Our Life Turned Upside Down

Our life has been a whirlwind!  It is hard to believe we have already passed the 12 week mark which puts us halfway to the very important 24 week viability mark and about 40% through the pregnancy... say what!?!  The first trimester has definitely been no joy ride, but I am happy to be through it and starting to feel a little bit better.  The doctors say that I will have a couple of weeks of feeling "okay" before I get so big that I am miserable again.  Let's hope those weeks stretch out a bit!

12 Weeks (and ready for a nap!)

As most of you know, I am a "brand new" attorney.  I graduated law school in May 2013, took the bar in July 2013, and found out I passed in October.  I started working right away in the town I live in with another attorney that is a family friend.  I so much love my job and cannot tell you how awesome it felt to FINALLY be done with all schooling and to be moving on to the next chapter of my life with working.  Well, I have just been so sick that I had to stop working at about my 11 week mark, and, to be honest, I was only there about half the time during weeks 9 and 10.  During the 10-11 week mark, I was in the ER three times, and it just got to the point where it was too much and I couldn't handle the work anymore.  I could never forgive myself if I pushed myself too hard and something happened.  Thankfully, my partner in the law firm, Tom, has been super understanding and supportive.  We are going to re-evaluate after the start of next year.
Good news is, since I have stopped working, I am feeling so much better, and I am able to get all the rest and down time that my body needs.  I had not had any trips to the ER since I stopped working- until Friday night!  Ugh- my heart was acting up and both my OB and my high risk OB sent me to the ER to get it checked.  I waited with Chris and my mom in the waiting room for over 5 hours!  So by the time anyone saw me, my heart was back to normal.  Seems like it always happens that way.  Even though I am not working anymore, it has definitely still been hard.  Anyone that knows me knows that I am not one to sit around for too long- I like to be busy!  Thankfully, Chris and my mom have come up with some ways to keep me pretty busy, and getting this blog ready and posting on it has given me something to do.

Me during one of the trips to the ER.  My mom takes such flattering pictures!  It took me about 4 hours to convince them that I needed something to eat.  I may have been better off without!

Now for some laughs.  My mom and I decided to go complete the baby registries early on because my doctor said the further along I got the harder it would be.  Well, at Target I felt so horrible that I had to ride around in one of those motorized scooter cart things.  This is not a joke.  I felt so embarrassed!  Clearly everyone was starring at me.  I have learned quickly that this is not the time in my life to be vain or modest!  I think I crashed about 10 times (which always requires backing up which leads to the BEEP BEEP BEEP sound- only me).  At Babies R Us, they had no motorized carts (I don't know if this is a good or bad thing), but they did have a wheelchair!  Oh my word- my mom pushed me around that whole store in a wheelchair.  At least there were less people there to stare at me.  I think we were there 5 hours (yes, seriously).

Thanks Mom for the awesome pic (not).

Everything in my pregnancy timeline is happening like twice as fast as normal I think (or maybe 4 times).  Because I am going to be on strict bed rest so soon and likely hospitalized around week 20, we have to get things ready pretty early!  Our amazing families are planning a baby shower for us in mid-July right before I get to the "OMG you seriously expect me to get out of bed" phase and I am not allowed to do anything.  Because I am not allowed to travel (goodbye to 2 planned vacations this summer- boo!), I cannot travel down to my husband's hometown to visit with his family all summer which is hard!  But I think some of them are planning to come up here for the shower which will be great.
I have pretty much been living at my parents house (only 2 doors down from our house) since around the time I stopped working.  My mom is home all day, so it is easy for her to help me along when I am not feeling great while Chris is at work.  Not to mention I don't get so lonely being at home all day by myself.  My little niece Aleah is here a lot of the time so she keeps me pretty entertained and laughing all day long.  She is the best!  She has been gone on vacation for the past week, and I was so excited when she got home last night.  She gave me a big kiss and came running to me- loooove.  Then four kisses for my belly of course (she makes me count).  She is such a doll!

My mom is a rockstar!  She treats me like I am still her little baby and helps me with anything I might need.  What a great mom I have!  Both of my grandmas have also cooked and baked me some of my favorite meals- yum yum yum!  Have to keep those babies growing.  Would you guys believe me if I told you I haven't gained any weight?  Better believe it!  I have absolutely no idea how considering I am about the size of a bus compared to what I am used to (and I am constantly hungry), but the scales don't lie.  Since I have gone to the doctor (first appointment at six weeks), I have not gained an ounce.  I'm thinking the doctors won't put up with that too much longer.  I do not think I can physically eat much more than I have been though- every time I eat, I feel like my stomach is just going to explode my guts all over the walls (gross, I know).  It usually goes something like this (every 2 hours or so):  STARVING, eat less than a normal amount, feel like I am going to die/explode, have to sit reclined for about an hour for it to die down.  I am living the dream I tell ya!
Chris is doing an awesome job supporting me.  He keeps in touch while he is at work each day to see how I am feeling, and he makes me (and my family) dinner regularly.  He is an awesome cook!  After work each day, he comes over and we get to spend some time together.  It is hard not seeing each other as much, but, in the end, I think it is easier for both of us.  He is also doing a pretty good job of keeping up with everything at our house.  I stop over sometimes for a visit or to go see our little (or should I say huge) cat Booger.  He has also been able to miss work for each of my appointments which is awesome because I always seem to be stressed out for each one of them.  My friends are awesome too and stop over for visits, grab something to eat with me, or go on some short excursions- everyone has been so supportive!
Chris and I also went to a "Marvelous Multiples" class at OSU, and, what do you know, it was taught by someone that I know that lives in the same city as us (she is the sister of two of my childhood best friends).  She is also a nurse at the NICU at OSU, so it is nice to know we will know someone there. During the class, we got to tour the NICU which was the best part for me.  I like to know what to expect.   We got to see triplets that were 3 weeks old and born at 27 weeks.  They were SO tiny, but so so beautiful.  It was amazing to see how well they were doing and progressing.  That moment changed everything for me- it is possible!  One of them (the boy) was just wailing because they were changing his equipment- amazing that something so small (about 3 pounds) can make such a huge noise.  And the little girl that was being held by her mom had so much hair.  Just amazing.
I read books, read blogs of other quad moms, watch entirely too much television, look online for baby stuff, cook, hang around outside, and run errands.  Oh and lots of sleep- I am talking over 2 hour naps each day.  My mom is trying to get me to start knitting or crocheting- keep that dream alive mom! 

Proof of my sleep.  Do all moms still take sleeping pictures of their 26 year old kids?!  I am looking at you Karla.

PS-  The "Waugh-Nuts" story!  My mom has a hard time calling anyone or anything by its real name.  There are nicknames for everyone.  So, we had taken to calling the babies "peanuts" (I mean they are small little things).  Well my mom or someone mentioned the "peanuts" in a group text with the family and my ever-the-jokester husband said "They aren't peanuts, they're Waugh-nuts" (Waugh is our last name).  Get it? Waugh-nuts/Walnuts.  Chris said he had been saving that one for 30 years.  So there you have it- our little Waugh-Nuts (we are all a little nutty too).