The Latest on the Nurseries and Other Baby Stuff

This weekend, with the help of our friend Kurt, Tim made some serious progress on the nurseries. They moved the bed and dressers out of the second nursery and into the room across the hall. This will remain our guestroom for quite a while.

The bed that was in that room is now in the second nursery - just temporarily. With all the visitors we anticipate until long after the babies come home from the hospital, it just didn't make sense to take down this guest bed until we need to.

Tim & Kurt also assembled the last 3 cribs. We are fortunate to have been able to use cribs and other pieces offered to us by friends and family. The furniture in each room isn't yet arranged in its final place, but we thought a few "in progress" photos might be fun to share.


This is the first crib that Dana and I assembled last week. I included this close-up shot so you could get a better look at the bumper pad and coordinating crib sheet.


These are the cribs and dresser that are in the first nursery. (Even the dresser came from friends!) The changing table will come from our neighbors or we'll use the one I got from Freecycle - both are an oak color, like the furniture already in the room. We'll start the babies in this room - two to a crib - when they first come home. They'll be tiny enough to share the space - and may be used to the companionship of their brothers.


These are the cribs in the second nursery. The crib on the right came from friends with a coordinating changing table. We'll also have my Granny's dresser in this room. Tim's dad is going to refinish it for us and have it ready in the spring. We're certainly not in any hurry for it, as the boys won't be in this room for a while. But at least we're getting everything in place.

I've also spent some time working on the "inventory" that Leza and I started a couple weeks ago. We're trying to determine what we still need, and which items we need to have before the babies come. To fill some of the holes, Dana and I went to Babies R Us yesterday to take advantage of some sales and coupons. We still have holes left to fill, but thanks to the generosity at our showers and all the wonderful hand-me-downs we've received, we're a lot further along than we expected.

We're looking forward to my mom's visit next weekend (hopefully the weather isn't like this weekend!). And perhaps the week after that, Tim's brother Mike and his family will come down for a visit too. They just had a baby girl and we're very anxious to meet our new neice Addelyn Rose. Then the weekend of the 14th, Tim's parents will be in town. We're always happy to have visitors and depending on my activity level - I'm sure I'll be anxious for the company.

I think that wraps it up for now. Everything else is good here. Tim's out shoveling the driveway - we're up to about a foot of snow for the weekend. I should wrap this up and get comfortable on my side for a little while. Take care, everyone! Talk to you soon!
Love Tim & Kristin

Week 24 Update

Well, as some of you may have heard, we had our first little "scare" on Tuesday. I had been experiencing some intermittent pain during the day, so I called the doctor's office in the early afternoon. I explained the symptoms to the nurse - and she called me back after speaking with the doctor. They asked me to come in later that afternoon - just to check things out.

Being at 23 weeks 6 days, I had a feeling Dr. Donald might want to admit me to the hospital - depending on what he saw. So I called Tim, packed an overnight bag just in case and headed over to the doctor's office.

My blood pressure was a little high - but not high enough for concern. I'm sure a lot of that was from my thoughts of being admitted to the hospital. But the ultrasound showed that the babies are all doing fine and that my cervix (a.k.a. Super Cervix) is still holding strong at 4.7cm. Dr. Donald actually seemed surprised when he saw the measurement on the screen and said, "Well, there's no reason to admit you."

Above are a few pictures of the babies...though as they get bigger and more crowded in my belly, I find it more difficult to decipher the images from the ultrasound. Each shot above shows at least part of each baby's face - or so says Lori the ultrasound tech. :)

As a preventative measure, Dr. Donald sent me home with steroids to stimulate lung development for the babies. At 24 weeks, it's not uncommon to administer steroids for multiples. The chances of carrying the babies full-term for their lungs to develop on their own are slim to none - so administering the steroids now, gives them a better starting point in the NICU when they arrive.

Dr. Donald also explained that the pain I was experiencing was most likely due to pressure on my cervix. I am full-term size now and gravity takes its toll. He's instructed me to spend more time laying on my side during the day. Since I hadn't been laying down at all during the day, its definitely a reasonable request. :) So I've found ways to work on my laptop while laying on the couch at least 1-2 hours per side every day. I won't lie - it is certainly cumbersome. But so far, it's working out pretty well.

Well, because I saw the doctor on Tuesday, we moved our scheduled Friday appointment to this coming Tuesday - Feb 24. They'll measure the growth of the babies (which should each be well over 1 pound by now) and probably my cervix again - just to make sure things are still secure. I'm anticipating more restrictions to my activities and perhaps some "official" bed rest as of this next appointment - but to make it to 24 weeks as well as we have is truly a blessing.

Our neighbor and friend (and former pediatrician) Julie has made some calls to a couple people she knows in the NICU. We're hoping to set up a meeting with some NICU staff to ask a few questions and take a short tour of the NICU after our appointment with Dr. Donald on Tuesday. I'm sure it's a place that can be very overwhelming the first time you see it. I'd rather get that out of the way now - and be able to simply focus on our babies and their health when the time comes. We'll fill you in on that on Tuesday.

