Sharing our joy

It is so exciting to be able to sit down and fill you in on David, Aria and Levi. I'm going to give some details of how everyone is doing and also some prayer requests. A lot of people tell us to let them know if there is anything they can do for us, and I can't think of anything more important. :)

Big day for the babies! We got a nice surprise this morning. All three kiddos are in little bassinets. They no longer have to be in warmers and are able to maintain their own temperatures! This is big because we have access to them now. I always felt separated from them even when I was standing right their because they were behind glass. It was kind of hard on me. Now I can reach down and pick them up when I want to!

All of the IV's are out! Dan and I are thrilled because we were always scared that we would pull on them and hurt them. The wires they stilll have to put up with are easy to reattach. We still have toput up with the feeding tubes which are relatively easy to avoid. They are getting all of the nutrition needs through their tummys... big step. Now, the next lesson will be growing strong enough to eat all of their meals from the bottle or nursing. They still get tuckered out and have to have some food through the feeding tubes. David is behind by far. He hasn't wanted to put in the effort of eating yet, but we feel he is coming around. Hopefully they increase how much he bottles tomorrow and we can get him on the road of self-sufficiency. Pray for his strength and endurance eating. David weighs 5 lb. 3 oz. A little weight loss after birth is expected.

Aria is eating pretty well, but our latest concern with her has been spitting up. They propped up the end of her mattress slightly and are slowing down her feedings to try and keep more of her calories in her tummy - instead of on the blanket! Pray that her tummy adjusts to eating more and that she grows. Levi will catch her in size soon if she doesn't watch out. She is at 4 lbs, 13 oz. right now.

Levi is trucking along with the eating. Our concern with him has been what they call "spells." Occasionally his heartrate drops drastically and the monitor alarms sound. He always recovers on his own, but it's still scary for mommy and daddy! We've been told numerous times that this is very common in preemie babies. He should grow out of it soon, especially once the feeding tube is removed. Pray for his "spells" to subside and his little heart grows steady and strong. Levi now weighs more than he did at birth - by an ounce and a half!

Being parents has been the most magical time for Dan and me. We are soaking up every precious moment and are moved to tears that God trusted these angels to us. I've never been more moved by anything than watching Dan as a father. What a privilege it is to be his wife and the mother of his children. Pray for him tomorrow and Thursday because he had to return to Rock Rapids for work again. This time he'll be away longer than he has before. I know it's ripping his heart out. Pray for his focus and peace so he can return to us Thursday afternoon with no worries.

I will add a few more pictures from the hospital. I can't access any pictures from our camera right now but hopefully on Thursday I'll have some good ones to post again. Thank you for caring about our family. Sharing David, Levi and Aria with all of you increases our joy immensely.

I can't believe it has been a week since this picture was taken... right before our triplets arrived! The MOST unbelievable part is that the three babies I hold in my arms were ALL inside my belly! I'll never understand how that was possible. I'll always miss that closeness with the greatest miracle I've ever experienced.


Another family photo!


My baby girl curled contently against my chest.


All piled together again... and they seemed very much at home with each other. They make me melt.


God bless you and your families!
Elizabeth

Cradle Roll

Our cradle roll is finally up at Sanford Health! Here is the web address or you can access it through the hospital website.

http://www.sanfordhealth.org/CradleRoll/

So cute!

Triplet Reunion

We have hundreds of new pictures. But, I'm one TIRED mommy and I'm going back to bed. Enjoy!
Levi

David

Aria

David

Aria




Levi

A Happy Reunion

First Family Photo

Detailed update and more pictures!

Hello! We are so excited to have welcomed our children in to the world. Praise the Lord! We give God the glory for these three lives because they are His masterpieces. David, Aria, and Levi are miracles and we can’t thank God enough for them. God has been our strength and provider through this entire adventure and He has amazed us at every step.

The kids are doing wonderful. They are being very well cared for in the NICU. Right now, they are all under special lights for jaundice. We were told almost all babies in the NICU need the lights and so we are accomplishing another step before getting to go home. We know it will probably be at least a couple weeks before the triplets are ready for home, but we’ll be patient. There is so much for them to learn! They are all learning to eat from the bottle, but they aren’t ready to get all their calorie needs from the bottle yet. They still have IV’s and feeding tubes to help them get stronger.

I’ve never seen my babies so content as when they are in our arms. I’ve gotten to do some “Kangaroo Care” with each of them. That is where they get to be held skin to skin. They cuddle up to me and seem to go into a happy trance. When I sing some of the songs I’ve sung all along the pregnancy to them, their faces light up and they try and open their eyes. It doesn’t always work because eyelids can be such heavy things to lift!! But, those moments are precious.

Dan is Daddy extraordinaire! He’s changed lots of diapers, feed lots of bottles and knows the ins and outs of their care way more than I do at the moment! I always find myself asking him what the alarms are and how to do this and that. He’s learned so much so far in the NICU, it’s amazing. I’ll be sad when he has to go back to work. I haven’t been able to lean over the isolets yet to be able to change a diaper. I’m still getting my strength back, although this hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be.

