21 WEEKS

8/30: Such excitement to reach another milestone! Once again, for all who call, come by to visit and send beautiful cards, thoughts and prayers---THANK YOU!! We are so blessed to have such an amazing group of friends all over!! Also, thanks to all my friend's parents who also send well wishes!! To my sisters--I couldn't have asked for better relationships with my two sisters who are truly more than sisters--you are my best friends!! You guys are awesome!! A big shout out to Norma and Robe--Happy 22nd Anniversary!!!

My Saturday morning started quite early. Issis and I planned on going to garage sales and she arrived at 7:30 to start the day! Here in Hawaii, everyone is on Aloha time---that includes garage sales! If you have lived in the South--garage sales start early---real early, 5 am!!! It is crazy! Here, well...8am and we are good. Usually, at 8am people are still trying to set up! We had fun and found some really good bargains!!! Her little car was packed!! We wrapped up around 1030 because another of my girlfriends was meeting us for lunch. We met up with Meegan in Mililani and from there went to my favorite Thai Restaurant! Yummy food!! We ate and chatted for hours!! 2 great finds this weekend--a Fisher Price Butterfly Pink Papasan Seat. This papasan has music and soft vibrations and can be used on newborns and is brand new!!! Oh, and I bought Rob a Spalding Croquet Set for a couple bucks! We had a great day and really did find some great deals!! Issis dropped me off close to 3pm and then I had to rest for a little while. I was tired from going all day!! The great thing is that the day went by really fast which brings me one day closer to Rob being home!! YAY!!

8/31: My Sunday morning started with Rob calling me ! I am so glad that he will be home in just a couple of days!!! I have missed him very much!!! I felt great this morning so I went to church.

Surviving my First Week at Home

8/25: So, Monday was the first day at home. I am so used to getting up at 415am that I actually woke up without my alarm clock. I turned tv on and checked email. Issis came by at 8am and we hung out until 1230 when it was time to go pick Xander up at school. Really good to have them around!!! I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on reruns of King of Queens and Seinfeld! What great fun!!! Later in the evening, my friend Toni picked me up for the annual Hui Wahine sign up. The Hui is an organization whose primary goal is raising money for scholarship programs for our youth. It also strives to provide many activites for military spouses. We had fun and enjoyed a bit of shopping!!! Anyway, thanks to Issis and Toni I made it through my first day at home! IHealthwise I feel great. I get very tired very easily! So, I usually have to scope out a place to sit when I am out because I know it will not be long before I have to sit down and rest. (I only checked into the office once!!)
8/26: Tuesday was a bit boring. The most exciting part of my day was going to the mailboxes!! I got 2 boxes--goodies from Norma and my mom! Norma sent me great maternity shirts and shorts and lots of baby clothes!! Unfortunately, Rob called and he will not be returning on Sunday after all!! He will be back next Tuesday. I'm sad but it's just a few more days!! Oh, I take about 2 naps a day now!! I just doze off in the middle of shows.
8/27: Wednesday was a little more of yesterday...
8/28: Thursday started quite early...I can't stay in bed very long. I got up and cooked breakfast and sat up in bed watching morning news. (also waiting for my morning call from Rob!) Issis came over and we went to the Hui Thrift shop. We went to the commissary after that and bought a few essentials like milk and yogurt. After shopping, we went home and tried to figure out if we knew each other 10 0r 11 years and we talked about the crazy times in Germany! We really are blessed to have such a great friendship through the good and bad that we both have experienced!!! THURS evening Allie and Mason came to visit! This is another friendship that I made while Rob was deployed to Iraq. Allie lives around the corner and she came by to chat! It truly is nice to have great friends that care about me and the peas!!
8/29: Aloha Friday!! Very relaxing day! The most strenous activity was going to mailbox! :) Oh, I did have to go through all the junk mail of the past 3 wks and shred all the junk!! One of my most dreaded things to do!!! I survived my first week at home!!!

20 WEEKS

We have made it to 20 Weeks!! Thank you Lord!!! I know that it is only through the Grace of God that we are where we are!! I thank all of you for all your prayers for our family!!!

Babies Rock!!!

8/23: What a great Saturday! 20 Weeks accomplished!! Rob is the only thing missing in my great Saturday! We hope that he will be home very soon!!!! I had a good night. Got up early and tried to take some pictures. I am still adjusting to this camera and I usually have to take 10 blurry shots before I get a good shot...so in one of them I cut a bit of my hair off but I had already taken like 12 shots!!! So, this is as good as it gets. I really was just showing off my new shirt. It has 3 baby footprints, one in pink and two in blue. Tiffiny designed this iron on for us!!! The other shot is with my Babies Rock shirt! That one was from Norma and Ellie! Of course, it is a weekly milestone so here is my 20 week picture as well with the same shirt from previous weeks. No change in weight this week. I did start using a maternity belt this week to help with my achy back! It isn't too bad though!!