We're coming up on the most difficult part of the journey so far and will certainly continue to rely on our family and "extended family" for your love and support. Thank you!!

Love

Kristin & Tim

22 Weeks

We had another successful appointment today!

The babies' heart rates are all well within the normal range - between 141 -160. They were all active and mobile - gearing up for their tag team wrestling matches, I'm sure. :) Space is at a premium in there, which makes it difficult to get good photos. We came home with a handful, but it's very difficult to tell what's what - even after the tech explained what we were seeing.

After the ultrasound tech (her name is Lori) did what she needed to do, she turned the screen so Tim and I could watch the action for a minute. We got to watch one of the boys give a good kick on the screen - while seeing the same movement in my belly. Way cool. We all said "Did you see that?!" And Tim added, "He gave you a good one!" :) He certainly did! It was amazing to see what they're doing in there to make those movements visible from the outside.

My glucose test for gestational diabetes came back normal - so that's good news. I don't have to give up chocolate or Ben & Jerry's ice cream. :) Dr. Donald did say that my hemoglobin is low, so he's added an iron supplement to my regimen. Evidently, when your blood supply doubles to provide for 4 babies, your hemoglobin gets dilluted in the additional blood volume. So taking the supplement will boost the level back up where it should be.

Dr. Donald also asked if I had experienced any contractions. I admitted that over the last 2 weeks, I've noted 3. Each of them happened after doing something I shouldn't have been doing in the first place - like pushing a 30-lb box on a shelf or bending over repeatedly to get clothes out of the dryer. So I've added those activities to the growing list of things I won't do any more. But because the contractions were few and far between - and each had a specific reason for happening - the doctor wasn't concerned. He encouraged more fluids and rest - as these will help avoid any further contractions. And he of course agreed that I shouldn't do those things any more. :)

So given all this, and even considering the fact that I'm inching ever closer to full-term size, I've been granted another "2-week pass"! No bed rest yet. More fluids, more rest, avoid any strenuous (read: stupid) activities and keep eating. We go back in about 2 weeks - on February 20. At that appointment, they'll measure my cervical length and also measure the babies' growth. We should have over 4 pounds of baby by then!

Thank you again to everyone for all your prayers and support!
Love,
Kristin & Tim

Houser/McKay Shower - January 24

My aunts on the Houser side (Mom's sisters) threw this shower for us. My long-time close friend Julie "Jules" Rees co-hosted with them. It was a very nice party, girls - thank you! I handed my camera to Jules when she arrived to take photos for me. Here's a selection of the shots she took - starting with the cake Jules brought (above). Above is a gift-opening shot featuring the bumper pad for the cribs (thank you Mom!). This was where I got my inspiration for the border on the walls in the nursery. Molly Rees, Ruby Huermann and Emma Rees. Too stinkin' cute, aren't they? This is what happens when you hand the camera over to Jules...this is not the only "belly" shot she took when I wasn't paying attention... The next generation of McKay girls: Taylor, Meghan (holding Sabrina) and Lauren. The older girls here - along with their older sister Morgan and their mom Julie - have volunteered to help out with our babies when they come home. They are certainly naturals. Thanks to everyone that was able to attend the party - and thank you so much for your generous gifts. We're certainly well on our way to gathering all the necessities for our boys when they come home in the spring. Love, Kristin & Tim

Coleman/Sasse Baby Shower - January 17

Well, now that Leza gave me a tutorial on downloading and modifying photos from our new camera, I can post a few shots from the baby showers.

Here are some photos from the Coleman/Sasse (Tim's family) shower. My sister-in-law Katie hosted the shower at her home (Katie and I are belly-to-belly in the shot above; she was at about 31 weeks at the time; and I was at about 19). My mother-in-law Pat and long-time close friend Leza Rebera were co-hosts. Thank you girls for putting on such a nice event. I'm sorry Leza couldn't attend - she and most of her family came down with a nasty cold just a day or 2 before the shower. But with SIX pregnant women and a gaggle of little girls present, she took the hit for the team to not be there. We missed you! :)

This pic shows some of the darling decorations the girls put out for the shower. I just loved this clothesline over the fireplace.

Look at all the pregnant women! (ranging from 12 weeks to almost 39 weeks) The other women at the shower were afraid to drink the water - for fear it was a contagious condition...

Our nephew Jack was my assistant gift-opener. He did a wonderful job!

I just had to share this shot - if you know me, you know I try to be "green". My fellow tree hugger Theresa LaVeck "wrapped" her gift in this handy reusable bag. I love it!!

While the shower was going on, the guys held a "diaper party" for Tim at the neighbor's house. All guys that wished to come play cards, eat and hang out with Tim had to bring a pack of diapers. We certainly got a good start on our diaper collection - thanks guys!

Thank you to everyone who braved the elements to attend the parties. We certainly missed those that were snowed-in. It was a great day. Thank you!!

Love,

Kristin & Tim