Pregnant Thoughts...

Friends, I'm turning over a new leaf...I'm writing 2 times in the same month! Aren't you proud of me?! HA! Anyways...a couple things that I just thought I would share...
CRAVINGS:
I'm so bummed out...I haven't had any fun cravings! All my life I have always wanted to like pickles. I always thought that God would bless me with the craving of liking pickles when I got pregnant. No such luck! They're still disgusting. I also haven't had any "I need..." moments. I thought it would be fun to just once send Matt out on a late night run to get something that I just had to have. But I haven't been able to be that either! Sure, bread/toast has tasted delicious (especially early on) and breakfast foods were wonderful, but that's not fun. I always love that! I will say that for a few weeks, Toaster Strudels had a special place in my heart. But hey, what can I say...I've always loved food...and that just hasn't changed a bit! Maybe I'll get my pickle craving before little Siena graces the world...
BABY BRAIN:
Okay, we've all heard it - your head goes to the clouds when you get pregnant and your baby sucks out all the brain juice during pregnancy. But, shoot, it's so true! I have done the dumbest things lately! It's amazing - and yes, I'm going to blame them on the pregnancy...because at least now I have a decent excuse!! :) For my fellow teachers, you'll appreciate this: I scheduled spring parent-teacher conferences during MAP testing...literally right when the kids would be testing. I had to call all those parents and explain to them that I lost my mind and they couldn't come to the classroom at the scheduled time because their child is taking the biggest test of the year! Needless to say, that caused some questions.
How about this one...I signed my name as my maiden name...pretty sure I haven't been a Tromp for almost 5 years now. No comment there. :)
So, there you have it...some funny and very interesting (to me) things that have been going on lately. I just love it! I can't wait to share these stories with Siena one day...she's going to laugh at her mama...and I'll be laughing along with her!
BALANCE:
This was a new one for me! I had never heard that pregnant women can lose their balance more easily! I had been noticing that I would be walking normally and then all of a sudden feel like I was going to fall over! Or I would be standing and talking to someone and about fall into them! The strangest thing! It was happening enough to notice it, so I asked some "doctor friends" of mine, and sure enough...your center of gravity goes out the window when you have a bun in the oven! How funny!! I will say it did make me feel quite a bit better to know that it was normal to "look a little tipsy" when you're pregnant! HA!

And Her Name Is...

Our beautiful little angel will be named... SIENA GRACE!
She has been thought about for a very long time and way back last summer, we decided together that if we were blessed with a little girl, we would name her Siena. Let me give you a little background on where her name came from.
Last July, Matt and I took a trip to Italy. We were not pregnant yet, but had been trying for quite a while at that point. We spent one of our 2 week stay in Piagaro, Umbria (a precious little town tucked in the hills of central Italy) with my dad, Joyce, and Emilie. During that week, we visited the most beautiful little city named...Siena. That city is breathtaking. While we were there, we wandered cobblestone streets, ate food you thought dropped right out of heaven, saw gorgeous sites...basically, had one of those "magical days" you know you'll never forget. While we were walking around, I turned to Matt and said, "Siena is a really pretty name for a girl...do you like it?" Instantly Matt said, "Yeah, I really do..." It was then we decided that Siena might just be "the one" for our little girl. We took a picture of the name SIENA printed on a glass wall, tucked that away, and always talked about it as a potential name. It took us about 5 minutes after we found out we were having a little girl to decide that Siena was it...we just knew it. :) The memories we have of that trip to Italy are priceless. I really am not trying to sound cheesy or corny by telling the story, it's just the truth. That's where we first heard that name and ever since then, it stuck. Now, as an added bonus...we'll just HAVE to take our little Siena to the place where she got her name - oh shucks...I suppose we'll make the sacrifice. :)

Her middle name, Grace, comes from family. Both my mom and my sister Emilie share that middle name. It originated in our family with my great-grandmother. No other middle name seemed more fitting. Aside from the true meaning of grace, to be able to give our little one a name that has some history in her family is really special. And, seeing that Emilie is Siena's one-and-only aunt, we figured Em needed a little "shout out" of importance...because that she is!!
There's the history of our baby's name. And now that we decided on her name, it makes Siena's life that much more real to us. We can call her Siena. We can plan for her arrival. We can send emails back and forth, talking about her by name. It took this whole baby-parents thing to a whole new level.

Oh, and for those that were wondering..her last name will be Marble. :)

I'm TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness...where do I begin with the apologies?! I'm not even going to go there - I'm terrible at this "blog" thing, I knew it from the start - but I HAVE to get it together!!! I'm going to recap for you as best as I can...