My c-section went very fast and uneventful. I couldn’t believe it when David was born because it seemed like they had just laid me down and Dan had just gotten there! I didn’t get to see much of the babies as they were born, but I was just glad they all came out crying and doing well. They put David by my face for a kiss. When they wheeled Aria by, she stretched out her hand for me to touch (I’m not surprise the first thing I saw her do was stretch!). And I got a glimpse of Levi cleaned up and wrapped before they were taken to the NICU. Dan followed them and my aunt Donna stepped in to stay with me while the surgery ended. I am shocked at how much of the surgery Dan watched. I’m pretty sure he saw each of them born and some of the after stuff. NOT ME! I didn’t even let them tell me what was happening. I jabbered to Dan the whole time trying to distract myself from what was going on on the other side of the curtain. But, before I knew it, it was all over and I was wheeled back to recovery.

Unfortunately, while in recovery, I was bleeding more than the nurse liked. I guess they had to kind of be aggressive with me to get it taken care of. Luckily, I was numb and didn’t have a clue. They were moving me around and I saw my leg come up off the bed once, and I could’ve sworn I felt it still stretched out on the bed! Weird. I remember just laying there watching Dan’s face and praying that God would heal me soon so I could go see my babies. The bleeding slowed down significantly after that and although I was slightly delayed in recovery, they still rolled my bed over to the NICU to see my newborn children. What a sight to see! Getting to hold Levi right there on my bed did my heart sooo much good and helped me survive until I could return later. The impatient grandparents were also very grateful I got to see the triplets because I didn’t let anyone go see them until I had! I know, it’s cruel but I’m the MOMMA! Obviously, they survived but I believe the newest Grandpa Rigsby was about to throw a fit! ;)

The next 24 hours for me are a bit of a blur. I was on some good meds and I didn’t get much sleep. My first night without the 15 pounds of baby on my bladder was eventful anyway. Between 12am & 1am, my IV alarm kept waking me up. Then at 4 am I woke up with a stabbing pain in the back & neck. It hurt to do anything, especially breathe deeply. I put up with for a couple days before they took an x-ray and discovered the cause was an air bubble in my abdomen from surgery. Today has been the first day it hasn’t really bothered me. Back to the exhausting first hours… I saw a short part of a video Dan had taken and I sounded awful!! I guess I sounded drugged because I was. I was wheeled back & forth to the NICU droopy eyed and falling asleep. It was hard feeling that way while trying to introduce myself to my children and get to know them. Gradually it has gotten much better and I’m ready to feel like my old self again.

I will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow but will probably still spend most of my time up here in the NICU. We can have visitors for short amounts of time, a couple at a time. Please don’t come if you think you may be sick, and no one under the age of 15 is allowed to visit either. Sorry. Otherwise, the babies will be home with Mommy and Daddy before we all know it.

Mommy, Grandma Rigsby, Aria & Levi


David


Levi


Aria


Well, I think that is all I will talk about for now. I’ll see if there are any new pictures I can post for you. I have to give a quick shout out to the triplet’s Aunt Jess. She has been receiving all of my posts and posting them for me since the hospital doesn’t let me log in here.. So, thanks Jessica! We love you! Can wait to see you soon!

Love,
Elizabeth

New Pictures of the little Nebelsick Triplets!!

David Andrew


David Andrew


David Andrew with Daddy


David Andrew with Mommy and Daddy


Aria Louise


Aria Louise


Aria Louise with Daddy's hand by her head.


Aria Louise with her legs stretched out. She loves to stretch and move!


Aria Louise with Grandma Nebelsick


Aria Louise with Grandpa Nebelsick


Levi Timothy


Levi Timothy


Levi Timothy being fed by Daddy!


Levi Timothy with Grandma Rigsby


Levi Timothy with Grandpa Rigsby

No breathing help!

We're so excited to update you on our babies! They are not even 24 hours old yet and they are all breathing on their own. No help for any of them! We get to see their precious faces without tubes on them! We saw them briefly this morning (before their Mommy crashed from exhaustion) and they are sooo gorgeous! WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH! So precious. Anyway, we are finishing lunch and then we will go back down to see them soon. We can't wait to get you more pictures of them and their beautiful faces. Please be patient, I can't believe how crazy it's been here. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your prayers. Our children are such miracles and they have done so much better than we could have hoped for.

More updates and pictures later!
Love, Dan and Elizabeth

Happy Birthday to my BABIES!

We’ve got BABIES! I don’t have a ton of time or energy to get into details tonight, but I’ll elaborate later. Announcing the newest Nebelsicks!!

David Andrew Nebelsick (Initials DAN) – Born at 3:02pm. 5lbs. 6oz. 18.5”
Aria Louise Nebelsick (Pronounced “R”-ee-ah) – Born at 3:02, 5lbs 4oz. 18.5”
Levi Timothy Nebelsick – Born at 3:03, 4lbs 7oz. 18.75” (He’s long and skinny!)

They are doing WONDERFUL! And SO cute!!! The surgery was much easier to handle than I had imagined. More details when I have the brain capacity to sort it all out. Back to BABIES!

