It's midnight and I'm panicking

It's nearly midnight and rather than sleeping a restful, dreamless sleep, I am worrying. Actually, I'm emotionally panicking. Mike and I prayed before bed and he tried to reassure me. Unfortunately, the fears are a lot louder than reason or even prayers.

1. We're trying to sell our car so we can get a minivan. But what if the car doesn't sell?

2. What if the babies are born too early and have to spend weeks in the NICU? How will I care for them while also tending to Addie? How will we pay the bills? What if the babies have severe health issues?

3. What if the babies go full term and come home with me from the hospital? How will I cope with going from just 1 child to 4 with no transition, plus still heal from the c-section?

4.  I need to buy bottle nipples and a bottle warmer. And get baby soap. Do I have enough blankets? Oh, and I probably should put sheets on the cribs.

5. My body aches and my innards are very unhappy with me. On the brightside, I haven't been awaken by choking on my vomit in at least 4 days.

6. I suddenly feel very alone. I miss our friends in RVA. I'm very, very grateful for the people we've met in Jacksonville and I hope those relationships become deep friendships - the kind that can withstand me calling them at midnight to talk through my emotional panicking. Right now, though, I feel alone.

7. Oh my goodness. We're having triplets.

Country Road Take me Home

It's been more than 8 weeks since we left Richmond ... just about enough time for homesickness to start kicking in. The irony is that until this summer, I never would have claimed Richmond as my home nor would I have thought I would miss it if I ever left. Eight weeks away from the River City has opened my eyes, though, to how much I love that city and its people.

 1. I definitely am missing autumn. I love EVERYTHING about fall: the colors, the temperature, the activities. Right now, I should be planning a camping trip with the Parks' family or going apple picking with friends. I also should be wearing a light jacket as I take Addie to a park or nature walk.

2. I miss pumpkins - and not the kind you buy at a grocery store. It's no surprise that there are few (if any) pumpkin patches in Jax given its hot climate. But it was a family tradition of ours to go to a nearby pumpkin patch where we could select our own pumpkins, ride on a wagon full of hay and eat pumpkin-flavored treats.

3. Oh to have a hye burger at the Armenian food festival! I took it for granted that food festivals and ethnic food places were a given in large cities. Thus far, I have not heard nor seen any indications that our new city celebrates various cultures through food festivals. This is sad. I mean, hye burgers are like heaven with a side of green beans.

4. I miss the familiar places and faces. I miss knowing each week I can take Addie to a local children's museum where she could sit on dinosaurs or pretend to work at a cafe. I miss having friends who I could call in the morning and ask about visiting with them in an hour. i miss knowing where our favorite pizza joint, Indian restaurant, cafe and Mexican restaurants are located. I miss my gym. I just miss Richmond.

I promise my next post will extol the greatness of Jacksonville and the many wonderful people and places we've experienced. For now, though, I will look out my back window and imagine orange leaves floating from branches as I sip a steaming cup of apple cider.

How to make your head disappear in 1 easy step

So here is a guessing game. I'll tell you what perinatologist said today at our 29 wk appt., and the responses Mike and I gave. You try to guess who said what:

Dr: Looking great! You know, in our practice we've delivered 7 sets of triplets at 37 weeks.

Response 1: Oh, heck no.

Response 2: That's great! Let's aim for that.










Addie has discovered that if she twists just right, she can fit her head into my enlarged belly button.

Falling in Love with You

We have finally potty trained Addie! As a result, though, she prefers to run around the house naked. We can usually force her into a shirt and underwear but she requires a lot of convincing.

Addie will turn 3 in two weeks. Wow, time really has flown! She is obsessed with princesses, fairies, and superheroes. Sadly, she already thinks girls aren't allowed to play with legos, pirate toys or superhero figures. She is one tough and brave kid, but she's also very sensitive and sweet. I love my not-so-baby girl.

McKenna still refuses to show us her face. She is positioned nearly right on top of my cervix so when she moves, it feels as though she's about to fall out. While we haven't seen her smiling face yet, we have seen a head full of hair (see arrows on right of pic)

Ryleigh also has a head full of hair, and she is one rolling squirrel. She is the most active, but also smallest, of the triplets. I have a feeling she will keep us busy.

My dad says this picture proves I'm giving birth to a Dachshund rather than a little boy. Can you see the dog (only sick-minded people do)? Normal people see my sweet boy's face looking right at us.