Week 22 Ultrasound Pics

We had another 2 hour ultrasound today. Apparently the boys didn't fully cooperate a couple weeks ago so they needed to look at several more anatomy parts on each. We asked our tech to officially show us "the goods" so we could see for ourselves that we're having all boys. Yup, no denying it- all three were proudly showing off! The boys were moving around like crazy during the whole ultrasound, which didn't help matters...but it was fun to watch!

All the boys are pretty equally sized- there's only a 6% difference between them, which is apparently a good thing. The tech said that with multiples they want them to have measurements less than 20% different from each other to be sure that one baby isn't getting more nutrients than the others. Yet another advantage of all three boys having their own placentas! Snap (Baby A) is our heavy weight, currently weighing in at 1 lb, 4 oz, while Crackle (Baby B) and Pop (Baby C) are both close behind at 1 lb, 3 oz. each. Grow babies, grow!

More confirmation of Snap's manliness...

And Crackle's...

And Pop's! All boy, all the way!

Snap's heart rate today was 146

Little hand up by his face

Crackle's heart rate was 140

He also liked his hand hanging out by his face

Pop's heart rate was also 140

No hands by his face...

Weeks 21 and 22

Combining Weeks 21 and 22 since I didn't post an update last week...

How far along? 22 weeks, 3 days (March 30, 2015)

Total weight gain/loss: Up 21 lbs. as of this morning. I’m good with this as I had a stomach bug last week and actually lost a few pounds…happy to see the scale back closer to where it should be at this point in the pregnancy

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep: Not a whole lot of it. Turning over from side to side has become increasingly difficult in the past few days!

Best moments this week: The gender reveal last Saturday! Close second was Will getting to feel Crackle move last Sunday
Have you told family and friends: Yes

Movement: Yup, all the time now. I find it comforting to feel them moving around. I can definitely tell when Snap is moving as he is positioned so much lower than his brothers. I mostly feel him when I am sitting upright at work, or when I’m hunched over, trying to stretch my back. Crackle and Pop are harder to distinguish since they’re closer to each other. I am beginning to think they may feed off of each other, so when one moves, the other has to re-position himself as well. As I mentioned earlier, Will is finally starting to feel the movement on the outside, though only a couple times so far. I joke that the boys and I are in cahoots to try and pull one on over on Daddy…it seems they will be very active and as soon as I motion for Will to put his hand on my belly so he can feel them, they go radio silent. I have a feeling that the bigger they get, the easier it will be for Will to feel them moving around from the outside.

Food cravings: Not really any huge cravings lately. Even our most recent gallon of milk has lasted longer than 2 days, which is rare these days. Ever since my bout with the stomach bug last week I haven’t had any serious cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: My stomach is just not happy these days. Probably a combination of serious heartburn, digestive issues, and less room in the belly for food (and oxygen). 

Have you started to show yet: I seriously look like I’m 8 ½ months along already!

Gender prediction: Boys all around! We have an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow, the first one since our anatomy screen on the 16^th. I plan to ask them to point out the proof to us, just to be sure that they didn't double count someone when they did the screen a couple weeks ago!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? Every so slightly out now, but for the most part flat.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: I've reached the point in the pregnancy where I’m just uncomfortable all the time, and feel the need to complain about it. Often. Overall, though, I really don’t have a whole lot to complain about. Aside from being physically uncomfortable and easily winded, I've had no serious problems so far. Day-end swelling has been minimal and even my blood pressure, which was a bit high before I got pregnant, has been completely normal. I am to the point that I can’t comfortably walk long distances, so I have been passing quite a few of my face-to-face work meetings to my colleague, Ali. Thank God for Ali. My whole team (and really entire office) has been incredibly accommodating and understanding thus far, but Ali has really gone above and beyond as she is the one who gets stuck doing my work when I physically can’t. I am extremely lucky to have such a supportive work environment as I go through this pregnancy.

Weekly Wisdom: We ordered a reclining glider for the babies’ room a couple weeks ago. I’ve been told by several folks that the recliner will be my new best friend for sleeping as my stomach continues to grow. I’m really, really looking forward to its arrival in a couple weeks! It will be nice to be able to sleep in a different position than my sides!

Milestones: We’re inching closer and closer to that viability date of 24 weeks, which is a relief. Here’s hoping I continue to do well so the boys can continue to cook until well past 30 weeks!

The Proof

The pictures don't lie...3 baby boys are on the way!

Snap

Crackle

Pop

Gender Reveal Party

What a fun afternoon! Sue and Cari blew us away with all their thoughtful decorations and touches. It was so much more than we had hoped for when we originally planned the event. We held the party in our club's dining room, which was the perfect spot to host the group of about 40 people. Plenty of room to roam around, pretty views of the lake and the golf course, and the TV on so no one had to miss any March Madness action- perhaps the insistence of having a sporting event playing in the background of the party was a sign of what was to come!

I'm still floored that I'm going to be a mom of 3 BOYS!!! I had mentioned in the past few weeks that my confidence in my 2 boys and 1 girl guess was dwindling...but 3 boys never even entered into my mind as a possibility. Will and I were talking last night and both agreed that we were totally confident that we would have a mix, whether it turned out to be 2 boys or 2 girls. So to see all three cakes with blue frosting pretty much blew us over!

We are absolutely thrilled, though! 24+ hours later and I still smile every time I think about the fact that I have 3 little baby boys growing inside me! Will has his golf foursome intact for many years to come, and he's already wondering how quickly he can get them up on skis. :) The gender-neutral nursery is no longer a need so it will be much easier to decide on decorations and finishing touches. Now the question of how we will split them up once they've outgrown the nursery still remains on the docket. Our intention had always been to give the single boy or girl his or her own room and have the other two share. But with 3 boys...maybe we will be investing in bunk beds and keep them all in the same room together. Or maybe they'll all end up in their own rooms. Good thing we have a couple years before we have to decide that one!