Levi has no problems with breathing and isn’t needing any help! Both Dan and I have gotten to hold him briefly. YEA! Most amazing moment ever! David and Aria are both getting a little help with breathing for now. We’re praying all three stay stable with their wonderful conditions and improve soon! The nurses say they are doing very, very well and we are pretty confident about their health.

Ok, that’s all I can get typed for now. I’ll post some pictures and call it good for the night. Time for sleep.

Mommy and Daddy the night before!


David


Aria


Levi on his Mommy, holding his Daddy’s thumb


More pictures coming later!

We love you all!!!
The Nebelsick Family

The Day After Tomorrow

Happy Memorial Day! It was four years ago this weekend that Dan and I moved into our house. We raced to get the truck unloaded before it stormed, and boy did it storm! Sioux Falls flooded that weekend, Dan's family had to race to avoid the swirling tornado-like clouds, and we discovered that our house didn't have rain gutters! The plants I painstakingly brought from Rapid City sat on our porch and got gutted by the flood off of the roof. We had potting soil blasted to the side of the house for the next year. It was quite the night. Ahh, memories.

So, we're at 49 hours and counting! The day after tomorrow seems so close, and yet at painful moments, so far away. I've really enjoyed being pregnant. I know I'll be sad when it's over. But, this past week surely has been God's way of helping me seperate myself from the babies in me. I'm SO ready to have my body back and move freely again. I'm looking forward to going on a walk. I haven't done that since this fall. The itching is OUT of control! Stretch marks are bulging and stretching more this last week than ever. I can tell my babies are getting big and strong and they are getting a workout on me! The other night, our baby girl was stretching and it felt like she was pushing her feet off my hip and her head was coming out my side. Yowzers! We are beyond excited to hold our babies and cuddle them. We've been thinking this will happen for weeks, so knowing it's 2 days away seems unreal. I'm really excited to introduce them to the world and announce their names. I feel like I already know them a little and their names seem appropriate.

Well, back to watching everyone clean. That stinks. I wish I could be more help and get up and DO the things I just have to explain sometimes. Oh well. This too shall pass. I don't know if I'll post again before our pre-op appointment tomorrow, so until then... Bye!

Elizabeth

Our non-news

Dear faithful readers,
I apologize for my children leading you astray. Dan and I are baffled at how convinced everyone was that we were about meet our babies. I also can’t believe that I have just been discharged from the hospital! I was practically begging to go. I could tell I was not going anywhere with the labor. In fact, they just checked and there was no change. So, I’m free! I not free in body, but in spirit. :) It will be lovely to have visiting time with all my Gillette relatives that flew back for the babies. Ha, now they have to still concentrate their affection on me. Soon I will be the triplets mom, not Elizabeth. Just kidding. It WILL be a big help to have my mom help me finish up the nursery.

So, everytime I would get up to go to the bathroom (at least a hundred times a day…) Dan would get a quick break from the uncomfortable wooden rocking chair and he’d hop in my nest. The hospital bed was pretty comfy and I don’t blame him a bit. But, when I came out laughing at him once, he decided to be a clown. I captured this picture for your enjoyment. Now, no mocking him… or I’ll have to remove it! Isn’t he cute? I told him he’ll be the one who is the most grateful these babies because then he won’t be the star of the blog anymore… babies will be!

Big news is we have a c-section scheduled for May 28th. If I don’t go into labor before then, babies will be born anyway. I’m so relieved to have some sort of end in sight and a final goal. I’ll be 35 weeks and the doctor was very satisfied with that gestation. We are too.

It’s time for dinner now with my family! Yea!! Homemade pizza, yummy. And now I’ve come back to food… I better go. Pray we can make it safely to Wednesday and then meet our wonderful children. Thanks for your support so far and we can feel and see the benefits of your prayers. Thank you so much!

All our love,
Elizabeth (plus Dan, A, B, & C)

Not Yet

Well, no babies yet. The contractions slowed down after they gave me a shot and some fluids. It helped to have Dan here too. I don’t know how much longer I can convince the babies to stay put… probably not very long from the way I’m feeling and medical staff are acting. I’ll keep trying to get updates posted as I know what’s going on. I feel bad like I was teasing everyone with a false alarm, but none of us can predict what’s happening.

I get to eat. HALLELUIA! But, I don’t know why I’m throwing a fit about not eating. One of these days I’m actually going to have to go the long duration with no food and quit whining. I’m not looking forward to it. I’m sure Dan’s not either since his pregnant wife turns into a scary creature when not properly nourished. I should start mentally preparing for that too. I’ll probably be back soon!

Today or Tomorrow? That is the Question!

So, I’m in the hospital again. This time the contractions aren’t slowing down, they are getting more regular. The nurses seem to be preparing me for the imminent c-section. They just came in the insert my IV… yuck! I survived and can still kind of type to you. It sounds like the floor I’m on is kind of active and busy, so maybe I can get them to hold off a little while. I still can’t wrap my head around becoming a mother to three babies soon!!

