The other day a previous client of mine at Campus Recreation looked directly at me as she walked by and didn’t acknowledge me. I thought this was rather odd so I approached her. After a few seconds I could see something click, “Oh my gosh, I didn’t recognize you, last year your hair was long and you weren’t pregnant.” Now, I know going from medium length hair to medium short hair can be a drastic change but I have had much larger transformations that my husband didn’t notice. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we?

Last year I spent most days at work looking like the picture on the left. Yes, that is me working. It is no wonder I have absolutely no rings that still fit on my fingers and all my custom sized necklaces now are uncomfortable chokers. I must admit, there are days I look in the mirror and don’t recognize myself. Being pregnant with triplets you will never hear “You look gorgeous with your cute little baby bump” after 16 weeks. And if you do, you know people are just being nice.

I can’t honestly say I like the extra 40 lbs I have put on. However, I certainly know this is best for the babies so I will continue to try adding on an addition 10-20 lbs. in the next few months. This is actually good for business (personal trainer/lifestyle coach). After all, I worked my butt off to be in great shape most my life. But, I still think it is nice for clients to know that at one time I was 50+ lbs heavier and it was no fun trying to get BACK into shape.

I’ll continue to indulge in steak, Ben and Jerry’s, high calorie smoothies and all my favorite kid cereals. And the next time someone says they didn’t recognize me because of my hair, I will smile and say “yep, the hair is definitely different this year”.

My 23 week appointment was not quite as uplifting as previous visits. Unfortunately, my cervix has shortened to 2.6 cm, too close to the dreaded 2.5 cm that puts you at risk for preterm labor. What does this mean? I’m going to fly through all the seasons of Gray’s Anatomy as I am confined to the couch! This particular show is one of my new TLC faves “Little People, Big World”.

No more trips to campus for me. Max is taking me to work this afternoon for a short visit to wrap up all loose ends. I also will make one more visit next Tues. AM for my thesis proposal. My mom will be lucky enough to sit through this 30 minutes enlightening presentation (I won’t bore you with the title). Obviously I will have to give my presentation seated.

Begining at my next doctor appointment, I will get a fetal fibronectin test, which helps to determine the chance of delivering in the next two weeks. I was hoping to delay this testing till 28 weeks but sometimes our bodies are unpredictable. The benefits of bedrest are to help take pressure off the cervix and hopefully prevent any further shortening. Also, it helps keeps contractions down. Over the past few weeks I have had numerous BH contractions and we want to keep my body as relaxed and calm as possible.

I am certain with rest and confinement to the bed I can keep trudging on for several more weeks…hopefully 7-10. Max has already been a HUGE help. My amazing husband is capable of juggling more responsibilities than I ever imagined! After a hard day’s work he manages to cook dinner, take the dog out, wait on me, show our rental apartments, pay bills and clean the house. When my gracious mother comes down in May, he can take a well deserved break.

Well, I think a new episode of “What not to Wear” is about to start! More to come!

Hayden has been my daytime companion for the past few weeks as I begin to rest more and more. I think he enjoys having me around; although he hasn’t picked up on games like cards and trivia pursuit. He has gotten used to the sounds of babies since I spend several hours watching Baby Story, Special Delivery, etc on my new favorite two channels, Discovery and TLC.

On another note, my 22 week appointment went well. The babies are all estimated to be about 1 pound (double their size from 18 weeks) and my cervix is doing ok. I have shortened ever so slightly from 4.0-3.7 cm but that is normal and nothing to worry about. Nonetheless, I have been having frequent BH contractions and have been ordered to restrict my activity even more as a precaution. I’m still going to work for another 3 weeks but while at work, I need to move around as little as possible. Also, I’m not suppose to do any more shopping (grocery or otherwise), and avoid housework…darn This is unfortunate b/c I still feel great and get very anxious just laying around the house. As soon as my sister’s pool opens in May, I plan to spend my days there to help keep me sane and weightless!

In two weeks, we will hit a major milestone in the HOM (high order multiples) world…24 Weeks! At this stage, half of all babies can survive outside the womb with lots of NICU care. Of course, my goal is 34 weeks but anything over 30 is likely to result in healthy babies down the road.

Last night I woke up at 4 AM to a party…in my belly. All three babies seemed to be in a boxing match. I just started feeling the kicks of the Baby A but she has caught up fast! I had to sit up and just let them hash it out before I tried to go back to sleep. I’m sure this is the first of many battles to come

I finally posted another belly shot. I am posting a picture every three weeks for the drama of the change. Actually, I refuse to have a shot taken of me in my typical state of relaxation…glasses and bed hair. Maybe in another month…

Everything continues to go smoothly. I have really had to slow down due to frequent irregular contractions. So far, they are nothing to get too worked up about but if they worsen, they can warrant a trip to the ER so I’d rather play it safe. My next appt. is Friday so lets pray for no cervical changes!