.
Floyd and Debbie's tombstone.

John and Julia's Fairchild tombstone.

Labor Day in Omaha

2010-10-25T12:18:00.006-05:00

Miss Katherine.
Cousin Kodi and Mason sticking out his belly.

Cousin Kodi - her bikini was so cute!

Audrey in the sprayer. Brody shooting the water out of the elephant.

Mason loved this part of the water play and ran around it the whole time we were there.

More of Audster.

Brody and Audrey.

It was a little cold that day but you wouldn't have known it with all the fun that the kids had. I sure hope the girl cousins grow up close since they are similar in age and don't live that far away.

Brody's first day of school

2010-10-25T12:14:00.003-05:00

Brody and his kindergarten teacher Ms. Heemstra.

On our way to school.

Heading out the door.

Hanawalt Elementary School.

Dad and Brody on the first day.

Fun Times at the Templeman's

2010-10-25T12:00:00.005-05:00

Can this even be called a slip and slide?? The trips playing in the swimming pool next to the slip and slide on steroids.

Cousin Dylan and Mason on for a ride. Cousin Carrie and Audrey - the child has no fear!

Thanks to Dan and Kim for hosting a blast of a time!!

Beach time! As usual we had a lot of questions about the trips.

2010-10-25T11:39:00.004-05:00

Mason loved the sand.

Here is our set up at the beach. Notice AR taking a picture of us taking a picture of them.

Audrey loved the water and wanted Danie to take her out farther and farther into the sea.

Brody - the old pro.

Katherine playing with the sea weed.

Brody, Dad, and Audrey taking a break from the water.

More California pics

2010-10-25T11:25:00.007-05:00

Papa Don, Nanny Kaye, and the trips. I can't believe how good this picture turned out. Ever try and get 6 people to look at the camera at the same time and smile. Especially if three of them are 14 months old!

The zoo with all the kids and Uncle Dan + the "Zoo Keeper"

We gave the kids a bath in the swimming pool. Cousin Justin LOVED to help. I think he liked being the older kid for once. Plus he has a sweet personality!

Cousin Jim, DeAnn, Amy and Dave. DeAnn God bless you - you are such a trooper!

Houston - We have a toilet!!!

2010-09-02T16:03:00.001-05:00

Brody the Graduate

2010-08-26T15:47:00.001-05:00

California trip

2010-07-25T21:53:00.004-05:00

Three of the cousins. Brody, Dylan, and Justin:

I will try and post more later.

One of my best friends when I was a kid came down and brought her twins, we had our triplets, then there was Brody and my brother's two kids. It was crazy but super fun.

Cake pictures - Backyard Pool

2010-06-10T23:07:00.005-05:00

So I either have the pictures but no time or the time and no pictures. I just checked our camera and we have two pictures (not good ones either) of the cake eating from the triplet's b-day. Danie's friend Justin took some good ones with her camera but guess what - yes - I deleted them a few hours ago since my email kept giving me errors that it was full. Gah!

I promise to get them uploaded soon. Until them I will share pictures of our new pool in the backyard. It is so nice to be able to provide the nice things in life for our children.

The babies had a great 1 year checkup. I have confirmation from the pediatrician that Katherine is bowlegged. That is why she is walking already - she started two weeks ago. He said it was from how she was sitting in the womb. I can only imagine they were folded up like a pretzels in there. Good news is like her flat head she will outgrow it in a year or so.

Stats from appt:

Mason (aka the new peanut) 21.9 & 31 inches
Katherine (The Great) 22.14 & 31 inches
Audrey (our talker) 21.10 29 inches

Some of Audrey's words (since this is her baby book poor thing):
*Melmo = Elmo
*Duck
*Doggie
*Mama
*Dada
*Pops
*Mimi
*Auntie
*Baba = bottle or milk
*Hi
*Up
*Craker
*Thank you
*Uh oh

Katherine is our football player. You should see the (2nd!) goose egg she gave her sister yesterday right in the middle of her forehead. Thank goodness we don't take them to daycare or we'd be getting a visit from CPS. Oh boy! She is barely one and is already getting pack n play time outs.

Mason is still Mr. Mellow who grunts to get what he wants. He had a total conversation with another little boy at the doctor's office - it was all grunts.

Poppa Don had his knee replaced and is doing well and Uncle Ron had a good outcome on his whipple today. Please keep both of them in your prayers.

Peace and Love.

Oy vey!

2010-05-13T09:38:00.003-05:00

For those of you that have multiples (twins, triplets, or more than one kid) you can appreciate the new picture on the blog. Ever try and get one kid to look at the camera and get a good picture - it is hard - then throw in 3 or 4 more kids and it could drive you insane!

Mason was grumpy which made the process harder. Katherine fell off the couch we were using as a prop and has a red mark on her forehead plus she ripped her headband off and broke it. Audrey was our good child that day.

With that said we were able to get some cute pictures of the kids. Jo at the Grimes Target was so patient - mommy not so much! :O)

Here is a sampling of what we got:

Katherine:
Audrey
The boys

Go to this link to check out the rest of the pictures:
https://www.thesmilestation.com/home.asp?AC=LTTT0846119330TAR
Name: Amy Zuck Access Code: LTTT0846119330TAR

We bought the CD so if you want prints let me know.

Bam Bam Ball 2010 - First Game

2010-04-18T14:13:00.004-05:00

Big Brother Brody had his first Bam Bam Ball "game" yesterday. We had to have everyone up, fed, and out the door by 9am. I think it was 9:09 by the time we left which I think is pretty good considering I fell asleep fully clothed and with make up on the night before when I had planned to get clothes out, diaper bag packed, etc. Everyone had shoes but Audrey - oops!

Our little slugger

Notice the two tall boys in the middle. That is Brody with his hands behind his back and his BF Joey G. with the red sleeves.

Dad was coaching 1st base. I think Brody was short stop but he was between 1st and 2nd and there was another short stop between 2nd and 3rd.

I wanted a cute picture of the kids and our blue bells since they only last for a short time but are so pretty when blooming. Anyone that has multiples or even multiple children can understand it is close to impossible to get everyone looking at you and smiling at the same time.

Four weeks of formula left

2010-04-16T14:47:00.003-05:00

This message is for anyone who told me in the past "if you need anything let me know" and I said not now but I will let you know when I do. We do!

I thought we would make it the final four weeks with the formula that we had in the basement unfortunately, we will not. I have one one case of Enfamil in the basement but the babies can't hack it without getting sick. We need the red top Similac soy. I would be willing to trade the Enfamil for the Similac soy if that helps. We need 3 club size cans or 12 regular size cans.

The formula we have currently will last us until Monday if we are lucky. I know this is late notice but in case someone is able to help out we would appreciate it!

Have a great weekend!!

11 Months on Monday!!!

2010-04-16T13:26:00.004-05:00

Can you believe it is almost the babies 1 year birthday?!?!? We have been so busy I haven't had time to download pictures let alone update this blog. I need to do better though since the baby books are still empty - this may be all the triplets get!

