When are you due?

October!

I had the wonderful privilege of attending a dear friend's baby shower this weekend ~ She is 32 weeks and looks fabulous!  At the shower we were asked if we had same due date...which obviously, we do not.  She is due June 24.  I, on the other hand, will only be at 24 weeks on June 26th.  Thankfully she was not upset about attention that was drawn towards my belly, as the last thing I wanted was to take anything away from her and the celebration of her precious baby girl. 

At the shower we played "How Big Is She?"  You know the game where you cut a piece a string trying to guess how big the momma is...most people go overly big, never intending to be hurtful, it is just hard to guess how big a person really is...Well I cheated.  I measured me to guess her!  And guess what?  I was a tish bit BIGGER...yes I said BIGGER! 

She is 32 weeks and I will hit 16 weeks on Wednesday and I was BIGGER! 

I just laughed it off and then she and I went over to the food table and had some more snackies  : ) 

We go back to the doctor tomorrow so we will see just how big these precious babies are and hopefully I have good news to report back. 

Loves to all

Knock, Knock...

Fifteen Weeks ~ Navel Oranges

Well we have made it to 15 weeks, which according to my sources (all online and of course very technical...right?) our babies are now the size of Navel Oranges.  They should be approximately 4 inches long (each one individually) and weigh only 2.5 ounces a piece.  However, at this point in time they may have learned how to hiccup!  Unfortunately I still don't think we've felt them move yet...We are "patiently" waiting them to grace us with this gift.

At 15 weeks are half way to what would be a safe delivery for the babies.  However, I still have delusions that I may be able to make it past 34 weeks (yes the doctors laugh at hearing this but a girl can hope right?).

Last night we had the Annual Chamber Dinner and Adam consented to let me wear actual heels (my red wedding heels no less!!) and I was very happy.  The night was long but it was good for business and it was nice to see people other than doctors.  Needless to say Adam wished we would have come home sooner as he worries I push it too hard...somewhere in my head I think I am Wonder Woman and can do it all.  For Adam's sake, I will have to switch off my magic bracelets and try to take it easier.

This weekend I get to go home and see my fabulous family!!  I am so excited as no one has seen me since Chunky Monkey's (my nephew Jaxon's) first birthday party in January.  I'm excited to show off my fabulous belly (as big as it is) to my mom and sister and just see their reactions.  I may only be 15 weeks pregnant, however I look like I am seven months with one baby!  It's one thing to talk about how big I am getting but it is another thing entirely to see it  : )  Thank goodness for maternity leggings!!

Ok, that's it for today's installment of Belly Watch 2013 ~ We hope and pray all of you are safe, happy and healthy and look forward to sharing this incredible journey with you. 

We love you ~
Adam, daneille, GUS, Madison and the babies

Making Lemonade

Fourteen Weeks ~ Lemons

We are fourteen weeks today and the babies are the size of lemons.  I found myself oddly giddy at the thought of relating our babies to the size of various fruits.  Supposedly our babies are currently sucking their thumbs and wiggling their toes at this stage...all I can say, we hope they keep growing, bigger and stronger, every day. 

We had an appointment with Dr. Weber (Eau Claire) yesterday and once again got to see our babies.  While ultrasounds are usually a very exciting, happy occasion, both Adam and I are apprehensive about them as we know they are not always happy.  I find myself almost holding my breath, afraid to look at the screen, until I see Adam smile and know that all is wonderful with our babies.

Yesterday all was wonderful.  Here are their most recent photos:

This is Baby A:

 

Here is Baby B:

And last but not lease, Baby C:

Our New Blessings

Madison is going to be a BIG sister!

As we began 2013, Adam and I were hopeful our lives would be blessed with another child.  We knew we had to be patient (a very difficult task if you know either of us) and have faith.  So we prayed. 

God did not make us wait very long...

On February 5, 2013, we discovered we were expecting again.  While we know exactly how devastating an outcome we could get, we were still cautiously optimistic. We were ecstatic, nervous, fearful...but most of all, we were incredibly thankful.  However, we still didn't know what had happened to Madison.

On February 16, 2013, a Saturday, Dr. Weber called to talk to me about just that.  Unfortunately, as we were prepared for, there were no definitive answers.  Despite this, Dr. Weber was adamant that if we were to become pregnant in the future he would want to see us right away to monitor the baby ~ he wanted to be preventative instead of reactive...Well, surprise Dr. Weber, we're pregnant!!

With this news, Dr. Weber wanted to see us immediately and have an early ultrasound so on Wednesday, February 20, 2012, we went in to see our baby and have A LOT of blood work done.  The additional blood work prompted Dr. Weber to begin treating me for Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS).  Basically, my body likes to inappropriately clot.  With this complication, we were categorized as high risk and referred to a specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. 

However, in the meantime, as we anxiously awaited an image to arrive on the ultrasound screen, I remember thinking, please let them find a baby...The ultrasound tech did...and another.  Two babies!!  Unfortunately, Dr. Weber was not optimistic about Baby B and advised us to not get our hopes up...too late!  Adam and I decided that until someone told us Baby B was gone, we were going to move forward with the hopes of both babies surviving.

On February 28, 2013, we arrived in Rochester, both fearful and hopeful, for our second ultrasound.  We held our breath as the ultrasound tech prepared to show us our future.  And then, there on the screen, we saw two healthy embryos.  Both babies were there and appeared healthy!  I cried with joy.  Adam, however, was focused on the screen...it was at this point we heard the ultrasound tech say "Oh."

I looked at Adam, who still had not stopped looking at the screen.  Needless to say, I was getting nervous.  So as I looked at the screen with Adam, the ultrasound tech showed us strong heartbeats for Baby A, Baby B and Baby C ~ We're having TRIPLETS!

 

Madison Michelle Skibness

Madison Michelle Skibness ~ November 5. 2012

Last year was full of amazing adventures and devastating heartache for Adam and I.  Last June (2012) we discovered we were pregnant with our first child and we were overjoyed.  From early on in our courtship we had discussed whether we wanted to be parents and the answer was always a resounding yes. 

To accommodate our new family, we found and purchased our first home.  We took on the task of moving in August with the help of both our parents ~ and honestly, they were fantastic movers!! 

In early October we learned we were having a daughter and dreams of little pink tutus began to dance in our heads.  Unfortunately, on Halloween, at week 24, our world stopped when the doctor told they could not find a heartbeat and had lost our baby girl. 

We delivered our daughter, Madison Michelle, on Monday, November 5, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. after enduring 24 plus hours of labor.  Madison weighed 9 ounces and was 9 inches long ~ and she was already playing in heaven. 

Adam was heroic during the entire process, never once blaming me and always wanting to protect me from our heartache.  We become parents, one of life's most precious gifts, and suffered the loss of our child, one of life's most devastating heartaches, within the same year. 

While we will never know the sound of Madison's laugh, we will always know the love and joy she brought to our lives.  Madison was a gift from God and blessed our lives.  We will forever be grateful for her.