So long old friends...

Today I had to say goodbye to some dear old friends. It may not sound like much to most people, but to me it is a sad farewell. Today I had to part with my acrylic nails. I have been getting my nails done regularly since I was 15 years old. I've been through many changes from regular acrylic, to white tips, to pink and white or solar nails. I've been seeing the same nail lady since 1997. She is more than just a nail technician, she is a family friend. My nails are a part of my identity and now they are gone. I decided the nails had to go for a of couple reasons. First, I can no longer devote the time it takes to get my nails done. Time will be in even shorter supply once the babies get here. Plus I'm exhausted just getting up and getting a shower. So making it to the nail salon is extra effort I just can't devote right now. Finally, acrylic nails can be very expensive to maintain and we need to save every penny we can. The extra expenses of diapers, formula, child care, and more will be on us before we know it. So I bid farewell to my precious nails for now. But never fear, we will be together again someday old friends.

Back to the doc- 27 weeks

27 weeks?! How in the world did I get here? I'm just a week away from the next (and a very big) milestone. Very exciting! On Tuesday I was back to MFS for an ultrasound. I go again in 2 weeks and then will start going weekly. At 32 weeks I will start going twice a week. This visit was a great one! Each heart rate for each baby is perfect. Luke finally showed the ultrasound tech his spine so they were able to wrap up the anatomy scan for all 3 babies. It's only taken them 5 visits! Most just get one anatomy scan. My babies are very uncooperative and always seem to be in the wrong position! We did get profile pics of Jake and Luke at the visit but couldn't get any of Sarah. We also tried to get some 3-D pics of their faces but all 3 babies were laying face down toward my spine and we could not get them to turn. What do these children have against their pictures being taken??? The tech also checked my cervix and it is still long and closed- 3.7cm. That's close to what it was 2 weeks ago so none of the contractions or cramping is changing my cervix. The doctor was very pleased with this. She said she sees many women just carrying singletons that don't have those kind of numbers at 27 weeks. Good news! Also, my blood pressure was good and the 24 hour urine test was negative for protein. More good news! The prayers and good thoughts from all our friends and family are helping us tremendously. Please keep them coming. Enjoy the pics of Jake and Luke.

Baby Showers

Ok I promised I'd update about the fun baby showers I've had in the last 2 weeks. The first was an awesome party planned by Meredith MacKenzie. My sorority sisters came from all over Georgia and a few from out of state- Dana from Delaware and Megan from Virginia. We even got 9 month preggers Chantal to Skype into the shower from Vancouver! It was like she was really there. We played a couple fun games- name the baby food (gross) and a quiz about this blog. I found out so many of my sistas read the blog! We got so many neat gifts. I love you gals. Here's a group shot and a pic of Mee Jean and I with our big bellies. Well, mine is big. Isn't it funny she and I are due at roughly the same time?! She's having a little boy.

This past weekend Elizabeth hosted a shower at her house. We had yummy food and lots of laughs. Kurt came along for part of the shower and helped open a few gifts. It was great to have Dad and Elizabeth's friends and family celebrate with us. Kurt's mom Mary also brought some of her good friends, one lady we hadn't seen since the wedding. It was fun to get caught up with everyone. Below is a pic of me opening a gift from Kurt's Aunt Ginny. The other is a pic of the cake that had all the babies initials on it. It was so creative!!

Here is a photo from our dining room where we've been stacking the gifts from our showers. I think we need to get a bigger house for all the gifts. We've been so blessed by all our family and friends. Thank you everyone who had a hand in putting together such amazing baby showers. Kurt and I are so thankful.

Happy Birthday Sweet Angel Baby

Happy Birthday sweet Leyna. I hope you are surrounded by loving angels. I miss you every day. Although you were in my life such a short time, you made quite an impact. I loved you from the moment I found out about you. You were so loved and wanted by your Dad and me. Well, by all of your family actually. But we know we could not keep you with us here on Earth. God had a special place picked out for you in Heaven. We know, but we still miss you. One year ago today at 8:30pm you were born and then I had to say goodbye to you. I love you sweet baby. Happy Birthday.