So, yesterday I was having some irregular but frequent contractions. Dan convinced me I should call… I don’t know why I didn’t want to. They had us come to the clinic to be checked. I wasn’t dilated anymore but they decided to keep me to monitor the contractions. After a while of that, the doctor wanted to keep me overnight for observation. The advantage: yummy grilled cheese sandwich and vanilla ice cream at midnight. I don’t get that kind of service at home! The disadvantage: 5 and a half hours of sleep last night. I think they finished my non-stress test at about midnight. That’s where the nurses listen to the heartbeats until they hear three accelerations in the rates. My sleeper, Baby A, passed the test in the first 5 minutes! My acrobat, Baby C, took forever! I finally woke him up with my hand and then he moved around enough. Silly kids.

This morning, I was checked and the “play it cool” doctor (who I was sure would release me) decided I should stay. He’s the most relaxed out of everyone we’ve seen. Mornings are always the worst for contractions for me. Well, my breakfast took an hour and 15 minutes to come (it got lost, I guess) and I had too much time to start stressing myself out with thoughts of all I’d like to have done, then the contractions started getting worse. All of a sudden, everyone started talking about delivering the babies today! What? That’s not my plan! Ha ha. My plan? That’s funny.

Dan has come to camp out with me now. I sent him home last night because I need someone to get some good sleep (and Dan does NOT do well on no sleep). I think he went to work for about an hour before I called him to come back. I think I’m more stressed sitting here alone and that equals more contractions.

Have a mentioned I’m starving?? I ate breakfast but have been banned from all solids and liquids since then! Dan walked in with his Taco Johns lunch when he got here!! He’s lucky I’m wired down! Just kidding. I actually didn’t mind because he had totally pre-redeemed himself yesterday. I was at home and he was heading home from a meeting and I asked if he’d stop by Subway for me for lunch. When he got home, he delivered Taco Johns!! He had purchased it in Luverne, MN and drove it home. Normally, it probably would have been cold and disgusting, but Dan is too thoughtful for that. He ordered softshells with no lettuce, with a side of lettuce! Why would a person do that? Because he kept my tacos and my potato oles warm on the heater during the 17 mile drive home. Hot lettuce would have been disgusting. The meal was some of the best Taco Johns I’ve ever had.

Well, this is about as long as I can distract myself typing for now. Dan and I are going to start a movie. They couldn’t do a csection right now because of the food in my tummy. Thank goodness for breakfast! We’ll be sure to keep you all updated when we can. Here’s a picture of me yesterday. I was 33 weeks and 5 days along. And yes, I'm huge. According to my loving husband, my belly now deserves its own zip code. Ha ha Dan.

Like I saw another triplet mom saying: the mothership is signing off!

Celebrations

Yesterday was a great day! We had a doctor's appointment, spent time with family, got to eat birthday cake, and I celebrated an important anniversary: 6 years since the day I met Dan.

First, the appointment where we saw our sons and daughter! They were measured and here's what we have:
Baby Boy A - 4lbs. 6 oz.
Baby Girl B - 4 lbs. 5 oz.
Baby Boy C - 5 lbs. 2 oz.

That's almost 14 pounds of baby!!! I told Dan as I was getting out of the van to go in to the doctors office that they were getting heavy. I wasn't imagining things! The doc seemed really pleased at the weights. I don't have to keep going in twice a week anymore. We were told that if I go into labor, they won't stop it anymore. The babies will just be delivered! I hope we have a little warning! We'll try and get notice to our parents in time. Now the most exciting time starts: the waiting for labor! I could actually have something normal happen during this pregnancy!! Could it happen tomorrow? or next week? Only the Lord knows. We don't have another appointment until Friday and it would be two weeks until the next growth check. I mentioned to Dan during the ultrasound that this could be the last time we have a growth ultrasound. Yikes! The babies looked so healthy and squished! Baby C’s head was under my left ribs and Baby B regularly kicks my right ribs. It has made typing hard because I sit most of the day with my right fist protecting my rib cage. I have a theme song for this time in my life. It goes to the tune of the Chili’s babyback rib song. Here are my words, “I want my body back, body back, body back, and my ribs!” It’s much better when it is sung. Big healthy babies was all I really wanted for my birthday and I got it. I’ve decided the Nebelsick babies theme song right now is “I Like to Move It, Move It” – you know…. from the movie “Madagascar”?


Yesterday was my birthday. I kept thinking about how I’ve been so blessed in my life through an event 6 years ago on May 16th. Daniel Nebelsick came into my life. I met him on my 21st birthday. That night I sent an email to my best friend called “I met a boy…” It was filled with many details of the evening, but this is how it started.

Kenzie,
Wouldn't it be interesting to someday be able to say that my husband was the best birthday present I ever got? Okay, that may be jumping to conclusions and way over-dreaming this thing... but I think it's funny.
I also just thought that would be an appropriately shocking way to start this letter.


Obviously I thought a lot of the man I had just and was very interested in getting to know him. That was the perfect start to this ongoing adventure which is our relationship. My prediction turned out to be right. And all my dreams came true. If you were me, that’s what you’d be celebrating on May 16th also. He is now the father of my three children and a thoughtful caretaker of me. I’ve heard that the most important decision you will ever make is your spouse… and I did good! (I I thank God every day for bringing Dan into my life and answering all my prayers. The Lord wrote a beautiful love story for us and it gets better every day. I cannot wait to meet Dan’s children and watch him be a dad.


