Update #3

Hello again ~ I haven't heard back from Tim or Kristin yet with the scheduled C-section time. I am going to head to South Bend now, so there probably won't be another update on their blog 'till later today. I will keep you posted! ~ Julie

Update #2

Hello again........I just talked with Kristin and Tim ~ they need to deliver the babies today. Kristin's platelets dropped another 2 points. So, they need to come. As soon as I know the scheduled C-section time, I will update again. Please keep the 6 of them in your thoughts & prayers!!!!!! ~ Julie

Update

Hello everyone ~ this is Julie, Tim & Kristin's friend. She has asked me to update her blog for her. Yesterday, (March 19th) Kristin was admitted to the hospital with "mild-preeclampsia." Her blood pressure was a little high at 146/90 and her platelets are dropping instead of going up. She is having more blood drawn this morning (Friday, March 20th) to check her platelet level again. If the blood work comes back and shows that her platelet level is continuing to go down, the Dr.'s will need to deliver the babies. As of last night when I talked with her, her blood pressure had gone down and she and Tim were starting to relax comfortably in their hospital room. They wanted me to also mention that the concern and support from their friends and family is greatly appreciated!!! They do not have internet access, but Kristin does have her cell phone and can receive/send text messages. Please continue to keep them all in your thoughts/prayers and I will update again when I know more. ~ Julie

Almost 28 Weeks

Our appointment with Dr. Donald today was good overall - and eventful...

I weighed in a whopping 17 pounds heavier since our last appointment - which was only 2 weeks ago. This raised a huge red flag in our constant watch for symptoms of preeclampsia. The cause of preeclampsia (also called toxemia) is unknown. What is known, however, is that women expecting multiples are more likely to develop this condition than those with singletons. Its related to high blood pressure, fluid retention/swelling, and liver/kidneys not functioning properly. There are several symptoms - and aside from my sudden weigh gain (tied to the fluid retention/swelling), nothing else by itself would point to preeclampsia. But with a moderately high blood pressure and slightly elevated protein levels in my urine, Dr. Donald is concerned...and, of course, so are we.

Following our appointment, Dr. Donald sent us to the lab to have blood drawn. These tests would tell us how well my kidneys and liver are functioning. Unfortunately, the results came back late this afternoon with "slightly elevated" numbers - meaning my kidneys and/or liver aren't quite performing up to par. The Doc is not panicked over all this - but definitely concerned. So, here's where we stand right now:

I have been firmly directed to lay on my side at all times (well, except when I have to go to the restroom, of course). I'll call the Doc's office Wednesday morning to schedule an appointment on Thursday. Dr. Donald wants to see me again and repeat the same lab tests. He told me on the phone today that I should simply plan on being admitted to the hospital Thursday. In theory, if all my test results come back with better numbers (as rest and lots of fluids can lessen or reverse some preeclampsia symptoms), the Doc could send me home in a couple days. BUT - knowing Dr. Donald and his typically conservative approach, he will most likely keep me in the hospital until after I deliver the babies.

Speaking of delivering the babies... If my symptoms worsen over time, and my health becomes a concern, the only "cure" for preeclampsia is to deliver the babies - regardless of how far along we are. That is not the best situation, but obviously, Dr. Donald is responsible for my health, as well as that of the babies - and we have to consider the situation from all angles. This is the main reason the Doc wants me to be in the hospital; as all 5 of us can be more closely monitored.

Having said all this - I really do need to share the good news from our appointment. I'm not showing any signs of preterm labor. All 4 babies are doing well. They're all active and growing! Like last time, the numbers below are estimates based on a variety of measurements. The "ages" are +/- 15 days and the weights are +/- 5 ounces.

Baby A: 28 weeks 2 days / 2 lbs 9 oz
Baby B: 27 weeks 2 days / 2 lbs 7 oz
Tommy: 27 weeks 5 days / 2 lbs 10 oz
Joey: 27 weeks 0 days / 2 lbs 6 oz

Well, one of us will update everyone after our appointment on Thursday. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Lots of love,
Kristin & Tim

26-27 Week Update

Last weekend, my mother-in-law Pat was kind enough to snap a few pictures of Tim, me and my belly. (Thank you Pat!) The amazing part is that she didn't even need a wide angle lens...but we're getting close, as you can see.


The "mandatory" profile shot...our boys are definitely growing!


My new digs: We put a twin bed in the living room, as it is more comfortable and a little higher, so it's much easier for me to move to a standing position. Thankfully the nifty laptop table Kevin & Nikki gave me for Christmas does go one level higher than this, so I can pull it up closer and avoid the need to grow longer arms - though it doesn't go high enough to get over my belly. Go figure... Now that I've officially been on leave from work for just over a week, the monotony of bed rest is starting to kick in. Please give me a call at home or email me if you get a chance. It certainly helps break up the day!

We've got a busy weekend planned: Pat will arrive sometime on Friday and stay thru the weekend. My brother Kevin and his family Nikki, Aaron and our new neice Sophia will arrive mid-day on Saturday and stay thru Sunday morning. Don (my father-in-law) will be at a tractor auction in near-by Shipshewana, IN. Tim will spend the day with him there on Saturday, then bring him home to stay the night and ride home with Pat Sunday afternoon. Something tells me I'll be on my twin bed in the livingroom watching all the activity from a safe distance...