We are in our second session of baby swim. All the kids are doing great! I think it helps them in the tub, too, because when the get water in their eyes or mouth they do not cry they just close up their mouth or eyes and don't choke.

Big brother starts Bam Bam ball this Saturday. We are all going to watch him play with his buddy Joey Gulbronson. He had his "Spring Sing" at pre-school yesterday. He actually sang this year and did the hand gestures. Great work Miss Ashley!

I am in the initial stages of planning the babies 1st birthday. We would like this to be a celebration of their birth, surviving the last year, and a thank you to everyone who has supported us with food, clothes, diapers, and time in the last year. Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 22 in the afternoon. More details are to follow.

MasonKatherine

Audrey

I hope everyone feels as blessed as we do!

Calgon Take Me Away!

2010-02-16T13:18:00.003-06:00

We are on the third week of this nasty virus that dad brought home from the high school. He is around so many different germs on a daily basis that he rarely if ever gets sick. He spent three days in bed (longest since I've known him since 1999), Brody was down for four days, and now the triplets have it.

(The good thing about having a nanny is Brody was able to stay home with her)

We've taken Mason to the Dr. three times! The third visit was this morning and we brought the whole crew along just in case!! Mason's ear infection is much better but now both girls have one. They all have this horrible chesty/wheezy cough and sometimes when they sneeze a bubble comes out of their nose. They are all using a nebulizer to get medicine into their lungs and open up the bronchial passages.

Poor Miss Audrey was so sick last night (of course when dad had conferences) I considered rushing her to urgent care. I am not that type of a mom so she was REALLY sick!

(Did I mention that no one sleeps day or night?) Miss Audrey

Please pray for health for the babies and quickly. We've not had a decent night of sleep in three weeks. I guess it makes us appreciate the 6 times we used to replace binkies at night. I would LOVE to be able to just do that instead of nose sucking, rocking, and downright hanging out at 2am.

(Mr. Mason - it must hurt their ears when they have to lay flat)

Also, to the angel that sent us the two boxes of huggies diapers from Costco - thank you! I am just amazed at how everything just seems to work out...the diapers run low...then a surprise delivery.

We are blessed! Sick but blessed!!

(Oh ya - we are teething now, too!! Miss Katherine has 6 teeth)

Mason has three teeth and Audrey has two.

Baby Samuel David Owens

2010-01-29T12:32:00.004-06:00

My heart is aching right now and my eyes are crying. One of the people I have worked with for the past 8 years has a grandson that is dying right now. We were all hoping for a miracle and for a while things looked promising. Unfortunately, Sam took a turn for the worse last weekend and was not able to recover.

Please keep the Owens Family in your prayers (Dad - Kurt, Mom - Joy, Gpa - David, Gma - Deb). http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/babyowens/journal

This really makes me realize how blessed we were with our babies. We were so blessed - praise the lord! I wish everyone would have been bkessed the same way we were. No one should ever outlive a child!

"Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

Four More Months! & Christmas Loot

2010-01-13T22:46:00.009-06:00

On the 19th of January we begin the 4 month count down to the day when we will no longer be a slave to Similac! Thank you for all you have done; growing our babies, making them strong, and keeping them (for the most part) well. I will enjoy no longer looking like a freak with a CASE of formula at Sam's club...$5 off checks in my hand...waiting in the check out line. Every single time the cash register decides to eat one of the checks. The people behind me in line slowly move to other registers. Sometimes they ask for my ID as if I am stealing something even though I tell them I am buying for triplets and will be back again next month. It is not like I am buying WMD or something!

Bye - Bye Similac!! - We will not miss you or your $28 can of formula that only lasts us 2 and 1/2 days.

Hello milk!! Here we come!!

Now if we could only get everyone potty trained. :O)

********************************************************************************

Thank you to everyone that played a part in making our children's Christmas so special this year. Things have been pretty tight around here as you can well imagine. Our wonderful family, church family, and friends stepped up to the plate this year allowing us to have a memorable Christmas without worrying about funding it entirely ourselves. Our family is so blessed to have such a wonderful support system!!

Audrey -

Mason - Katherine -

Brody -

Funny story - I told Brody to stand in front of his "loot" so I could take his picture. He refused to do so saying he did not like that word. Even after explaining the meaning he was still leery! LOL.

Michael Phelps Watch Out!!

2010-01-13T22:37:00.002-06:00

Mama, Audrey, Papa, Mason, Danie, Katherine

Tonight was the babies first night of swim class. They were all fishies - it was amazing. Each baby's personality showed. Mason was "Mr. I am way too cool for all of this" and kicking back like he was waiting for the cabana boy to bring a mai tai. Katherine who is our "standoffish wait to see what is going on before she opens up" child was actually swimming!! Feet kicking, arms stroking, smiling, having the time of her life. Audrey was also having a good time laughing and kicking her feet like a frog.

We would not have been able to accomplish this feat without the following people helping us out; 1) My mom (She ran camera and helped with babies) 2) Danie (Every baby needs an adult in the water with them) 3) The O'Neals (They had big brother over for a play date) 4) Everyone who handed down clothes so the kids had swim clothes to wear.

Thank you! Thank you everyone!!

Audrey, Mason, Katherine

7 Month Pics

2010-01-13T22:22:00.004-06:00

Our girls - Audrey Grace & Katherine Ann
The boys - Brody Charles & Mason William

The trips Audrey, Mason, & Katherine

All of our babies - Brody, Audrey, Mason, & Katherine

Cute Picture of Big Brother

2010-01-05T13:14:00.004-06:00

This is a cute picture of Brody "before" Santa broght him his own soccer ball. The pre-kindergargen sent it to me. You'll note the lack of 2 feet of snow we got shortly before/after Christmas.... The midwesterners love a white Christmas. As for me, I prefer Santa in board shorts! Peace

Happy New Year 2010!!!

2010-01-01T15:58:00.002-06:00

This is the beginning of a very exciting year for us. We could not have done it without all of your love and support. Thank you so much to everyone that heard our call for diapers and answered we are truly blessed with such wonderful family and friends.

More later - Much love,
The Zucks

6 Month Dr Appt Stats

2009-12-04T10:33:00.002-06:00

Mason: 17lb 13oz 50% 26" 25% HC 45cm 75%

Katherine: 18lb 2 oz 90% 27" 90% HC 43cm 75% Audrey: 18lb 1oz 90% 25 1/2" 50% HC 42cm 25%

What we are Thankful for 2009

2009-11-28T21:33:00.004-06:00

There are so many things for us to be thankful for this year. Let me start with a few easy things. I had a mostly uneventful pregnancy; which, considering I was carrying triplets is quite a feat. I had/have a VERY supportive husband who had to take on most of the child rearing for a 3 year old until January when I was able to work half time hours. I was thrilled to once again be able to help around the house and share dinner with my family.