Okay, enough with the gooey stuff about Dan. The rest of my b-day was very nice. We had tacos and cake at my aunt Donna’s house and then I watched Dan and my brother trim trees and pull our bushes from Donna’s landscaping. We had gotten some more baby shopping done that afternoon also. All in all, a very nice day.

There was something else I was going to type about on here, but I’ll have to come back when I think of it… So for now, I will sign off.

Love, Elizabeth

Sorry! It's been a while.

Ok, so I know I've been neglecting my faithful readers. Sorry. I've been more and more lethargic than before. Exhaustion is setting in, besides the fact that it is very hard to type when the majority of the time I have a fist in my ribs to protect them from Baby B. She's gotten the nickname from me "The Abuser." Just for now... I'm sure she'll be very sweet as soon as her feet are no longer near my ribs.

I'm STILL home!! How exciting is that? It seems unbelievable for being 2 days away from 33 weeks. I was sure I'd be camped out in the hospital by now. We had two appointments last week. Both were uneventful. The babies looked great. Baby A was quite sleepy both times we saw him. I feel him move all the time but he must get stage fright for the ultrasound. Hopefully he does some dancing for the appointments this week. Otherwise, I'm not dilated anymore than I have been before. On Friday, the nurse even said I was boring! That's a very good thing. They want boring! We go in again today and FINALLY get another measurement of the kids on Friday (Happy Birthday to me! - I just want healthy babies!) Everyone asks if they've grown or how big they think they are but we only get to find out every two weeks. They don't measure more often than that. So, we'll let you know then.

We had an awesome relaxing weekend together as a family. Dan and I hung out all day on Saturday and watched some TV and watched some of the bouncy waterbed that is my belly. Dan has started reading to them every day, mostly before bedtime. On Saturday he found a book I bought a while ago called "Let Me Hold You Longer" by Karen Kingsbury. Kind of a sad book - more for parents than kids. But, it kind of got to us and made Dan a little sad... he had a couple tears roll down the cheeks. He's so sweet. We are realizing that the days of feeling our babies kick inside me are drawing to a close. We'll soon be on to a new phase. We just want to treasure every second of this one and our final days of just us together. We've really enjoyed our years as a couple but we're excited for the adventure of parenthood. Anyway, I better go because it's time to leave for Sioux Falls! Thanks for reading!

Love, Elizabeth

Update

We had an appointment on Friday. Yea! for getting to see our babies. They were measured again but we didn't get the news we thought we would. Two weeks ago, they all were 3 lbs, 3 ozs. I was expecting to hear they are now around 4 lbs. The offical weight estimates were 3lbs - 4oz, 3lbs - 5oz, 3lbs - 11oz. The doctor showed small concern about the lack of growth but mostly about the small abdomin measurement on Babies A and B. But, they monitored the blood flow to the babies and it looked good. Now they are going to monitor me twice a week, looking for the blood flow in the umbilical chords and the practice breathing movements in the babies. They aren't overly concerned yet, just being cautious.

So, since I need to get to Sioux Falls twice this week, I'm going to be staying at my aunt Donna's for a few days. Dan will be able to have a few evenings to get stuff done around the house without cooking and cleaning for me. Poor guy needs a break!

Not much else to write today. I'm pretty much in a constant state of exhaustion now so it's probably time for another nap. Eyes... heavy and watering.... night night.

Love, Elizabeth

New Pictures

Here I am today! I am 30 weeks and 5 days along. This will be the only time in my life that Dan will be able to take a picture of me and then say, "You are huge!" (That's our new pack 'n play in the background.)

This is a picture of me in the hospital. Not the most flattering, but oh well. Nothing about pregnancy is very flattering.


Here is a picture of my recent help. The first is Mom and Dan taking a much needed break from all my demands. At least that's what they would want you to think. ;)


This was the next round of help to arrive: my brother, sister and brother-in-law.


Finally, it was my brother's birthday when he was here and this was Dan's solution to lighting all the candles. A blow torch may have been slightly over doing it... don't ya think? The some of the candles doubled over in the heat. Good thing Douglas is a firefighter and we were in no danger. :)


Finally, my big news for the evening: I've always been afraid of passing Dan on the scale and have repeatedly reminded him to pack on some pounds. Tonight we took in the local Pizza Ranch buffet (my appetite has been furocious lately-grow babies grow!) and I just had to compare our weights after dinner. I can't believe I'm about to tell the world what I weight but here it is! Dan stepped on the scale first and it read 226.4. I thought, "oh good, there's no way I'm that big yet..." Then I stepped on chanting "lower than 226!" The scale read exactly 226.4! We were exactly the same!! Not fair, but we had a good laugh. I'm still under what they recommended I gain, and not for lack of trying either. I'm on the see-food diet. I just want the babies to get anything they need and they seem to be eating it all up! They have always measured a very healthy weight, especially for triplets.