Pics of the Nursery Bedding

Just thought I'd drop a quick note to show everyone the bedding we got for the babies. The boys' bedding has bumble bees on it and Sarah's bedding is a garden theme. These are not actual pics of the nursery because we have not yet finished anything in the nursery. These are just stock photos from their website. But enjoy!

Not too jovial this week

Last Sunday my sorority sisters from UGA put together an awesome baby shower. The fabulous Meredith MacKenzie played hostess even though she and Adam just moved into a new house. I will post lots of details and pics soon but just haven't had the heart to do it.

Maybe it's the hormones or maybe it's to be expected, but I just haven't felt very jovial this week. I've had a lot of fear and anxiety swirling around. First of all, we found out my Uncle Derick (Mom's brother) has a partially malignant brain tumor on his brain stem. In fact, he was just diagnosed this week after having a very painful headache that wouldn't go away. He had surgery on it this evening (Wednesday) and the docs are hopeful they got it all. But we'll have to wait and see how things go. Please say a prayer tonight for him and our family.

Then on top of that, my blood pressure is elevated despite my best efforts at bed rest. I spent today with my OB doc and they are not concerned enough to admit me to the hospital (thank God!) unless my 24 hour urine specimen shows protein. Sorry if that's TMI but there's no graceful way to say it. So tomorrow I'll be peeing in a cup all day- oh joy. As long as that is clean as well as some other blood work, I can continue modified bed rest at home. Please pray this is what the doctor orders.

Also, many of you may remember this is right around the time we lost Leyna last year. We found out on November 21, 2008 that she had passed away and I delivered her the following day at Piedmont-Fayette Hospital. This is such a bittersweet time. I am so thankful to be pregnant with these 3 little miracles in my belly but still grieving the loss of our first daughter. When my blood pressure shot up, I started to panic fearing I could lose Sarah, Luke, and Jake just like we lost Leyna. I don't know if that fear will ever subside until I'm holding those 3 sweet miracles in my arms.

Now that I've been seen by my doctor and we have a plan in place, I am breathing a little easier. Please pray for Derick and our family, for the triplets, for my good health, and for Leyna. And I promise to have a lighter post soon.

Kurt & Sarah

Something really cool happened last night. I was laying on my side in the bed and Sarah started kicking like crazy. So Kurt decided to see if he could get her to interact with him. He started by jostling her slightly then pausing to see if she would move. And she did! Then she'd be still and wait for him to jostle again. Then when he paused she'd kick in response. They did this back and forth for like 10 minutes. It was the cutest thing. We were both giggling. I can only imagine what Sarah was thinking. She already has Kurt wrapped around her little finger- lol.

The dreaded glucose meter!

Last week I was scheduled to do the 2 hour glucose tolerance test. The day before the test my OB Dr. Wooten decided he didn't want me to take the test after all. His rationale was that if I passed the test he would still worry about gestational diabetes because of the high-risk multiple pregnancy and if I failed the test it meant I already had gestational diabetes. Either way, Dr. Wooten wants me to be closely monitored. So he decided to cancel the test and just get me started on a meter. I am in no way excited about having to stick myself every day to measure my blood sugar but my main concern is keeping my babies safe. I will do whatever it takes to get all 4 of us through this pregnancy as healthy as possible. I took my very first readings today- one after breakfast and one after dinner. After digesting breakfast my reading was 98 and 110 after digesting my dinner. Both are great according to the booklet from the doctor. So while it's a pain to do this every day, it's great to know I'm right where I need to be.

Back to the doc- 25 weeks

So for the 3rd time in a row (are we jinxed??) the city of Atlanta is under a flash flood watch on the day we have to go to the doctor. The rain is coming down in buckets, the roads are flooded, and traffic is a mess! But this time we were smart and left more than an hour and half before our appointment and we actually made it on time. Hooray!

