Easter 2013

We had a great Easter this year - started off with church, then a BBQ up at Jamie's house.  I love how excited the kids get over searching for eggs - so cute! 

 Easter gifts for A, B, & C.  Adorable! Thank you Aunt Jamie!! 

 Cute lil' Esther with her candy.

The babies first pair of shoes.  :)

Twenty-Eight

I turned the big two-eight.  I'm getting old.  It's crazy, I still feel like I'm 22.  We went and saw The Host, then had dinner up at Jamie's house with friends and family.  It was perfect! 

The book was way better, but it was still a decent movie. 

I love how all the kids are trying to blow out the candles.  :) 

Team Babies - 30 Weeks 5 Days

We had our 30 week appointment today.  Our Dr. is out of town until Easter - so we had a Dr. we had never met before.  All the babies looked good.  Baby B had a moment where his heart rate dropped, then sped up really fast, and then went normal.  The RN and MD didn't seem too worried about it, but they sent Jamie down for a non-stress test (NST) just to make sure he was ok. 

Measuring 3 babies at once was nearly impossible.  They got decent readings of A & C, but not B (which was the whole point of the NST), so she has to go back Friday for another one.  

On a good note - her cervix measured 3.4 cm!  The Dr. said that is truly amazing considering there are 3 babies and she's almost 31 weeks.  I love to hear that!  No bed rest at this point (which is seriously awesome). 

Team Babies - A Moment

A moment.  We all have it.  But may not admit it.  I had a "moment" a few months ago.  It lasted about  3 days - then passed.  You know those moments where things aren't exactly what you expected.  

When I got the job in the ER I was ecstatic.  It was my dream job!  After about 3 weeks I realized it wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be.  It was busy, horrible hours, decrease in pay, etc.  But the job itself was amazing.  I loved the actual job.  I'm so glad I stuck with it because I really couldn't see myself working in any other area.  I'm an ER nurse and always will be.

Before we decided to go the gestational carrier route I never anticipated any negative feelings AT ALL.   All my focus was on having a baby in my arms.  A piece of me and Curtis.  If you would have asked me prior to implantation I wouldn't have been able to say one negative thing about it.  Jamie is great.  The absolute perfect person for the job.  I trust her with everything and anything.  I knew she would take care of my babies during the process just as I would.  Then a moment came.  A moment where I felt...guilty I guess.  Guilty that I couldn't carry these babies on my own.  Guilty that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed.  Guilty that someone else has to be uncomfortable for me.  Sad that I couldn't feel my babies move.  Sad that I couldn't talk to my babies or read them stories at night.  These feelings came out of nowhere!  I felt so disconnected.  I couldn't believe I was having these feelings.  I'm sure Jamie has had a moment.  She's probably thinking - THREE babies?  I only signed up for ONE.  A c-section?  What the heck?  My stomach gets how big?  

I had to take a step back and focus on the 99% good rather than the 1% downside.  I was going to be a mom - FINALLY!   I get to go to the gym and continue working during this pregnancy.  I knew that using a gestational carrier meant that I was not going to experience certain things - but in the end I was going to be a mom - and that is ALL that matters.  The moment came and went completely.  There are too many positive things to focus on that I can't believe a moment even happened.  We are going to have THREE babies in a few weeks!  Three freakin' babies.  A family.  I can't wait.  I am SO thankful for Jamie and all the sacrifices she's making for us.  I pray that this last month goes smoothly for her.

Last Day

I had my last scheduled shift in the ER last week  :(  I absolutely LOVE the ER.  It fits my personality so well.  It's fast paced, always changing/different, and has the best staff EVER!  I can't imagine myself working anywhere else from here on out.  The Dr.'s are great and treat their nurses with respect.  The nurses/techs are fun and work as a team.  Secretaries/registars are so nice.  Even the volunteers are great.  My boss has been amazing through everything and my crazy schedule.  He's letting me pick up shifts until these babies are born.  :)

The staff bought me a cake on my last day!  Haha.. :)

THINGS I WON'T MISS:

*Old man with a vibrator stuck up his butt. (Had to go to the OR to have it removed).