Dave's resolve was once again tested the last three weeks of our pregnancy when I was placed on bed rest, alone in the hospital, and Dave was home working furiously to beat his self chosen goal to finish our deck before the babies came. Our home was filled with helpful family(awesome ones - but in our home 24 hours a day none the less) and Dave pushed himself hard. He had quite a hefty goal considering everything that was going on and the 3 year old at home wondering where Mama was and hoping for his Papa's time. He also made it down to visit me in the hospital, bringing Brody, almost every day I was there.

We were very worried about Baby C - Audrey Grace (Named for my spunky Grandma who had just passed) - she was so tiny. They were not sure if she was so small because that is how God intended her to be or if there was something else amiss. I heard three possible reasons, 1) She was naturally small, 2) Her placenta did not get as much "real estate" as the other babies so she had less nourishment, 3) There was something terribly wrong and at some point they would have to take her from me in an emergency situation.

Luckily, I made it to the date I had been praying and meditating on since I found out I was expecting triplets. May 18, 2009 is the date I prayed on, visualized in my meditation, and told everyone who would listen that this would be my delivery date. Sadly my math was wrong so instead of 35 weeks I was only able to get my body to hold on for 34 1/2 weeks. You may be thinking there is not a huge difference between the two but 35 weeks was the magic number between taking your child/ren home and leaving them behind in the NICU. I am still very proud of how far we made it and the power of prayer, meditation, and the effect one has over their own bodies.

We are also very thankful for our wonderful family who has been there for us whole heartedly since the babies arrived. My mom and Auntie Rae for staying with us to survive the 3 hour feeding schedule the first several weeks. My step-father David who helped with cooking during the time I was in the hospital. Grandpa and Grandma Z who would come down from Ankeny to give some much needed rest to the others and/or bring meals. Dave's sister's family; the Walljasper clan for holding babies - it is a super big help when you come home with THREE!!

Our neighbors on 49th Street are the best neighbors anyone could ever hope for when they move into a new neighborhood. They brought us food so we didn't have to worry about cooking. They helped Dave meet his goal of finishing the deck before I came home. They signed up for days to come over and help out with the babies so that Dave could help Brody get ready for bed and the neighbor and I could take care of the babies.

Our church family has also been a life savor!! You have no idea how many diapers triplets go through. The first two days home from the hospital we only had the girls. We went through a package of preemie diapers each day!!! Our church supported us with diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, and baby girl clothes since we did not have any sizes other than preemie. On top of all of that I am sure that the prayers sent from St. Mark, friends, family, and thier churches is what brought our babies to earth so healthy. God has truly blessed the Zuck family a million times over - yes, Father we are blessed! We have several adopted Grandma's from our church who the babies look forward to spending time with. Thank you for your time - thank you for your love and support!!

We are again in need of baby helpers - mostly on work nights between 5/5:30 and 7:30/8pm. You only need to be good at holding a bottle and rocking a baby - lots of people are good at that. Either contact us at home (our number is listed in the phone book) or if you go to our church Shannon Lee can help get you set up.

Another need we pray will be answered is for diapers. We are in need of pampers diapers size 4. We prefer this type/brand because we've never had them leak. However, we are open to anything anyone is willing to share. If you can find it in your heart to help we would really appreciate any gesture of support for our family.

Thank you and God bless!!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-28T20:56:00.005-06:00

Here are the Zuck triplets at Grandpa and Grandma Z's house at Thanksgiving this year. Mama and Papa thought they were rocking the house and were going to be ready to leave early enough to get to Ankeny with plenty of time to feed and change the triplets out of PJ's into their fancy holiday clothes. Due to circumstances out of their control it ended up being a mad dash out of the house at the last minute. Luckily most everything was packed up the night before or sent days before with G'PA and G'MA earlier in the week when they filled in for Danie.

I know these are my babies but I do have to brag a bit and say that for once they let us eat dinner in peace. It must have been because we were eating dinner early. Who cares why but we had a lovely meal with wonderful food and happy babies playing on the floor with one another.

Even Brody's halo kept its shine the whole day.

It is with sadness that I say that no matter how much I love my new family it was a little difficult for me this year. This was kind of weird since my Grandma had been living with my mom in San Diego for the last 2 years so I can't quite explain why I missed her or my family so much this year. I mean heck the kids are half my blood and my husband and his family treat me as if I were a blood relative, too. Probably just some homesickness coming out due to the holidays or hormonal stuff left over from the pregnancy. We did have a great day and wonderful company!!

I know this picture is a little late but I keep realizing I should put Brody out here every once in a while. He got to pick his own costume for the very first time this year. It was so funny every thing he saw he wanted to be, "Mama, I want to be batman, no Spiderman, no woody, no a power ranger, no insert anything here." Finally I told him he had to pick one and be sure. He ended up with Spiderman. It was a really cool costume that made it look like he had some rad muscles. He wore it around the house for several days before Halloween. (Actually here they call it beggars night which I don't get - and they do it the day before Halloween which again I don't get!) Maybe if I grew up here I would understand why trick or treat means more than just holding your hand out for candy. Dave, having grown up here, makes the kids work for their candy. Me, I tell them, "No need for a joke here you go," and I drop the candy in their bag. I have one exception in 10 years when 3 obviously high school girls came to our house. For them I made them sing a song - in Cali that never would have flown - our cars would have been egged.

Still those girls should have been at a party not walking down our street looking for candy.

Katherine also has teeth!! & The Sick House

2009-11-28T20:12:00.006-06:00

Well it has been a long time since I've posted. Audrey was first, later that day it was Mason, then a few days later Katherine got her bottom two teeth, also. I've tried to take a picture of their teeth but either it is too dark or they put their tounge in the way. :O(

We have had virus #4 come through our house. Brody started with the runny nose then (gross - I know) it turned green. We knew we were in big trouble the night he went to bed really early then woke up two hours later and said his throat and ear hurt. Dave stayed home from work the next day (Tuesday) and took Brody to the pediatrician. Yes, it was an ear infection and they put him on antibiotics. The next day Mason was acting the same way so I called and begged mercy on our pediatrician to call in more meds without making us come in. Bless Dr. Salow who knows us well enough to call in the meds without a visit. Dave ended up staying home with Brody on Tuesday and Wednesday that week. Thank you Dave and Ankeny School District.

Guess who got it next??? Yep, Mama did. Luckily with my new job I can work from home and no one fusses about it. I even think I am more productive with my new (and much faster) home laptop. I was home Thursday and Friday so I wouldn't get anyone at work sick. On Sunday I woke up with a double ear infection. Darn it if that isn't painful!! Again I got lucky and got a hold of one of my Dr.'s partners who was on call. He agreed that my symptoms were an ear infection and called me in antibiotics sight unseen. Praise the Lord! That could have been 3 co-pays by that point. I was so miserable that we had Grandpa and Grandma Zuck come down to help with Brody and the babies so I could rest. I slept like a log from around 11am until 6pm. The next morning when I was feeding the babies with Danie I felt a little feverish so decided it would be best for me to spend the day in bed. I got a few hours in the morning before a project I was working on went South so I started emailing and taking phone calls trying to get everything back on track. Danie (our nanny) gets ear infections quite frequently and told me she thought she was getting one - guess me staying home to not get anyone sick backfired. She wanted to leave early so she could stop and see her Dr. - no problem! We like all of our family healthy. Her Dr. said she still had the same sinus infection from a few weeks back. So Tuesday we were without our beloved Danie as she did the rest in bed all day thing. I truly believe that is the only thing that works in getting better!!

