Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas! We have had a wonderful 2011!

Alex is enjoying his job and working a ton! I guess thats what happens when you are an AVP and salaried! Although we'd love him home more we are very thankful for his job and his dedication to providing for our growing family.

Nicholas is 16 and a Junior this year. He is also a Captain on his wrestling team. He stays busy working out, wrestling and of course playing video games.

Justin is 7 and in 2nd grade. He is still my crazy daredevil. That boy is always on the move! He just did a basketball clinic at school and LOVED it!

William is 1 and my little snugglebug half the time and my crazy climber the other half!

I am doing well. I think I have a bigger belly than Santa this year! I feel pretty good although I am starting to experience that 3rd trimester tiredness and by the end of the day my stomach muscles are screaming at carrying these babies around! We are so overjoyed to be adding another precious boy and our long dreamed about baby girl! Our dreams of having 4 children were beyond answered and we feel so blessed to be adding our 4th son and our 1st daughter! It is an amazing feeling after so many years to feel that our family is complete and all our children our with us! It's going to be a crazy life, but I am so looking forward to the craziness this house will hold! Of course if I am being truthful I am also a tad scared about managing a house of 5 children - but I know that with a ton of love, a schedule, and daily prayers I will make it.

I truly believe that our children our gifts from our Heavenly Father, his children - that we are entrusted to raise here on earth. Many times over the course of our marriage we have thanked god for Nicholas and been so thankful he was entrusted to us. But so many times we have cried and been angry while we tried to grow our family. Infertility is a disease that eats at your soul. I'm not sure why God chose us to experience infertility. But through the experience I have learned many things... To trust in God- although I may not know the outcome - he does, that patience is a true gift, to treasure each child even while hoping and praying for the next, to treasure my spouse as only you two can comfort each other in a way NO ONE else can (and when he's sticking huge needles into your butt you really don't want to make him mad :) and that God opens doors if you just trust and continue to move forward.

As I sit here this Christmas, I sit in amazed awe staring at my belly and my 3 boys! God has blessed Alex and I with 3 amazing gifts in Nicholas, Justin, and William. And he has blessed us even more with this little boy and girl moving and kicking in my belly! Just as Jesus Christ, Our Savior brought peace, joy, hope, and love to the world our 5 children bring those gifts to my life every day!

We are so excited for 2012. Our babies are officially scheduled to arrive at 37 weeks on Friday, February 17th at 8am. But my specialist said if they want to choose their own birthday he will allow them to arrive as early as 34 weeks.

I hope the New Year brings you joy, hope, peace and much love!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2012!

Love,
Kristi, Alex, Nicholas, Justin, William, baby girl and baby boy
and of course - JD, Max and Riley.

30 Week Dr Appt

The babies are looking wonderful!!! It is such a relief to see them and hear their hearts beating!
Our little boy weighs 3lbs 2oz and is measuring 29 weeks 4 days.
Our little girl weighs 3lbs 1oz and is measuring 29 weeks 2 days.
The specialists are very pleased with their weights and measurements! I am in awe that I have over 6 lbs of baby in me! None of the boys were over 7 lbs and together they are getting close to 7lbs. Its just crazy to me at how big I am getting and will get!!

My cervix is measuring nice and long!! Yea!

The fluid around our little girl is looking perfect right now. Our little boy still has a little too much fluid - still nothing to be concerned about BUT still something we are keeping a close watch on.

I took my 3rd and last 3 hour gestational diabetes test Thursday. I got the results today and ... I passed the fasting test- which means no immediate medicine. However I failed the rest of the test but just barely. So we are back to multiple finger pricks and diet control. He's hoping that at least for a bit I can diet control the diabetes! I am hoping so too!

Weight gain - still no gain! Yea me!

