TWINS and Triplets???

M and I spent the afternoon with our besties, Ellie and Sarah Grace, at the mall.

The girls were thrilled to be wearing matching shirts (Ellie and I didn't plan this), and walked all the way from Von Maur to the food court holding hands. So sweet!

On the way to lunch a woman at the mall stopped us. Ellie and I both assumed she would comment or ask questions about my belly...but instead she said, 

"How old are these girls? Are they one year apart? Or...are they TWINS???"

TWINS?! After telling her they were just best friends and about 3 months apart...Ellie and I walked away flabbergasted...but also amused! Twins?!

We stopped to make a purchase. After the woman ringing me up did her fair share of questioning me about my due date...yaddah, yaddah, M, SG, and Ellie walked up next to me, and the woman said,
"Oh, ok...now are these TWO yours, too?!" 
Again...I told her that just M was mine and that we were with our best friends. But...that's the second time today they were basically asked if they were sisters!!!

We let the girls do their first photo booth photo shoot together!

Love these cuties!!!

Then, we headed back to Von Maur to go home. The girls love to stop and dance if someone is there playing music. They walked up to the pianist and requested, Old McDonald, and I heard the woman ask M, "Are you two SISTERS?" And I heard M say, Yes we are." (lol) Third time we were asked if they were sisters today!!! :)


Just doing some purse shopping.

And...since we take our fair share of photos of the girls...we decided they'd get a turn to take our picture.

Madison's best shot. My belly is OUT of control...I'm gonna pretend it's not that big. This is just a bad angle...right?!?!?!?  (Thanks, M! LOL!)

Sarah Grace's best shot! Not too bad!

And...another by SG. It's fun to see what we look like from our toddlers' points of view. LOL! (I will use this picture of us in the future to remind myself that I hope my figure looks as great as Ellie's someday. Seriously...could my belly be any rounder?!)

We love these Sears girls so much, and we are so THANKFUL they are a part of our lives!

Happy Halloween from M and SG!

3 Years 2.5 Months Old

So I'm a bit behind on Madison's 'monthly' update now that she's 3 years old.
Better late than never. Right?!

I have to start with her Pre-School picture.

How adorable is this?!

At her 3-Year check up she was about 40 lbs. and 40 inches. She's currently wearing 4T-5T clothes and I've even bought her some in size 'small' in the 'big girls' clothes section. *sigh*

She is STILL a vegetarian. Beyond starving her and then only offering meat. I haven't figured out how to get her to try any meat. She is hesitant to really try any new foods. So for now...her diet consists of fresh fruit and fruit cups, yogurt (Greek and regular), crackers (gold fish and Ritz), french fries, 'junk food' - ice cream, chips, cookies, mashed sweet potatoes, ketchup, crescent rolls, cereal, and Casey's bread sticks. She loves milk. I give her juice occasionally. This has definitely been one area of parenting that I slacked on the most and have learned from for sure. The triplets will NOT be this picky (I don't think they will have a choice. lol!)

Speaking of ketchup...

She said, "I'm the Ketchup Queen because I LOOOOOVE Ketchup!"
Silly girl.

She is doing GREAT with potty training. I think she's ready to drop her diaper at nap...I just haven't done it. But I should probably start before the triplets arrive.

She still naps 5 or 6 days of the week for a couple hours in the afternoon (and I am SO grateful for that). She can handle skipping it once a week or so...but more than that and she becomes a terror. Her bed time is still between 8-9pm. And she wakes around 7/7:30am.

She is still doing great in her 'big girl bunk bed.' Once she wakes, she still stays in her bed until I come to get her. I love her for that. She's really only left her room once on her own since we switched her to her bunk bed. Isn't that crazy! I can't even believe that!

Madison Loves:
Piggy and Bunny
She loves watching Mountain Man with her Daddy
Candy
Playing Outside
Animals
Watching her 'shows' on TV
(new favorites are LaLaLoopsy, Sophia the First, and Bubble Guppies - she still loves Curious George, Dora and Diego, Caillou, and Mickey Mouse)
Using glue for crafts
Music
Books
Parties
Time with her Nabi or Kindle

Madison Doesn't Love:
Bath time
Having her hair brushed
Trying new foods
Hugging - she's stingy with hugs
Good-Byes (she usually sad all the fun is ending)

Madison is our little 'social butterfly.' It always perplexes Josh and I since neither he or I consider ourselves to be overly extroverted...but she LOVES being with people. She is constantly asking me what we're doing for the day, who we are seeing, where we are going, or who is coming to our house.

