So my newest pregnancy weakness is Taco Bell. Prior to this pregnancy I hadn't had Taco Bell in years. In fact the thought of eating it kinda grossed me out. But one day a few weeks ago I got a taste for a soft taco supreme and its been downhill ever since!

So yesterday I ran through Taco Bell for lunch and the girl who took my money at the window asked if I wanted to donate a dollar to help feed hungry children. I said, "I just gave you three dollars to feed the 3 hungry children in my uterus. Maybe next time."

Yesterday we had a few people over to watch the football game. In preparation I went to the grocery store to pick up some supplies- snacks and beer. There was an older gentleman running the cash register and when he went to ring through the beer he asked for my ID. I leaned over to get it out of my purse at which point the man obviously noticed my pregnant belly. He says, "Oh! Nevermind I don't need it." But I had the ID out already and was trying to hand it to him but he turned all red and refused saying, "No its okay. I really don't need to see it."

LOL ok so I get it. A pregnant lady buying a 12pk of beer is naturally funny. But this poor old man's uncomfortable reaction was just priceless. And who's to say a pregnant woman can't be under 21?

Ever since I was a kid I've had a problem with my gag reflex. If I had to take a pill for some reason as a kid, my mom would have to crush it and mix it with applesauce in order for me to get it down. As I got older, and I mean a full teenager, I still had problems. There were times where I'd actually throw up trying to get pill down. And it wasn't just pills... if I was eating something that was too dry and I didn't chew it well enough or take a drink before swallowing, I'd have the same reaction.

As an adult I've mostly outgrown the gagging problem and can get down most pills and such. But I tell ya, these prenatal vitamins are HUGE! Any woman who's been pregnant can, I'm sure, relate! I had my doctor give me a bunch of samples just so I could find the ones that were easiest to swallow. Even so, I still find myself struggling not to gag and throw them back up right after I take them. It seems with modern technology they could find a way to make them smaller these days!

But I digress. Of course they are an important and vital part of any healthy pregnancy, let alone a multiple pregnancy, so I happily take them. In fact I'm up to 6 pills a day. I take the standard multi-vitamin, a DHA Omega 3 prenatal, a calcium supplement, folic acid, colace (gotta get things moving!), and most recently I've had to add an acid reducer pill to help with the night time heartburn.

I've tried a bunch of different methods to help ease the pain of taking them. I've tried taking them in the morning and I've tried at night (I prefer at night). I've tried with food, after food, before food and without food and nothing has been consistent there as I'm still experiencing bouts of nausea from time to time. I've tried splitting them up throughout the day and I find that to be more confusing because I end up not being able to remember which ones I've taken and which ones I haven't. Its frustrating for sure.

What I have done that's helped is I've added Ensure Plus to my daily diet. Its helping me get my vitamins and protein and calories and I've gained 3 pounds since I started that. That's a good thing since I hadn't gained anything at all thus far.

In conclusion, prenatal vitamins are a necessary evil in pregnancy. I just wish there was a better way! I don't complain about much so I suppose its ok to whine about this one little issue right? :)

That's right- 3 boys! We got the news a couple days ago at our regular OB appointment. The ultrasound tech there is a riot and she swore she would tell us the sexes before the perinatal doctor. At 14.5 weeks it was definitely a little early to find out but this tech has been doing this 25 years and her claim to fame is that she's never been wrong. She even said that if she was a little unsure she wouldn't even tell us. But she was absolutely sure this time!

Now I have to admit, I was deeply hoping for at least one girl. I have a 7-yr-old son already and I love him dearly, but there's something to be said about having a little girl. I had little dreams about braiding her hair, dressing her in pretty little clothes, painting her fingernails, and playing My Little Ponies with her. But alas, I have the Goodman curse! (My grandmother Goodman, my Grammy who is the twin, also had 4 boys, one of which is my dad) :)

First we looked at Baby A and he was in a great position to tell and the tech immediately yelled, "That's a penis! Its a boy!" Now Baby A is my singleton which means the other two, being identical, will be the same sex. I had hoped that it would be a boy and 2 girls so I was pretty happy to hear that A was a boy. When she went searching for B and C they were facing each other, making it very difficult to tell. While searching though, we got a FANTASTIC shot of Baby B's hand! (check out the Ultrasound Photos page to see it!) We were running low on time and didn't think we were going to know B and C when B decided to roll over. And Rhonda the tech freezes it and yells excitedly, "Another penis!! B and C are boys too!"

My husband was over the moon! He had the biggest grin on his face as he looked at that screen. I, on the other hand, burst into tears! I wasn't sad per se, but I AM pregnant and full of horomones and the slight disappointment that I wouldn't be getting my little girl just hit me wrong and next thing you know, I'm bawling my eyes out. The news was just overwhelming! Matt was slightly oblivious to my tears at first, but when he turned and noticed them I felt just awful. He was SO excited and he looks at me and says, "I'm sorry!" LOL It was quite humorous looking back on it. He even went out that night and bought me a beautiful lavender plant I'd been wanting with a little balloon in it that said, "I'm sorry" I just had to shake my head and laugh.

Having a day to come to grips with it, I'm pretty excited now. I've been thinking about all the positives of having all boys and there are lots! They can share clothes and toys and rooms. Sure it will be quite rowdy, but boys sure do love their mamas! :) And now that I know they are boys, I feel even more attached to them. I know it will be here before I know it, but I can't wait to meet them!