All I can say is thankfully it was a short week and Danie was able to come to work on Wednesday. She is a trooper!!

Here are some cute pictures we took of the kids after their last bath. I am trying to show how big they are getting. It is hard to see in the picture but Audrey is really growing into her checks, etc. Katherine just hides her rolls well. Mason - well he is a boy and all girls understand what that means,

Mason William

Katherine Ann

Audrey Grace

Audrey and Mason Have Teeth!!

2009-11-06T16:22:00.004-06:00

Sunday night as I was sitting on the floor with the babies I had a long conversation with them about the fact that they had been teething for a while and it was about time they get a tooth. Well Monday at work I got an email from Danie asking me if I knew that Audrey had a tooth. Audrey used her arm as a teething ring and she felt something. She looked in her mouth and there was a tooth!

By the time I got home Mason had his first tooth, too! We are still waiting on Katherine but she started teething a little behind the others so I am not surprised.

The babies have been eating cereal for the last couple of weeks and are doing very well with it. They have had rice cereal and oatmeal. In a couple of days we will start sweet potatoes or avocado. Mason reminds us of a little bird opening his mouth up wide when he is ready for his next bite!

Race for the Cure weekend and pumpkin patch

2009-10-27T16:43:00.003-05:00

Saturday was Des Moines Race for the Cure. We usually attend because we know several survivors (and some who didn't) specifically Lori, Dave's sister. The Zuck family who live close enough usually make the trip for the Race and it is a fun time.

We decided with all the bugs going around that maybe it would be best to keep the triplets at home so Dave and Brody went to the Walljaspers for the after party. It was probably a good thing as I heard several people there were ill.

Sunday Grandma Zuck had a brunch at her house for the family that was in town. Casey's breakfast pizza - yummo! So as we are tearing out the door (me with wet hair and no makeup) when we realize our babies no longer fit in their car seat carriers. I guess we cannot call them infants anymore! Boy did that throw everything into a tail spin! Needless to say we were 1 hour late after installing and reinstalling several car seats.

We had made plans to go with the Gulbronson's (Joey is 3 weeks younger than Brody to the day) to Howells pumpkin patch and we got a b-day party invitation for the same place so combined the two. It had been raining a lot here so talk about a muddy mess. We had to wrap grocery bags around the stroller before we could put it in the car. Brody got to ride home in his skivvies and he and Dave ruined their tennies. :O( The triplets did great on their outing though - sleeping most of the time. Thank you to Joe and Stephanie for your help! We would not have been able to go without their help.

Next week is all about Brody at the pre-school. I asked Danie to take a picture of us with her fancy camera and bless her heart she stayed late one day last week to get us all together. I think she did a fantastic job on the picture except Brody looks like Beeker and I have extra chins neither of which I can blame on her. LOL!

Enjoy!

5 month pics

2009-10-16T14:21:00.004-05:00

Mason as tigger
Katherine as pooh

Audrey as eeyore

Everyone is around 16lbs now!!

The new exciting toy is the exersaucer - they all like to be sitting up now where they can see.

NICU Follow-up on 9/22/2009

2009-10-16T14:17:00.002-05:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this updated:

Mason
weight 14.7 length 24 inches

Katherine
weight 14.11 length 24 inches

Audrey
weight 14.1 length 22 3/4 inches

Everyone is right on track for development. Woo hoo!!!

Then and Now

2009-10-01T12:55:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures of us then and now.

Zuck Triplets

2009-10-01T09:14:00.003-05:00

Here is a video I put together of pictures of the Family since the babies came home! Hope you enjoy!
Danie the Nanny

We are 4 months old!

2009-09-22T12:04:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Danie (our nanny) for taking these pictures!

Bubbies
Little Elf

Chunky Monkey

IA State Wins First Football Game of the Year

2009-09-04T11:37:00.003-05:00

The Kids are representing today!

Miss Audrey

Miss Katherine

Mr. Mason

The triplets first illness

2009-09-01T16:21:00.003-05:00

Well it happened! I went back to work, caught a cold right away, gave it to Brody, and he shared with the trips! Poor Katherine and Audrey both have an ear infection right now and Mason acts like he may get one, too. We are on our first round of antibiotic. They took everything off the market we used to be able to give the kids for their congestion so this is going to be a long winter. Thank goodness they don't have to go out much!

Mason getting a bath
Miss Katherine (also known as Miss Thing)

Miss Audrey (also known as Jazz Hands - Jazzy for short)

Our nanny Dani is working out wonderfully! She helped me get the girls to the Dr. today.

Mimi and Pops are west bound today and Auntie Rae leaves on Friday. I am thinking of asking Dani to move in with us! LOL

Katherine is up to 13lbs 6oz

Audrey is 13lbs 2oz

Mason didn't go to the Dr. so hasn't been weighed yet. I am sure he is at least 1lb or two bigger than Katherine.

Second Pediatrician Visit

2009-07-25T14:51:00.002-05:00

We had our 2 month check up with the pediatrician, Dr. Salow, on Thursday. All is well with the trips. Mama's back hurts like heck from getting not one but three babies into car seats, into the van, then getting them back out again...this was with Papa's help!

Here are the vitals:

Mason = 10lbs 2oz he is in the 25th percentile for both height and weight
Katherine = 9lbs 11oz she is in the 1oth percentile for both height and weight
Audrey = 8lbs 12oz she is in the 10th percentile for weight and less than 3 for height.

Dr. Salow says everyone is on track and should catch up to full term babies by the 6th month or so. That is good news.

We took the camera again but still forgot to take a picture. Something about trying to get three babies checked out without freaking out and all my questions answered we seem to forget that little task.

It is official - I go back to work in 1 1/2 weeks and Dave goes back in 2. Wah! I would be a little more excited if I could figure out how I am going to get more than three hours of sleep in a row. Geesh!

Sam got me! Photo tagged.

2009-07-12T23:56:00.003-05:00

This is pretty funny - my BFF tagged me to this blog game last month knowing I just had triplets. I am actually catching up on some blog reading today and realized it. So here I sit at my mom's computer and this is the picture I got...luckily I am in the photo and know the people in the photo.

The bigger blonde boy is my nephew Dylan the smaller one is my eldest son Brody (boy that was weird to type). It is when we went back home to San Diego to visit over MLK day when Brody was 5 months old. It appears as though Dylan is going to kiss his cousin and Brody is cracking up about it or screaming his head off. I can't really tell for sure. Ha! I do wonder if in another 3 months I will be back to having only one chin like I do in this photo.

I don't know three people with blogs to tag back so if you read my blog feel free to consider yourself tagged.

I The rules are:
1) Go to your photo files… Select the 6th photo folder or album.
2) Select the 6th photo in that folder/album.
3) Post that photo along with the story behind it.
4) Then challenge some blog friends to do the same!

