We're getting there!

First let me say, I’m OK! My last blog post generated many a call and e-mail making sure that I wasn’t about ready to jump off the edge. I promise each of you that I really am fine!

Am I tired of being pregnant? Yes.

Is carrying triplets probably the hardest thing I’ve ever physically done? Yes.

Am I emotionally drained a lot of the time? Yes.

But will I make it through this & be OK? Absolutely! I have a great husband, an adorable child, a loving puppy & countless family and friends (both near and far) that are supporting all of us. So don’t worry everyone – we’re good!

In other news, we saw the perinatologist on Monday March 30th & once again, everyone is doing well. The babies were very active & looked great. In fact, the ultrasound tech told us a couple of times that we are growing 3 “beautiful babies.” :-) It was just a relational look so there are no updates on weight etc., but here are a few pics:

As for me, my blood pressure remains low & my weight continues to climb. Although they keep telling me that the weight should slow down now that we truly are approaching the end. We also had the test for gestational diabetes. And I am happy to report that I do not have to give up my nightly bowl of ice cream.

We go back on April 13 for detailed growth scans and will then go every week thereafter for Bio-Physical Profiles. More on the BPP’s later.

One final note, we will hit our first goal of sustainable viability on April 8 (28 weeks)! Only 4 weeks until 32 weeks and only 7 weeks to our overall goal of 35 weeks!!! We’re almost there!

Counting Down to the Second Good Day

There are some women who love being pregnant. I am not one of them.

To me, there are only two good days of any normal, healthy pregnancy. The first good day is the day you find out and the next 9 months are suddenly and wonderfully turned upside down and inside out by the impending and exciting prospect of your new son or daughter (or in the case of this pregnancy sons and daughter!)

The second good day is the day your child enters the world and the pregnancy is mercifully and finally brought to an end. Everything in between is varying degrees of discomfort, denial of some of your favorite things and a roller coaster of physical and emotional highs and lows and more lows.

This has not been an easy pregnancy, and while I've tried to only document the relatively good things on this blog the time has come to to vent! After all, we only have 9 weeks left until the second good day. :-)

Things I hate about being pregnant

1. Not being able to pick up my son or run around with him in the backyard on the first spring like day after a very long winter - enough said.
2. The lack of drinking options. I LOVE Diet Coke. Yet, nary a Diet Coke has crossed my lips in lo these 26 weeks. (I will admit to occasional caffeine intake this time around, though. You would too if you were growing 3 people and you were helping take care of an almost 3 year old!)
3. Sleeping, at most, 4-5 hours at a time.
4. The clothes. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to accent a pregnant woman's growing belly with a bow above her stomach??
5. The stock I've been forced to purchase in Zantac - although I have to say the Zantac stock is doing better than some of my other investments!
6. Having to drink virgin Bloody Mary's during the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament.
7. The constant low back ache.
8. The constant fatigue.
9. The constant knowledge that I have no idea what true fatigue is at this point.
10. Leg cramps. I cannot eat any more bananas.
11. Knowing I need to eat but having nothing sound or taste good (with the exception of those extra few scoops of ice cream).
12. Seeing the inside of my doctor's office more than than the inside of any of my favorite restaurants. See No. 11
13. To work or not to work?
14. Day care or nanny?
15. Not being able to take anything to get rid of this stuffy nose.
16. Having to plan out trips up and down the stairs lest I become too winded. Remind me why we decided on a two story home instead of nice ranch?
17. The prospect of having to lose all of the pregnancy pounds - again.
18. Will we make it to 35 weeks?
19. Will Joshua be able to adjust?
20. Will the babies be OK?

The things I love about being pregnant

1. It gave us Joshua.
2. It will give us three new people just as precious.

Yes, I would say the good far outweighs the bad.

24 Weeks 5 Days - but who's counting?

First – Thank you all for the great feedback on the names!! Great suggestions & it has definitely given us some more to think about and ponder. I’ll keep checking the comments so if there is anyone else out there who is infamous for suggesting baby names (Kevin) and still wants to post (Kevin) feel free to do so (Kevin). :-)

We had our appointment with the perinatologist on Monday the 16th & everything looks good.