All 3 babies look great! They estimated the weights at 1lb 10oz for Sarah, 1lb 14 oz for Jake, and 1lb 9oz for Luke. Usually Luke is the biggest baby but Jake passed him over the past month. Of course the doc did say these weights are only estimates so they could be off by a few ounces for any of the babies. But they are all in the 45th-65th percentile for growth so they are right on track. All 3 heart rates were in the 140's-150's. They measured my cervix and it was a little shorter than last time (3.5cm) but it is still long and closed. The doc was very pleased with my progress at 25 weeks. Also my blood pressure was great (118/80) so being off work and lounging around all day must agree with me! The pics we got today were not great so I'm not going to scan and post them.

Otherwise things are going well with the pregnancy. I can't really complain. Oh wait, yes I can complain...a lot! Actually not too much but being pregnant does get harder every day. My belly measures more than the average pregnant woman at full term. It feels so heavy and it weighs me down. I'm constantly out of breath. I'm not sleeping well either. And the heartburn is no fun! But at least I'm not throwing up anymore. Little victories! I am looking forward to hanging out with my sorority sisters this weekend. They are throwing me a shower and I can't wait!

Baby Shower in Duluth

This Saturday was a fantastic day. My girlfriends from high school threw me an awesome shower and the Dawgs won. Who could ask for anything more?!?! The shower was such a blast! We played games, ate good food, and of course got lots of neat things for the babies. Some of the gifts included a car seat for Sarah, a high chair, lots of diapers, lots of baby clothes, blankets, bottles, things for the nursery, gift cards, and much, much more! Also, Kristy, Carla, and Janna surprised me with a scrapbook they made. It has pics of us growing up, pics of Kurt and I, and pics from the pregnancy. I had to hold back the tears big time! It was such a special and thoughtful gift. Also, another great surprise was seeing my good friend Ashley again after a decade at least. She is every bit the sweet, wonderful person I remembered from school. It was great to get caught up with her. I am such a lucky girl to have all these wonderful people in my life.
The first pic here is a group shot of all my Duluth girls. Then there's a pic of me with my Mom. And the others are from opening gifts.

24 Weeks

Today I've reached another milestone. Today I am 24 weeks pregnant. This is the point when a baby is considered "viable" meaning it could possibly live on its own outside the womb. I could not imagine having a baby this early and born this small. But with all we went through losing Leyna, it eases my mind that these babies are going to be ours to keep. With each milestone I have set forth in my mind, I can breathe a little easier when we sail past them. The first milestone was making it past the point in pregnancy when we lost Leyna. The second milestone is this 24 week "viability" mark. Next, is 28 weeks, a point where most will not suffer long-term complications although they will need a lot of help when they're born. Then is 32 weeks where most babies are healthy they just need a little help with breathing, eating, and staying warm. My preference is that the babies will stay put until their scheduled c-section date at 36 weeks. Only time will tell when we get to meet these sweet little babies. But for today I'm breathing a little easier that my babies are snug as a bug in a rug. Only 84 days until 36 weeks.

Thank you Ginny!

This weekend was a busy one for the Koenig family. Saturday was my 29th birthday and we headed to Duluth the celebrate. After a disappointing football game (I still love you Dawgs), we headed to our favorite Italian restaurant Provino's to celebrate! I got lots of yummy food and some pretty awesome gifts! Sunday, Kurt and I met my Duluth gals- Kristy, Carla (& Sean), Janna, Amanda, and Courtney for brunch. We ate at The Flying Biscuit and it was delicious. On Sunday we also met with Ginny (another triplet mommy whose blog I follow religiously-lol) and her family. Kurt and I bought her triple stroller. Ginny was sad to part with it but glad it was going to a family who will make good use of it. Her triplets are too big for it now. So now we have a stroller to cart our babies around- yay! Now we just need the snap in car seats for it. I hope we get those at one of our upcoming baby showers. Stay tuned. Below is a pic of what our stroller will look like once we get the car seats too. Enjoy!