19 & 20 Weeks

I have mentally written, edited and rewritten countless hilarious blogs, unfortunately I never actually typed any of them up and 2 weeks have slipped away. This blog will be informative but largely uninspired.

Last week Trina was finally weaned off her Z0fran pump and is now tube-free. Gone are the days of yanking catheters out and attempting to walk away from expensive machinery that is attached to one's self. The low level of constant nausea she is left with is much easier to deal with than the violent heaving she started out with. Luckily acid reflux has filled in for some of that missing misery. She's now on both Nex1um and M@lox daily. They take some of the edge off but neither have stopped the occasional burst of acid from reaching the back of her mouth or allowed her to lay down within an hour or more of eating. Speaking of laying down, this is about the only comfortable position she can find. Not just anywhere, in bed with a mountain of pillows and props. Standing for more than a few minutes causes major low back pain and sitting is agonizing for any amount of time. Even laying on the couch has become tedious at best. Her belly is now tight as a drum. It's hard to believe that it will get larger than it already has. With everything she's enduring, I can't imagine how she manages to keep such a cheery disposition. She's such an amazing woman. I'm in awe of her. The only thing she complains about is not being able to feel the babies more often. When she concentrates on her body and wills herself to feel them, all she picks up is her heartbeat thundering louder and louder in her ears. At any given time she can feel it in her fingertips, her scalp, her belly, everywhere. If she sits still, she's gently rocked by the force of it. It's insane. Her pulse raced up to 112 beats a minute the other day just by making a PB&J sandwich. Apparently pumping all that extra blood is quite a job.

We got to see the boys at last Wed's peri appointment. They're perfect in every way. Seeing them on screen is just as fascinating as the first time. They are now measuring 4 days ahead, 2 days ahead and right on schedule, respectively. When the tech put the wand to Trina's belly, a mass of tangled limbs popped into view. I was still trying to make heads or tails when she yelped "Oooh, look!" and zoomed in on Baby A's cherubic face "Wait for it...". I was gazing lovingly when out of the blue a tiny foot came down and kicked him in the head, then again and again. His little noggin rocked from the force of it. The tech giggled and made a comment about how we were going to have our hands full. For nearly the whole scan Babies A & B were trading punches and kicks. Baby C on the other hand was lazily stretched out on the top bunk minding his own business. I wonder how this will all translate outside the womb...

19Week Belly, 42", +20lbs

20 Week Belly, 43", +24lbs

Baby Boy A

Baby Boy B

Baby Boy C

I Plead The 5th

So the other day when Trina was getting undressed for bed, I noticed the elastic on her panties left an angry red line across her hip. When I pointed it out, she acknowledged that, yes, they were getting a "little" tight. The next time we went out, I bought her 2 different packages of very soft, comfy looking undies in a larger size. I figured we could get more of whichever she liked better. The next day when I called her from work we had this conversation:

Trina: I opened those panties today and they are really big!

Me: Oh that sucks, I'll get you the next size down on my way home from work.

Trina: No, they fit!

Me: Oh, that's good.

Trina: No it's not good! Have you seen my ass lately??

Me: Uh, yeah...

Trina: Why didn't you tell me it was getting so huge!?!?

Me: Um, because I don't have a death wish? :)

Trina: I hate you.

Me: Why? It's not MY fault your ass is huge.

Trina: Uh, yes it is!

Me: Oh yeah, my bad. :)

18 Week Belly, 42", +17lbs

3 Big Boys & Their Clutzy Mom

Our peri has estimated that the boys weigh 7oz each which means they're measuring 4 days larger than their gestational age. This is very good news. It's also good news that they are all the same size. Watching the ultrasounds is amazing, but it's getting more and more confusing for me. There just seems to be a mass of tangled limbs. I don't know how the tech or doctor keep them all straight. Hands, arms, feet, heads and butts are everywhere. This time the boys were all positioned in a circle with their heads on the outside and their legs towards the middle kicking the crap out of each other. It was like a violent synchronized swimming routine. They were really doing a number on each other. Trina even asked if they were SURE there was a membrane between them. The nice tech pointed it out to us and explained how it was loose and stretchy so while the boys were safe in their owns sacs, they had no trouble encroaching on each others territory. My guess is that will probably never go away. I can hear it now "Mooooooommmmmm! He's TOUCHING me!!"

You'd think that after being tethered to her medication pump for a month now that Trina would be more aware of it. She's not. Anytime she sits down, she sets the pump next to her so she doesn't have to wear it. At least half of the time when she gets up to leave, she forgets it's attached until she runs out of line and feels the catheter tug. Sometimes this is too late to stop it from hitting the floor and ripping the site out of her leg. Wed she tried walking away from the ultrasound table without the damn thing and I had to catch it with my lightening fast reflexes before it dropped to the ground. I was like a ninja! Twice now she has ripped it out while lowering her pants in public restrooms. Now we can not leave the house without an additional site kit, alcohol swabs and bandaids. The sites we can replace with little concern, she has to move them every 12 hours anyway, but if she breaks that $5000 piece of equipment, I may cry.

17 Week Belly, 41.5"