Alex and I went on a maternity tour last Tuesday and I brought up a few concerns to the specialist: no special care nursery - and after he chuckled a bit and insisted he really needed to write a book about a pregnant woman's fears he assured me that the nurses were wonderful and Noone would steal my babies if I was alone with them and he actually really understood my fears about being alone at night but was insistent that all would be ok! Plus after posting on facebook my fears i had some wonderful friends offer to stay with me and the babies at night so Alex could be home with the boys! The specialist also told me that there will be a team for each baby in the delivery room (OR) to check them out and care for them. I love that they each have their own team and will have individualized attention!! He also said that he'd love me to make my scheduled csection at 37 weeks BUT if my water breaks or I start having contractions at 34 weeks we will not stop anything and we will go ahead and deliver.

I am now seeing the Specialist every week. One week for ultrasound and diabetes and bp monitoring, the next week for a non stress test and diabetes and Bp check. Oh plus the OB every 2 weeks also. Yikes!!!

I can't believe that in 7 short weeks (at the latest) that I will be holding my precious babes in my arms! So many emotions! Excitement to see their faces and kiss their cheeks, terror at the thought of 5 children -3 under the age of 2, scared to death to be cut open for the 3rd time and hoping that my body is put back together easily, sadness at the end of my carrying babies, and joy that our family is so wonderfully complete - complete in a way that I had only ever dreamed possible!

Christmas 2011

We all had a great Christmas this year. The boys got what they were hoping for and were very happy. There was a lot less under the tree but the boys got 1 big gift from Alex and I - William his new truck, Nic an iphone and Justin an ipod touch. They also got a few things from Santa and the rest from family. We really asked them to scale back their lists to items they really wanted and it worked out really great this year! Grandma and Grandpa Fisher were here to celebrate with us - it was nice to have family here :)
Nic's iphone

Basketball hoop!


All 3 boys

Nic's book and Shoes

Justin's pillow pet

William opening his metal tonka truck for the outside

Is this for ME???

A new movie

I am overwhelmed!

iTunes gift cards

28 Weeks!

28 weeks today and my stomach may just EXPLODE!!

I feel so big and stretched to capacity! Its getting harder to stand for long periods of time. Harder to walk at the grocery store. Harder to chase after William to change his diaper. Harder to carry him or rock him to sleep.

But, the babies are growing and everyday I carry them the healthier they will be when they are born! That is my wish, healthy babies and healthy mommy to take care of them!

Picture Perfect Pregnancy

Much to the amazement of my specialist I am having a perfect pregnancy! The babies look wonderful and are measuring right on track! I have been off blood pressure meds for 2 weeks and my blood pressure is perfect! I passed both my 3 hour glucose tests -I have 1 more to take on December 30th at 30 weeks. If I pass that we are done with testing! He seems to think I will have gestational diabetes by then - I'm out to prove him wrong!
The only thing we are now watching is the fluid around the babies. It seems that I have a little too much. Sometimes it can correct itself, sometimes it doesn't cause any problems, and sometimes it can send you into pre-term labor as it makes your uterus think it's big enough and it's time for the babies to be born especially with twins when it is already big with two. The specialists answer is if it becomes a problem - just take a little fluid out with an amnio needle. I'm sure you can all now picture me freaking out! This of course is my worst nightmare as the last amnio I had was with Justin and sent us straight into an emergency c-section. But... as a friend pointed out if it's time to take out fluid it means the babies are in danger of preterm labor so if I do it it might buy us some time to keep them baking and we could end up with no NICU time and if I don't it's definite NICU time as they will come on their own. So, looking at it that way I guess it's best to let them stick the hugest needle ever into my belly! The good thing is that both cords are under the babies so they won't nic them going in and the specialist said that if he hits an arm they will just say ouch and move - they will get worse needle pricks when they are born (that was him lightening the mood and trying to be funny.) So we are praying for the fluid to correct itself and for these littFle babes to keep growing and developing on tract and for their birthday to not take place until between 36 and 37 weeks!

Baby Boy - Measuring at 26 weeks 0 days and 2 lbs 1 oz.