I'm feeling well and babies are moving like crazy! Dan had them playing chase the flashlight tonight and that was fun. I feel like I just stare at my belly all day. It's fun. I better go so I can call my sister and wish her Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday Jessica!

Elizabeth

Hello world outside my living room!! The four of us are just hanging out here having a grand old time sleeping and eating and trying to keep the hours flying by. I can't believe how quickly this time has passed. I can totally do another month of keeping these babies tucked away safely... it's just getting hard waiting to meet them. I can't wait to hold them and kiss them and see their faces. But, I will be patient. We're still aiming for May 22 at the soonest.

I have to brag about my wonderful husband for a little bit. The middle of last week was gorgeous outside and was feeling slightly stir crazy since I can't take a walk or anything. Well, on Wednesday he came home for lunch and took me for a ride in the van. He had stopped by Subway on the way home and took me for a picnic at Island Park! It was awesome. He had even stopped by the carwash and washed the van so we could sit in the back and not get dirty. The seats tip all the way back so you rest against the seat and sit on the back of them. We settled in back there and had our Subway and enjoyed the 75 degree temps and breeze. I was able to get some sunlight while we enjoyed the view of the river and trees. It was so perfect and (dare I say) romantic. Dan is just so thoughtful. I love him!

We scored some nice buys at the "Mothers of Multiples" rummage sale in Sioux Falls. We were able to get a single and double frame stroller that you just snap your carseats in. That will be so helpful if I need to take babies out but don't want to take all three. We got a really nice monitor for $5 and a few premmie outfits incase the babies are small when they come home. We also got two adorable bouncy seats that came highly recommended by all the moms. It was a great trip to make even though it was snowing out. We got out of there just in time too... as we were walking out the door the electricity in a large chuck of Sioux Falls went out. We were planning on renting a movie to watch with my cousins in Sioux Falls, but had a MUCH better time getting out some board games. What a blessing a power outage can be!

That's pretty much all the action to speak of around here. Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for all the comments you've been leaving, it's always great to hear from anyone out there and knowing you are thinking of us. If you'd feel like it's been too long since an update... let me know and I'll post. For now, no news is good news. If something big happens, Dan or I will definitely post asap on here.

God bless you!
Elizabeth

Catch up with the Nebelsicks!

I'm just sitting at home now recovering from our eventful weekend. I'll start from the beginning...

Friday, we had an appointment with the doctor to measure the babies and check-in on everything. My sister, Jessica, got to go with us and see the ultrasound. My cervix had shortened to 1.9cm and was slightly dilated. Not good, but not terrible enough to check me in to the hospital. We decided that my activity has to be severely limited and doing all we can to keep me pregnant. The doc gave me my first of 2 steroid shots. They help the babies develop their lungs for a premature birth. Dan volunteered to give me the second one on Saturday. Brave guy! It's a doozy of a shot. We got some cute pictures - mostly of our baby girl because she was the only one posing for the camera! :)

Baby Girl profile

3-D Baby B, Face with the foot up by it (uh-oh, I think my daughter has my nose!)

Baby C lounging, one leg stretched out and one tucked under

Baby foot



Friday night we had dinner with my family at my aunt Donna's in Sioux Falls. I spent the evening in the recliner or lying on the couch. But, I was noticing some contractions and my heart was pounding at 120 bpm. Just laying there! We figured I must be hyped up on the steroids.

When we got home and settled down for the night, I started noticing more contractions. They were coming more frequently, but I thought I was just freaking myself out and wanted to fall asleep, thinking that would help. The next morning I woke up and was tracking the contractions that came back. I was getting them every 6 to 8 minutes! That's way more than the allotted 4 an hour. I called the doctor and we were off to the hospital!

I got checked in and to make a long story short, they moved me in to a big room and hooked me up to monitors. We knew we'd be there for a while. I also had to face one of my biggest fears - the IV. (duhn, duhn, duhn - imagine ominous music) Dan hadn't been gone 5 seconds to grab lunch and the nurse walked in announcing she was going to insert a humungous needle to stay permanently in my arm. Good thing I've had experience as an actress because I believe I played it pretty cool when my body wanted to run out the door. Unfortunately, the first try in my hand didn't work so and bubbled up. Second time in my wrist took but yuck! The IV became my nemesis for the rest of the stay. All I kept thinking was I better toughen up because that will be nothing compared to the imminent epidural and c-section.

They gave me some medicine for the contractions and it seemed to do the trick. I stayed in the hospital until Monday afternoon and they let me go home. YEA! I feel like I'm recovering from the hospital stay. It was hard to get sleep there because of the many things everyone has to take care of through the night and early morning. Today I slept until 10:30am and then fell back asleep at 11:30 to 1pm! It was just what we needed. The babes are still moving up a storm. It's awesome.

We'll end with the best news of the weekend. All 3 babies were measuring 3 pounds, 3 ounces! 3 times 3.3!! I thought that was pretty cool. All heartbeats looked great and the pregnancy is stable. We are going to keep close track of everything at home and pray I keep going strong. My goal is still making it to 34 weeks, which is May 22. This Thursday will be 30 weeks and I think we can do it! Pray, pray, pray! Everyday the babies stay tucked away is sooo important to their development and health.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and we'll keep in touch!

