23 Weeks - What A Rough Week!

Made it to 23 weeks!!!! Only one more week to reach viability... Hurray!!!

The past week really has not been been easy for me at all! I had my ultrasound appointment on Friday, November 1st. It should have been less then an hour but of course the girls were no cooperating and therefore the ultrasound lasted 2 hours and they still were unable to get all the measurements that they wanted to get. However, the Doctors weren't concerned and did say that the babies look and are doing great growth wise. Yay!!!! After my appointment I was starting to feel a little sick like maybe a cold was coming so I tried to drink up my vitamin C and lots of water. That night I ate Pizza for dinner and went straight to bed without digesting the food so needless to say I was so sick to my stomach that I didn't sleep a minute on Friday night. On Saturday my husband I headed out early to Voorhees so that we could order our cake for the Baby Shower. We get there, order the cake and then realize that we don't have the owl pictures for the cake. We go to Target down the street, I turned my purse inside out searching for my USB only to remember that I left it at home connected to the computer - an hour away from where we were. Frustrated and cranky from having no sleep the night before I tell my husband to forget about it and that I would come during the week to bring the picture. At this point it is 11am and we are on our way home. I'm now frustrated, disappointed, cranky and starving. I huffed and puffed, I moaned, I twisted and turned in my seat. Tito was annoyed and I started crying as it suddenly hit me that I don't function with no sleep and once the triplets are home I'm pretty sure I'm going to have many sleepless nights - that thought started the water works! On Sunday I woke up feeling like a truck ran me over. The cough and stuffiness were horrible and I couldn't take anything for it. I stayed in bed until about 3pm. I was getting ready to go have dinner with my parents when I started feeling my stomach tighten and then loosen. I got scared when I realized that it was happening very often (about every 3-5 minutes). I called the Doctors emergency line and within 3 minutes my OBGYN was calling me back. She told me to drink 3 glasses of water and to lay on my left side immediately. I did what she said and I felt better instantly. I was still having some Braxton Hicks here and there but nothing major. On Monday, I went to training for work and started having the Braxton Hicks every 1-2 minutes. I called again and was told to go straight to the hospital. I was scared, nervous, angry, annoyed but I managed to get to the hospital with Tito. From the second I walked into the hospital I was treated so well! They took me quickly, ran some blood work, strapped to the contraction machine, checked all the babies heart beats and connect me to the IV. My contractions were exactly 2 minutes a part - with no pain. The first bag of IV was on fast flow and within 45 minutes was completely into my system. By the end of the 2nd bag my contractions were about 20 minutes apart. The Doctor came in and said that my body was in distress (overworked) and that I was extremely dehydrated. I was discharged on the condition that I would leave and drink a 12 ounce bottle of water every hour on the dot for the following 72 hours. I was so so so so happy to not get admitted and so happy to know that I was getting better. I went straight home and stayed in bed the rest of the night. I'm finally feeling better. But it's time to let things go. My body is telling me to relax and rest and that's exactly what I'm doing to do. I know many people won't understand but I have to do what I have to do. I'm not carrying one baby here... I'm carrying 3! I've been having these anxiety feelings in my chest every now and then and I was told that this was due to my body being in distress and working for three babies....So it's been a crazy week, my cold didn't help at all with the dehydration. I had many sleepless nights. Someone people really tested my patience with their craziness and ridiculousness. I was cranky, annoyed and felt like hitting everyone in the face with a chair... but then I told myself that it's just all the hormones, its the pregnancy, this really isn't you Jackie... LOL I found myself talking my emotions down at least 1 to 2 times a day.... Don't mind me... LOL ... Heres to a better week...

Baby Shower
Man o Man.... I have been very busy this past week with preparations for the baby shower this upcoming Saturday. My house looks like Party City threw up in here. There are centerpieces, favors, glue guns, glue sticks, feathers, table clothes, cups, plates etc. On Tuesday (the Holiday) my mother and I went out and finalized the cake order. We also ordered the subs. I know you must be thinking why I'm so involved in planning my own shower.... I have really bad OCD and I'm not the type of person that can sit around waiting and counting on other people to do something for me, therefore I did it myself. It doesn't help that since I'm excepting triplets it would be kind of hard to surprise me with a shower when no one knows when I'll be on house arrest, I mean bed rest. LOL... All in all, its all coming together and I'm so excited to spend this Saturday with my friends and family and all those who were our cheerleaders throughout the many years of trying to conceive. PS: I'm also so so so so so so so excited and happy that my husband will have a few of his cousins at the shower. I'm just to happy that he will have family of his own there. I'm sure he's just as excited.