In fact, the babies look great! Baby A is measuring 1 lb 13 oz (he’s always been the biggest!), Baby B is 1 lb 11 oz & Baby C (the girl) is 1 lb 10 oz. They are all a little ahead of schedule in terms of size and weight so everyone was happy about that. The doctor is keeping me on a two week schedule for now since everything is so thankfully boring. We won’t go back until March 30th.

Our doctor’s office also arranged a tour of the NICU at the hospital where we will be delivering. The charge nurse took us around & we were so impressed with the NICU and the staff. Carl & I decided that you have to be an angel to work there. They showed us a little boy who was born a week ago at 25 weeks 5 days. He was so tiny & there were so many tubes – he wasn’t even mine and I just wanted to pick him up and love him and somehow make him feel better. Definitely motivation to take it as easy as possible and grow the babies to 35 weeks!

All right – off to rest. Everyone enjoy the first weekend of March Madness!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!

What's in a name?

Hello Blogosphere! We know you’re out there reading this (because you tell us you are!) but we thought we would try and get some interaction going. So to that end, a story:

When Joshua was born we did not know whether he was a boy or a girl. We, obviously, had a boy’s name and a girl’s name picked out. But oh the negotiation that went into those two names! For those of you who know us well it will come as no surprise that coming up with just two names involved many books, many spreadsheets, some whiteboards, and literally weeks of intense negotiations to reach a consensus decision. (As an aside, now you know one of the reasons why we decided to find out the genders this time. Can any of you imagine us coming up with three boys’ names and three girls’ names? Not to mention deciding which name should go with which if the genders were mixed. The permutations are staggering!!)

So, even though we know the genders this time, naming is still challenging. So, this is what we’re going to call the fun interactive portion of the blog! Post your best name ideas for the Gausman triplets in the comments of this entry with the following format:

Who you are:
Your Name ideas:
Why we should choose your names:

We’ve decided to stay away from alliteration (so no Dick, Darren & Doris) and rhyming is out as well (so no Huey, Dewey, & Louie). We like Biblical names (although Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego may be a bit over the top, Chris!). Otherwise, we’re very open.

So let us hear your ideas!!! Should we choose any of your names you’ll be awarded….OK, so you won’t be awarded anything. But you will have AMAZING bragging rights!

Being lawyers, we of course reserve the right to refuse all suggestions, :-) but we’re really looking forward to your thoughts.

Happy Naming!

22 Weeks and Slowing Down

We had our 22 week appointment last Thursday. For those of you keeping score at home that makes just 13 short weeks until our goal due date. They didn't do full detailed scans of the babies this time, just hearbeats and what they call a relational look. Meaning, do the babies look bigger than last time and do they all appear to be growing at roughly the same rate. I'm happy to say that the babies passed with flying colors.

I am doing well too although the doctor has said that it is time to slow down. So, starting this week I will only be working half days. We haven't figured out how to tell Joshua yet that we won't all be riding together, but I'm sure he'll adapt. It will mean that he'll get to ride in the new van to school so hopefully that will make up for any pereceived shortcomings of the new commuting situation.

In other baby news, Carl & Joshua spent part of Sunday putting together the first crib. I think it looks great & was impressed at their handiwork. :-) One down and two to go. We also purchased a dresser and changing table this weekend. They aren't exactly the same color as the cribs (the cribs are a dark cherry & the dresser/changer are espresso), but as a good friend pointed out once we put the light oak rocker from Joshua's nursery in the room it will be a nice "amalgamation." We'll call it triplet chic!

20 weeks and when are the babies due??

Babies and I had our 20 week appointment on Friday, February 13. Despite the superstitious day, we had a great appointment!

