One of the most AMAZING things is seeing the 3D image.
This is once again a shot of B (we're not playing favorites, he's just the only one cooperating).
It can be like one of those hidden images, that I usually can't ever see.
However, if you look on the left half of the screen, sort of looking down toward the middle of the photo,
you should be able to make out the image of Baby B's face!

At 25 weeks (03/21/11), it seems only B was being photogenic!

The angle is from his left side, as if he’s laying down.

It’s a profile of his face, with his left arm, and both hands.

At 20 weeks (02/14/11), confirmation it's a Boy!

I know a lot times ultrasounds look like a big blob.  I’ll try to help with this one.

The perspective is from the bottom as if he's sitting down, almost cross-legged.

That would be a Right Knee, a Left Knee, and a Wee-wee!

Dina starting 26 weeks today.
And yes, there is a lot of squirming going on in there!

And while I’m telling on her… (see “I was warned…the first melt down”) I have to 'fess up (February 24)

As a previous post tells, we’re doing some pretty significant remodeling (go figure…”Rail decides to do a huge house remodel AFTER his wife gets pregnant”).   The major part of this remodel is the complete replacement of the kitchen.  We decided to work with Robert at Home Depot in NLR on the new cabinets.  We had talked to him before when he was at the Little Rock store, and liked some of his ideas.  We had previously worked through the decision process and had already determined the primary things:  type of wood, color, door style and general look.  The only major things left were the brand and configuration.  “That oughta be a snap!”

On Thursday (02/24) during our lunch breaks, I left my office, picked Dina up, and we made our first visit to the Depot with measurements and some pretty solid ideas about what Dina wanted.  We sat down with Robert and started the process.  I didn’t anticipate it would take a great deal of time to just give him the layout and measurements and turn him loose (probably not the ‘most’ astute assumption on my part).

As we were approaching our absolute drop-dead time to walk out of there and get back to our respective offices (me for a scheduled meeting), we finally wrapped things up with Robert and left.  Trying to walk as quickly as we could comfortably navigate back to the truck from the very back of the store – and when they refer to ‘Big Box Stores’, they really do seem huge when it is Dina making the trek, although not quite a waddle, but getting pretty close!

Once in the truck, my mind pretty much shifted to ‘getting back to work on time’ and ‘getting something quick to eat on the way’.  Not real tough activities, but I headed right for the interstate and didn’t even think about there being fast-food places just down the street (the other direction) – probably should have been a sign (#1).  There are basically 2 routes back to my office…one of which is taking I-630 about half way through mid-town, or going through downtown and taking Cantrell. 

We continued to talk a little about the kitchen design, and as we crossed the river I was trying to plot a course back to my office that would take us past a fast-food place.  I mentioned to Dina that I didn’t think there was anything really convenient to grab food if I took Cantrell  – possibly sign number 2.  So, I stayed on I-30 and headed for I-630.  I had decided to take the Pine/Cedar exit and would stop somewhere on Markham, it would be right on the way back to my office. 

As I passed the Woodrow exit (definitely a sign), Dina finally starts to make a comment and it suddenly dawned on me… I had picked her up, and she would probably be very appreciative if I actually took her BACK to her office as well! 

Wow… and they say women get ‘pregnant brain’ and begin to forget stuff.  Holy smokes, I was on a one-track mission and completely missed taking her back to her office!

Oh well, it wasn’t too far out of the way to take the Pine/Cedar exit and take her back to her office.  And, I made it back for my meeting with a few minutes to spare (after snarfing down my lunch behind the wheel)!  And she got a really good laugh out of the deal!

Still holding it together, but it’s getting mighty slippery!

I was warned…the first melt down… (March 15)

(Sorry this is a really, really long read – you can jump to the “Rest of the Story” below and skip the back fill, but it’s still just a few words sort of being a novel)

One of the questions I get asked the most is “How is she doing?”  And, quite honestly it’s been a pretty easy answer:  “She’s doing great!”  The only issues thus far have been being very tired, some nausea during the first trimester (but she never actually got sick) and then one sort of major bout with her sciatic nerve (her trip home to Kentucky in February).  Otherwise, we have been extremely blessed that things have gone very good.

Another line of questioning and/or ‘offers of advice’ has been watch out for the hormones, they WILL be kicking in.  I honestly have to say Dina is one of the most level-headed, easy going people I have ever met.  There’s just not a lot of drama, and I appreciate that more than she will probably ever know.  However, being pregnant (I assume especially so with triplets) there must be a tremendously elevated level of hormones being produced by her body, and that is just one more thing she has to deal with aside from the physical changes.