Statistics:
Week 22 - 162 lbs
Week 23 - 167 (I gained 5 pounds this past week!)
Cravings - Vanilla soft serve ice cream on a cone ;)
Baby Movement - Oh I feel them all the time! The twins are in the upper part of my belly and Hadassah is laying right under my belly button.
Frustrations - At night when I need to turn over or get up to go to the bathroom my muscles are sore and cause lots of pain. Not to mention those darn charlie horses.

Here is my belly shot for this week:

I know... It's not "winter" yet but these are one the only comfy

pants that fit me still. LOL 

Here is Hadassah's Profile <3

Here is Isabella's profile <3

Cianna would not cooperate, but here's her beautiful Spinal Cord.

And here is my baby Rocky who loves my maternity pillow. 

Well that's it for now.

Xoxo,

Jackie

22 Weeks

Hey everyone!

Here we are at 22 weeks!!!! So happy and grateful to be here. Big accomplishment!!!!! It's been a quiet and peaceful week. No doctor appointments or complications - Praise the Lord! I am starting to get some pressure here and there but usually because I'm walking or up on my feet for too long. My body is starting to tell me when I've done too much - and this tends to happen everyday! Work is getting harder to do. I'm filled with energy in the mornings but by noon I'm ready for a 5 hours power nap. By the time I get home I'm exhausted and go straight to bed. Needless to say I'm counting down the days to my maternity leave. November 15th is my last day at work which means that including today, I have 13 business days however I've got two holidays, 3 days off and 1 day of training so that only leaves 7 actual office days left to work... YAY!!!! I can't wait! I'm ready to do absolutely nothing but rest and get ready for these girls. 

Maternity Photo Shoot
Tito and I had our maternity photo shoot this past Saturday, October 26th with our good friend Sabrina! The photo shoot was scheduled way in advance and we had no idea what the weather would be like on the actual day of the shoot. The weather was in the low 50's but it was very very very windy. I had a one shoulder strap dress and I bared the cold for almost an hour and a half. All worth it in the end as I LOVE our photos. We took so many pictures and posses. I only have a few right now but as soon as I get the rest I'll post some more up. Here are my 3 favorites so far:

 Photo by: Sabrina Lee Photography

 Photo by: Sabrina Lee Photography

Photo by: Sabrina Lee Photography

Basic Updates:
Last weigh in at 21 weeks = 158 lbs.
Weigh in at 22 weeks = 162 lbs (I gained 4 pounds!)
Cravings: Ice Cream!
My belly is feeling heavier and heavier as the days go by, here it is:

Upcoming Events:

1. November 1st, 2013 - Ultrasound with the Specialist to finish my Level II scan since the girls weren't cooperating the last time. 

2. November 2nd, 2013 - My uncle Jorge in Delaware is having his last service as a pastor and I will be in attendance. I can't wait to celebrate him!

3. November 9th, 2013 - Family and Friends Baby Shower - OMG I've been so busy doing last minute stuff for this. This weekend is project "Get the Favors Done." LOL 

Next Update: I'll definitely be updating again on November 1st after my appointment =) Stay Tuned!

21 Weeks

We've made it another week!!! Praise the Lord...

Anatomy Scan / Level 2 - October 21st, 2013
I had my Level 2 scan (also known as the Anatomy Scan). The usual length of time it takes is about 45 minutes to an hour for one baby. My scan took almost 4 hours! They measured everything!!!! They measured fingers, hands, toes, ankles, femur, head, brain, heart, kidneys etc. Each baby gave us a run for our money on certain parts and therefore I have to go back in two weeks for another scan but all in all they all look great! They are growing well and at 11 ounces already! I can't believe how big and human like they look now. We can confirm that they are all girls indeed. Over all the appointment went very well and for the first time since the beginning of this pregnancy I left smiling with good news!