*Giving enemas to old ladies who can't make it to the bathroom.

*People who come into the ER for "being allergic to water", "having rotten egg burps", "smelly feet", etc. (REAL complaints). 

*Drug seekers.

*Man with a kinked neck from "motor-boating his wife".
*Wacko's.  Don't do drugs!

*Doing catheters on obese people who haven't showered in a while.
*Women with weird objects stuck in their va-jay-jays (ie. nerf footballs).

ER Baby Shower

My friend Heather in the ER asked if I was having a baby shower.  I told her - and everyone in the ER - to just come to my sister's, but she decided to throw me an ER only shower/going away party.   :)  It was so cute and so much fun! 

Cute lil' invite  :) 

 Bonnie made the cutest decorations! I wish I was that creative/crafty. 

Three Brown Peas in a Pod.  Love it. 

She made towels and shower loofa's to give aways as gifts for coming to the "shower". Get it?  :) 

 Everyone brought yummy food.

The ER likes to have babies at the same time.  Such cute mommy's! 

(Athena, Kattie, Heather, & Nesha)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the gifts!!
Tons of people in the ER pitched in on a group gift.  I was in shock at how much stuff they got.  Crazy! People are SO generous!!  :)

I totally got spoiled!!

Everyone wrote funny/cute messages on some diapers so I have something to look forward to during the middle of the night blow-outs.

We all sat and shared some of our favorite ER stories.  Annalee definitely wins for the craziest ER experiences!! hahaha.

I'm definitely going to miss the ER.  Not only do I love the job, but I love the people I work with.  They are all so great.  THANK YOU guys for such a great shower!!  

*I forgot to get a group pic.  :(

Team Babies - 28 Weeks 5 Days

We had our 28 week appointment last week.  The ultrasound took forever - trying to measure all the baby parts, fluid levels, heart tones, etc. - but I loved every second.  All the babies are measuring above average (about 2.5-3 lbs each), which is awesome.  Jamie's cervix is 3.87 cm long.  Anything above 2.5 cm is good.  I've never been so excited about another woman's cervix (and she has a great one).  Haha.  :)  We tried getting a 3D picture of all the babies, but Baby A & B are facing towards the back, so we couldn't see their faces.  We only got a pic of Baby C. 

 Baby C's cute little face and hand/arm.

Curtis' dad Herman came to Utah to help us move our stuff to CA.  He was excited to see Jamie and Tyler - and hang out with his future grandbabies!  :)

Can't forget the belly shot.  Amazing.

Curtis' 29th Birthday

Curtis turned the big two-nine yesterday!   Last year in his TWENTIES!!!  

We went to Goodwood with a group of people to celebrate!

A few things you may not know about Curtis:

* He wanted to be a dad before he was 25.  I think having 3 before he's 30 will do.

* Anytime you bring up him being a father he's eyes will start to well up. 

* He was a pretty cute baby.

* He's obsessed with the name Cruz.  He said he dreams about seeing that name in the newspaper.  Baby A will most likely be named Cruz Tyrone Brown.

* He can sleep anywhere - especially when he travels. 

* He thought pubic hair was any hair that came with puberty.  He told me he needed to shave his pubs - and was pointing to his beard.  I told him that was definitely NOT pubic hair - that was facial hair.  He did not believe me and had to google it. 

* He loves candy/treats. 

* He would never book a trip to Europe or go sightseeing. His idea of a vacation is somewhere with a beach and an ocean. 

* He's goofy and always making people laugh.

* He sends me random videos of him singing in church or dancing to rap music.  Hilarious.

* He's the best uncle ever. 

* He HATES bugs/mosquitos. And they love him.

* He's extremely athletic.  Except basketball. 

* He's an extraordinary speaker.  No preparation needed.

* He didn't want to continue fertility treatments after our 5th invitro.  He was totally over the emotional roller coaster.  A year later he finally considered the gestational carrier route (after Jamie offered) - and is SO glad we did! 

* He always wears his wedding ring.  If he leaves home without it, he'll turn around and go back to get it.  

 * He LOVES his family. 

* And mine.

* He's such a great husband - and will be an amazing father in about a month!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CURTIS!!