One more item to note: The women in my Bunco group have offered to start bringing over meals to us twice a week. Its difficult for me to spend much time on my feet - and I'm supposed to be laying down as much as possible - which makes it a bit difficult to cook a meal. We can't thank you girls enough for doing this for us. The generosity of our new friends here in Indiana is almost overwhelming.

We hit the 27 week mark on Wednesday - and I'm so thankful to still be at home. As you may recall, our next appointment with Dr. Donald is Tuesday the 17th. We'll be sure to post an update shortly after that. Hopefully I'll be posting that update from home, but he may have me admitted to the hospital if he feels that would be safer for the babies and me. We'll definitely keep you posted!

Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Tim & Kristin

Check-up at 25 Weeks 6 Days

Well, believe it or not, I'm still at home. With each appointment, the likelihood of being admitted to the hospital increases...but so far we're still beating the odds.

Our appointment on Tuesday went really well. My blood pressure was almost back down to normal (well, normal for me anyway) at 100 over 72. The babies' heart rates were all great. Lori even noted that the babies are all active...I could have told her that. :)

Then the moment of truth - they measured my cervix and as crazy as it sounds, it's still holding strong at 5cm! When Dr. Donald saw it on the screen he just smiled, shook his head and said "Would you look at that..." He thinks we should call Energizer and tell them to ditch the Bunny...we've got a new mascot for them. I just keep going and going and going... At least we hope so.

I officially started my leave from work on Tuesday (the day of our appointment), though I just finished my last project this morning for our big event next week in Vegas. I told Dr. Donald that I'd be spending most of my time laying around and he was happy to hear that. We scheduled the next appointment for 2 weeks out (St. Patty's Day, actually). If I remember correctly, they'll measure the growth of the babies again at that appointment. Then I'll go back a week later, when they'll measure my cervix. This plan assumes, of course, that I don't run into any problems that require me to be admitted between now and then. (Keep your fingers crossed!)

I'm so incredibly thankful to still be at home this far into the pregnancy. There are still a lot of things we'd like to get done around the house before I'm admitted - and we're very happy to have the time to get them done. To help us, Pat and Don (Tim's folks) will come down this weekend and again next weekend. The following weekend, our good friends Brian & Jules will come with their girls. One thing I want to accomplish this weekend is to get some photos taken of Tim and me (and my belly) to post on the blog. (Keep your fingers crossed on that one too!)

Thanks again for all of your thoughts, prayers and support.
Love,
Tim & Kristin

Update at (almost) 25 weeks

This update (though a week late) will be short and sweet. Last Tuesday we went back to see Dr. Donald. They did a pretty thorough ultrasound to measure the growth of the babies - and I'm happy to report all are right on track. The tech (Lori) measured various body parts (head, abdomen, arm, leg) and used those numbers to estimate each baby's weight and "age". These are, of course, estimates and the margins of error are +/- 2 weeks and +/- 4 ounces:

Baby A: 25 weeks 0 days, 1 lb 12 oz
Baby B: 25 weeks 0 days, 1 lb 14 oz
Tommy: 24 weeks 4 days, 1 lb 8 oz
Joey: 23 weeks 5 days, 1 lb 6 oz

The photos at the top are all shots of the babies' faces. It's difficult to see, but the shots of A & B are profiles and Tommy & Joey are looking into the camera (though Tommy's left hand is partially covering his face).

My blood pressure is still running high (for me anyway), but hasn't raised any red flags for Dr. Donald. In fact, he told me that at this stage of the game, he's "looking for an excuse to admit me to the hospital". Thankfully, I haven't given him one yet. He sent me home with orders to get more rest and to keep eating a lot. :) We go back to see him tomorrow (just one week between appointments this time). They'll just check heartbeats on the babies and measure my cervix again. I anticipate that he'll either admit me to the hospital or put me on full-time bed rest at home. So, I've made plans to begin my leave from work starting tomorrow. I'll still help out with a couple small projects for the next week or so, as we've got a huge event in Vegas next week. Once that's over, I'll be done with work completely. It's kind of strange to think about not working, but it will certainly be a relief to remove that stress.

So I've been getting more time laying on my side - though this weekend proved to be pretty busy. Mike (Tim's brother), Kate, Chase, Jack & Addelyn came for a visit Friday night. We were so happy to finally meet Addelyn (just 2 weeks old) and to see the family. It was a short visit, but we are so happy they made the trip.

As they were heading out, my mom arrived. Mom stayed the night and helped us out with hemming some pants and some other stuff around the house. With her, she brought a car load of stuff for the babies. Thank you (you know who you are) to everyone that sent items down with her. While Mom was here, she even took me to the mall, where she pushed me from store to store in a rented wheelchair. The wheelchair was kind of a strange experience from my perspective, but it was so nice to get out and run some errands without the exhaustion & discomfort that walking and standing bring me these days.

Also this weekend, my brother Kevin called to tell us that our other neice was born: Sophia Elizabeth. His wife Nikki had been struggling for some time with on-and-off contractions and bed rest - and little Sophia waited until the day before her due date to make her appearance. We're looking forward to meeting Sophia sometime soon too.

Well, I wanted to include some belly shots to show all of you how big the babies are growing, but I haven't gotten anyone to take my photo yet. Hopefully soon. We'll have another update to post after tomorrow's doctor appointment - so I'll try to add a belly shot to that post. In the meantime, please keep sending us your positive thoughts and prayers - they really seem to be working!

Love,
Tim & Kris