We had a WONDERFUL doctor's appointment on March 6 (I know, that's a month ago...) where the doctors assured us that we have a very healthy baby GIRL growing inside!!! Yep, that's right...we're having a little girl!! She is wiggly as can be, healthy as can be, and she's definitely a "hamburger" (turtle would be the term for boy...you figure it out). We got to see the chambers in her heart, her brain, her arms, fingers, toes, legs...it was truly amazing! We even got 16 pictures to take home with us!!! Matt and I went to the appointment dressed in blue - we had told our students that we would wear the color of our baby to school after the morning appointment - simply because if we had to pick, we were thinking a boy. We had to wear something to the appointment, so we picked blue shirts. When we got the wonderful news of the little girl, we got into the van, changed from blue to pink (we both brought a change of clothes...just in case) and couldn't wipe the smile off our faces all day long! That same day, a great friend of mine from school had gone around that morning to all the teachers in the building, asking them what they thought the sex of our baby was going to be. She gave them a beaded necklace to match the color of their guess! There were LOTS of boy guesses (including me!)...but I wore those bright pink beads and pink shirt with pride!!! It was such an exhilarating day - we were proud parents of a little GIRL!!!!!!!

The following week was spring break. I went to Michigan for most of the week to celebrate with friends and family. We were thinking it was going to be the last time I would get up there before the little one was born, so that's why the family/friends thought it smart to throw some early showers. They threw me THREE fabulous showers! Wow, are those fun! Sharon (my mother-in-law) was also able to fly in on Thursday to celebrate with me. It was so great to have her there. My dear friends Kasey and Laura threw me a "friends" shower on Thursday night. We laughed all night. It was so fun to start off the experience with them. They are such special people to me - and I will never forget my very first baby shower. Then on Friday night, I had a really wonderful shower thrown for me by Joyce (my step-mom). That shower was incredibly special to me because it was such a wonderful group of people...ladies from church that knew me when I was a baby, family that drove in from out of town to be there, people that played really important roles in my young life were there...it was really special. We stayed up all night talking and enjoying the evening. It was a beautiful shower. Then, on Saturday morning, my mom and aunts threw me a shower. That too was incredibly special. It was so neat to share the experience with aunts, cousins, grandma, and other family. The food was delicious and the company was even better! I loved each shower for different reasons. It was a whirlwind week and a lot was crammed into those few short days, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I wouldn't have traded that week for anything - to spend time with family and friends - it doesn't get better than that.

We had another doctor's appointment on March 24. At that appointment we were just supposed to have an office visit. Well, a "mistake" on their part was a bonus for us! We went in and had another full measurement sonogram where they measured her, checked her vital organs and body parts (yes, she's still a girl!), printed off lots more pictures...basically, we got another double check that everything is healthy and growing strong! Needless to say, we didn't complain one bit!! The more technicians and doctors that look her over and "approve her status", the better!! So, we were tickled to be able to see our precious little angel again. All was well!

Now, we're pretty much caught up...
I don't have any pictures to import right now - I left our camera in Michigan over spring break. Can I blame that on being pregnant? Those that really know me would probably say "no, that's too typical" - but hey, I'll use an excuse if I have one! :) But we have been taking "growing tummy" pictures and I will certainly upload ultrasound pictures of our little angel as soon as I can. I am currently 22 weeks along - and loving every minute of it. The joy I feel with this little one is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. She is a blessing and I am thankful every day for her gift of life. Now I just can't wait to meet her...

The Next Visit...

Well, Matt and I went for our next appointment on Monday, February 16. We both commented to each other on the way down there that we were definitely more excited than nervous to go down to the hospital this time. It made the entire experience much more fun! And boy, was it a treat...again.
We got to see the little angel MOVING ALL OVER THE PLACE! He or she is VERY active...to say the least. We were able to see the spine, the arms and legs (the little legs were crossed like a real gentleman or polite lady), the head, the chambers of the heart beating away...it was quite incredible! I asked about the heartbeat, so our doctor pulled out the doplar sound machine and put it up to my tummy. She was working to find the heartbeat and we kept hearing thumps and loud noises coming over the machine. The doctor said that was the baby kicking again...and again...and again...we got a chuckle out of that. Maybe a future soccer player??? Maybe a little foreshadowing that I'm in for a big treat when I can actually FEEL the kicks all the time!! :) The heartbeat was at 148. Either way, it was precious and it was a blessing to see the healthy little one just loving life inside of me.
Other good news that was shared with us...we get to have our "BIG ULTRASOUND" in 2.5 weeks. You guessed it...the one where we get to find out the sex of the baby and also see measurements and chambers of the heart - all that good stuff! I'll be able to know before I head back to Michigan for 3 baby showers...a real treat! Two and a half weeks is going to fly by - just like this entire pregnancy! I'm so excited! Almost 4 month along...and carrying a softball-sized baby along with me! Life is good. :)

First Trimester...Check!

First off, I must apologize to my friends and family that I don't get to see all the time...I know this is your only way to see what's going on frequently...and I have been horrible at keeping up with this! I will try very hard to be better at this for YOUR sake! This is so not my thing, but for you guys, I will make the sacrifice... :)
Matt and I went to our second doctor's appointment at St. Luke's last week. We were both very anxious, and to be honest, very nervous to go down there. We just wanted to see the healthy little angel's heart beating away...AND WE DID! When we got into the appointment, the nurses had not planned for a sonogram. We both were shocked and assumed that we would be able to see him/her. After a little communication by Matt with the nurse, she "snuck" us in. The same woman who had to deliver the awful news last time reassured us that we were going to see nothing but wonderful things on the screen. And boy, was she right! The little one was moving all over the place! We could see his arms moving around, his legs, his head and body developing...it was amazing! It was one of those moments you just never want to forget - a moment of pure relief and joy. After taking a peek at our little one, we met with the nurse practitioner and she answered any questions we had. It was a great appointment!
Here are the pictures of our little angel...







