The Big Reveal...

Okay...so I am so sorry for the delay in posting of the big reveal. No excuse I have is good enough so I won't even bother. This is how it went down. We had a party at my mom & dad's house. She made four signs, one to put in each corner. Everyone was to pick their corner and stand under their sign. Then we had a very suspenseful elimination process. The signs were:
3 girls and a guy
3 dudes and a diva
4 little hairy bullies (Nick has been known as the big hairy bully!)

and 4 little princesses!

And the winning sign IS........

Nick was right all along! We are so excited about are new family! Coincidently, we already had 3 boy names and 2 girl names picked out. We are anxiously waiting to meet:

Sloan Olivia - Baby A the girl
Rocco Dean
Madden Jax
Jagger ???? (We are still working on a middle name for Jagger - have suggestions, email kamishea@gmail.com)

Here are some more pictures from the night (compliments of Chad Keith...thanks Chad...you are the best!) Thank you to all who came!



Our dads (Big Pop & Grandaddy)

The winning corner!

Karoline and Mike Holmes

my mom and me

As promised, I also have u/s pics from this week.
Baby Girl



The boys!

This week will be a busy week for us. We are leaving for Phoenix on Sunday (11/30). My parents are driving - leaving on the 28th. Please pray for all of us while packing and traveling!

Kami

Phoenix Bound!

I will start with our appointment from today. We had a really good one! All of the babies are still growing and developing as they should. Baby A & B measured 7oz and Baby C & D measured 6oz. The doctor also measured my cervix to make sure it has not shortened or started to open. It measured 4.45cm and was closed. They like it to be longer than 3cm so needless to say he was very pleased! We do have pictures from today but I will not be posting them until Friday because.........WE FOUND OUT THE SEXES! We are having a "Reveal" party Thursday night so I can't let the cat out of the bag until then! All along we have been praying for 4 healthy babies and it didn't matter what we were having. Having said that, we are both very excited about the news! Again, I am thinking we would be just as excited with any of the outcomes...so I am not giving any hints!

I guess some of you are probably wondering about the title of this post. Well, thanks to the encouragement and support of other moms of multiples...especially Jaclyn Tubre and Bethel Ann Randall....we were informed of a doctor who is very experienced with caring for quads and other high order multiples. We got in touch with Dr. Elliott in Phoenix last week and spent a good hour and a half on the phone with him. We had been praying about our prenatal care, but it wasn't until we spoke with him that our prayer had been answered. We knew, without a doubt, that we needed to be in Phoenix in order to get the best care possible for our babies. So we have decided that I will be in Phoenix with Dr. Elliott for the duration of the pregnancy and until all the babies can come home. We are so blessed that we are even able to go at all. We could not do it without the support of our parents...especially my mom, who is also picking up and moving her life to Phoenix for the next several months. How incredible a mother's love is! Nick will be back and forth as much as he can, but still will be holding down the fort here. I will miss him terribly when we are apart but we both know we have to make this short-term sacrifice so that we know that we did everything to achieve the best possible outcome. We (me, Nick, my mom & dad) will be leaving the weekend after Thanksgiving. Nick and my dad will get us settled in our new apartment and then will head back to BR sometime that next week. My first appointment with Dr. Elliott will be on Wednesday 12/3. Although I am sad to leave my home, my family, my friends, and my dogs, I am a little anxious to get there and have my sole focus be on the babies growing inside my belly. Please pray for us while we are making this transition.

On a side note, Nick and I had an exciting night last night. We went to the Tubre's new home and met Jaclyn, Torey and the cupcakes! (Check out their blog - http://tubrequads.blogspot.com/) We were there for supper time, bath time and bed time. It was amazing to see! They are so awesome and Jaclyn and Torey were so kind to open their home to us so we can get a little taste of what we are in for! I have to say...Nick and I left there more excited than ever. We laughed about how we used to sit around pre-pregnancy and talk about how bored we were...we always wanted to have a little someone to love and play with. Well, soon we will have four little someones and I think we will have many, many years of fun and exciting times! I can't wait!

Prayer requests:
-Babies continue to grow at the same rate. We are in the second trimester and are at risk of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.
-Move to Phoenix
-My weight gain - I need to gain at least 35 more lbs in the next 9 weeks - this is my first goal...then I have more to go!

Goodnight,
Kami

Fifteen Week Visit

Our appointments today went really well. I will get right to the pictures.


Baby A (Singleton - face down)


Baby B (face down)


Baby D - I just realized they gave us two pictures of Baby D and none of Baby C, but I can assure you there is a Baby C. They were all very active!

Here is their growth chart. All the babies measured 4 ozs....which is right on track with their gestational age. We are thrilled that all the babies are measuring the same. They also looked at the babies' bladders, brains, spines, kidneys and all looked great...praise God! There were no fluid abnormalities and the doctor said they were developing just as they should be. We go back for another ultrasound in two weeks. We should definitely be able to find out the sexes then...if the babies will cooperate!

The doctors never fail to remind us of the extreme circumstances and very high risk nature of this pregnancy. We believe that every birth of a newborn is a miracle and is God's amazing creation...Nick and I view our circumstance as a another great potential for God to shine. It is our prayer that God will work in such a way that everyone involved...doctors, nurses, friends, family...will KNOW that HE is the only reason for the outcome and He will be praised and glorified because of it! Thanks for your continued prayers.

P.S. My work family threw a surprise shower for me a couple of weeks ago. I will be posting pics of the shower soon. Stay tuned...

So Little Time!

We made it to thirteen weeks...17 more to go! I can't believe we are already almost halfway to our goal of 30 weeks. I had an appointment today with my OB. I think I am already spoiled by the number of ultrasounds we get to have. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when we didn't have an ultrasound done today...I just love seeing my little ones! The appointment was fine. We did hear the heartbeats with the doppler, but mostly it was just Q&A with the doctor. I won't have another appointment next week, but I will have two on November 3rd...one with MFM and another with my OB.