Our house will probably be insane and crazy for the next 18 years, but I can't wait! I've been eyeing some adorable football onesies and hipster-type baby boy outfits for the past few weeks...guess it's OK to start stocking up now!

Here are some pictures from the party. So thankful that our family and friends were able to be with us when we learned our very exciting news!

Each table was decorated with little bicycle wire planters full of baby essentials- pacifiers, wash cloths, socks, and lots of diaper rash cream

Gift table

Pete had this made up at work. Adorable!

Probably the cutest fruit baskets ever made. Snap, Crackle, and Pop each had their own. We learned it was a team effort to make these at the last minute after Will and I showed a picture of them to Cari on Thursday afternoon! 

Since March Madness is going on right now, we played a game of Mason Madness. Each person wrote their name on a piece of paper and dropped it in the jar that matched their guess. We drew one winner from the jar of all boys who won a prize. Will and I couldn't reach into the jar to pull a winner, so we had my niece Ella draw for us...she drew her own name out. Will shook the jar up, though, so we don't think there was any suspicious play. :)

Close up of the table centerpiece

Gift bags for each guest had a little bottle of wine and a bag of popcorn, thanking them for "popping in" to celebrate with us. Again, so much thought and detail went into everything!

How adorable are those onesies! My mom also had a set made, but in premie size. They are so tiny!

I look forward to reading these diapers in the middle of the night!

21 weeks and looking VERY pregnant! And wearing blue...possibly another sign? I had pink on my fingers and toes, though!

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Moment of truth for Snap!

It's a boy!

Cue the tears from me...though I did hold it together pretty well!

Pointing out Crackle's location in my belly

Crackle's a boy, too!

And finally, Pop's turn

Oh boy...again!

This is our look of disbelief- 3 sons!

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Proud parents

The Results Are In!!!

Snap's Reveal...

Crackle's Reveal...

And Pop's Reveal...

Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!!! We're in for quite a ride. :)

Here's the whole Gender Reveal:

Week 20

How far along? 20 weeks, 6 days (March 19, 2015)

Total weight gain/loss: Up 18 lbs...yikes! I guess babies (and their mama) have hit a growth spurt in the past week!

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep: Pretty much non-existent right now. I've been sick with a cold for the past week so breathing has been a challenge. That, coupled with my constant need to pee, has been making sleep difficult!

Best moments this week: Our anatomy ultrasound- 2 hours straight of watching the Rice Krispies in action!
Have you told family and friends: Yes

Movement: Yes! Finally put two and two together and realized that the strange feelings I've been feeling are actually my babies moving around. My eyes were closed when the ultrasound tech was doing the gender screen, but she made a comment that Baby B wasn't holding still for her as I was feeling something in that area. Now that I know what it feels like, I'm feeling them much more often. So far, mainly Snap and Crackle. Will is anxious for when he can feel them from the outside!

Food cravings: Still wanting fruit and milk all the time. We used the grill for the first time this season on Sunday evening and now I could go for grilled vegetables every night. And a friend posted a pic of a grasshopper blizzard from Dairy Queen on her Instagram page, and ever since I can't stop thinking about having one myself!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Thankfully, not really! 

Have you started to show yet: I'm now showing to the point of strangers saying things to me. I guess that's when you know you're noticeably pregnant!

Gender prediction: 2 more days until we know for sure, but I'm sticking with my original guess of 2 boys and a girl. My office has a "Mason Madness" white board where they're making predictions. I think 2 boys and a girl is the definite favorite right now. I'm so excited for Saturday!!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? Holding steady at in, but getting flatter every day.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Yes. Definitely moody. My temper, especially with Will, has gotten quite short in the past week or so. Poor guy. But in my defense, he picks fights with a pregnant person instead of letting things go! We had a nice long talk about how I need try to be less moody and hormonal and he needs to be less defensive when I do have an outburst. I'm trying hard to keep my temper in check.

Weekly Wisdom: I'm so looking forward to knowing if we have sons or daughters on the way. I think it will help me feel all the more connected to them once we know who's cooking inside me!

Milestones: At their ultrasound this week, Snap and Pop were weighing in at 13 oz, while Crackle was 12 oz. That's 3 cans of beer in my belly! I love looking at our newest ultrasound pics this week. I feel like their personalities are starting to show, even in utero! 

I added a poll the the side of the blog so people could vote on what they think the gender reveal party results will be. Feel free to add your guess there!

Week 20 Ultrasound Pictures

Well, the verdict is in. We definitely have son(s) and/or daughter(s), even though we have to wait several more days before we learn who's who! Our tech sealed the envelope for us so we can't peek, and I'll drop it off with the bakery tomorrow. Just a few more days...

Other good news: we got nice profile shots of all 3 babies! They were all very active for pretty much the entire 2(!) hours we were with the ultrasound tech, but she managed to snap some cute profile pics, even little Snap cooperated today (though she did have to keep coming back to him/her before she finally got a good shot!) Kudos to our tech, too, for keeping the genders a secret from us the whole appointment- she didn't even drop any hints!

So, here are their last unknown gender pictures:

Snap's profile: proof that s/he is not creepy all of the time!

Snap showing a little leg

Showing off that s/he can sit still long enough for us to get a few good shots!

Crackle's profile

Crackle's feet! The only feet our tech could get pics of today

Crackle is a thumb sucker! SO ADORABLE!!!

One more of Crackle

Pop's profile

Pop showing us how flexible s/he is- our little contortionist!

Another profile shot of Pop

Any final guesses about what we're having before the big reveal on Saturday???

My point of view

Looking down at 19 1/2 weeks- I can no longer see my toes!