Last Day of Work!!!

8/22: Today is my last day of work!! I can not believe that it is here already! Time seems to be flying!!! We will be 20 wks tomorrow and I have been put on Short Term Disability starting my 20th week!!! I have to say that I am glad that I don't have to drive in traffic anymore!!! Last day of it!!! My body is tired too! I have a hard time sleeping and I actually get up about once every hour to go pee!! So, it seems that I never get enough sleep!! So, I am ready to stay home and get more rest!!!

Wheel of Fortune

8/19: As I mentioned yesterday, Tiffiny is visiting! I didn't mention that she is here because she has an audition with Wheel of Fortune! BUT WAIT, there's more!!! She has an audition for Best Friend's Week and she has asked me to go play WHEEL with her!! So exciting!!! So, auditions were today!!! Audition was scheduled for 1pm so we got up early and she had designed an iron on to put on a shirt for me!! So, CUTE!!! It says, Sometimes when you pray for a miracle, you get THREE!--and it has 3 little sets of footprints, two in blue and one in pink!! The shirt turned out great!!! The first audition was so crazy and fun!!! We made it to the second audition which was also as exciting as the first!! We don't know if we made it to the show and will not find out until next FRI but either way, we had a ton of fun!!! I can't believe that I auditioned for Wheel of Fortune!!! Soooo cool!!!! What a twist on this week!! Say a little prayer for us we would really like to make it on the show!!! (we need a mini van!!!) Tiffiny--thanks for inviting me and for sharing this awesome experience with me!!!

Visitors from the Big Island

8/18: One of my dearest friends, Tiffiny, lives on the Big Island. Even though the flight time here is only 30 min with work schedules and family it is hard to visit!! I was very excited when she called a few days ago and said they were coming to visit for a few days!! Tiffiny, Mike and their son Rhett arrived Monday afternoon!! It was really nice to see them!! The last time I saw Rhett he was a wee thing...now he is a 22 month energetic little boy!! I am very happy that they are visiting!!

Happy Sunday

8/17: The Betts Clan has arrived in Hawaii! Aloha to Steve, Issis, Xander, Stevie and Chancy! Steve and Issis are dear friends and we have been friends for many years! It is a real blessing to have them PCS to Hawaii!! It feels great to have such great friends in the neighborhood!!! They came for a short visit today and it was so great to catch up!!! (picture pending)

19 WEEKS

8/16: Boy, this was a rough week!! My blood pressure has been low which makes me very tired!! I am exhausted every single day!!! I also started training my temp who will be performing my duties at work during my absence. So, it was a rough week all together!!! Despite the fact that I fought my doctor a little bit on staying home at 20 weeks, I am very happy that I only have a few more days of work! I actually don't think I could work much longer!!! Nine hour days are becoming quite a challenge!!! BUT, I made it and I feel blessed that the week came to end!!!

Rob is doing well at NTC. It's no picnic---really hot in the desert!!! He will be home soon!!! I miss him very much and can't wait for him to be home!!!

Well, I think my belly has grown tremendously this week!!! It feels much heavier!!! I did gain one pound!!! These babies are taking every bit of nutrition I put in my body!!! Makes us very happy that our babies are growing so well!!! So, same drill with the picture. I put on the same shirt so you can actually see the belly getting bigger and you don't think it's the 'shirt'.

I am having a nice Saturday!! I rested all morning...lounged in bed with the laptop! I also met my friend Arian for lunch! We had a really nice lunch. It was nice to get out of the house!!!

Got Milk??

8/15: Well, we hope to be able to have enough milk for all three babies...in an effort to assist in this task I have purchased the 2008 Medela Pump in Style Advance with the Metro Bag. Funny Stuff!!! A big shout out to Melissa who found this great deal for me!!! THANKS!!!
This afternoon as I was driving home from work, I came across Jessy walking her dog, Tobias. So, Jessy and Toby came over to the house for a while. We sat on the porch enjoying the nice breeze and catching up on girl talk!! It feels great to have such great friends who are calling and coming by to check up on me especially since Rob has been gone! A big Mahalo to all my friends!

Baby Themes

8/16: Rob and I had a very hard time picking out themes!! We did agree on one thing. We want the themes to be similar but not exactly the same!! So, these is what we have chosen. Let us know what you think!!!