What is your thought?

I want to know what your suggestion would be for triplet names! I thought it would be fun to have a record of everyone's ideas because I've forgotten all the ones I've been told. All you have to do is leave a "comment" down at the bottom of this post. I'll figure out how to get comments to show. Dan and I will be picking the most creative!! Let us know!

Target Meltdown

I'm so wiped out but I think it's all emotional and hormonal. My day started well. I went to a Mom's of Multiples brunch in Sioux Falls. The ladies were great and I got tons of good advice and encouragement. They gave tips on nursing multiples (which I’m planning to do). We also got some websites about some car seats that could possibly work with our stroller. It was so nice to talk to mom’s with experience.

My mom left to go back to Gillette today. She's been here for a week taking care of me. That was kind of hard on me because it has been a great week hanging out and working with her. But, I SUPPOSE I have to let her go home to my dad and her work. It was just such a (warning: understatement ahead!) HUMUNGOUS help to have her here. So, I was quite sad to say goodbye after lunch.

Dan and I went by Target to get necessities for the babies. I used the electric cart there for the first time and it was OBNOXIOUS! I was so humilated because the store was super crowded and the reverse on my cart was SOO LOUD! I would get stuck places and have to back up and everyone around me would jump out of their skin and then stare at me. As if I needed more of that. Just to describe it: the coal mines in Wyoming probably get their back-up alarms from the same manufacturer. No kidding, I thought some people were going to hit the deck if I HAD to back up. The baby section had people crawling everywhere so I just had to sit in the big areas and have Dan bring things back and forth. I had been so excited for the trip and shopping together and it was miserable at times. This was probably one of the last chances to get this done so I didn’t want to come back another time. Anyway, when we got to the checkout, I started crying! Right in the middle of the store!! I'm usually a rock with fighting tears and so poor Dan asked what was wrong. Big mistake... talking=more tears. I was feeling so overwhelmed at all we needed to buy and how much we were spending. I was frustrated over the shopping experience with the stupid cart and exhausted from being out all day. Most of all, I think I was just tired and sad and it was a bad combination. I can’t explain hormones and my tired emotions to Dan very well. He calls crying “cheating”. I know he just wanted to fix whatever was wrong…. But I’ll have to get back to him when I figure out what it was. I wonder if Dan will ever take me in public again.

Well, at least now that my mom was here we can say that we are as ready as we'll ever be for three babies coming into our lives. We could get by the first month or so anyway. The nursery is set up as well as another room for sleep-over help. We’re going to put a crib in there too in case one baby is extra fussy and causing problems. Otherwise, we plan on trying to co-sleep them as long as they like it and are nice to each other. House construction is finished and clothes are washed and folded. Dan finally said today that he feels ready. I know we’ll never be “ready” to be parents, much less to three babies. Nevertheless, it’s nice to feel as prepared as possible.

Sleep time now… gotta go.
Until next time,
Elizabeth

Yo-Yo and 28 weeks!

Yesterday we had our 11th ultrasound(as far as I can calculate from the recliner)! This was a check-up after our scary report from last week. It is becoming obvious to me that I have a yo-yo cervix! It is back out to 26mm from 18mm. The docs view anything 25 and below "danger zone". Taking it even easier this week did it's job. I had my suitcase packed, but luckily I didn't have to go in to the hospital. My goal is to stay away from even a chance of a hospital stay so we don't have to fret about it so much!

Things have been hopping at the Nebelsick house. My mom has been here for a week and it's a new house! Dan's mom came over on Wed. too and they painted one of the upstairs "future children's" rooms. It's sooo refreshing since it has been a junk tomb for four years.

Mom has also helped me organize tons of baby supplies, shampoo carpets, cook meals, wash baby cloths and fold them,organize our office which got moved to the basement, and countless other things that I couldn't begin to take care of before babies come! She's awesome!

I have to give a "shout-out" to my aunt Marie because she spent a day of her time in Sioux Falls making enough food for an army to put in our freezer! I'm not able to stand up and make
I was so excited to reach the 28 week mark in this pregnancy. Now the babies would have a very good chance if they had to be born anytime. This was a milestone. The next big milestone is to get to 32 weeks - the average for triplets. MY goal though is at LEAST 34 weeks. At that point in time the kids would be fairly developed and would need less help surviving in the outside world. The doctors won't let me go past 36 weeks because there are more benefits for them on the outside than the inside where they run out of room and supplies. (Full term for single babies is 37 to 40 weeks.) Just a little education for those who don't speak "pregnancy" - I never did. :)

Sorry I haven't gotten any ultrasound pics up lately. Our scanner isn't hooked up right now so we'll have to wait.

Please pray for safe travels as my mom heads home tomorrow and my sister and he husband come to visit on Thursday. Pray for Dan as he finishes up house stuff while caring for a invalid wife. Pray for the babies that they grow stronger (much to the pain of my ribs :)) and stay hidden away in the "secret place" (see Psalm 139 - my favorite!).

