Three Heads Are Better Than One

On tuesday we had another Ultrasound at what is now 15 and 1/2 weeks. The triplets are becoming mighty cramped in their little baby condos. Their full size is about equal to an apple.

While Cathi carries around three little apples in her tummy, my job is to attempt the impossible. A magic trick so mind blowing it would make Criss Angel look like an amatuer (Not that he already doesn't). I WILL ATTEMPT, AT GREAT RISK TO MYSELF, TO COMPLETE ALL OF MY HONEY-DO-LIST BEFORE THE BABIES ARRIVE!!!! I KNOW! AMAZING ISN'T IT?! You know clean the garage, hang some gutters, paint some gutters, paint the Nursery, put up some molding, build a dollhouse, keep the grass mowed, wash all the cars. Cathi has been awesome trying to help, but we all need to make her rest more.

Many do not think it can be done, but I am making an effort.

Enjoy, I will try to post more soon, I have been having computer issues and my photos are not wanting to attach....COMPUTERS!! AAGGHHH!

Online Baby Shower

Hello Everyone!

Today starts the online baby shower! We are having several baby showers to celebrate the blessing that we will be receiving soon; however, for those of you that will not be able to make the baby showers we have added a "Donation" link for anyone who wants to help us out. HEY! Babies need lots of diapers and formula and we are having three, so drop a buck or ten.

We are also registered at Babys R' Us and Target for those of you who want to send something else. We are registered under Cathi and Logan Long. You can also shop at these places online!

We love you all!

Thanksgiving in JULY!!!!!

Well we are 10 weeks along this week. I am still feeling pretty great. No morning sickness (Knock on wood) even the Doctor’s are amazed. I am getting bigger everyday. I have had a few weird cravings. My first few weeks of pregnancy I craved Lobster Bisque. This week I craved my Mom’s Thanksgiving Dinner. So what does my family do, of coarse we have Thanksgiving in July!!!!! My whole family got together and my mom cooked her fabulous meal. The boys searched for Football on the TV, but had to settle for Baseball. They can nap to any sport. J I ate so much I added another inch to my waist line. I am already up to 41 inches around. The rest of me looks the same, (Thank God).

We will be updating the pictures of my ever growing tummy every few weeks. The babies have really had a growth spurt since the last ultrasound. They have fingers and toes that move and are more defined. We can’t wait till the next ultrasound next week. We are thinking of doing a 4D ultrasound. If anyone has any knowledge on the 4D ultrasounds I would love your help. I know they can be expensive and want to make sure they are worth the money. Thanks again for everyone’s support!!! We are so excited and excited about our growing family…. Cathi

A Blueberry Farm

The babies have definitely been growing quick; unfortunately Cathi's body is doing everything it can to keep up. We went camping this weekend for the fourth of July and the first night we were out, Cathi had an incredible pain that according to a paramedic who was at the campsite with us may have been one of her ribs moving due to the baby growth. Poor Cathi had to sleep sitting up for a few hours before being able to lie down. The next day we left for home so she could be more comfortable. Cathi and I have been receiving weekly information from babycenter.com and this week is the seventh week of the pregnancy. According to babycenter.com this is what is happening:
How your baby's growing: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry. Cathi and I are very excited about our new family additions. We are both police officers and do not make tons of money. we are always looking for good advice and inexpensive baby stuff. Email us if you have any ideas or suggestions: L2infantry@gmail.com

TRIPLETS!

After the implantation we went to the doctor's office for the first ultrasound. There they are, all three embryos had taken. We go to see the first view of our precious triplets. Enjoy the picture. Words cannot explain our excitement when we saw the three heartbeats on the screen. Now we are just trying to organize our thoughts so we can figure out how to plan for the coming of the three children.
I will post again when we have an update. There will be new ultrasound photos to see and new updates about how we are organizing our home and minds for the coming of triplets. Please share any thoughts or ideas.