CRIBS, CRIBS and more CRIBS

8/13: Today I ordered two of our cribs!!! Very exciting stuff!!! I also ordered the hutch that has the changing area over the top and two 4 drawer dressers. I would have preferred to wait for Rob to do this together because shopping thrills my sweetie pie BUT time is of the essence!!! We are hoping that by placing the order this week we will be able to receive them by mid-NOV!!! You have to remember that nothing is made here in Hawaii!! Everything has to be shipped and right now the cribs are on back order!!! After shopping and looking at many cribs we finally decided on a collection we BOTH agreed on!! As luck would have it we selected the KALANI collection by Milliion Dollar Baby. So funny that the cribs we liked are from their Hawaiian collection. Believe me, this was not planned!!! We decided to get cherry wood for the boys and white for our girl!!! Unfortunately, when asking for the special order item numbers I only requested the numbers for the cherry furniture. So, I have to wait a few days to get the order numbers for the white furniture. I will be going back to order all the white furniture as soon as they have order numbers for it all!!
8/14: UPDATE: Order numbers came in for white furniture!! Order has been placed!!!
So, now we have completed ordering the baby furniture; cribs, dressers and changing station!!! YAY! Such an accomplishment!! Now, we just have to wait for them. It is going to be a bit of a wait but I am glad the ordering is out of the way!!!

Doctor's Appointment

A Person's a Person, no matter how small!"
from Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss

THREE PEAS IN A POD!!! All three together. As you can see (hopefully) Baby Girl is on top crowding the boys!!! So cute!! The images are small BUT if you click on the ultrasound picture it will enlarge it and bring up as a whole page!!! You have to do this for each picture!!! Baby A and B, the boys both weigh 8 oz and Baby C, our girl weighs 9 oz!!

Aqui estan los tres bebes juntos. El bebe que esta arriba es la nina!

Baby Boy A-being quite shy today!! Doc was able to only take a couple shots of him!

Baby Boy B, Image 1---Baby B was very alert and ready for snapshots!!! Baby A was quite shy yesterday!!

Baby Boy B, Image 2

Baby Boy B, Image 3

Baby GIRL C weighs 9 oz!!! Baby Girl was very active just like Baby B! She was waving!!! It is so amazing to see this movement!!! The doctor was so cute--he says..."look, she's waving at Mommy!!"

8/12: This afternoon I went to our first perinatologist appointment without Rob! It was actually kind of sad to be there without him...I am usually a wreck for my appointments and don't really pay much attention. Even though we have been to see him at least a half dozen times, I got lost. The office is on the second floor of the hospital and I went to the 4th floor. Don't ask me why!! Both the doctor and nurse were surpised that Rob wasn't with me!!! I explained that he was in CA!!!
The exam started routinely...with lots of warm jelly applied to the belly!! I had been anxious all day about seeing our peas!!! The doctor started off by saying, "hmmm, excellent, perfect....beautiful!!!" He said that everything looked amazing!!! I was so happy!!! I got to see the babies moving and waving at me!!! So cool...I simply wanted to cry because Rob was missing it!!! So, we definetely have 2 boys and a girl!! I was able to see the "boy" markings on Baby A and Baby B who by the way, weigh exactly the same. They both weigh 8 ounces!!! Our girl, weighs an amazing 9 ounces!!! Yay, she is ahead!! She is not going to let the boys get ahead!!! She had a perfect wave to the audience!!! So, he said to continue doing what I am doing...continue with a protein shake every day, drink lots of water and get lots of rest!!!
I am so happy!! Words can not express how grateful I am for these three amazing blessings!!!
I think we will be ordering our cribs later this week!!!
Oh, I only have 7 work days left!!!

18 WEEKS

8/9: Today we start 18 weeks!! The belly is still growing although I haven't gained a pound in the last 3 wks. Pretty amazing! I am drinking a protein shake everyday and trying to eat more! I am sure the weight will catch up in a few more weeks!!

Here is the 18 wks picture of me. I decided to wear the same blouse as last week so you can really compare belly size!!!

Our babies at 18 wks:

* Vernix (a white cheese-like protective material) forms on their skin with the lanugo (soft, lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs); both serving to protect their skin during the months in water.
* Placenta continues to grow and nourish. Prenatal vitamins are very important at this time!
* Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs.
* Vocal chords are formed. Babies go through the motions of crying but without air no sound is made.
* Features of baby's heart, including ventricles and chambers, should be visible during an ultrasound.
* Baby measures about 5.59 inches (14.2cm) this week and weighs about 6.7 ounces (190gm).