Triplets First Portraits

2009-07-10T12:14:00.002-05:00

Here are the family pictures we had taken at Target on July 2nd. I think they turned out pretty cute. The hardest part was explaining to Brody how we wanted him to sit for the picture. He kept laying on top of the babies since they were laying on top of each other. Ha ha!

www.thesmilestation.com
Name: Amy Zuck
Access code: LTTT0846116344TAR

If anyone wants any copies let me know - we purchased the CD so we own the images and can print off what we want.

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-07T00:31:00.004-05:00

Here I am still at the computer. I decided to move the SD card from the new camera to the old one so I could download the pictures from the 4th. We had the annual 49th street parade and party. We had our own float this year (thanks Uncle Harold and Auntie Joyce Templeman!)

Dad fixed Brody's bike up really cool but he decided at the beginning of the parade that he wanted to ride with his siblings - can you blame him??

We had a blast getting out of the house just Dave and I for an evening party. Thanks again to Mom, Auntie Rae, and the Zucks!!

Mental note to self: next time Dave offers me the bug spray take it!! My feet have more mosquito bites than skin!!!

We plan to take more pictures tomorrow - the triplets 7 week birthday.

Here is one upset Audrey with Dr. Dornbier at my 6 week checkup to hold you over until then.

Miss Katherine and Dr. D.

Mr. Mason and Dr. D.

Three Week Pictures!

2009-07-06T23:23:00.004-05:00

OK - So I know the babies will be 7 weeks tomorrow - oh wait in 30 minutes but what can I say I am the proud mother of triplets and an almost 4 year old. It is crazy busy here and feels like I am living ground hog day every day. I don't know what I would do without my mom and auntie. Bless you God for my helpers and hubby!!!

Anyho - these are some updated pictures that my Cousin Susan from Omaha took when we had family in town from Virginia (Auntie Linda and Cousin Lisa) and Indiana (Uncle Paul and Aunt Margaret - Paula was here but had a cold so was unable to see the babies :o( and Kayla - Susan's daughter) the middle of June. Thanks Susan!!

I finally figured out why I can't download pictures - the port that connects from the new camera to the computer is broken. I plan to take it back at some point in my free time - Bah ha ha ha ha ha!

The babies are doing great! We finally have them on a 4 hour schedule. We started that at 4 weeks. I actually get in the shower and my teeth brushed BEFORE 4pm which was a goal of mine when we had the 3 hour feeds. I am still supplementing the babies with breast milk - they are up to 4 ounces in their bottles.

We continue to work on their sleeping habits but luckily with the 4 of us we are able to get about 6 hours of sleep each - at times even in a row!! I thank God again for Auntie Rae who takes the 2am to 6am shift then sleeps during the day and somehow (she is a Goddess) gets dinner on the table for us when we don't have someone bringing us something.

We are also blessed to have my mom here from California. She is our laundress, clean up lady, and overall what is needed person. She thinks she is going home in August but we are thinking of building an extra room in the basement with bunk beds for her and Auntie Rae.

I can't forget the Zucks who come down and relieve us of feedings - bringing food and news from the outside.

Miss Audrey weighs 5 lbs 5.6 oz in this picture - (She weighed 6 lbs 11 oz on July 1).

Master Mason weighs 6 lbs. 11 oz in this picture - ( He weighed 8 lbs. 1.3 oz on July 1).

Miss Katherine weighs 5 lbs. 11.9 oz in this picture - (She weighed 7lbs 3.4 oz on July 1).

Again I would like to thank all our family, friends, church family, co-workers, Mothers of Mulitples family, and neighbors for all of your support, cards, emails, and dinners during this time. We are so lucky to have such a great support system.

It is almost 3am

2009-06-14T02:48:00.001-05:00

I slept great tonight from 1opm until the babies were fed by my mom, aunt, and Dave at midnight. For some reason they sleep great during the day but not so well at night. I tried rocking, the binky, laying them together, laying them separate.

If anyone has any ideas on how to get these kids to sleep at night please let me know. The worst part is one will sleep then another will cry and wake the sleeping ones and then they feed off one another.

I suppose I will sleep on the other side.....

June 10, 2009 3 weeks 1 day

2009-06-10T21:36:00.004-05:00

Well we have survived three weeks. Partially due to the fact the babies have only been home for two! Ha ha!

The visiting nurse has been coming to make sure the babies are growing. They are doing really well.

Mason is up to 6.2lbs

Katherine is up to 5.4lbs

Audrey is up to 5lbs

Now if we could only get them to sleep for 4 hours in a row....

If anyone can tell me how they get cute pictures of all three of the babies at the same time I would sure like to know!!!

The circle on the right of the photo is a coaster with a quarter on it so you can figure out scale...you can thank Papa for that.

First visit with Dr. Salow (pediatrician)

2009-06-04T19:05:00.003-05:00

Everyone had a good checkup today. Dr. Salow said we can start treating the babies more like newborns and less like premies now. He said that their central nervous system is now developed and as long as they are not having issues we can introduce new stimuli.

Here are the new weights:

Mason - 5.10 lbs
Katherine - 4.13 lbs
Audrey - 4.6 lbs

They are still eating every three hours but we have upped them to 50ml each.

Hopefully by this time next week they will be up to 60mls and we can stretch at least the middle of the night feeding to 4 hours.

The last two nights have been a little rough for mom and dad because the babies have decided it would be fun to be up between 3am and 6am. Thank goodness for my mom and Auntie Rae who take over at the 6am feeding!

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes!

The babies are here!

2009-06-04T18:56:00.003-05:00

Well it has taken me a few weeks but I have three good excuses for why!

Here are the details:

Mason William Zuck 5.8lbs 7:09 am 5/19/2009

Katherine Ann Zuck 4.8lbs 7:09 am 5/19/2009

Audrey Grace Zuck 3lbs 15.6 oz. 7:10am 05/19/2009

May 17 - 34 Weeks 1 Day

2009-05-17T17:58:00.003-05:00

I am using the loaner laptop here at the hospital...it was broken for a week...then I got it back and used it for 30 minutes...then the wireless was taken down for maintenance. Geesh! Here I go again today!

Truly not that much has changed other than the size of my belly and the date of the c-section has been agreed upon. Tuesday, May 19 (34 weeks 3 days) @ 6:45am we will be welcoming the Zuck triplets into the world. I can hardly wait! I thought I was uncomfortable at the end with Brody but there is really no comparison.

I expect to be in the hospital until Saturday recovering from the c-section. I am hoping the babies can get out with me or shortly there afterwards. They have been getting all 8's on their BPP's.

Here are the final growth ultrasound weights as of Friday:

Baby A - 4lbs 13oz.
Baby B - 4lbs 12oz.
Baby C - 3lbs 5 oz.

I am still pretty worried about Baby C (Audrey) but they keep telling me that the little ones usually do better that the bigger ones since they are used to fighting for resources. I just worry that I did this to her by using the heating pad too much trying to help with the back/side pain I've been experiencing since my belly got so huge. Hopefully on Tuesday they can tell me to get rid of my mommy guilt.