Nick, my dad and my brothers went to the LSU game in South Carolina this weekend, and then they ended up going to the Saints game since they also played in South Carolina. It was a weekend full of guy talk, guy smells, and football...he would say..."that's a good weekend!" I joked with him about how those days are numbered...no more spur of the moment trips to sporting events...at least for a little while, anyway!

While he was away, I did a little nesting. It was kind of nice cleaning out the babies' room. This room has served as our catch-all room for the last few years so you can imagine the junk that was in there. I can remember over the years just opening that door and just dreaming of the day when the room would be filled with all things baby...the furniture, the toys, those sounds, that smell! Sometimes I just sit and smile, knowing my dream (x4) is finally happening.

Thank you for all your comments. Your support, encouragement and prayers mean everything to us. Our prayer has and will always be for a healthy pregnancy and 4 healthy babies and that God will be glorified through it all. Please pray with us that we make it to our goal of 30 weeks!

Kami

Another day, another visit

Other than my growing belly, this last week has been uneventful for which we are grateful. We had our third visit with Maternal-Fetal Medicine today. Doctor visits have become something I actually look forward to. It is so much fun to see our babies and how much they have grown from week to week. Once again, the babies all measure on track...right around 12 weeks. The heartbeats were still very good and about the same as last week....Nick was there to hear them! Here are some pics from today's visit.

Baby A (singleton)


Baby B,C,&D (triplets)

After we finished the ultrasound, we met with the doctor. This was the first time we met with this doctor. He went over with us again all the risks involved with the pregnancy. I have to say...if we let it...this news could be very discouraging and frightening. Good news is that we have the Lord on our side. If we stay focused on Him and take one day at a time, we will be fine. One of the reasons, I decided to do this blog is to keep our prayer requests specific. Although we are always praying for a healthy pregnancy and babies, I'm sure there will be different issues and concerns that will arise with each visit. Again, we thank you for praying for us...we could not get through this without prayer. We also know that we are not the only ones struggling or with needs and would be blessed if you let us pray for you as well. Just shoot us an email and we will commit to praying for you. Here are our requests after this visit:

• All babies stay on the same growth curve and that there will be no fluid abnormalities
• Babies will develop healthy
• Bedrest - probably in 6-8 weeks...lots to do before then!

Our next appointment is Monday 10/20. We will keep you posted!

The most beautiful sound...

The last few weeks have been like an emotional roller coaster for us. At my first appointment with maternal-fetal, we received some not so good news about two of the triplets. I can honestly say the next two weeks were the most difficult weeks of my life. I would like to thank everyone who prayed for us and the babies...from the bottom of our hearts. The Lord heard and answered in a BIG way! At our next appointment, we learned that the doctor was mistaken and although the pregnancy is still considered extremely high-risk, the condition of the babies was not near as bad. So once again we were reminded of the power of prayer and delighted by His everlasting grace!

I had my first appointment with my regular OB today. When I made the appointment last week, I was sure to ask what to expect at this appointment. The nurse just said it would be paperwork, bloodwork, and meeting with the doctor to discuss a gameplan...no ultrasound. Well, Nick is really short-handed this week at work and decided he could miss this appointment. Needless to say, they did do another ultrasound and we (me & my mom) got to hear the heartbeats for the first time. Nick was sick! Had he known, he never would have missed it.

Each time I see the babies, it becomes a little more real. But hearing that sound...those steady little beats, I felt a connection that I haven't felt yet. It is absolutely the most beautiful sound!
I don't have the pictures scanned yet, but as soon as I do I will post them. In the meantime, here are the results.
Baby A (singleton) - measured 11 wks 3 dys, 178bpm
Baby B - measured 11 wks 1dy, 167bpm
Baby C - measured 11 wks 1dy, 171bpm
Baby D - measured 11 wks 4dys, 167bpm

As of today, I am 11 weeks and 1 day and as you can see, the babies are right on track. Also, the nurse said that the heartbeats should fall between 120-180 and they do! We are so thrilled. Thank you Lord!

8 weeks and counting!

That's right...today makes 8 weeks! The embryos are now officially termed "fetuses" and are about the size of a small strawberry. Since we found out we were pregnant, Nick has been calling them "beans." I explained to him that they are now bigger than beans, but I believe it's too late, the nickname has already stuck. I can picture him still calling them that when they are fourteen! Some of you have asked how I am feeling...if I am experiencing any usual pregnancy symptoms. So far so good! No morning sickness to date....praise the Lord! I have been able to eat whatever I want although I have been trying to eat lots of fruit, protein and vegetables and drink lots of water. However, I have also eaten the occasional juicy cheeseburger or cheese nachos with jalapenos. I am, after all, eating for five!

Tomorrow we will have our first appointment with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine doctor. The doctor will be specifically looking at the bloodflow of the babies and making sure each one is in their own little yolk sac. Please pray for good results from this appointment!

I have one more request. As you can tell by the time of this post, I am not sleeping well. When my head hits the pillow at night, I usually have no trouble falling asleep. At some point I wake up (usually after one of my many trips to the bathroom) and doubts, fears, and concerns start entering my head. As much as I want to turn them off and just roll over and go to sleep, Satan keeps them coming. Now I know some of you are probably thinking....well, she just better get used to those sleepless nights. And to that I say, when these sleepless nights are because of 4 precious angels given to me by God, bring it on! But when the sleepless nights are because of Satan and his antics, well...that's just not cool. I would ask for prayer for Nick in this department too, but it seems as though he is having no trouble at all. I actually hear him snoring as I type this! :) Even the dogs are getting very restful nights!