Ultrasound Video - 27 Weeks, 1 day

We've translated some of the ultrasound lingo below. Some of the text is hard to read, so we've listed what we know.

Baby A is Monique Claire Van Alstyne
Baby B is Marek Alexander Van Alstyne
Baby C is Maarten Nicholas Van Alstyne

Here are some of the textual messages that might be hard to read on the video:
AAA
BABY A
STILL A GIRL
PROFILE
BBB
BABY B
STILL A BOY
NO DOUBT! (When pointing to Marek's privates)
HE'S WAVING
HER HEAD (Referring to Monique's head on the right)
BABY C
FACE
BABY C'S FINGERS
STILL A BOY
A'S FOOT
C'S FLUID
CCC

Week 27!

Here we go, we're into our 27th week and thrilled to be here! Family, friends, and neighbors have come into our home and showered us with love, kindness, and their generosity! Thank you all! We are so fortunate to have you all in our lives and feel so grateful to have these three little souls entering all of our lives. We continue to take baby steps at preparing for the little loves to come into the world. Tomorrow, we'll have our big doctor's appointment to check Monique, Marek and Maarten's growth to date! We are always eager to see how they are each doing.

We will let you know how this appointment goes; we anticipate three positive updates. Feel free to ask questions, share comments any time. :) Thanks for your support in our journey! -Suzi and Mark

P.S. Call us nuts! Many of you many know we did also choose to adopt little "Joy" from Oregon for my 40th birthday; she's now 6 weeks old and a precious gift to us all, especially Sunshine who is mothering her well & Mark who does the evening calls... great preparation for the trio!

August 18, 2007- Just a few Snapshots from Triplet Shower

Click HERE for the full Triplet Shower Photo Album.

Becky Sternal, my sister, her son, Finn, and our dear friends Addie and Jack!
Toast from my sweet mother, Pat Schumann!

Dear colleagues of mine! Missing you all!

Incredible neighbor and friend, Karen! Thanks!

Supportive mommy friends! Thanks for being here! Great to see Adam and Liam (one month old twins)!

Thanks all of you for being a part of Mark's and my life and welcoming in Monique, Marek and Maarten!

Welcome to the growing Van Alstyne Family!

Mark and I are so thrilled to have a way to share our journey with family and friends. We are now in our 24th week of pregnancy. The triplets are expected to arrive anytime in their 34-36th week; we won't quite make it to the singleton 40 week arrival due date of November 26th. This is quite common that triplets are delivered earlier. We'd love to have our babies stay inside to at least week 32; yet, this occurrence is different for every mother. We'll do our best to keep you informed as to their progress.

As you may know, two of our twins are identical and share a placenta; we are consistently watching for Twin-to-Twin Transfusion concerns that sometimes surface between week 20-30; therefore, we go in to see our high-risk obstetrician/ neonatologist doctor, Dr. Porreco, quite often- every two weeks for an ultrasound check-up. We are blessed that all three babies are growing extremely well and are almost all three at one pound and a half in weight. When we hear that things are going well; we just keep praying our journey holds steadily on this course.

I've been blossoming into a mother of three babies. The weight is certainly a new experience and I have a new respect for mothers; I still cannot fathom that every person on earth has had a mother go through these pregnancy ups and downs. I am so blessed to have a wonderful mother and continue to find amazing mothers around me who can help guide me on my path to becoming a mother. I'm also blessed with two wonderful twins who live in our neighborhood whom I love to call my adopted niece, Addie, and nephew, Jack. They help with so much of the organization for the trio to be warm, cozy and comfortable in their nursery. Thanks, Jack and Addie!

I'm so grateful, Mark has been simply amazing in preparing our home, organizing our vehicles to fit all three babies and infant car seats, and figuring out how to plan for our lives financially. We are all so blessed.

Thank you for checking in on us from time to time! We welcome your questions, comments and prayers as we embark on our journey into parenthood.

Much love, Suzi and Mark