We’re now at week 24, and there are certain decisions that must be finalized with regard to nursery items (cribs, mattresses, bedding, etc.).  To her credit Dina did a fantastic job of picking out almost all of the stuff on the registries thus far.  When we had to start making those decisions (obviously prior to our first baby shower), I think I was still pretty much trying to get out of the fog of the Shock phase, which still comes and goes on occasion.  She asked my opinion on a couple of things, like the bedding, but unfortunately for her, I honestly was No Help (z-e-r-o), which she sort of understood, but was still pretty frustrated.  I really didn’t have much of an opinion at all.  I’ve tried to chalk that up to letting her have whatever she wanted and only ‘veto’ it something really didn’t set well.  However, I think I just hadn’t made it to that point emotionally.  (Yes, I DO recall the first sentence of this paragraph, and do realize that we are at 24 weeks, probably just over 2/3^rds the way there!)  It really is past time for me to “check-in” to the game and start helping with some of those things.

(The Rest of the Story…)

Last week, I was perusing the registries to check on a few things, when I noticed the cribs were showing as ‘no longer available’ through Babies R Us.  We do have one of the cribs, but were sort of waiting on purchasing the other two.  Unfortunately, the bedding Dina picked out was also ‘no longer available’!  I didn’t share all of this with Dina, figuring I would find an appropriate time.  I had done some research and had found a limited number of matching cribs at another internet retailer.

If you’re like my mother and haven’t been exposed to all of this baby stuff in 40+ years, to quote her “this whole bedding thing is a racket!”  Picking out the bedding is just the beginning!  Evidently the bedding determines the entire “theme” for the nursery.  Once you have the bedding (quilt, sheet, dust ruffle, bumpers), then you still need all the matching accessories:  diaper stacker, window valences, mobiles, lamps, boarders and appliqués, color coordinated paint and stuffed animals – lions and tigers and bears!  Oh, my!  I get it, but I guess I just wasn’t quite prepared for just how big of a deal the ‘bedding’ actually was, or more importantly, how big of a deal it would be to a hormone-infused pregnant woman if it was no longer available.

Dina and I had planned to make a trip Babies R Us to decide on a mattress and a stroller (or strollers).  Prior to leaving the house, I decided to talk with Dina about the crib situation.  She would prefer to have a dresser to go with the cribs and not just a changing table.  However, the company doesn’t offer a dresser to match the crib she has picked out.  I thought if we only had one crib, and there was something else with a dresser in another style, I might be able to change her mind (I know, silly me). 

After our discussion and her remaining set on the crib she had picked out, and since the crib inventory seemed to be dwindling quickly, I got online and completed the order for two cribs to match the one we already received.  One good thing about the internet truly is the ‘global marketplace’.  I was able to locate a couple of other merchants who carry that crib, but they were all out of stock, or had a very limited number on hand.  I put a couple of them on hold before talking with Dina about the situation, but ended up ordering them anyway.  One more box we were able to check off the list (or so I thought).

We went out for a nice dinner, and then arrived at Babies R Us**.  We made it to the back of the store and were confronted with about a DOZEN different mattresses!  Seriously?!?!?  There are that many different crib mattresses?   Having not done any homework, I was somewhat at a loss on how to even begin to narrow this down.  One of the staff did come over to assist us, but aside from a couple of comments about the primary differences being firmness, ‘moisture resistance,’ and foam versus coils, there just wasn’t much to help narrow it down.  Dina went to the “Phone a Friend” Life Line to get a little experienced advice from a mother of two toddlers.  Unfortunately, Beth was not immediately available, so things were not looking too good.  It really wasn’t a major deal, we were just going to put them on the registry, not actually purchase them at that moment, and we still have several weeks, right?

Not knowing if Beth would be calling back, and me not feeling like I could make any sort of educated decision, I decided to move on to the next item.  Since we were already standing right by the bedding, and since there was an entire wall of various bedding options, I made the suggestion to Dina that we might want to take a look at the bedding while we were there.  She looked at me with what can only be described as one of those looks I really don’t ever want to have to see again.  She asked “what was I talking about?!?”  I had to break the news that the bedding at Target was also showing as “Not available”.  As they say…”and that was the straw the broke the camel’s back!”  The tears began to flow, the sobs started to surface, and there was not a single, solitary thing that I could do.

About that time, her phone rang.  It was Beth calling back.  She looked at the phone, handed it to me and headed for the bathroom!  I answered, which surprised Beth, as she asked “Is everything OK?”  I told her “Yes, but that Dina was having a bit of a meltdown due to the cribs, mattresses, and bedding.  Beth promptly got up and went to her computer to help me try and make some sense of the mattress mess.  Unbeknownst to her, all her husband heard was “Is Dina OK?” and then Beth took off for another room.  Several minutes later, when Beth and I finished our conversation, she walked back into the room where CC, her husband, had gathered up her jacket, her purse, and car keys, and had them ready for her to leave if needed.  It was a really a cool thing for him to have done.

