Test Driving Minivans and Minicribs
So last Saturday morning, I found myself doing something that I never thought I would do – I went out to test-drive some minivans. Walking out the to far reaches of parking lot where they park the minivans felt a bit like the “walk of shame” to me. I felt like a should have on a hat pulled low over my face so that no one would see me. I couldn’t believe that I was actually considering buying a minivan. I always knew that eventually I would need a bigger car but I thought maybe a crossover, maybe an SUV. . . The thought of driving a minivan never crossed my mind. Minivans were something that our parents and our friends’ parents drove growing up, not something that we would be caught driving! 
But with the Chislets on the way, we are just a couple of months away from outgrowing just about every other option on the market. Our Saab 9-3 SportCombi just can’t fit three cars seats in the back row. Some of the crossovers are roomy enough on the inside for three kids, but the trunk space probably wouldn’t fit a triple stroller easily. So, we decided to look at minivans. . .
To my surprise, I actually liked the Honda Odyssey. It was spacious, easy to drive and has 17 cup holders! I’m still not sure what I would ever need all 17 cup holders for, but maybe time will tell. . .
Anyway, Seth and I like the Odyssey so much that we are buying it tomorrow. By Friday afternoon, we will be proud owners of a minivan – joining the ranks of sensible, practical parents everywhere.
This upcoming weekend we have another kind of “test drive” going on in our house. Our niece Kelly is sleeping over to “test drive” the minicrib. We want to make sure that it is big enough and comfortable enough. Hopefully she likes it, otherwise I don’t know how we will ever fit three cribs in the nursery! I put a new Elmo doll in the crib to help entice her into liking it – is that cheating?
All test driving aside, Seth and I are both really excited about the upcoming weekend. We can’t wait for our niece Kelly to come stay with us. Whenever she stays with us, we have so much fun hanging out with her! She is so cute and funny, she just melts our hearts! We have been trying to plan a fun filled weekend for her. Hopefully she has has much fun with us as we have with her! (I am guessing that she will have a fun weekend since she has Uncle Seth wrapped around her little finger and can get him to do anything she wants!)
14 Week Ultrasound
Sorry for the delay in posting, our 14 week ultrasound was on back on Friday April 11th. The doctor and nurses were impressed with how good Jaclyn looked and the size of the kids. Each Chislet weighs between 4-5 ounces and is the size of a softball! We still don’t know the sex of the Chislets, fingers crossed we will know something after the 16 week ultrasound…that also means there is less than a week to get those bets in.
The ultrasound pictures are not quite as detailed as they were last time because they were printed on thermal paper (as opposed to higher quality photo paper). Anyway, here are the ultrasound pictures of the kids (click for a larger version).
All the kids:
Baby A:
Baby B:
Baby C:
Things in Threes
Over the past few weeks we’ve had a lot of time to think about how special a number 3 is. Now granted our opinions on this matter are a little loaded…but triplets are not the only special thing that comes in threes. Here are some more reasons why three is a magic number.
The “Rule of Three” in writing:
The rule of three is a principle in English writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things.
The “Rule of Three” in mathematics:
In the history of transmission of mathematical ideas, the Rule of Three forms an interesting case. It was known in China as early as the first century AD. Indian texts dwell on it from the fifth century onwards. It was introduced into the Islamic world in about the eighth century. Renaissance Europe hailed it as the Golden Rule. The importance of the rule lies not so much in the subtlety of its theory as in the simple process of solving problems. This process consists of writing down the three given terms in a linear sequence (A -> B -> C) and then, proceeding in the reverse direction, multiplying the last term with the middle form and dividing their product by the first term (C x B : A). With this rule one can easily solve several types of problems even without a knowledge of the general theory of proportion. The writers in Sanskrit, however, were well aware of the theory.
From Caren & Christian our architecture friends:
We were taught in architecture school that everything should always come in threes!
And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I suggest everyone takes a look at the Flickr photo group called “Things in Threes”. Here are a few random photos from the group:
12 Week Ultrasound
We had our 12 week ultrasound this past Friday and everything looks good. Jaclyn is gaining the weight she needs (kicking & screaming the whole way) and the babies are getting nice and big. Here are some ultrasound pictures of the kids (click for a larger version).
All the kids:
Baby A:
Baby B:
Baby C:
LUCK O’ THE IRISH!!!
When I first found out I was expecting, I was overwhelmed with excitement! I woke Seth up at 5:00 in the morning to tell him the news, then I ran downstairs to get the calendar to calculate my due date. I calculated that I was due on October 7th – 1 day before my thirtieth birthday! This was perfect timing; Seth and I always planned on starting our family after I turned thirty. Fast forward a couple of weeks to my first doctor appointment…I nervously watched the doctor’s face as she did the ultrasound. It seemed to take forever. Because I didn’t have any pregnancy symptoms (no nausea, no fatigue, etc..), I was scared that something was wrong. After waiting as long as I could, I finally blurted out:
“Can you see the heartbeat?!?”
Thank God I was laying down when she gave her reply:
“Actually, I see three heartbeats!”
Needless to say, this was the biggest and best surprise of my life! My mind start racing … were they identical or fraternal? would they be boys, girls, or a mix of both? I started day dreaming about dressing them in matching outfits and thinking of names that sounded nice together. Seth’s first thoughts were much more practical…
“we’re going to need a bigger car!”
We both feel so lucky and blessed to be expecting triplets! We keep getting asked how this happened and there really is no better way to explain it other than that it is a gift from God.
Please feel free to keep checking out our blog as the months go on, we will be updating it periodically, chronicling our journey to parenthood. Seth will be posting our ultrasound and some belly shots (maybe — if I let him)
tags: memories, musings, pregnancy | Comments (10)
