Week 17

How far along? 17 weeks, 5 days (February 25, 2015)

Total weight gain/loss: Up 11 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep: Sporadic. Here's an example of an average night's rest, with estimated times as I don't check my clock throughout the night: 

9:00 pm: exhausted, in bed and fall asleep right away
9:30 pm: flip to my other side because my arm is asleep or my shoulder hurts
Sometime between 10:00 pm and 12:00 am: up for first bathroom break of the night
10:30 pm: flip to my other side because my arm is asleep or my shoulder hurts
11:00 pm: adjust the pillows so I don't try to roll onto my back
Sometime at or around midnight: Will comes to bed
12:05 am: adjust pillows again, flip to other side
12:00-1:00 am: second bathroom break
1:05 am: spend 20 minutes itching my feet (which for some unknown reason are itching ALL THE TIME!!!!)
2:30 am: readjust pillows, flip to other side
3:00 am: out of bed for a drink or snack from the kitchen
3:00- 5:00 am: best sleep of the night
5:00 am: alarm clock goes off

Best moments this week: Had a great check in with the MFM team on Monday, including another ultrasound! We're really spoiled by getting to see the babies so often, but there is something very reassuring about seeing them jump around and hearing their heartbeats.
Have you told family and friends: Yes

Movement: Still (not so) patiently waiting to feel a definite kick from someone!

Food cravings: I am still enjoying lots and lots of fruit. Also on a chocolate milk kick at the moment. I learned at lunch today that Potbelly Sandwich shop (a Chicago favorite) is opening a restaurant in Nashville sometime this year. This makes me so happy, pregnant or not!

Anything making you queasy or sick: The need to eat frequently to avoid queasy stomach continues

Have you started to show yet: Most definitely.

Gender prediction: Still thinking 2 boys and a girl, though not quite as confident in this prediction as I was last week! Less than a month til we know for sure!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In, but getting more and more shallow as the days go on!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Keeping emotions in check for the most part

Weekly Wisdom: I was house-bound on Sunday as I had to collect 24 hours worth of urine for analysis to be sure my kidneys were still properly functioning. That was a humbling experience, and one I hope to not have to repeat for the rest of the pregnancy! Not really weekly wisdom at all, but worth documenting for prosperity's sake

Milestones: Gender Reveal party invitations were sent out over the weekend! Also, picked out a paint color for the nursery and our changing table is set to be delivered next week. Things are starting to feel more and more real!

New Orleans Mardi Gras!

Last summer my friend Caroline contacted me to see if I'd be interested in riding on a float for Mardi Gras this year. Iris is one of a few all-female parades and a few spots had opened up on the float that she and her family ride on each year. Will was fortunate to get to ride in Rex (the BIG parade) one year and insisted that I take Caroline up on the offer. We also recruited Will's friend Niquette to join us. Unfortunately I found out just a couple weeks before we were scheduled to go to New Orleans that the Krewe was not going to let me ride, due to the triplets. They just felt that it was too risky, and while I was disappointed, I was also relieved. I was excited to ride, but definitely more nervous to see how things would go since the parade can last several hours and involves a lot of standing and jolting around. So it was actually nice to have someone else make the decision to not let me ride. Niquette and I were able to find substitute riders, so we didn't lose out on a ton of money invested in membership dues and throws for the parade.

Even though I was no longer riding, Will and I decided to make the drive down for the weekend anyway. Niquette is a native from New Orleans and generously put us up for the weekend. It was really great to experience my first Mardi Gras with a local. I was a bit concerned about over-doing it with too much walking and not enough access to bathrooms, but Niquette had things covered. She has lots of friends who live along the parade routes, so we hopped from one place to another and always had a place to sit, food to eat, and most importantly- a bathroom to use!

Mardi Gras was much more family friendly than I pictured it. I expected a New Orleans Mardi Gras party to involve huge crowds of really drunk people and lots of flashing. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that is not at all a typical Mardi Gras celebration! I'm sure the french quarter and Bourbon Street get rowdy, but we steered clear of that area after dark. Every party we went to was filled with kids,  good food, and happy people.

Since I couldn't enjoy ALL the festivities that Mardi Gras and New Orleans had to offer, I definitely made sure to enjoy the parts that I could participate in. I ate. A lot. Man, does New Orleans have great food! We made it our mission to sample as many king cakes as possible so that we could bring our favorite type back to my office. That was a fun challenge!

