Monday morning at 3:00am we rushed Nicole to the hospital for stomach pains (which later turned out to be contractions) that would not go away. When we arrived at the hospital, and Nicole was immediately admitted. When the doctor was finished with the exam, the results were not good. Nicole was already in labor and was dilated 4 cm. The stitch that was put in place to prevent this from happening had failed. Viability for a new born is 24 weeks, so with the babies being 21 weeks, this was not good. The doctor immediately put Nicole on painkillers and a magnesium drop (aka: mag) to slow down and hopefully stop the contractions. Nicole responded well to the mag, so our fears were relieved and we got a little more optimistic.

The next morning the contractions picked up again so the mag dosage was increased. If you have ever known someone who has taken mag, they can tell you that it heats up your body temperature, and leaves you feeling heat from the inside out. Unfortunately this time, the mag did not work and the contractions continued. Our doctor decided to perform an amniocentesis (this is a procedure that involves draining amniotic fluid from the babies’ amniotic sacks). The goal for this procedure was to remove some of the weight pushing down on the cervix, which would in turn slow down contractions. When the doctor began examining Nicole to prepare for the procedure, he gave us the news we DID NOT want to hear. The sack of Baby Girl A was already past the point of no return; the amniocentesis was no longer an option. Our doctor told us to expect the babies to start arriving within the next hour and a half. When the doctor left the room, we called our family members who weren’t there to break the news and told them to start coming towards the hospital. Then we all cried and cried. 

Nicole fought valiantly and did her best to hold off the delivery as long as possible hoping for a miracle (turns out Baby Girl A is a fighter just like her mom and was spread eagle over the exit keeping everyone inside). Wednesday morning her water broke. Baby Girl A arrived at 7:58am, followed closely behind by Baby Girl B two minutes later at 8:00am, and Baby Boy C & D, Baby Girl E, and finally Baby Boy F (3 boys and 3 girls) over the next hour.We were so lucky to have been blessed with the 4 hours of time we had to hold them and love on them before He called them home.

Anytime something like this happens, it is very easy to only see the loss and focus on the heartache. As Nicole and I talked about it yesterday and today, it is impossible to not see God’s loving hands moving behind the scenes. The nurses that God provided to watch over Nicole and our babies (Lien, Jenny, Theresa, Devon, and many more) were so loving and caring and uplifting. They even came by to check on Nicole yesterday to see how she was doing!

As a dad and husband, my goal is to protect my family and to love, support, protect and stand up for them. In this situation, I couldn’t. Praise God for Jenny and Theresa (the nurses). They were our kids’ angels. They cleaned them, swaddled them and loved them like they were their own children. They made sure they were never left alone and that they were always held, loved on, and cared for.

While Nicole and I struggle with how to deal with this, we know our babies are running around in Heaven. We know this was all part of God’s plan. God didn’t come back from vacation Tuesday night to find a sticky note on His throne giving Him an update on our babies. He knew this was going to happen. John 9:3 says (paraphrased) “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in him…”; this means everything is for His glory. He has a purpose beyond understanding of every minute of every hour; some of which may never be known to us. But we MUST have faith and believe in the character of God and trust that this is ultimately for our good.

There is part of a song Hayley Scott sings titled, ‘Thy Will’ that goes like this:
                    I may never understand
                    That my broken heart is part of your plan
                    When I try to pray
                    All I’ve got is hurt and these four words
                    THY WILL BE DONE
How true is this? So many times I feel like we get mad when God doesn’t answer our prayers (in this case to save our children) but we have to remember that He knows what will happen for eternity and can see beyond our current trials and tribulations.

While this chapter of our book closes, our journey is far from complete. We cannot thank everyone enough for the countless prayers, thoughts, and well wishes. Nicole and I genuinely felt every single one of them. To those that have kept up with us and the Sixlets, Nicole and I hope that you are able to see the grace, love and provision of God through the good exciting times, and the sorrowful hard times. 

We love you guys, and thanks for taking the ride with us. In the coming months there will be good and bad days and moments so please keep us in your prayers.

Marshall 

Nicole & Marshall Hartman

I can't believe this is my LAST week to work downtown! Then again I can't believe I'm still walking around downtown with my big ol' belly! More people are asking me how far along I am and I always answer with "I'm due in September" that usually appeases them, but lately I have been getting a look of shock and fear. I guess my belly is so big that they cant imagine I still have 2 more months to go. I need to work on a new story! Anyways...I have worked for the same oil & gas company for 5+ years and have had the same routine Monday-Friday, so for it all to come to an end this quickly has my emotions all over the place.

What I wont miss:

1. Trying to find work appropriate clothes with my giant belly at 6:00am
2. Walking around downtown and getting across the street fast enough before the light turns red
3. Sitting in an upright chair
4. Paying for parking and traffic
5. Attending meetings with a constant worry of my belly making super loud noises or a massive nose bleed for all to see

What I will miss: 

1.  My friends! Okay they are my co-workers but when you are at work more than you are at home they become your friends
2. Interacting and helping my clients 
3. My routine. I'm great with change but who doesn't love a routine
4. Having lunch dates with my husband. He also works downtown :)

My body is telling me it is time to slow down so I must listen! Luckily, I will be working from home until I go into the hospital on "real" bed rest. I'm thankful that I work for a company that is flexible with me and my situation. You don't find many companies out there who care about their employees this much these days so I feel very blessed. 