When Dina reappeared, she had composed herself and was OK; not great, but OK.  I offered the phone to her to talk to Beth, but that just set the meltdown back to boiling and she became a bit of a puddle again!  At that point, all I could offer was to tell her that it was OK.  There was nothing that we absolutely had to get done in that visit, and let’s just get her home and back in her comfy environment.

Here’s where I absolutely know the hormones and her personality are in direct conflict and causing confusion.  Her Keirsey ‘Guardian’ type personality likes to check boxes – make her list and check those boxes off as completed – mission accomplished, and then move on.  Unfortunately, as she struggled through the fog, she insisted we still needed to look at things and pick stuff out!  Through the tears, she tried to regroup, but began to puddle on me again.  I once again tried to urge her to just let me take her home and we’d do this another time.  Not having any of that, she tried to pull it back together and trudge on.  It was at this point, that I knew, without a doubt, that reason was out the window, no amount of logic would cut through, and the very best I could hope for was to not make it any worse!

Eventually, we were able to decide on a bedding set/pattern, and even made it over to look at strollers, but we were not successful in picking out one of those.

I finally got her to head for the truck and soon to be back in her comfy environment of home.

And so it begins…

**  Note to self/Learning Lesson for others:  Going to one of the super stores, i.e. Babies R Us, with a pregnant woman to try and make a decision on something like a mattress, is generally NOT a good idea.  There are just TOO many choices, (which easily become overwhelming) unless you have some preconceived notions and can narrow it down first.

A trip to Home Depot (March 19)

As part of the ongoing home repair/improvement project, there are still a few things we have to pick out.  We’ve got the cabinets on order (should be delivered by the 2^nd week of April), and we think we’ve figured out the counter tops, but we’re still working on the hardwood floors.  In order to try and narrow that down, and match the cabinets we picked out, we headed for Home Depot.  I had done a little pre-visit recon and at least knew where their displays were located and had a few things narrowed down. 

Dina had already made the decision she was going to use one of the motorized carts if it was available.  I dropped her off at the door and parked.  When I made it inside she had already claimed the one scooter that was left.  We got the armrests adjusted and with a quick survey of the controls she was moving.  I made sure to try and give her plenty of room.  It’s one thing for her to bump you with a push cart/basket (ask Mr. Glaze), but I really didn’t want to become Home Depot Road Kill and be run down in the aisle by a pregnant woman!

We went through several of the samples and picked out a few, then made the trek back to the cabinet display.  She actually did pretty well steering her basket cart, although I was a bit concerned about one of the displays getting taken out in a tight turn!  We tried to compare a few of the flooring samples to the sample door in the display that matched our cabinets. I finally ended up dismantling their display (with a sales associate sort of watching) and I just acted like I knew what I was doing.

I put the sample door down in the basket part of her cart and held up the flooring sample and counter top sample.  As she leaned up to look at them, this loud, rather irritating, ‘beeping’ sound started.  Dina looked around with a slightly irritated look and the beeping stopped.  She leaned back up across the steering device to look at the samples, and this time, not only did the beeping return, but the cart started to move backwards!  It startled both of us as I jumped back to make sure it didn’t roll over my toes, and she realized it was the CART that was making the noise and moving!  She got a rather strange look on her face like “how the heck did that happen” when she leaned back up and suddenly realized it was her belly pressing up against the steering handle and pushing on the reverse paddle!

We both had a pretty good laugh over that, and then another as she did it again a few minutes later and we both jumped!  It was at that point she figured out how to turn the power off, so she didn’t get in arrested for a DWB… Driving With her Belly!

Dina on her Basket Buggy…

Leaning back to avoid any sudden or unexpected belly assisted acceleration!

And so it begins! (from March 2nd)

It was Wednesday evening and Dina was still feeling pretty good, so she decided to go to Chancel Choir practice.  Although she was able to prop her feet up, it was getting a bit uncomfortable in the straight-backed chairs.  She basically was holding her music with her left hand, and had that hand propped up on her right hand as it lay across the top of her belly.  (Well, it does provide a pretty good shelf sitting there!)

One thing about choir, and music in general, is that singing has the power to move you (no pun intended for this story), to bring back memories, and to create emotions.  It's not unusual for a tear to be shed when singing certain songs or when the music just affects you.  However, this just wasn't one of those songs.