Baby Girl - Measuring 25 weeks 6 days and 1 lb 14 oz.

And life keeps on moving....

Time is going by so fast! Soon it will be 2012 and then shortly thereafter I will be a mom of 5. I wish I could slow down time just a bit. Not because I don't want to see and cuddle these babies but because I'm a little (maybe a lot) scared of managing a house with 5 children who all need me. I'm not worried about how to love them all because I do already beyond imagination! But finding time to make sure they all know how much I love each of them and how important wanted and loved they each are is worrying me a tad. I also really want to nurse them and that can take considerable time with a very needy toddler under 2 that is stressing me too! I know it will work out ok families adapt but it is getting to the ok part that is worrying. Somedays I am convinced that everything will work out fine and other days I wake myself up at night worrying.

Nicholas' life right now is wrestling. He gets home at night between 630 and 7 - matches are even later. He then eats showers does homework and heads to bed. This past weekend he went to a 2 day overnight tournament. He had a blast even though he came home with some bruises welts and a black eye. He didn't make the 106 weight for the 106 weight spot on varsity he was certified at 106.2. He was so disappointed even more so when he couldn't beat the other 112 wrestler for that spot. So he tried for the open 120 spot on varsity. That's his spot. So... Basically meets are a learning experience and a chance to get a little better as it is hard to win wrestling kids that can be about 15 lbs heavier than you. He also has a "girlfriend". They are getting to know each other by talking on the late bus and texting. And so the adventure of teenage dating begins!!
Nic giving William his favorite - a piggy back ride:


Justin is loving school! He started a basketball clinic last week and finishes this week. He has been having so much fun! Luckily Alex has been home on vacation days or left work early to help me with William at the game and with lifting his stroller in and out of the burb. Yesterday Justin also stayed after for craft day. The kids got to stay until 515 make a craft watch a movie and buy snacks and hot cocoa. He had a blast and is seeming to make and find friends from his class easily at these events. He is doing do much better with his reading. It has improved a 100%! He is even asking to and reading chapter books. Not sure if it finally clicked for him or if it is his teacher but either way I am ecstatic! Justin is still crazy and loves to run and jump and be outside. He is great at riling up William and then being done playing with him and goes upstairs leaving me with a 16 month old running in circles screaming.
Basketball Pics:



William is crazy and a sweetheart all in one. He loves giving kisses and blowing them. He also still loves to cuddle and rock to sleep at night. He also loves to be a wild man! He loves nic to pieces and will scream for him until nic picks him up. He loves to play ball with JJ but the 2 of them rile each other up something fierce! It usually ends with Justin escaping upstairs and William running in circles screaming. Oh Joy! He is also at the stage where he will give a kiss and hug and share a toy. Then want it back and if it's not given back immediately he screams and hits and wrestles for it. He is definitely my worst so far with climbing (yes he is worse than J- which is terrifying)! He is also the worst with temper tantrums. I am praying he is getting out all the terrible 2s and horrible 3s now and be an angel when the babies come! A mom can dream right??? His vocab is increasing and it is so fun to hear new words! He loves balls and loves to toss around mini beach balls.
William watching Justin's game:

Stealing mommy's coke off the table and running for the laundry room to hide:

Uh Oh! Mommy caught me!


Alex is doing better, his dizziness was just a calcium deposit in his ear. They have no idea what causes it but it can happen to anyone. They also switched his bp med that was making his bp too low! I guess the drs need to be careful but an overnight hospital stay and a mention of brain tumor with an MRI thrown in is too much! CRAZY!!

I am doing well. I passed my 2nd 3 hour glucose test and my blood pressure has been so low that they took me off blood pressure meds and we are holding steady! I feel great in the morning but by afternoon I am ready to sit and not move! My hips hurt so bad, the babies are all upfront so... I ordered a belly bra this week! Hopefully it works!

Life keeps on moving along...at a gallop! I wish it would slow down so I could savor all the moments longer!