****Our babies are above the average!!! Boys are 8 ounces and girl is 9 ounces!!!!

Thursday Updates

8/7: I just want to update that I have had a really good week! I have been terribly busy at work!!! I am preparing an SOP for the TEMP that will be doing my job will I am on Short Term Disability. Oh, I will be on STD starting 25 AUG. My last work day will be the 22nd! I can't believe it is right around the corner!! Our doctor is adamant that I WILL NOT work past my 20 week mark!!! So, my STD got approved through my company a couple days ago!!! YAY!!! So, I only have 10 more work days left!!! It is going by really fast!!!
Rob is doing well!!! They have had many issues---no power, broken generators, low water supply!!! I am always amazed that his spirits always remain high through such turmoil! I guess that is the life of a soldier and why I am better at being a civilian! Don't think I will do well with no water!!! He has been able to call me 2-3 times a day although each time it is only for 4-5 min or less. I am still thankful that at least I can hear his voice for a few minutes!!! His first question is always how are you and how are my babies??
Overall, I am doing very well!! My BP continues to stay low which the doctor is really happy about (I check every day!!). I am also religiously drinking my protein shake every day just like the doctor ordered!! (the secret is to put lots of ice so it tastes just like a milkshake )
Thanks again for those of you that continue to email and call to check up on me!!

Three Peas in a Pod

8/5: Rob has now been gone for 4 days! I do miss him terribly but I have realized that this will probably be the last time for a long, long time that I will be alone. No husband and no children. So, I am looking for my silver lining and enjoying my "nellie time"....if you know me well...you know how valuable "nellie time" is to me!!! So, I am enjoying the couch, the bed and the tv all to myself!! Rob has been too cute...he will tell me say hello to the babies!!!

17 WEEKS

8/3: We are at 17 weeks and I feel great!! The belly is growing and we are very happy!!! Today I learned to take my own picture with Rob's new camera. He wants to be able to keep up in pictures while he is gone this month!!! I think I did fairly well!!
I had several people call today to check up on me! Rob left me a few guardian angels! Toni, thank you for being such a great friend! To my sisters, thank you! You guys are awesome! Lots of hugs!!!
Our Babies at 17 WKS:
*By week 17, each baby weighs about 4.97 ounces (140gm) and is 5.12 inches (13cm) long.
* They have a much more normal "human" appearance now.
* They hold their heads more erect and their body and limbs are longer in proportion to their head.
* Pads are forming on their tiny fingertips and toes. Soon individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.
* Eyes are looking forward now, but they are still firmly closed.
* Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. This black gooey substance will become baby's first poop!
* The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger and continues to rush blood and nutrients to each baby.
* In boys the prostate begins to develop.
* Their skeleton is tranforming from cartilage to bone. The bones remain flexible to make the journey through the birth canal easier.

Rob Shops for Babies

8/2: I have been meaning to post this picture!!! Before Rob left to NTC he went shopping for the babies and came home with these cute shoes. He bought the babies high tops and socks!!! Oh, so cute!! I just had to snap a picture of his little purchases!!!

Rob leaves to NTC

8/2: Today Rob left to NTC! I am deeply saddened! :(
My morning started at 1:45AM. I volunteered to get up and make my sweetie breakfast tacos. I made him bacon, egg and cheese tacos. Rob loves bacon but I never let him eat it! I know, I'm evil!!! He packed up all his gear in my car and we left at 2:45am. We stopped in the arms room first and then to the final destination. I stayed with him until shortly past 4am. I was simply so sad to see him go. I know it's only for a month but bear with me, I am a bit more emotional than is my normal state!!! I went home and went back to bed.
I woke up shortly before 8am. I had to get ready for my OB appt. This is the first appt that Rob has not participated in---even the nurse was surprised that he wasn't with me.
Appt went very well!!! Not too much to tell. They simply took stats and made me pee in a cup and then sent me on my happy way!
After my appt I went to visit my friend Cille whose husband also left to NTC today. We visited for a while and then I came home....to an empty house....snif, snif

This picture was taken right before leaving the house!

Aloha Friday

8/1: Today is my Mom's birthday!! Feliz Cumpleanos!!!
Today is my Aloha Friday, which means I am OFF today!!! Yay! It has been a really busy week at work!!!
Rob leaves tomorrow for NTC, the National Training Center in CA! In true ARMY way, he has to be ready to go at 3AM!!!
I am sad that he is leaving. He will be gone for a little over 30 days! I am accepting of this assignment because I know it is his responsibility but I still wish he wasn't going. I just don't want him to miss anything of this pregnancy!!