I can hardly beieve I only have one more day until I am the mother of 4 children!!!!!

Tuesday, May 5 - Saturday, May 9 33 Weeks!!!!

2009-05-09T11:49:00.004-05:00

I got a little behind on the blog last week - really not much had changed until today anyway.

Throughout the week I have been having more contractions but they never get more intense or continue so no one seems worried. The procardia has been changed from every 6 hours to every 8 hours so that may have something to do with the numbers increasing a bit.

We had a BPP on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. All babies scored an 8/8 for each test. They've also been watching to make sure the blood is going the right way into the umbilical cord for baby C (Audrey). I guess if that changes we will have to deliver all the babies right away.

Dr. Dornbier told me on Friday that he is planning the C-section for the week of May 18. Yay!! That will be 34 weeks and a few days. I am getting so uncomfortable that I told Dr. D. that I would split the difference between 35 weeks (my goal) and 34 weeks (his goal) with him. The babies should be fine at that gestational age.

Now I can say we are down to days until the babies arrive. I am excited but with all the time to think here am really starting to freak out a little bit about the enormity of the situation. Luckily we have a great support system in place so I know we will be OK.

Keep the visits and phone calls coming - it really makes the time pass quickly. The only thing I ask is for quiet time between 2pm and 4pm so I can nap. I am still not sleeping that well here so the nap really seems to help.

Monday, May 4 - Hospital Day # 7

2009-05-04T21:22:00.002-05:00

I slept pretty good last night. I am chalking it up to laying on my right side. This is the most rested I've been in a week.

Dr. D stopped by today. He said I can have 40 minutes off the floor each day if I want. He took me off the TOCO machine which monitors my contractions since I am only having 2 an hour or so thanks to the meds. The hour they monitor the babies they will monitor for contractions, too.

Dr. D said we are also in a waiting situation right now that we are going to take day by day. I will have a BPP (biophysical profile) every other day to keep track of baby C. If she falls too far behind or looks to be in distress then all the babies will have to be delivered. He wants to make it to 34 weeks and knows I want to make it to 35. Please keep praying we can make it just a few more weeks. May 26 would be a good day! All the babies looked good duing their BPP today and scored 8 out of 8.

I had several visitors today which was nice - it sure makes the time go faster.

Thanks to Sue Baty for bringing me Mexican food for dinner and hanging out with me for a while!

I got a picture taken today of my LARGE belly but don't have a way to download it yet.

Sunday, May 3 - Hospital Day # 6

2009-05-04T21:11:00.002-05:00

Today was a slow day which was good - I was able to get some really good rest. I got all dressed in my street clothes to go to the infant CPR class that is sponsored by the NICU here but Dr. Fagerland put a stop to it. He didn't want me to be too far away in case something were to happen. I put in yesterday's post about the stockings but I actually got those today.

They moved me from room 3101 to 3109 so they can monitor all the babies instead of just A & B. It was nice to have a change of scenery and my mom was here thinking she could go to the CPR class so she was able to help. The room does not seem as big as the other one but I am laying on my right side to see the TV which is much more comfortable to me and how I lay at home in my own room. I was so comfy I napped from 2:30pm - 6:30pm. This is the longest stretch since I've been here.

I missed ordering dinner due to my nap but Dave brought me down leftover's from Pop's b-day dinner. There were 16 people at our house to celebrate. It was nice to have non-hospital food for dinner.

Cousin Tami and Cousin Gregg came by to visit. They were here to pick up Jackson for his new forever home. Thanks guys!!

Saturday, May 2 - Hospital Day # 5 32 Weeks!!

2009-05-04T20:39:00.003-05:00

Dr. Fagerland from the OB practice stopped in on me this am at 6!!! He said it was great that I had made it to 32 weeks and that he was impressed. He left me some c-section paperwork which kind of freaked me out but he assured me it was just because it would be easier for me to fill it out now than in an emergency situation.

He wanted to know if I had spoken to any of the neonatologists - I had not. He sent one down to talk to me. Dr. Turner said he is one of a practice of 6 doctors so someone is always here on site in the event I were to have an emergency c-section someone would be here. He repeated how impressive it was for me to have made it 32 weeks. He discussed the fact that the babies will probably have an IV either in their arm or umbilical cord. He said most of what he will do for the babies is to make decisions based on risk. Whichever decision is the smallest risk to the baby is what will be done. He really couldn't tell me much more of what was going to happen than I had already read in my books.

He did say that there is a warm room off the side of the c-section room where the babies will be evaluated after delivery Unless there is an emergency the babies will be shown to me on their way to the NICU.

Mimi and Brody came by to see me and brought flowers. How sweet! We went down to the McDonalds to get something "different" to eat for dinner. It was so gross it made the hospital food seem gormet. I was POOPED after this trip.

Friday, May 1 - Hospital Day # 4

2009-05-01T13:19:00.002-05:00

Dr. Dornbier, my OB, stopped in bright and early this morning. It was 7:30 am and I was just getting in the shower when I heard him talking in the hallway. He checked my cervix and said it had thickened which is a good thing. He was happy with the way the medicine was keeping the contractions under control.

He gave me two choices 1) stay here where he can keep a close eye on the babies or 2) go home on strict bed rest and continue to see him twice a week.

His recommendation was for me to stay here because he could keep a closer eye on the babies. The fact that all three were breech the last we knew and there is a foot down there could end up with an emergency C-section. We don't want that. He did mention we could do some of the monitoring from home but I found out that insurance doesn't cover these services unless I am in the hospital.

Dave and I had discussed this last night and were in agreement that if Dr. D thought I should be here I would suck it up and stay for the duration. So I am here for at least this weekend possibly 21 more days depending on what happens. Dr. D wants us to make it to 34 weeks (today is 31 weeks 6 days) and I want to go at least 35 weeks. If I want to make it that far this is the best place for me.

We had the growth scans today and found the following (31 W 6 D) :

Baby A (Mason William) 32 W 1 D - 4lbs 5oz!!! Breach (his foot is the culprit)
Baby B (Katherine Ann) 31 W 1 D - 3lbs 13 oz Breach
Baby C (Audrey Grace) 29 W ) D - 2lbs 13 oz - pray for Audrey to catch up please!

I've had several people call and stop by which is really making the time fly by! Thanks so much everyone!

More updates later.

Week 32

2009-04-30T16:40:00.002-05:00

Well the time finally came - I had an appointment on Tuesday, April 28 with my OB. He checked my cervix and I was at a 2 and he said he could feel a foot!! He sent me straight to the hospital.
They got me checked in hooked me up to an IV for hydration, IV antibiotics, and another round of the steroid shot.

The first hour I was here I had 5 contractions or so and the nurse called the OB on call.
He had them give me a shot of turbuline. My Dr. called in an hour later and had them switch me to an oral pill called procardia which is a high blood pressure pill that has a side effect of stopping contractions.