A highlight of the weekend was seeing the Discher family. I started babysitting for the Dischers when I was about 12 years old, and have stayed in touch with them through the years as all 4 of their kids (and me) have grown up. 3 of the 4 Discher kids now live in New Orleans and their parents, Tom and Deb, own a condo in town. We stopped by to see them in between parades, and it was so nice to catch up with them!

We ended up cutting our trip short by a night so we could avoid driving home in predicted bad weather.  It was a bummer to leave early, but in the end, it was a good decision. We would have been driving back smack in the middle of a big ice storm!

And now, some pictures from the weekend:

Jackson Square

Stephanie, Will, and Niquette, our hostess for the weekend. Will went to college with both Stephanie and Niquette.

Bourbon Street in the early afternoon is not at all crazy town like I expected!

The first bar I ever illegally got into as a teenager. We took a family trip to New Orleans when I was 17 and I enjoyed several cocktails here.

Mini parade led by a New Orleans brass band down the streets of the French Quarter

Enjoying a drink at Lafitte's- New Orleans' oldest bar and the oldest bar in the States (since 1772)

A float from one of the night parades we attended- D'etat

Will and Niquette

Will, Stephanie, and me rocking our throws

These ladders have boxes on top that kids sit in to catch throws from all the parades. An adult stands on the ladder behind them, presumably to block flying objects from hitting the kids in the face and causing serious injury. If you're a kid in one of these boxes, you really rack up on throws!

Enjoying Iris

This is the float I was supposed to be riding on!

Tom and Deb in their condo that their oldest daughter Katie currently lives in

Me and my 3 kiddos with the 3 oldest kiddos that I grew up babysitting!

We were staying with royalty over the weekend. Niquette was Queen of Carnival in 2001! Very few people get to fly the Rex flag outside their homes.

Enjoying Thoth on Sunday

Thoth Float

The ladder in action with Niquette's friend Tom and kiddos

Another Thoth float

The 610 Stompers. Hilarious!

Thoth parade entertainment

Stroller parking. Definitely no shortage of kids around! We were even invited to bring our brood back next year!

Adventures in Car Shopping

We survived round one of finding new cars for the Mason household. Will and I were both looking to buy new cars even before we learned about the Rice Krispies, so we'd been shopping around for awhile. But with the knowledge that we would have to find cars that would safely accommodate 3 infant car seats, our search changed pretty dramatically.

The Subaru Outback I had been eyeing was out of the question, and Will's desire to get another Audi sedan was no longer an option. Will is looking at a Suburban which will be our road trip/everyday car and should be large enough to hold not only 3 infants, but also all the stuff that 3 infants need. I wasn't sure what I wanted, so we did quite a bit of researching and narrowed it down to a couple options- either the GMC Acadia or the Honda Odyssey. 

We spent one evening several weeks ago checking out all 3 car options, with all 3 car seats in tow. We figured the best way to know if the seats would fit was to physically bring them along and see how they looked in the cars. I'm sure that was a first for our car salesman!

I admittedly did NOT want a minvan...just not quite ready to go full-on mom. But I knew from our research that the Odyssey was one of the top choices for not only moms of 3+ kids, but also moms of triplets. So while I really, really liked the Acadia, I felt it was in our best interest to at least entertain the idea of an Odyssey.

The biggest thing the Odyssey had going for it was the 3rd row. We could fit 2 car seats in the 3rd row, which freed up one bucket seat for an adult passenger. I liked that in case I ever wanted to ride in the back with the babies. BUT the 3rd row wasn't that much more spacious than the 3rd row of the Acadia, certainly not enough of a difference to justify getting the Odyssey. 

When it came down to it, we opted for the Acadia. It felt much more comfortable than the Odyssey and had a smoother drive. We were also able to get the Acadia with all-wheel drive, which is not always necessary living in the South, but has actually already come in handy!

We still have my Jetta, which I will continue to use as my daily driver to/from work until I physically can't fit inside of it any longer. We'll trade the Jetta in once we're ready to find Will's Suburban.

Week 16

How far along? 16 weeks, 4 days (February 17, 2015)

Total weight gain/loss: Oh boy...up a whopping 10 lbs today (I blame king cakes!)

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep: Still having trouble staying comfortable on my left side for long stretches of time 

Best moments this week: The babies and I celebrated our first New Orleans Mardi Gras!

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Movement: Not yet, that I can distinctly say is movement. I can't wait for this part, though!

Food cravings: I'm finally going to make my cajun chicken pasta for dinner tonight, so that's really exciting. I've been craving more sweets than normal in the past few days...again, I blame the king cakes!

Anything making you queasy or sick: I am feeling MUCH better than I did last week, thank goodness! I've been really good lately about eating regularly and pushing the protein to help fill me up.