God bless you and your families!

PS - One cruelty of pregnancy: the butterfingers I have which makes me drop everything, and the belly which keeps me from picking it up!!

My Gorgeous Bathroom!

Here are the pictures I promised:





YEA DAN!

Hello from the Recliner!

I just woke up in my nest. I have four pillows stuffed in various places around me and one behind my head. The recliner is my new 24/7 hang-out. Dan tucks me in here every night and I stay here as much as possible during the day. Here's why:

On Friday, we had another check-up on the kids. They are growing and doing awesome! Baby A is 2 pounds, 4 ounces. Baby B is 2 and 6 oz. and Baby C is 2 and 7 oz. They are all close in size so that's a great sign. And they've all gained a pound in the last month!

The downer of the appointment was my report. The docs don't like the cervix to shorten below 2.5 cm and we've been blessed enough to maintain lengths around the 3's. Well, now it is down to 1.8. Not good. I was given the instructions to take it "even easier" and to go back in a week. We are headed back for a check-up on Thursday.

PRAY that it lengthens back out and we can all feel slightly safer. I really don't want to be checked into a hospital at this point yet. I know it is probably inevitable near the end but it is way to early at 27 weeks and 5 days. We are praying the babies stay hidden away until at least 34 weeks - May 22. I want to be home where Dan can take care of me because my 3 hours in the hospital last week were uncomfortable and I didn't see any recliners! Dan also would have a much better time not having to run back and forth to Sioux Falls nightly. Yikes... it's a scary thought.

I'm very grateful to have my mom here this week. She's able to help me and be my hands and feet while Dan is at work. We got another bedroom cleaned and sorted so that only leaves the basement to be tackled. Then we can take a deep breath and know that the house is ready to welcome our children. Dan has finished the bathroom!!! I'll include a picture this afternoon after I've gotten a chance to go upstairs for a shower. I try and limit my trips up the stairs to 1 or 2 a day, even though I'm still crawling. It's getting harder now cause the knees hit the belly!!

I can include a few pictures of the nursery and what we have so far. We have 2 cribs set up and curtains. We're working on dressers/changing table at the moment. Against my better judgement, I'll also include one with my big belly in an ugly "no one will ever see me" outfit. Comfort rules the wardrobe now. Outfits are picked out according to "what will I have to adjust the least as I sit all day?" So here you go:




I'll be back later today to show off my husband's handywork. The bathroom is truly beautiful and it's such a relief to have it done.

Ta-ta for now,
Elizabeth

April Fool's Mommy and Daddy!!

It's official... we were April fooled by our babies! Kinda... Here's how we spent our evening:

This afternoon I was really concerned about some clear/watery discharge I had been having. I called the doctor's office to inquire about it and to my surprise they said "come to the hospital." What? Hospital? Now? They said come to the front and be admitted. What? Admitted? Holy cow! (Not me... just an expression for the situation ;) ) So, I called Dan and loaded up a bag, just in case I was going to acquire a new address for a little while.

It was a bit of a nerve-racking trip after that. I was admitted to the hospital at 4:30pm and given a room. They hooked me up to monitors and tried to find heartbeats. The little buggers were no where to be found! It is not like they could have gone far. So then they wheeled in the ultrasound machine and there they were! Three healthy moving babies still nice and protected in their watery home. All fluid levels looked good. After a couple hours the doctor got there and also didn't find anything wrong - there wasn't any amniotic fluid leaking. Pheeeewww! So, we were released with instructions to take it easy and call them the instant we thought something could be wrong. I was feeling a little dumb for having a false alarm but the nurse said that they want me to call every time. The most important thing about keeping these babies healthy and safe is calling right away. Time is of the utmost importance. That made me feel a lot better. We got to head home at about 8pm.

I've never been so thankful so be heading home! I know I will be comfy and well cared for here. Daniel is soooo good to me and takes care of everything I need and then some. AND on top of that he said he was glad I was coming home too! I thought he'd be jumping at the chance to give someone else the responsibility of caring for me! Just kidding. That would have been hard on him. I, unfortunately, was STARVING when we left because the nurses didn't know if I should eat and we passed supper time in the hospital. I foolishly hadn't eaten since 1pm. Over dinner at Culver's we were discussing April Fool's Day and Dan realized that our babies had really gotten us tonight. They sure had me going! I kept trying to think of some way to fool Dan all day but I could only come up with pregnancy stuff - and that's just plain MEAN to joke about that. (I eventually got him by filling his Mt. Dew cup with water - he made a great face.)

Anyway, that's the story of our evening. I'm spending my second night sleeping in the recliner. My ribs hurt too bad when I lay on them now so this is the most comfortable place in the house. As long as I can keep all my pillows tucked in around me, I sleep like a baby... that is as long as my babies are sleeping. They LOVE to move around and play "kick the wall" when I'm laying down. But, if they keep me up, I just lay here and enjoy it. I can sleep in as much as I need to and take naps so they don't bug me. I've waited my whole life for this and I don't want to miss a thing!

Thanks for following the drama that is the Nebelsick Triplets. Until next time...

Elizabeth