I thought for sure I would be released (sounds like I am in jail - ha!) on Wednesday on 6pm after my second steroid shot so imagine my surprise when they decided to have me stay another night.

The on call today Dr. Turner stopped in and checked on me. She also was not comfortable with the number of contractions that I am having and said I need to stay another night. We had a discussion about children I have at home and she thinks it would be best for me to stay here since a 3 1/2 year old doesn't understand mommy being on bed rest!

Dr. Dornbier and my peri are both supposed to check in on me tomorrow. They will let me know what they think about me going home then. I also have a growth ultrasound on the babies so hopefully that will give them more information to work with.

I really want to make it to May 22 so if I have to bake the babies in here I will do that!!

I've had tons of support with people calling me and stopping by to help me burn the hours.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!

Week 31

2009-04-26T18:59:00.003-05:00

I had an appointment with my OB on Tuesday. My ankles were closer to cankles it was pretty gross. Since my appointments have been so early in the morning I haven't had a chance to get much water in so my protein is also showing high again. I truly do not want to have to do another 24 hour collection!! Yuk! Anyway Dr. D was a little concerned about my ankles and the fact I had gained 4lbs a week ago Tuesday, 3lbs that Friday, then another 3lbs this Tuesday. I know the babies really start to grow now but this is ridiculous!

My second appointment this week was on Friday. I had a massage on Wednesday and had Barry work on my legs for a while to try and get rid of the excess water weight. I also woke up early enough to get 40 oz. of water in before my appointment. My ankles looked much better and my protein came back normal.

We did a quick look at the babies via ultrasound. They did a biophysical profile test (BPP) on Baby C (the small one) to make sure she was doing OK. She scored 8 out of 8! Yay! The ultrasound tech also said look at her diaphragm moving up and down - she was practicing breathing. That is also fantastic news. For the other babies they just checked to see they were still breathing, moving, and that the amniotic fluid in the sac still looked good. It all did. The scary thing is my cervix is down to 2.51 - if it goes below 2.5 I think that means bed rest all the time. I prefer my modified bed rest where I can actually get out and do one small outing each day.

We have another OB appointment on Tuesday, on Friday morning we see the perinatologist, and Friday afternoon we see the OB again. We just need to make it 4 more weeks!!! I am shooting for May 22 so if you are praying please use that same date.

Thanks to everyone for your emails, phone calls, and prayers. It is much appreciated.

Week 30

2009-04-18T17:34:00.000-05:00

This week begins my new job "going to the Dr.". I saw my OB on Tuesday, the Perinatologist on Thursday, and the OB again on Friday. Everything remains as it should be at this point in the pregnancy. On Tuesday Dr. Dornbier said my cervix is softening but did not seem concerned. I think that is par for the course and my body's way of getting ready to deliver the babies.

The growth scan on Thursday (29 weeks 5 days) went well with the babies weighing the following:

Baby A Boy- 3lbs 2 oz 29 weeks 4 days
Baby B Girl - 3lbs 5 oz 29 weeks 5 days
Baby C Girl - 2lbs 6 oz 27 weeks 3 days

I am a little concerned about Baby C but neither the Perinatologist or the OB seemed concerned at this point. She has continued to gain since the last scan and as long as she does that everything will be OK. I will however, have to do a growth scan every 10 days or so now to ensure she keeps growing.

My new fun pregnancy symptom that I don't remember having with Brody is this weird phlegmy noise in the back of my throat when I try and sleep. I guess it is caused by my allergies but the Zyrtec is not helping. I started up my flonase again in the hopes that helps. I feel bad for Dave that he has to listen to it but luckily if he falls asleep it doesn't wake him up. It does unfortunatly wake me up about every hour. I tried sleeping in the recliner and even that did not help. The Perinatologist, bless his heart, took pity on me not sleeping more that an hour at a time for two days and gave me some ambien. On Thursday night I was able to sleep for 6 hours straight!!!! It has been MONTHS since I slept that much at once.

Mimi and Pops arrived from California on Saturday so now all the troops are here. With my parents, Dave's parents and sister's family, my aunt and uncle, and Auntie Rae we should be able to make it the next 5 weeks.

Week 29

2009-04-14T17:29:00.001-05:00

Another appointment today with my OB Dr. Dornbier. Everything checked out fine. The babies must be laying funny because he said I measured 43 weeks. I was only 33 last week so someone is sitting weird. After no weight gain last week I put up an impressive 4lbs on the scale today which I am happy about. Big mommy hopefully equates to big babies. I have a growth scan (ultrasound) on Thursday so we will see then how they are progressing. I also start seeing Dr. D twice a week this week. He did say my cervix is softening but didn't seem to concerned about it. I was also told to limit my activity which he repeated more than once so must have meant it. :) I keep telling him we are going to schedule my c-section for May 22 but he seems to think I will go in for a check up and be sent straight to the hospital. Guess Dave will need to have his lesson plans in order!

The biophysical profile tests start week 31. Unfortunately they do not have the capability to check triplets in my OB's office so I will have to go to the hospital. Good thing they are right across the street from one another.

Mimi and Pops should arrive this weekend. I know Dave is excited about that. I think he is nesting this time instead of me since I am so limited on activity. 6 weeks isn't a whole lot of time to do all the things he wants to accomplish before the triplets get here but he is going to try.

We are still looking for a home for Jackson. If anyone knows of someone who can take him please let me know! I even called the rescue league and they said they would probably just euthanize him which we do not want!

Thanks for all the phone calls and emails. I appreciate everyone's support it keeps me from going bonkers!

You will also notice my belly button - if I were a turkey, I'd be done!!!

Happy Easter

2009-04-14T17:26:00.001-05:00

Well we made it to church for Easter. The babies really enjoyed Pastor Foss's sermon and showed this by having dance party USA in my tummy during this time. Mental note: taking a picture upwards is not the most flattering position in the world. Don't my two boys look handsome???

Week 28

2009-04-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

I saw Dr. Dornbier today. I thought for sure after my fun in the hospital this last week I would be told I was only allowed to go to the bathroom. I think it helped that I brought Auntie Rae and promised him that she was taking care of me and my family. Thanks Auntie Rae!!
I was told that for every hour I am up I need to rest for 4. I should have gone to medical school since that is pretty much what I have been doing anyway on the day's I wasn't working! :P)
My iron went from 9.7 to 10.4. I need to get it up to 11 so that means I need to keep taking the iron pills.
My protein was high today. Probably because I had juice with my breakfast and no other water to speak of. I usually drink a bunch of water before my appointment. So I have a bucket I get to collect my sample all day tomorrow. Yay - exciting!
I am still trying to figure out the camera - hope to have the pics posted tomorrow.
Thanks again for everyone's support!!