It was our long appointment where the ultrasound tech did the detailed scan of each baby. We have confirmed 2 boys and a girl (not that there was a lot of doubt on that) and they all look completely normal and happy. Well, except for Baby Boy B – he is breech and his brother and sister are head down so we saw him get kicked in the head a lot. Consequently, I’m not sure he’s all that happy! We’re hoping that the womb trauma doesn’t increase B’s need for therapy later in life. :-) Baby Boy A was weighing in at 13 oz. and Baby Boy B and Baby Girl C were coming in around 12 oz. Those are really good weights for 20 weeks!

Here are some pics. Only Baby B's 3-d picture came out well...and there were not great profile pics of Baby C. So, you get to see her foot. :-)

Baby A

Baby B

Baby C

My check-up was good too. I had gained weight again & my blood pressure continues to be low. I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions though (and an occasional real contraction) so I think the time is quickly approaching where I’m going to need to cut back work hours and find other ways to slow down. I am now on the 2 week appointment cycle and will see the doctor again on February 26.

In other baby news, the nursery is painted & is currently home to three large boxes, i.e. the cribs. Anyone who has an electric screwdriver is free to come over any time and start construction!

My co-workers threw a wonderful shower for us this past week. We were overwhelmed and humbled by their thoughtfulness and generosity. And Joshua was beside himself when he got in the van on Monday and saw all the “presents for babies.” Everything is now in the dining room (or the downstairs triage as I’ve taken to calling it) in desperate need of organization but Joshua is having great fun going through everything two, three, four, five, six times. :-) Interestingly, aside from the balloon that somehow made it from the shower to the house, Haley couldn’t be less interested in the growing piles of presents for babies.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me when the babies are due. Answering this question is actually more difficult than it may sound, but let me give it a shot. A pregnancy is considered full term at 40 weeks. 40 weeks for these babies would be July 1. However, 99.9% of triplet pregnancies will deliver before 40 weeks and, actually 37% of of triplets will deliver before 32 weeks and 92% will deliver before 37 weeks (From the book, When you're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads by Dr. Barbara Luke). Thus, these babies will certainly be premature.

The next obvious question is, how premature? While there is no bright line, sustainable viability is usually thought to be around 27/28 weeks (April 1 or April 8). That is the first goal. However, our doctor told us that babies born after 32 weeks have a much, much better chance at normal development and usually have less serious complications. 32 weeks for us is May 6. That is the second goal. But, we clearly want the babies to have the best shot possible at normal development & want to reduce their time in the NICU so we’re shooting for past that date as well. (Of course being a couple of overachievers might have something to do with this!) The perinatologist told us at our first appointment that he would not let us go much past 35 weeks because at that point there is usually more they can do for the babies outside of the womb as opposed to inside.

So, our ultimate goal is 35 weeks with a birthday on or after May 27. For those of you who believe in praying specifically, there’s the date to keep in your prayers. And, for the record, we’re accepting all prayers, positive thoughts/energy/karma as can be spared.

It was time

There's nothing that keeps its youth,
So far as I know, but a tree and truth.
--Oliver Wendell Holmes



Remember when we went to the midnight showing of “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” because we were excited to see it…and we could?

Remember all the seemingly deep conversations we had over hours and hours of cheap beer and munchies? (For my law school friends, one such conversation concerning the after life, ghosts & how life is as random as the gum that shoots down a gum ball machine particularly stands out. Anybody else remember it? Or was I the “sober” one that evening? )

Remember when we knew all the emerging new artists and saw them at small venues before most people had even heard of them? (How many people can say they saw David Gray at a little bar in Ballard with a mere 200 of their closest friends? I can.)

Remember when one of the biggest decisions to make was whether we could make it to that 8:05 class a whole TWO days a week?

Remember when going out on the weekend was standard practice and done with barely a thought beyond which bar had the best special as opposed to an event planned with exacting precision?

Remember having standard orders at favorite restaurants where kids didn’t eat free on Tuesdays?

Remember road-tripping to Memphis because there was nothing else to do that weekend?

Remember when 9:00 (either a.m. or p.m.) was early?



Ahh, youth. Wasted on the young.

But nothing, save trees and truth, stays young forever. So, with that I am walking steadfastly away from the last illusions that I am in early adulthood and I embrace our purchase of:



the minivan.