I started feeling the babies move this past week! At first it was little more than a flutter and I wasn't really sure, but yesterday Baby A (I know it was A based on the position from all the ultrasounds we've had) gave me a strong kick! These little guys are constantly moving and doing summersaults and through the day and night I've been getting little flutters and bumps. The other night there was so much movement even Matt could feel it when he touched my belly. I love being able to feel these little guys :)

From the first minute you find out you're pregnant with multiples, EVERYONE scares you into thinking there is NO WAY you will get through the pregnancy without some sort of complication. The doc's make you come in every two weeks and see a high-risk specialist. The specialist lays down all the possible complications and tells you, "The female body was only made to grow one baby at a time." Other well-meaning moms of multiples tell you their stories of pre-term labor, bed rest, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and other ailments in order to "prepare" you for the "inevitable." Books dedicate several chapters to detecting signs of trouble. It is certainly overwhelming!

 Well yesterday marked the first time the triplets landed me in the hospital. I blame it partially on my paranoia that something is going to go wrong, but I did have odd symptoms. All day yesterday I was having an accelerated heart rate and shortness of breath. There were a few times where I felt dizzy and had to sit down. In a normal singleton pregnancy I'd probably just write them off to having a bad day. But thanks to all the scary info "preparing" me for such symptoms, I freaked out. So I called my OB and let them know what was going on. Because I have a history of mitral valve prolapse (minor heart condition) they wanted me to have an EKG and have my oxygen level checked, but they aren't equipped in their office to run those kinds of tests. So they recommended I go to the ER. 

Reluctantly, I called my husband and let him know what they said. I felt so foolish going to the ER just because my heart was racing. But as we have both read all the warnings of complications, off we went. "Better safe than sorry" was the thought. We got there and because I'm pregnant with triplets, they took me right in, no waiting. They hooked me up to a heart monitor, took my blood pressure, ran an EKG, and checked my oxygen levels and all seemed normal. My heart rate was in the 90's but slowed after I had the chance to lay down for awhile. They took about 10 viles of blood from me and ran some tests. Bloodwork showed evidence that I may have a blood clot in my lungs. Okay, NOW I was scared and glad I came to the hospital!

In order to check for a blood clot they have to run a CT Scan of the lungs. This of course is a really powerful x-ray and emits radiation, which is a well-known big no-no while pregnant. We were hesitant at first to allow the CT scan because we weren't sure the risk to the babies. So we made them call the OB and meanwhile we looked up some info on the internet. Turns out that the radiation is really only seriously harmful in the first 2-8 weeks of pregnancy. After that it doesn't really affect them other than increase the risk of cancer (but doesn't everything these days??). So off I went to the radiologist. I'd never had a CT scan before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The scan itself is short and easy, but the dye the pump into your veins- OMG! I thought my arm was going to explode. It hurt SO BAD. And then my mouth felt like it was full of metal and I felt as though I peed myself. It was so uncomfortable and scary. But thankfully, it was quickly over and I was wheeled back to the room to await the results.

Waiting is definitely the hardest part about being in the hospital. But an hour and half later a doctor came in and told us that the lung scan came back normal- no clots! Thank you God! Of course this means we still don't have an explaination for my symptoms. Seeing as they calmed down once I was in the hospital bed (um yeah laying down for 4 hours does allow the heart to settle) they sent me home with no answers. They told me I need to follow up with the OB and probably a cardiologist to further monitor my heart activity.

Shortly after we left, as we were eating a late dinner, my heart started racing again. I think its just a side effect of the pregnancy. My body is working overtime to make sure everyone is getting enough of everything. That was what I was hoping the doc would say when I called yesterday. Oh well. My health is important to the safety of my babies so I'm glad I went and got checked out just in case. The good news is, I'm ok and the babies are ok.

A new friend sent me a bunch of books she thought I'd find useful. The first one I picked up was Jenny McCarthy's book "Belly Laughs". I literally read the whole thing in one day. It was great to read something so candid about pregnancy! She talks about what its REALLY like to be pregnant, not just what you're doc will tell you or all the pregnancy books in the world will tell you, but what it's really like. From back pain, to constipation, to gas, to peeing all the time, she covers it all. And I have to admit, I could relate to every one of her woes! I loved her book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to laugh about all the things we normally complain about in pregnancy.

This week I am 13 weeks pregnant with the triplets. Only 3 more weeks until we find out the genders!! But at 13 weeks I am already as big as I was when I was 6 months pregnant with Jordan. My belly is measuring 36 inches around (up from about 33 normally). I haven't actually gained any weight and I contribute that to the fact that every food I look at makes me want to throw up. Sometimes I actually do throw up. So I seem to be losing weight in other parts of my body (my face and theighs thankfully!) but gaining it back in my abdomen. I hope that in the next coming weeks I will come out of this first trimester haze for good so I can start eating the way I know I'm supposed to.

Last night I woke up with terrible painful acid reflux and heartburn. Third time this week! With Jordan the acid reflux didn't start until about my 7th month. I guess it means I have about 20 more weeks of that! I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time sleeping in my rocker. Ah the joys of pregnancy!

Tomorrow Matt and I will have been married 4 months! (As newlyweds, we're allowed to celebrate the month milestones!) I have to say, I am married to one amazing guy. I'm in awe of his constant love and encouragement. His work ethic is strong and always impresses me. He has a full-time job, plus is part owner in a local tanning salon that is always demanding his attention. He'll work all day and then come home and do laundry and clean up the dinner dishes without a second thought or complaint. He is a fantastic step-father and excellent role model for my son. He teaches him the importance of responsibility, respect, chivalry, baseball ;), and then takes time to joke with him too. He is a true family man, not just here in our home, but to his extended family as well. I am very lucky to have him and can't imagine life without him.

Matt Probeyahn, this post is for you. I love you with all my heart and soul. I cherish every moment we are together and look forward to a bright and exciting future with you. Thanks for being my best friend. <3