Week 27

2009-04-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

I am a bit behind here as I have been resting a LOT!! I ended up overdoing it on Thursday 3/26. We called our neighbor Vicki to come over about 11pm and sit with Brody for an hour while we went to Mercy to ensure the contractions I was having were going to stop. Thanks Vicki! Luckily they did and we got sent home but I was told to do nothing all weekend. I followed orders.
On Tuesday, March 31 (Happy Birthday Daver) I had my regular OB appointment that included a trans-v ultrasound to check the length of my cervix. My regular Dr. was out of the office so I saw Dr. Hancock. He told me my cervix was funneling and he needed to make sure I wasn't having a bunch of contractions I didn't know about. He said "We are going to need to have you in for overnight observation." to which I responded, "Where?" What a goof ball! He told me the hospital and I started crying because I thought I was doing such a good job and the last thing on my mind was going straight from the Dr. to the hospital. That is the last time I am going to a Dr. appointment by myself! I ended up staying overnight (25 hours) and having some braxton hicks contractions but not enough to warrant my staying in the hospital. PTL! My bed is WAY more comfortable. They did give me two steroid shots 24 hours apart in case the babies do come it gives them a better chance. They also did another fetal fibernectin test that came out negative.
I am no longer working which is probably good since it was getting really hard for me to sit up for longer than an hour or so. I felt pretty bad though since my backup was on vacation and I was trying to hold out until he came back.
I got a new camera and as soon as I figure out how to download the pictures to my laptop I will upload them to the blog.
Thanks to everyone for your support during this time! I have the best family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers!!

Week 26

2009-03-25T12:22:00.000-05:00

I met with my OB yesterday. Overall it was a good appointment. I passed the glucose test on the first try - PTL! I had a hard enough time sitting there for 1 hour I can't imagine sitting there for 3!!

My belly that measured 32 inches last week measured 37 inches this week. I put on 5 lbs in two weeks!!! That is my largest one time gain to date. They did not seem concerned and said I will have spurts like that now. Hopefully all the weight went straight to the babies.

I keep mentioning my back is hurting. Nothing they can do really other than deliver the babies which we obviously don't want to do yet. Dr. D asked me if I was working from home. I said yes, since that way I can work for an hour or two then lay down, then work for an hour, etc. until I get my 4 hours in. He said he could write me down to less but I want to try and tough it out another week or so since my backup is going on vacation. As long as there are not problems it should be OK.

We did another fetal fibernectin test which if it comes back positive I am going on bed rest. Pray for negative for me please!!

My iron levels were at 9.7 and they want them to be at 11 so I have to take iron supplements. It is crazy how many supplements I am taking. I have to take my vitamins in the am, can't take the iron with that so have to take the iron at lunch, then I take the folic acid (can't take that with the vitamins either) at dinner time with my second iron pill. Yikes!

My blood pressure is still within my normal range so I am VERY HAPPY about that!!

I was told I am no longer to go grocery shopping. Dave can do just about anything to back me up but grocery shopping is not his strong point. The next few weeks should be interesting!

Week 25

2009-03-20T11:34:00.001-05:00

We had a good checkup yesterday (March 19). Everything looks good and everyone is on track. My only concern is my cervix is down to 3CM from 4CM. The ultrasound tech said she would be happy with 3CM at 26 weeks (I'm actually 25w 5d) with someone carrying a singleton. I just know my OB said if I get down to 2CM I am on bed rest. I am trying to avoid that at all cost!

Here are the babies sizes:

Baby boy A = 1lb. 13oz. measuring 26w 1d
Baby girl B = 1lb. 14oz. measuring 25w 5d
Baby girl C = 1lb. 10oz. measuring 25w 0d

They had me make an appointment for 4 weeks out to do another growth ultrasound. I saw the other perinatologist in the practice. He said something like "You are hardly showing at all" to which I thought "If I could get out of this chair without assistance I would kiss him!!"

My glucose test is next week. I failed the first time with Brody and had to do the 4 hour test. I assume that will happen again. I am not sure how I can sit somewhere for 4 hours though!

Dave has been home for the week for spring break. I think he is actually seeing now how much rest I require just to be able to get up for an hour or two at night to fix (reheat) dinner and maybe do the dishes.

I am still doing half days of work from home. I plan to do that as long as I can without any negative impacts.

I almost forgot to mention - I've started having braxton hicks contractions the last two nights or so. Nothing to worry about according to the Peri. He said my uterus is the size of a 32 week singleton so that would be time for that to happen in a normal pregnancy in order to get ready for labor.

Week 24

2009-03-20T11:22:00.000-05:00

We saw the OB on Wednesday, March 11. All tests came back normal. We did a fetal fibronectin test this time. This test, if positive, is supposed to tell if you will be going into labor in the next 48 hours. Mine came back negative! I start going to the Dr. every week now because statistically pre-term labor issues begin starting week 24.

As you can see the Linea Nigra has started to show. That is the line between what is left of my belly button and my nether regions. :O)

It looks like I will be working most of my 4 hours from home now. It is getting to the point where I cannot sit up for longer than 2 hours without a lot of pain in my upper back area. Thank God for VPN and a flexible work environment!

Week 23

2009-03-05T17:08:00.000-06:00

Well it finally happened - I passed the 20lb mark and boy can I tell!! I have trouble sitting at my desk or in meetings for long periods of time. It is hard for me to breathe. Dr. D. (my OB) wrote me down to 20 hours a week. Thank goodness!! This means I can lay down on a heating pad which is about the only thing that helps right now. I have a nurse from work who calls and checks on me periodically - she was surprised I was still working as many hours as I was. I plan to only go into the office on days when I have lots of meetings.

Week 21

2009-03-05T17:00:00.000-06:00

I think by the end of this pregnancy I may be an outy! I had a perinatologist appointment this week with a level 2 ultrasound. They measure everything and check for all vital organs, etc. Triple confirmation on a boy and two girls. They each weigh about 1lb which is actually a little ahead of where a singleton would be expected to be at this point. I am down to 32 hours a week now. My wonderful, understanding, kind boss is letting me work 1 day from home so I don't have to use any vacation days and can save those for when the babies come. Thanks Brad!!

Week 20

2009-03-05T16:56:00.000-06:00

I had an OB appointment this week. Everything is going well. They did a check of my cervix and it is a 4 which is really good. My masseuse gave me this awesome pillow that looks like an elephant. I haven't slept this well in weeks! The knot of muscle on my hip is not burning when I lay on it anymore since I have other options for sleeping now. Dave wonders how long he will be able to stay in bed with us!!

Week 19

2009-03-05T16:51:00.000-06:00

I am not sure what happened to the last two weeks but I am pretty sure it had to do with me laying down most of the time when Dave was home and could take the picutre. Not too much has changed other than my poor belly button looks like it has an eyelid now. When Dave rubs the budda he has to rub around the belly button because it is tender.

Belly shots week 16

2009-03-05T16:41:00.000-06:00

I read a really neat blog on the triplets website where the lady took weekly belly shots. I did monthly with Brody but thought what a neat idea. Here is my attempt at weekly belly updates. Notice the cute inny belly button is already starting to have pulled effect.

Post number 1

2009-03-05T16:21:00.000-06:00

So people have been asking me for months if I am going to start up a blog. I suppose it is probably the best way to share images of my girth, I mean growth and how the babies are doing. Let's give this a try. Amy