Now What

So after what Cathi and I consider three lost children (The first time we thought there were twins and then the chemical pregnancy) we decided to see a specialist. We sat down and discussed options about what we could be doing as far as fertility treatments. We knew that Cathi could not get pregnant on her own, so we needed something that was effective, but due to our financial situation, also affordable. The doctor explained to us that long-term continued use of fertility drugs actually reduced the chances of us having a successful pregnancy. I guess you can only do so many cycles of the drugs we were using. It would have been great if someone would have told us that! Now we at least knew that the drugs were no longer an option. We then began discussing IVF (invitro-fertilization). While discussing this, we knew there would be a substantial financial hurtle to overcome in order to make it happen. After the doctor explained the procedure, we explained our concern about the cost. The doctor paused for a moment and then told us there was a study happening and if we got in, it cut the cost almost five times. Normally the process is about $15,000, but if we were part of the study it would only cost us $3,000. My wife and I looked at each other and didn't even need to discuss it. We knew this was our only chance now for a successful pregnancy.

The Next Step

After the ectopic pregnancy Cathi and I did not know what to do next. She tried the fertility drugs again, but ended up taking them the wrong away, which was a blessing because she was not ready to try again. My wife is a very loving person and had not yet recovered from the painful loss of the first pregnancy. A year after the loss, we opted to try again. We thought that the fertility drugs seemed to work well and thought, "Maybe we should just try again and see if this time it will go the right way." So, we went to the doctor and got another round of the fertility drugs. Cathi took the drugs the right way this time and we were mentally prepared and excited again about being pregnant. Like clockwork, Cathi took her prescription and we started trying. About a month later, Cathi started to feel pregnant. She had all of the symptoms that women talk about when they are pregnant. Now that she was feeling pregnant, she started to get nervous because she started thinking about the last time she felt this way. A quick pregnancy test confirmed what she was feeling; she was pregnant! We immediately made a doctor's appointment and this time only told close friends and family (We still couldn't hold back the excitement). A pregnancy test at the doctor confirmed she was pregnant, so then we made the follow up appointment. Cathi went in for her second blood work up and later that day received a disturbing phone call. The woman on the phone was very quick and cold about the news, "It was a chemical pregnancy, you are not pregnant anymore." The nonchalant attitude of the women on the phone sent Cathi into tears; we had lost another one. Now I know that a chemical pregnancy in the medical world doesn't count, but to a women who has been trying for years and to a husband who has had to console his wife through emotional nightmares, IT COUNTS!

The Beginning

After my wife and I got married, we decided to start trying to have children. We thought, "This should be easy!" Boy were we wrong. After my wife stopped taking the pill, we tried for almost a year without success. We then visited my wife's OB/GYN to see what was wrong and what options we had in order to make a baby. The doctor suggested that my wife take some fertility drugs in order to force her ovaries to produce eggs. After one cycle of the drugs my wife became pregnant! We were so excited; we started to tell everyone at work and everyone in the family. After my wife got the positive result on the test, we went to the doctor to get her blood work done. The nurse checked the hormone levels and they were twice what they should have been. Now we thought we were having twins. Anxious and excited all at once, we again notified our friends and family of the great news. About one week after the news of possible twins, we went back in for a follow-up. The doctor brought us into his office and began to explain what was happening. The children that were growing in my wife's belly were not growing properly and were most likely in the wrong place. The doctor explained that there was a small chance he was wrong, but according the levels of my wife's hormones, it wasn't going to happen. Hopeful, my wife and I choose to wait out the pregnancy to see what would happen. Unfortunately a short time later, while sitting at home watching a movie, my wife fell to the ground in an unbelievable amount of pain. I rushed her to the hospital were she was diagnosed as having an ectopic pregnancy. My wife was admitted to the hospital were she stayed for several days before receiving a drug called methaltrexate, which ultimately terminated the pregnancy. The experience was painful and tragic.