28 Weeks

As of this morning, we have made it to 28 weeks!! We are very excited about our progress to date. I had an appointment with Dr. Dixon (OBGYN) yesterday and his assessment was that we are doing "amazingly well." My blood levels are fine, my glucose test results are fine, my blood pressure is fine, I have no signs of pre-term labor and in 28 weeks I have only gained 20 lbs. It does not appear that I will be placed on bed rest any time soon. The weight gain is very low for a triplet pregnancy however as you will see later in this post, the boys do not appear to be impacted. As my visit yesterday, Dr. Dixon told me that he was so surprised we have made it all the way to 28 weeks without one hospital visit (knock on wood). Because things are going so well, he decided to go ahead and schedule the delivery, via c-section, for the boys. The target date is 37 weeks and their birthday is currently set for Tuesday, April 22nd at 7:30am!! I am soooo excited to finally have an actual target. 37 weeks is considered full term. So, this will be their birthday unless they decide otherwise between now and then. 9 weeks and counting.....

On February 8th, we also had a visit with the Maternal-Fetal Specialists to check on the babies' growth. As I have been having trouble eating, I was a little worried about how they were growing and was anxious to have this visit. At this point, we were at 26 weeks and the average size of singletons at this point is 1lb and 12 oz. As such, I was expecting the boys were going to weigh in at about 1lb and 6oz. However, the Darnell boys are ready to exceed all expectations! The three of the boys weighed in at 2lbs-8oz (Baby A), 2lbs-5oz (Baby B) and 2lbs-4oz (Baby C). The doctors and I were shocked! Not only are these boys growing well for triplets, they are currently between the 60th and 80th percentile for growth for singletons. Watch out world, here come the Darnell boys!!

The ultrasound experience is not as fun as it use to be. With the weight of these boys increasing every day, it is getting harder and harder to lie on my back for the ultrasound without getting nauseas. So, I spend the hour flipping from side to side trying to get comfortable while still giving the nurse the opportunity to view the babies. As things are getting more crowded in the inn, pictures are not as good as they were during earlier ultrasounds. We were unable to get a photo of Baby A but here are the photos we were able to get.

Baby B

Baby C

With the boys doing well and my physical health also well, let's touch on my mental health at this point. I am excited about these wonderful additions to our family. However, I am very tired at this point. I am still having trouble sleeping and eating is a real challenge. I have not had a good night sleep since around Thanksgiving and my stomach is clearly loosing the real estate battle in my body and the second I eat anything, I am uncomfortably full. At this point, I have to force myself to eat just to get the nutrients in my body. This is not a concern to the professionals as the boys appear to be getting everything they need to be healthy. I guess there is a reason I have been carrying these "reserves" for so many years. Overall, I am becoming more and more uncomfortable every day. When I went to my appointment yesterday, Dr. Dixon joked about my uterus size being approximately 45 weeks pregnant and I only have to get to 60 week before we are ready. However, I state again.... 9 weeks and counting!

I guess this brings everyone up to speed on the status of Team Darnell! I hope everyone is doing well.

Take care,

Kellie

Our Baby Shower

On February 2nd, Team Darnell took a trip to Cocoa Beach for a Baby Shower hosted by Debbie Dorfman and Tracy Little. We spent the afternoon visiting with family and friends, playing games, eating and opening the very generous gifts for the triplets. It was so much fun to see everyone that I had not seen in many months. On the drive there, Mike and I were both talking about how we miss living in Central Florida and visiting with everyone and experiencing the out pouring of support made us miss it even more.

As previously mentioned, the doctor's told us to be prepared for bed rest to begin as early as 26 weeks. As such, we were grateful for the shower to be scheduled ahead of this date. Regardless of impending bed rest, I was glad the shower was held at this point as my expanding belly is making it very uncomfortable for me to travel.

Debbie and Tracy did a wonderful job planning and hosting the shower. Mike and I can not thank them enough for everything they have done to help us prepare for the arrival of these babies. From the nursery to the shower, you both have played a very special role in the lives of these babies and they are not even here yet.

The generosity of everyone that attended and even those that could not attend was astounding. We arrived in our expedition without a second thought about whether we would have enough room to get everything home. Well, we grew concerned as we saw everyone arriving with their gifts. The gifts ranged from bouncers to a swing, playpen to an excersaucer, beautiful clothes to diapers, teddy bears to books, diaper champ to baby monitors, baby bath to changing pad and then there were the monetary gifts.

The Team Darnell theme was utilized at the shower and gifts were given to support the teams that Team Darnell currently supports, the Florida State University Seminoles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers! Check out the cake.....

The boys will have pacifiers, socks and a Seminole Book that will teach them to appreciate the tradition and splendor of the FSU Seminoles...........

Now that they had their Saturday pacifiers, whatever will they wear on Sunday while cheering for their favorite NFL team? Grandma Sally and the Spinales took care of this by providing 3 matching Buccaneer outfits, a Buccaneer receiving blanket, a Buccaneer helmet and if all of this does not ensure these boys are Bucs fans, they will be put to sleep each evening beneath a Buccaneer mobile!
We also received diapers that will help us prepare for the babies. However, not all of the diapers were diapers that can be worn by the babies. At least I don't think these diapers are intended to be worn by the babies. I know I am a new mom of triplets but I know we can not keep up this type of luxury diapers provided by the Yeildings and Hicks......

As if the truck was not full enough, we stopped by Baby's R Us on our way out of Orlando. We took this opportunity to quickly spend our "diaper money" and other monetary gifts. We purchased crib mattresses and the crib sets among other things. As we were rolling out of town, there was not a spare space in the expedition. There was not even enough room for me to recline on the ride home. This made for a very pleasant trip (sarcasm) but when I would turn around and see everything, it made the suffering worth it.

Once we arrived home, Mike and I spent the entire Super Bowl, organizing clothes and putting together all of the new baby items. The house is very close for us to add the babies. I continue to be touched by the generosity of everyone as I walk around the house. I will always remember each of you as the babies swing, bounce, sleep, eat and all other activities with the gifts that were provided.

I again express my appreciation to Debbie and Tracy for everything they have done for us. The baby shower was everything I could have hoped for and more.

It should not be too much longer before the babies are here to appreciate everything! We are striving to make it to at least 36 weeks which is April 15th. It's getting rough on Mama but I just keep thinking of the song in the card that Debbie gave us.... "I will survive!"

Take care,

Kellie