14 Weeks: Officially into the Second Trimester!

Today marks 14 weeks! Here are some fun facts about the babies this week:
* They can squint, frown, and grimace!
* Their kidneys are producing urine, the liver starts making bile, and the spleen starts helping in RBC production
* They can grasp and suck their thumbs (we thought we saw them trying to do this on Monday)!
*  From head to bottom they measure about 3 1/2 inches (the size of lemons) weigh about 1.5 ounces each

Tuesday night I had another red blood gush- and who am I kidding- no matter how often it happens it always scares me! As usual, it had turned to brown "old blood" by morning, and my OB's office said to stay on "pelvic rest" actually laying down (not in a recliner) until my appointment this morning. Pelvic rest also refers to other activities, but we have already been restricted from any "extracurricular activities" from the OB since the first bleeding incident (sorry mom :) ). I have read numerous accounts of triplet moms who had continued significant bleeding that was unexplained throughout their pregnancies and ended up with three healthy babies, so I really feel that it can be a normal part of a high order multiple pregnancy, especially in first time mommies because things are stretching at such a faster rate in there.

I was anxious to see my OB today because since I won't be seeing the specialist again for 7 weeks (at around 21 weeks) I wanted to make sure that somebody would be monitoring me closely, especially with regards to my cervical length since I have heard of so many triplet mommies whose cervixes became dangerously short well before 21 weeks. His response was that "everybody is different," that I shouldn't read to much into other people's experiences, and that he trusts the specialist's judgement. The point I did agree with was that internal exams of the cervix can actually cause complications so it is best to limit them as much as possible. He did agree to do another official abdominal ultrasound in 2 weeks, though, on which they can try to estimate my cervical length again. My first "official" measurement with a transvaginal ultrasound will still not be until I see the specialist, however. He wants to see me weekly for now due to the continued bleeding and because he said "I know you will go crazy if you don't come in each week." He already knows me so well! He also wants me to continue with the modified bedrest at least until I see the specialist again to see what she thinks at that point,  but most likely for the remainder of the pregnancy. So I will see him for a regular appointment again next Thursday, and then the following Wednesday. It is possible that we could determine the sexes at that time if the babies are VERY cooperative. Brent and I were always the kids that would try to sneak peeks at presents before Christmas and hate waiting for surprises, so we would be SO excited if we could find out the sexes that soon without having to wait until November 21st! 

Here is a 14 week pic (that was technically taken on Monday- 3 days shy of 14 weeks, but I haven't changed much since then, promise!)