Baby Names
So Tito and I thought that we should share the names as they are official! Each name was picked out personally by the two of us and for very special reasons. Baby A is Hadassah. Hadassah means one who brings joy and deliverance. We have chosen this name from years ago. I have always loved the story of Esther/Hadassah and everything she stood for. After our long long long journey of trying to conceive Hadassah came along and delivered us from the dry land of no conception and has brought us so much joy already! Baby B is Isabella. Isabella means oath of God; promise of God. The Bible says the no child of God (woman of God) shall be barren! Children are an inheritance and are promised by God! I was promised my children over 3 years ago and here they are! We also love this name because it incorporates my grandmother's name Isabel. Baby C is Cianna. Cianna means for God is gracious! And boy has He been nothing but gracious! We can't wait to meet our baby girls! Here they are at 20 weeks and 5 days:

Hadassah

Isabella

Cianna

Work Baby Shower

I had my work baby shower yesterday, October 22, 2013. I was blessed with many gifts for the girls. It was such an awesome turn out considering my line of work! My unit did such a great job decorating and providing snacks and goodies to everyone. One of my co-workers took pictures at the shower so I have to wait for her to send them to me. But I did get two pictures of some of the gifts I got. 

Teethers, toys, bibs, head bands, booties and hair clips, pampers, wipes, detergent.

Bath items, Converse booties, blankets, wipe travel holder, bottle cleaner etc.

Sleepers and Onesies!!!! One of the onuses says "someday my prince will come."

Tito said, "not for a long time." LOL

Blessings All Around
Yesterday I got a call that someone has "taken care" of all three of my cribs! I don't know who the person is as they want it to be a surprise but I'm so very thankful and grateful! I couldn't stop crying yesterday. God is good all the time and he always supplies our needs! Whoever you are, I'm sure I'll know soon, THANK YOU!!!! I've also been blessed by many friends who are passing down their daughters clothes and baby items. I'm so so so so so grateful! Keep them coming ;)

Overall Feelings
I'm feeling well. I'm much more tired then usual and finding it hard to move around for a long period of time. I'm in some pain which I'm not sure what it is caused by. I can't tell if its my bone or muscle but I'm calling it in either way. Keep us in your prayers.

What's Coming Up Next
My maternity photo shoot is this Saturday! We are all so excited!!!!!

Here's my belly shot for 21 weeks:

XOXO,
Jackie

Half Way Point 20 Weeks

We have made it to the half way point - 20 weeks!!! I am so thankful and grateful to God for allowing my husband and I this amazing opportunity to bring to life to his three daughters... yeah I might be giving birth to them and raising them but they are ultimately God's daughters! So much is happening right now and so many changes occurring!

20 Week Check Up
I had a 20 week check up at the obgyn on Monday, October 14th. My husband was finally off and able to go with me. We met Dr. Minter and LOVED her! They checked my weight, sugar and blood pressure and everything was great! There are no concerns right now for gestational diabetes or high blood pressure - Praise the Lord! My belly got measured but I was to sleepy to pay attention and I missed the measurement. We got to hear all three heartbeats! Baby C had the hiccups - so cute! At first it was very hard to get the heartbeats due to the girls constantly moving around but they settled down enough to catch their heartbeats. Baby A and Baby B were in the low 130's and Baby C was around 143!!!!! We are truly on cloud 9 with these precious girls. I can't believe how much I love the girls. Nothing in the world could have ever prepared me for this love!

MATERNITY LEAVE
I got confirmation from my obgyn that if all goes well my last day of work is going to be November 15th, 2013. I'm truly looking forward to going out of work. I love what I do but lately it's gotten really hard for me to truly do my job when I'm 100% sleepy by noon and often times cramping. I think I've worked late every other day for the past 2-3 weeks and that's not good for me or the babies. So I'm counting down the days to maternity leave from work. Also, for those who know me well, know that I'm very active in my church with a School of Worship Arts (dance/mime) and of course Kids Church. Sadly, it's time to take maternity leave from those two as I have no time to rest and by the time Friday evening comes I'm completely worn out and in pain. It breaks my heart to be so restricted but I know that it is only for a season.

BABY REGISTRY
Omg! I never thought a baby registry would be so darn hard to complete, especially when you're planning for three. Tito and I started our registry in August and we just finished it! Actually, I still go on occasionally and change/add items. The first day we went to Babies R'Us, Tito and I were in there for almost 3 hours. At one point I just sent him to scan stuff... LOL He's picky and so am I ... therefore it was a very intense 3 hours! But we made it! We are officially registered at Babies R'Us and Target!