We were rehearsing an arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision", which is a nice song (for those Bethel College/University folks, it was sung at every Convocation); it’s just not necessarily one that you would think would bring someone to tears.  But, about midway through the song, while sitting next to Dina, Susan looked over at her and Dina just had tears streaming down her face.  Susan was a bit concerned but assumed it was OK.  Before the song was over, David also looked up and noticed the tears.  When we got to the end of the song, both Susan and David sort of looked at her questioningly.  She wiped the tears from her face and said "I felt one of the babies move!  I felt him kick or move under my hand!" 

That brought a small round of 'aaawws' and smiles from the choir, and a slightly larger round of chuckles with the offering of a typical (and somewhat expected) comment "yeah, it's cute now, just give it a few months!"  (hee, hee, hee!)  There are some pretty quick witted folks in our Chancel Choir, and also some incredibly wonderful friends!

And so it begins...

The OTHER Project

In a previous post, I mentioned trying to keep Dina’s stress to a minimum while being on “House Arrest”. 

That really could be a challenge with the OTHER project we have going.  Due to a leaky dishwasher a few years ago, and some moisture damage before I bought the house, we really had no choice but tackle getting some repairs done on the house.  We had been considering a fairly major remodel to encompass the repairs, but those plans got a little ‘side tracked’ so to speak.

The primary damage from the dishwasher leak was in the kitchen.  The floors had major water damage in a couple of spots, and then there were several joists in the dining room and front room that also had some residual damage.

The initial plans were to 1) pretty much rip out all of the kitchen (upper and lower cabinets, and completely remove the floor and subfloor, 2) rip out as much of the floor in the dining room and front room as necessary, 3) take out all of the wallpaper covered paneling in the den, and 4) make any needed repairs to the joists and piers under the house.

Our contractor started the demolition on Tuesday, 02/22/11, and Dina’s Dad came down on Wednesday to help.  They made some good progress, but on Friday our contractor was out with the Flu!  Unfortunately, he ended up being out for almost a full week.  Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that he shared the flu bug with any of us in the house.

Although we lost a few days due to illness, this past week was a good week and a lot of progress was made.  As you can see from the photos, we’ve just about completed all of the destruction, and have started putting good stuff back in its place.  As you can see in one of the photos below, Randy (our Contractor) and Dina’s Dad (Carlos) were nice enough to put down some boards to cover the open joists so I didn’t fall through the floor when I came in the back door!

Cabinets have been ordered through Home Depot and should be here on 04/06/11.  The timing of them should work out about right.  Now if we can just get the rest of the work done before any one decides to make an appearance!

Kitchen and Den with new Joists

Kitchen (shiny stuff is old insulation in the wall)



Back door and 'plank way' to keep me from falling through to the ground.

Dining room and Front room with old damaged joists

Dina and the Boys* Update…

This will be one of those completely out of sync posts, but figure I’m so far behind at this point, I may never catch up!

It’s the second weekend of March and we’re starting 24 weeks.  Dina had her most recent doctor’s appointment this past Monday.  We heard audio of each heartbeat and everyone sounded good.  She is doing really well overall.  However, I think this was sort of the doctor’s mandatory ‘Scared Straight’ message.  He made the comment (sort of question) “you’re not working, right.”  To which she responded, “Well…no, I am.  That’s not what we talked about before.”  I never actually saw Monte Hall (or the current host Wayne Brady) show up in the room, but a pretty serious round of “Let’s Make a Deal” broke out as Dina started to bargain just a bit.  He agreed to her working 2 of the remaining 4 days in the office that week, and then working from home, as long as it didn’t create additional stress.  Her manager and her team have been very supportive.  She should be able to work from home and be fairly productive, and hopefully not get stressed out (she’s also been doing very good about that thus far).

Part of his discussion earlier was that from this point on, “Everything matters, all the marbles are in play, and all the cards are on the table.”  He also said that going forward any issues with the pregnancy were likely going to be caused from ‘outside influences’ and things that cause her stress.  We’ll really have to work on that!

One of the challenges, and things Dr. Wendel has pointed out using a small paper tape measure (like you use for doing alterations), was the measurement from her pelvic bone to the bottom of her diaphragm.  He measured and according to her size, her body is measuring 34 weeks along, or almost full term for a single pregnancy.  However, as his next step was to have her hold one end of the tape and he pulled several inches of slack above her belly, and he showed her where she will likely be with triplets.  There really was quite a bit of difference!  And therein is the issue… her body thinks it’s about 34 weeks along, and it’s actually just passing 23 weeks.

So, we’re now on our first official week of ‘House Arrest’ for Dina.  We’ll see how that goes!

*  The title of this post, as was coined by one of our very musical friends, can be sung to the tune of Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets”.  I’ll leave any alternate lyrics up to your own creativity!  (Thanks Dan, you realize that’s probably gonna stick!) 

Dina @ 23 weeks.
Waiting on the doctor and reviewing her children's choir music!