Example 1: Recently we went to Cedar Falls and spent the day with a bunch of our college friends (no other kids really) and M had a blast at the tailgating party and dinner out later that day. The next morning she asked if we were going to 'party' again and that she already missed her new friends! Meanwhile...Josh and I were ready to go home and be with ourselves of course. LOL. Josh mentioned that once she goes to college we better be prepared for her to be a 'partier.' Eeee!

Example 2: Last Thursday when she woke up from nap she asked me who would be coming to her house tonight to play. I told her no one tonight. She then cried for 45 minutes. When she finally settled down, she said, "I cried because I was so sad that no one was come to see me!"

She can put on her underwear, pants, socks, and shoes on her own. We are working on her shirts. She is also working on getting her coat on herself - that second arm in the sleeve is always a challenge.

Madison loves music. She enjoys singing and dancing, and I find her humming and singing songs a lot while she plays.

She also loves 'reading.' She has lots of her books memorized. Or she will 'read' and make up stories as she looks at the pictures.

Madison is very independent. She is all about doing things 'by herself.' She loves helping me around the house. And, she never turns down Josh if he asks her to help him out in the shop. Her independence also leads her to some questionable behavior that is usually followed by a time-out. lol.



Our Madison is a confident, smart, (semi) sweet (lol) little girl that truly makes every day a joy for us. :)

Foto Friday - Leg, Bottom, and Arm, Oh My!

The best the ultrasound picture we could get of all 3 boys in one shot! LOL! At least parts of all 3!

P.S. Their hearts are looking good! My next ultrasound is Tuesday and I'll find out how big they are!

Triplet Pregnancy Update: 23 Weeks

Here I am at the start of 23 weeks!!!

I think this might be the last of my outside pictures. It was chilly out there today!

The size of my baby belly still shocks me when I catch my reflection at home or when we're out. I'm sure it's quite startling to others sometimes, too! I always think it kinda looks fake because it's so round and big!

Overall, I am feeling pretty good - all things considered. Last Tuesday I met with another one of the doctors from the High Risk OB Team at the UofI and continue to feel SO much more comfortable and confident with my care and for the babies' care from here on out.

I am of course feeling uncomfortable at times. And...I'm definitely feeling my energy levels dropping...but that's expected. I think I'm moving slower in general with everything I do! My lower back will ache a bit if I'm standing or sitting for too long.

I'm still sleeping pretty comfortably. I'm usually just up once to use the bathroom.

No real food cravings...except for things I can't have (like a deli turkey sub from Jimmy John's). I am still guilty of sneaking in a fountain Coke once or twice a week.

My doctors do not recommend any type of bed rest at this point. They tell me to do what I feel I can do and to rest when I need to rest. Ok. I'll take that for now. :)

The babies continue to stay stable. So, that makes me happy and is all I can hope for. This coming Thursday we go for a the echo-ultrasound to check the twins' hearts. The concern right now is with Baby B (the one with the extra fluid) because of the extra fluid, his little heart may be working a little too hard. So...we shall see. I will also have a regular ultrasound to check fluids. I'm not sure if they will check the growth of the babies next Thursday or not. If not Thursday, then the next one for sure I was told. I'll be sure to post once I get updates of the babies sizes. I'm curious to know how much they've been growing since week 20!

I do feel movement every day. Just this last week I noticed that sometimes certain movements can be seen from the outside, too. So weird!

I finally got around to registering this weekend (and today). I registered at Babies R Us and Target. It was SO different registering for this pregnancy than for M. All I can think about is diapers! LOL. It's also a different, but FUN, experience shopping for boys stuff. It's weird because my eyes always want to wander to the girls stuff first.

Anyways...here's a fun picture of my baby bump with M compared to me now!
I can't BELIEVE I'm the same size NOW as I was with M at 31 weeks!
That kinda scares me. LOL!

(I find it funny my hair is the same length and I'm wearing purple in both pictures.)

Until next time!

Foto Friday - Fall Decor

Gotta love M's contributions to the fall decorations in our home!

I love her bats the most. She told me she made a Mommy Bat and a Baby Bat just like her and me.
What a sweetie!