Have you started to show yet: Still showing, and still look way further along than I actually am.

Gender prediction: Our friend Niquette also thinks we're having 2 boys and a girl...glad to have someone else with the same prediction!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel like I'm pretty even-keeled most of the time. We actually discussed this over the weekend- I haven't had any crazy mood swings or hormonal rages one way or the other. Maybe that comes later in the pregnancy???

Weekly Wisdom: We enjoyed a great trip to New Orleans for a final hurrah before our little people arrive. It was fun to take in my first Mardi Gras- definitely plan to go back again when I can partake in all the festivities!

Milestones: Babies are as big as avocados this week! A large ice storm hit Tennessee on Monday, and as a result, my ultrasound was canceled. I was really looking forward to seeing how much the babies have grown in the past month, so it's disappointing that we will have to wait a few extra days to see their progress.

Thanks, Hormones!

In no particular order, here are some things that have made me cry in the past week:

• Forgetting to buy heavy cream at the grocery store when I was really hoping to make the Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta for dinner. I had to settle for grilled cheese and tomato soup, which is a distant second when you want spicy pasta.
• Saying goodbye to Ella, Liam, and Emry on Saturday night. 
• Watching Saving Mr. Banks- the end scene when P.L. Travers is watching the movie...gah! 
• Watching the YouTube video of the World War II vet being greeted/thanked by the marathon runners that he was cheering on.
• Watching all the Severus Snape scenes in chronological order from the Harry Potter series. Apparently I need to stop watching YouTube and television!

Week 15

How far along? 15 weeks, 4 days (February 10, 2015)

Total weight gain/loss: It's started...up about 4 lbs right now

Maternity clothes? Yes- even my comfy clothes are starting to get too tight to wear comfortably

Sleep: I'm still not sleeping really well at night due to tossing and turning and bathroom breaks. 

Best moments this week: A couple great moments so far: I drove back to Decatur over the weekend and got to visit with my grandma, who is living in a new retirement home. She has been having trouble with her memory- the last time I saw her she didn't know who I was. When I saw her on Saturday, though, she touched my belly right away and knew there were 3 babies in there! What a great feeling. I also got a quick peek at the babies at my MFM appointment yesterday- everyone looks good! 

Have you told family and friends: Yup!

Movement: Nothing yet, I don't think. I sometimes feel like I might be feeling something, but since I'm not really sure what movement feels like I can't be positive if I'm feeling movement or not.

Food cravings: Still loving fruit these days- I'm spending a lot of money on the pre-cut fruit bowls. I'm into pasta dishes lately, too. And for some reason tonight an egg salad sandwich sounds tasty for dinner...I don't ever have a craving for egg salad. So that's weird.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I seem to be regressing in this area. I was feeling pretty good for a couple weeks, but my all-day queasy feeling has returned in the past few days. I was optimistic that the "morning sickness" portion of this pregnancy was past...but it looks like it's made a comeback. My MFM doc reminded me yesterday that I am growing 3 humans so my hormones are still going to be high. Unfortunately I think the queasiness is just something I'm going to have to tolerate for now.

Have you started to show yet: Absolutely- I feel like I look way farther along than I actually am!

Gender prediction: Still not sure but I’m sticking with my prediction of 2 boys and a girl

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Eh, wouldn't say I've been super chipper this week, but mainly because I haven't been feeling all that great.

Weekly Wisdom: Listen to my body and take it easy when I need to

Milestones: I read a weekly update on how the babies are progressing and learned this week that they are yawning and blinking, able to taste what I'm eating, and able to hear sounds! 

Office Unicorn and My Endless Supply of Food

Unicorn...That's my new nickname at work. On the day I started telling work colleagues, we were having a conversation about how rare triplets are. One of my coworkers chimed in that I was just like a unicorn...and the name has stuck. So now I'm the pregnant unicorn who is constantly eating, mostly thanks to my wonderful coworkers.

My teammates Allison and Ali have known about the Rice Krispies for quite awhile but were sworn to secrecy until we were ready to tell everyone. The day after we left the cat out of the bag, they showed up to work with a GIANT bag full of goodies to stock my snack drawer. I actually had to upgrade to a bigger drawer in order to accommodate the stash. 

Today I had another colleague Beth stop by with a big tub of Tzatziki sauce and Spanish cheeses. I know Beth well as I've babysat for her 3 boys for several years, so she knows how fond I am of manchego cheese and tzatziki. I'm really fortunate to have so many wonderful coworkers who are looking out for me and the babies!