So I Never Wanted a Minivan But...

That phrase was the one thing that I heard from every man and woman that I asked about what vehicle would be best for our triplets.  The person would then go on to tell me about how great their minivan was and how they could not live without it.  So I started thinking, if minivans are so awesome, why are people so ashamed to drive them?  Especially nowadays with all the awesome options that you can get like automatic doors, built in entertainment systems and more pickup than our Jeep Grand Cherokee.

I have to admit, immediately upon learning that we were having triplets 20+ weeks ago, the very first thought (seriously, the very first thing that popped into my head) upon hearing the news was "we're going to need a bigger car".  I have come to learn that most men in my position had the exact same thought when they first found out that they were having multiples.  My next thought was "maybe this will actually convince Julie that we need a minivan".  Ok, my next thought was probably more along the lines of "holy crap, we're having triplets!" but it was close enough.

You see I've always thought that minivans were pretty cool but Julie had declared several times (pre triplet awareness) that a minivan was a no go.  However once I started doing the research it became pretty clear that our vehicle options were pretty limited.  After much convincing, Julie finally agreed that we could look for a minivan.  In an awesome display of God's timing, we became aware that one of the families at our church had just purchased a new van and were consequently trying to sell their old one.  A few conversations and one test drive later and we were the proud owners of a 2001 Honda Odyssey minivan.  The van has a lot of miles on it but we got a great deal and the van should last a couple years until we can get something newer.

What you can't see is that the Honda symbol on the back may have been swapped out for a Transformers Decepticon symbol...you know, because minivans are evil....

The van has already come in handy as we took it to Ocean City so that we would have enough space for all of our beach stuff and everything that we received at our Maryland baby shower.  Even Julie had to admit that it was a comfy ride in the van all the way to Maryland and back.

So I guess the moral of the story is, if you are a guy or gal who secret wants a minivan but can't convince your spouse, then all you have to do is have triplets and you too can have that minivan that "I never really wanted".

And The Winner Is...

So we just had one of our old Boston friends in town this past weekend to visit and we were surprised to find out that she did not know the sexes of the triplets.  We then realized that although we have told a lot of people, we have not actually announced it on the blog.  So...without further ado...would all those that voted for 2 boys and a girl please come to the front to claim your prize (which consists of a heart felt congratulations from Julie and I and a thank you for taking the time to vote in our poll).  While Julie and I originally wanted 2 boys and a girl, you could probably guess that as soon as we found out what we were having, Julie changed her mind and wished that it had been 2 girls and a boy because she wanted the girl to have a sister.  And you women try to claim that you aren't fickle :)  Anyway, the names for one of the boys is going to be Ryan Christopher and the girl is going to be Nadia Kathleen.  The second boy is being kept a secret since a) we don't know it yet and b) we need to have something that is a surprise for everyone.

On the progress front, Julie has had a couple doctor's appointments over the past couple weeks including a quick visit today and we are happy to report that everything is going well.  Last week Julie had to take the "extended" diabetes test after failing the "short test" during a previous visit.  Thankfully she found out today that she passed and therefore one more worry is taken care of.  The biggest issue right now is that the triplets are fond of having what Julie calls "a circus" at all hours of the day and night inside Julie's tummy which is cool for me to see and feel but not so cool for Julie.  I can't imagine trying to sleep with three little people kicking and squirming around in my belly...us men get it easy I tell ya.  Well thanks for checking in but it's late and I should be in bed so check back later this week for another post!

It's Tummy Tuesday Time!!

Well it has been a sufficient number of weeks since the last Tummy Tuesday update (and I was starting to get threatening emails from friends and family about the lack of TT's) so here is the latest shots of Julie's ever growing tummy.  I know that the latest picture does not seem that much different than the previous photo but believe me, it is!

13 Weeks

16 Weeks

21 Weeks

26 Weeks

 

 

Julie is doing great...in fact we went to the doctor today and they said that she is doing awesome!  Although they did not measure her today, during her last appointment (when she was about 25 weeks), her tummy measured as if she was at 34 weeks of a singleton pregnancy!  It is getting increasingly more difficult for her to do routine things but we have had a lot of good help from our friends and family which has made it a little bit easier for us.  As usual I have a dozen posts that I want to write but have not had the time.  Maybe during the long weekend that is coming up I will get a few more of those posts out!