Foto Friday - Baking with Great G'ma Bevy!

On Tuesday Bev came over to spend some time with M so I could get some office work done.

And...we got some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins out of the deal, too! Wohoo!

21 Week Ultrasound Photos & Update

Today I returned for an ultrasound to check on the babies.

The twin's levels were consistent with last week...so that was good news! No change.

Again, all the organs for now appear to be developing normally. They all had good heart rates. They were super active. It was amazing and funny to watch them kicking each other and kind of sitting on each other.

Baby A is the lowest and on my right, Baby B is mid level and on my left, and Baby C is also on the right, kinda above Baby A.

I will have a special ultrasound of the twins' hearts in two weeks because of the uneven fluid distribution and because of the sharing.

Anyways, short and sweet update post. My doctors said no news and 'boring' results are a good thing in multiples. I just hope for continued healthy development of the babies and that the fluid levels stay consistent if not improve.

Oh, and I finally got around to scanning some ultrasound pictures to share.

Baby C - legs in the air. Oh, and that's not an outie belly button...that's him showing off his man-parts.

Baby A's Profile.

Kind of a creepy picture of Baby B's face and hand/fingers.

Baby B's spine.

Have a good weekend, everyone! We are headed to Cedar Falls on Saturday to celebrate UNI's Homecoming, and I'm super excited to see some of our friends we met in college.

I just realized none of my UNI clothing will fit me...may have to steal a shirt from Josh I guess!

The Anticipated Gender Reveal of the Smyser Triplets!

Ok. Ok. Ok. I know I've been holding off FOR forever with this information. So, happy scrolling!!!

Thank you SO much to my friend and photographer, Kelli - Bearfoot Photography, for the less than 24 hr. turn-around on getting these photos to us! :) I just wanted to share a few more of the shots Kelli got.

My personal favorite of the afternoon!

P.S. We will NOT be sharing names until they are born. We are still in process anyways. Sorry! :)

First Level 2 Ultrasound Update

Last Thursday we headed to IA City for our first Level 2 Ultrasound and to meet with the specialists.

Here is my current vitamin regimen.

Prenatals, plus extra folic acid, calcium, and iron.

So, as of Thursday, I'm happy to report that all three babies are growing at an appropriate weight and all organs are also developing with no known issues at this time.

Baby A was 11 oz.
Baby B was 13 oz.
(The twins)
Baby C was 14 oz.

However, there is concern with the twins that share a placenta. Because of the growth gap (and differing fluid levels) between them at this time, I will be monitored with weekly ultrasounds. The twins are at risk of developing Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). From what I understand at this time (talking to the doctors about all this is kinda fuzzy for me), the placenta is only made to nourish one baby, and sometimes with twins that have to share, one baby gets too much, and the other, not enough. :( Fluid levels can change weekly and drastically...so a lot of monitoring is all we can do. There is nothing I did, or nothing I really can do to help the babies share the nutrients equally. At this time, if the babies fluid levels stay the same as they are now (or improve), I can still carry them for 32+ weeks...but again...it's not in my control.

So, all we can do it wait and see and hope that Baby B learns to SHARE a little bit better!

Surprisingly, I have NOT googled TTTS. Can you believe it?! I am purposefully staying away from websites and stories (both good and not to good at this time). The possibility of them developing TTTS is of course weighing heavily on our hearts and minds. I'm doing my best to stay positive. But...I'm also a realist...and know that there is a possibility of some tough decisions and situations in our future.

I'm anxiously awaiting my next ultrasound next Thursday with hopes of good news.

From now on, we are switching all my care to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. I felt very comfortable with the doctors and nurses there, and I feel that the babies and I will get the best care with them.

And...for all you (im)patiently waiting for the gender announcement...we get our pictures taken tomorrow (as long as it doesn't rain) and we will announce soon after! I know we've taken forever to announce. Sorry! But...I will give ONE clue. They are ALL the same! So...any guesses?!

TWSS: Ice cream!

Josh: "Madison, do you want to share some ice cream with Daddy?"
M: "Oh yes, please. Yum! Yum! Yum!"

Josh goes in the kitchen to dish up a bowl for them to share.

He returns to the living room, and Madison asks him in all seriousness:
"Daddy, where's your ice cream!?"

I guess she forgot the sharing part of their conversation!