WORK BABY SHOWER
My co-workers are throwing me an office shower on October 22, 2013 (just next Tuesday). I asked them not to but they won't listen to me. I hate attention and I hate opening gifts in front of people, especially co-workers you know? But it is what it is and they are so happy and excited to throw it that I just can't pull them from throwing that darn thing. LOL

FAMILY BABY SHOWER
For those who truly know me, you know that I suffer from some serious OCD, therefore I have planned my entire baby shower myself! Yes, I designed, printed and mailed all the invitations myself. The centerpieces are done and the favors are coming along. I even planned the simple meal. I have harassed my maternal aunts with possible shower dates and booking a hall. My baby brain did show up during this process as I addressed many invitations as "Mr. & Mr." instead of "Mr. & Mrs." And I even mailed two invitations without the address so they came back to me. Other than that, everything seems to be coming along. I just pray and hope that people actually come and show up, you know? LOL The original date was scheduled for December 7th, 2013 but due to possibly having to go on hospital rest around that time, I had to reschedule the shower for November 9th, 2013. But I'm super excited to celebrate the coming of the triplet girls with family and friends.

My Statistics:
Pre-pregnancy weight (as of June 1st) - 147 lbs.
Current weight - 156 lbs.
Maternity Clothing Size - Still a small =)
Movement - As of today, 20 wks, I can feel the babies movements from the outside! So cool!
Cravings - Anything with cheese! I love cheese and strawberry milk!
Next Appointment - Gender Scan / Level 2 Scan on Monday, October 21st, 2013!!!!

Like always we ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts. Everyone one of them counts.

XOXO,
Jackie

From the beginning...

Early on in life we are taught about std's, teen pregnancies, abortions, aids, and so much more. We picture a life where pregnancy is easily achieved and often times unwanted. In my home I was taught "first comes love, then comes marriage and then comes a baby in a baby carriage." So I always thought that I would grow up, find a man who would love me and I him. I thought that we would get married and bam... get pregnant whenever we wanted because hey, pregnancy is 'easy' to achieve. Love, marriage and pregnancy weren't easy for me though...

I fell in love with a boy when I was just 11 years old. I was on a missionary trip and he was older and thought I was just a pesky little girl. Yet as young as I was I told my mother and father that I was going to marry that boy! The summer after my 16th birthday I found myself face to face with the same young man on a vacation to Puerto Rico. I was no longer a pesky child and he longer saw that. For two weeks he came everyday to see me, don't laugh but he even took me to see Shriek at the movies, hahahaha I crack up even now! The point is that there was interest on both parts and on my last night of the vacation I was asked to stay the rest of my summer with his pastor's family and I gladly took up the offer! A month later we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Nothing was easy after that. The summer came to an end and I had to go back to Florida while he stayed in Puerto Rico. We dated long distance for an entire year! It was hard, challenging and frustrating. He would come to visit but that wasn't enough, I wanted to see him everyday. I wanted to go on dates. You know the usual. So a month before I went to Puerto Rico, after a year of long distance love, I told him "after my summer vacation in PR, my family and i are moving to New Jersey and the next time you come to visit me, it will be to stay." Turns out he was thinking the same. During my stay that summer he proposed, he packed his things and came to live in New Jersey with my family.  Two years later, I only 19 and he only 25  got married on August 3rd, 2007! 

So we fell in love, we married and the next step was supposed to be easy. According to my obgyn, pregnancy for the average couple should occur within 3 to 6 months of trying to conceive. We started 'trying' in February 2008. We prayed, we fasted and nothing. I started a medication called Clomid in August 2008 which was supposed to help us get pregnant. I did 50mg for three months... nothing. I did 75mg for another three months and nothing! At this point I cried myself to sleep every night. Six couples from my church were currently expecting, many on their first  try of trying. I felt my hope, my faith fade away. But I'm not an easy quitter and my husband and I decided to try another round. I did 150mg for another three months and still nothing. So we tried 200mg, the highest dose aloud and still nothing! We took a break and decided to just focus on each other. During this time people kept telling us that now that we weren't trying it would happen. It never did. In September 2009, God used a mighty woman of His to speak a word over my husband and I. I remember as she placed her hand on my womb and declared healing over it. She stretched our arms out as far as they would go and said "further than you can see, you shall be blessed and multiplied." My husband and I took a few months to pray and seek the Lord and in April 2010 we walked into South Jersey Fertility and began the process of assisted conception. From April to October I had three IUI's but never fell pregnant. I became angry and bitter. I couldn't stand the sight of other pregnant women or babies. I literally felt my heart grow cold and hard towards the Lord and I knew that was just wrong. In November a close friend going through similar treatments recommended her doctor at Delaware Valley Institute of Fertility & Genetics. I made an appointment for April 2011.

