Weeks 19 and 20

I really can't believe I feel busy without a job, climbing, and running!  It's crazy how my days are still so full.  One reason I still feel "busy" is that I have gone from sleeping around 7 hours a night to 9-10 hours a night, which means at least two less hours of productive time per day.  I am so thankful that I am able to sleep the extra hours as I do believe the sleep is the ultimate cure for my headaches and helps me feel good throughout the day, but part of me really wishes I didn't need so much sleep so I could be more productive!  All this to say, I haven't made time for a blog post in awhile.

One thing that has been really weighing on me is the contract work I've agreed to do for CCH.  Today I finally sat down for over an hour and looked at some stuff, which doesn't sound like a very long time but I ran into a some roadblocks and I need more information from people at CCH before I can do much.  I am really worried that they are all preoccupied with their current audit and that they don't have time to help me, which could become a problem as I grow and become more and more uncomfortable and eventually I won't really be able to do much work.  I'm trying to figure out if taking on this work was the right thing to do or not, as they are not as concerned about my personal deadline of getting the project done by May.

Anyway, thankfully some things have been getting done around here as people have come to visit and Micah and I put them to work :).  Two weekends ago Micah's parents came to town for the weekend and they were really helpful.  I'm not sure they realized how much work we had in mind when we encouraged them to come for a visit, but we are really thankful that they were able to help out so much.  Micah's dad made three trips to Babies 'R Us to pick up the cribs.  Three trips were needed as only one crib fit in our car at a time, but luckily the store is only a couple of miles away.  Micah put one of the cribs together so that we could see what it looked like in the room and so Micah's mom could use it for the crib skirt measurements.  I spent some time picking out fabric for crib skirts before they got to town, and Karen spent all day Saturday making one of the crib skirts for the girls, the crib skirt for the boy, and a valance that ties in both the girl and boy fabrics.  Since she ran out of time, and we don't actually need the crib skirts for awhile, the other girl crib skirt will be finished in the next few months.  I think the skirts and valance turned out super cute!  I love that the valance is custom made and ties in both the girl and boy fabrics, so I didn't just have to pick one fabric that was gender neutral.

Boy crib skirt (we still need to get mattresses)

Girl crib skirt (waiting for the crib to be set up)

Custom valance with both crib skirt fabrics

Crib boxes (with the box I bought for the changing table on top).  We plan on setting up the other two in the next month.

Micah and his dad also spent a lot of time doing random things around the house, such as moving the office furniture out of the baby room and into the living / dining room (it's new location), setting up new shelves for the garage so that we have extra storage space for diapers and other baby stuff, and doing other things that have been on Micah's "To Do List" for awhile.  

Although I didn't work nearly as hard as Micah and his parents over the weekend, I did get to a couple of projects.  About nine years ago I bought odd-sized posters at various National Parks on a trip I took with my parents.  I had frames made right away that fit the posters, but I always wished the frames had cardboard or something stiff in the back so the posters didn't wrinkle.  Nine years later I actually cut cardboard the correct size and fixed the frames!  They are now hanging in our front entryway instead of sitting on the floor of a closet gathering dust.  It felt good to get that done!

Long and wide posters hanging in the entryway.  I also finally got a frame and hung the pic that I bought in Prague.

I also found a nursery decorating idea on Pinterest and got started on that project over the weekend.  Here is a sample of the finished project.  They are pinwheels that will hang above the changing table and they actually spin when you blow on them :).  I might have to make some more, but at least I got a good start and I want to wait until the changing table is in the room and the cribs are up before I start sticking these to the wall.

Pinwheels

On Sunday evening, after Micah's parents left town, we had dinner with a family from church.  They had invited us over as their youngest is about to turn one and they have decided they are done having kids so they no longer need their baby stuff.  We were blown away by their generosity!  We were given a swing, a bouncer, a bathtub, an exersaucer, a play mat, three garbage bags of boys clothes, blankets, etc.  I can't even remember everything as it was so much stuff!  I know I've said this before, but I have been humbled by everyone's generosity.  Our babies will not go without ;).

Free stuff from a very generous family!

Katie came for a visit this past weekend, and she was also put to work.  I wanted to get started with painting the dresser / changing table that I got from Thrift Town, and I am really thankful to Katie as she did the majority of the work.  Although I found a tutorial online and my dad was giving me instructions over the phone, neither of us felt very confident in the process. We first lightly sanded the old finish so that the paint would stick better and then put on two coats of primer (one coat was definitely not enough).  The first day Katie did most of the sanding and then I put on a mask and gloves and did what I could to help with the primer.  The next morning Katie woke up with horrible allergies, which could have either been from the sanding or from the primer (we read the can the next day and it said it could cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, so I'm glad I wore the mask!).  I also figured out that the primer was made with an ingredient that is a no-no for pregnant women (oops!), so Katie did the second coat of primer alone (with a mask this time).  I felt bad for making her do all of the work, and also for exposing the babies to harmful chemicals, but I'm glad that the priming is done.  Micah has agreed to do the two coats of paint and then my mom is going to do stripes or something to make it look cute when she comes out again in April.

Katie sanding

Katie finishing up coat #1 of the primer

Me trying to help with the first coat of primer

The other project Katie did was a few loads of laundry (the clothes that we were given the weekend before) and sorting through the clothes so some of the bigger stuff could be stored. I had already bought one bag for the 12 months and larger clothes, but we quickly realized that more storage bags were needed as I can't fit a year's worth of clothes for three babies in the closet.  It was a beautiful day on Monday, so we sat outside with all of the clothes and sorted by size.  The closet and dresser will have clothes preemie through 6 months, and the storage bags have 6 months and up.  We probably still have more in the closet and dresser than is necessary, but since almost all of the clothes are used and have probably shrunk over time, and every brand uses a different scale for sizing, I wanted more than enough available so we can use things as they fit.

The bags will fit under the cribs, so in this pic one is already under and the other is waiting for another crib to be set up.

As of today, I have officially gained 36 pounds!  This is crazy to me as I imagined gaining 25-35 pounds during pregnancy as that is the recommended weight gain for a singleton.  I realize that many women gain much more, especially with their first baby, but if I were pregnant with one baby and working out, I do think I would have a good shot at staying within the recommended weight guidelines.  It is difficult watching the number on the scale creep up, and even more so now that I weigh more than I ever imagined weighing!  Watch out Micah - I'll be passing you in a few weeks!

Week 19

Week 20

One thing I think I've forgotten to mention is that the Perinatologist said a few weeks ago that they will not let me go past 36 weeks, which is July 10th.  That means I am way past half-way now since I'm 20 weeks along!  This is exciting and scary as there is so much that needs to get done before they come (like the contract work I'm doing, finishing setting up the nursery which probably won't take much time, and reading about breastfeeding, taking care of babies, etc).  I also anticipate bed rest at some point, so I'm not sure how much time of "normal" activity I have left.  The average gestation for triplets is 32 weeks, which is June 12th.  Since it's just the average that means they could even come in May which is only two months away!  Prayers for the babies to stay put until at least 34 weeks (which is considered full term for triplets) are greatly appreciated as the longer they stay put the less time in the NICU.

A couple of weeks ago I realized I was feeling the babies move, and just this week Micah has actually been able to feel them too!  It isn't consistent movement yet as I know it's still early, but it does make it seem more real now that we can feel them moving around.  The boy is either not as active or his placenta is positioned in a way that makes me unable to feel his movement, so that is a little strange and makes me worry a bit, but it has been exciting to feel the girls move.