So, after all of this roller coaster journey...I am now officially finished with my first trimester! As of Sunday, February 1st, I am 13 weeks along! We did it! Matt has been keeping track of my "progressing tummy" since the very beginning. I have had a few requests for my "bun in the oven" shot...so for you guys, here's what I look like at 3 months pregnant...enjoy!! :)

Our Unexpected News

Well, where do we begin...
On Monday, January 5, Matt and I went down to St. Luke's Hospital for our first visit with the new doctor - our parinatalogist. We were so excited to meet the new staff, get plugged into the hospital that we would give birth in, and most of all, check up on the crew! Our appointment was a set 3-hour appointment, with the first stop being the sonogram room. It was the first time I had an ultrasound from the outside, which was interesting in and of itself. The ultrasound technician scanned the screen and started measuring things left and right. Next, she went down to the "flying solo" triplet to have a look at him/her. We could see the sweet fluttering heartbeat going a mile a minute as well as the little body forming so preciously! It was so neat.
Unfortunately, an unexpected surprise caught us very off guard. She went up to the identical twins and started searching and measuring them. She was very quiet as she was studying the screen. After looking at the screen for a while, Matt got a little nervous and asked, "So what about the heartbeats of the other two?" The ultrasound tech simply turned to look at us, shook her head "No" and said, "I'm so sorry." As she said this, the look on her face was one we will never forget. The precious little angels that were so loved no longer had heartbeats. They still measured just the same size as their brother/sister, so their hearts had stopped beating within the last day or so...it just wasn't meant to be. The ultrasound tech left the room for a little while as Matt and I processed what just happened. Tears instantly fell on behalf of those little ones. It was a very strange feeling to feel such a loss for 2 little babies we hadn't had the opportunity to meet yet. We prayed and we cried...there wasn't any room for anything else. My body went numb as my mind tried to reason with my heart. There was no explanation that we could "blame" or "excuse"...it was one of those moments that you know you'll never forget and yet in the midst of it, you can't remember a thing that's going on around you.
The ultrasound tech came back with a doctor to do some more checking and after everything was confirmed, they gave us the choice as to whether or not we wanted to just leave or if we wanted to continue on with the appointment and treat the rest of the pregnancy information as a singleton birth. We decided to stay simply because we wanted to know as much as possible for the third little angel. I'm not sure I remember two things that were said that morning...
We came home and phonecalls needed to be made and visits had to take place in order to share with our family and friends the sad news. It was a tough day and one that I will never forget. It hurts like crazy to know that triplets are no longer in our future. It was something that Matt and I had completely embraced and were so excited about. But Matt and I are now completely focused on our precious gift of a child and that is our new pride and joy.

Heartbeats

On Monday, December 15, Matt and I walked nervously into the doctor's office.  We wanted so badly to see all three "jellybeans" on that screen.  The doctor even walked in and said he was a little nervous at what we might see...

Blurs were flashing across the screen, and I didn't have a clue what I was looking at at that point.  After a minute, the doctor let out a loud belly laugh!  Matt and I looked at each other and said, "What does THAT mean?!"  So, the doctor started explaining...

The small little jellybean we were concerned about the previous week (and praying for all the time) didn't make it and wasn't going to develop into a fetus...nothing funny about that, so we figured we were in for more.  However, one of the big sacs decided to split into IDENTICAL TWINS!  So, in other words, the doctor told us we were going to have triplets still - one set of identical twins and a third one flying solo.  Trust me, the doctor had to explain this to me multiple times...I just wasn't comprehending.  So now instead of 3 individual sacs, I only have 2 sacs.  However, one of those sacs contains TWO fetuses, creating the identical twins!

The doctor looked at us and said, "Wow, it's been a LONG time (if ever) since I've seen this one!  You were meant to have triplets!!"  We couldn't have agreed more!!

Oh, and maybe most importantly...after we straightened out all the confusion of what I had in the "oven", we got to hear THREE HEARTBEATS!  That was music to our souls!  It was the coolest thing ever - he put the curser over each one of the fetuses and we heard a fast, miraculous thumping coming from all three babies!!  We are really having triplets!!  Praise the LORD for this miracle...or should I say, these three miracles!
Here are our "family pictures" so far...

Below is the ultrasound picture of the identical twins. You can see the 2 little circles in the one sac. That's them! I can tell they are going to be best friends already! HA!


This next picture is of the third triplet - the one flying solo! I bet he or she is loving life right now...it has the whole sac to itself! It better not get used to that...the second it comes out into the real world, it's going to be a drastic change!!


The next three pictures are of the heartbeats!! Underneath each picture, you can see the wavy line - that is their precious little heart, beating like crazy!!