From April 2011 to June 2012 I did no treatments... instead my new Fertility specialist dedicated the year to running test on me and my husband. I had everything you can think of done and tested. One blood test alone took 22 vials of blood! And every test came back normal. They couldn't find anything wrong. We were labeled "unexplained infertility." We tried to do three IUI cycles with the aid of Fertility injections, which by the way took my fear of needles away quickly! But I would over stimulate and the cycle would get cancelled. The last IUI cycle was in December 2012. I overstimulated so much that the center converted my treatment to In-Vitro. I transferred two embryos that month. But I was working, stressed, unprepared, tired, and submitting my finals for my Masters Degree. Sadly the cycle didn't work. My specialist wanted us to do another cycle in February 2013 but I asked for time.

On June 1, 2013 I started my injections for my official In-Vitro cycle. I was a text book patient. The medications were working and on June 13th I had my retrieval. I yielded 10 mature follicles!!!! On the 14th I got a call that all 10 follicles fertilized. I was told that if the embryos did well over night then I would have a 5 day transfer. Unfortunately, I got a call the following morning instructing my husband and I to go in on June 16th for a 3 day transfer. I was worried and scared. Would this work? We went in on the 16th at 2:00pm. The specialist suggested to transfer our top 3 embryos. My husband almost choked, "three!!!" The specialist left us alone to decide on one, two or three. I remember looking at my husband with glassed over eyes and saying, "I'm tired of trying and trying. Let's do the three, if this doesn't work then hopefully we'll have one or two frozen embryos to transfer in August and if that doesn't work then we are done. I can't do this anymore." So we agreed on three! The transfer was quick and easy and thankfully painless. We went home and I took a seat on the couch - my home for the next 5 days! I was so positive that it worked. Until Wednesday the 19th... I got a call from the center informing me that the remaining 7 embryos did not make it to freezing point. I remember crying so hard. My mother and cousin were home for lunch and those poor two didn't even know what to say or do. I cried, "if those didn't make it, of they didn't survive then what makes  anyone think that the three embryos inside of me will stick?" My mother, being the all knowing mother that she is replied, "maybe God didn't want you to waste money on freezing embryos that you aren't going to need because the one or more of the three in you will stick and be your children." I moped around from Wednesday to Friday night. On Saturday the 22nd of June, I snuck out of bed and tested on a First Response test... POSITIVE!!!! I went to bed and woke up Tito. I put the test so close to his eyes that he didn't even know what I was showing him. I just kept yelling, "do you see it, do you see it, do you see the line?" I tested every morning from the 22nd to the 27th and everyday the test was darker! On the 27th I had a blood test to confirm and positive!!!!

On July 5th I had my first ultrasound and we saw two sacs... Twins!!! We were so happy and so shocked and so scared! Then I got sick and started bleeding. I was scared that I was losing the babies. I went on July 19th for an ultrasound and everything was fine, except the ultrasound tech started laughing and showed me that I was no longer having twins.... one of the embryos had split and there was a third baby hiding in the back... TRIPLETS!!!!! Two identical and one fraternal! Say what? I couldn't believe my eyes. Thank God my mother was there to keep me calm because I could feel the panic! None the less triplets it is for my husband and I... we look at it as one child for every two years that we tried to get pregnant. We never did the treatments with an expectation of having multiples, we did the treatments with hope and faith believing that God would grant us a child that we wanted so much, God just has bigger plans than what we planned.

It hasn't been easy getting here. It sure wasn't anything like we thought it would be. I've cried many tears even now during this pregnancy that hasn't den easy either. At times I lost my faith, hope and even desire to continue forward. But I thank God for the support, friends, family and co-workers that have been praying for my husband and I even before and during my In-Vitro and especially now during this pregnancy. I couldn't have asked for more love and kindness even from many who I don't know personally but have still taken it upon themselves pray for us.

Follow us here as we continue to document our journey...

With so much love,
Jackie