Anyways, switching gears, on Friday our cousins' friend came over who has triplets girls. It was sooooo nice to talk to someone who understands what my body, emotions, and babies are going through and she was a wealth of knowledge! She is EXTREMELY organized which I LOVE and need. She talked to me about her experience being pregnant, her hospital bed rest, and bringing the babies home. Her husband is an Engineer and he created spreadsheets she used to track the babies each day and their "bodily functions". We plan on tweaking those spreadsheets and using them too.

 On Tuesday, 7/19 I had my 20 week doctors visit. This time my MIL took me and it was her first time to see the babies at Dr. Reiter's office. Thankfully my blood pressure was perfect and there are still no signs of pre-eclampsia. Yippee! As requested by my doctor, I changed my diet to more protein and less carbs and I only gained 1-2 lbs in 2 weeks. On average I was gaining close to 5 lbs each week and overall I have gained 41 lbs. I wonder what my overall weight gain will be at the end of this journey?!

The babies are growing, growing, and growing! Right now they are all different sizes ranging from 9-14 oz. Two of the baby girls are the BIGGEST. One is 14oz and the other is 12oz. The one that is 12 oz is on/in/under my ribs on my right side and gives me pressure ALL. DAY. LONG. She keeps me up at night, she doesn't allow me to lay on my right side, she makes it difficult to breath, and some moments she brings me to tears! On the other hand, the baby boys are the smallest and they are in the middle of ALL THE GIRLS! I worry about them. I pray they can grow in size and keep up with these baby girls. 

Marshall told me he had a "day dream" about the boys recently and ladies get your tissues out because it will make you cry. He said, "He had a dream that the boys didn't make it because they were so much smaller in size than the girls but he was so proud of them because they sacrificed themselves for the girls to have more space and to have a greater chance of survival." He said he was so upset but at the same time so proud of them them because of their bravery and sacrifice, they haven't even been born yet and they are already heroes... Insert water works. :( I told him we can't have day dreams like that.... 

My cervix to no surprise has dropped again to 1.8. Dr. Reiter said the stitch from my cerclage is the only thing holding the babies in at this point and I need to lay down as much as possibly to keep my cervix from going to 0. It is a strange thing to pray for but we even pray for my cervix.

8/2 is my next doctor visit and I have a feeling he will put me in the hospital that week. He is going out of town for 10 days and I think he will want me in the hospital in case anything happens while he is out.

Many of you have asked us what we need and we are slowly starting to figure that out. We recently set up a meal train account and we cant thank the families and friends enough who brought us food to make our lives easier. It all helps so much! We have also received hand me down clothes which we LOVE!

I can't sit-up and help my mom so I watch her go through all the clothes. The girls already have a cuter wardrobe than I do! I think eventually we will do a "gift card diaper and wipe drive". We don't have space or a storage room to store all the diapers so we were thinking gift cards might be a better option. Plus this will allow us to order diapers and supplies as needed. I'm sure I will be using Amazon for our diaper "deliver service" because they deliver in 2 days and I have researched diaper costs and they seem to have the better deals. The other bigger expense that we are doing more research on is for a  BIG 12 passenger van. We haven't had a car payment in a few years so the process of buying a van does worry me. We are looking at the Nissan NV passenger van because we have done all the measurements and we know it will fit everything we need/have including our HUGE 6 seat stroller. If anyone knows someone who works for a Nissan dealership we would love to talk to them!

Marshall and I want to thank you all for the prayers and support. We are blessed to have an "easy-ish" pregnancy but there are many long days and nights that are just hard! Our faith has never been tested in this way. Thank God we survived another week! 

Until next week!!
​Nicole & Marshall

We made it to week EIGHTEEN!!! About 11 more weeks before the Sixlets will be here in our arms. Can you believe it?! 

Marshall and I both took off of work this week to spend time with our family at my parents beach house for the 4th of July. I can't believe this is our last little getaway before the babies are here. The trip was nice but so different from other years. I didn't enjoy being on the beach because it was way too hot and with the bacteria in the ocean I couldn't get in the water to cool off. BUT Marshall was nice and smart enough to buy a huge blow up pool from Costco! Thank goodness we had that. For the most part we stayed inside resting and eating. #storyofmylife

​Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

We came home from the beach on Thursday and on Friday I went to my doctor appointment with my mom and Marshall. I'm always so anxious before an appointment but once I am there in the room and see the babies on the screen my heart calms immediately. For Marshall and my mom the feelings are the complete opposite. They are calm before the appointment but once we are in the room and measurements start they get nervous and quiet. I had to look over at them to make sure they were still breathing.

The babies have grown so much in 2 short weeks. This time all 6 babies were closer in size, about 8oz each. Prior to this visit 1 baby was 6 ounces and the others were around 5 ounces. They are all measuring around 18 weeks and a few days. Their heart rates are strong, their heart chambers are formed, and we measured their head, belly, and femur again. All the measurements showed that they are healthy and growing. Thank you Jesus! The Sixlets are super active too. They kick their legs, move their arms to the side and turn around and around and around. There is apparently an exercise class going on in my belly. We were looking at one of the baby's and in the corner of the ultrasound you could see the hand of another baby and it looked like it was trying to punch it. If they are already fighting in the womb I can't imagine what they will be like out of the womb. Geeez!

We also think we are getting closer to knowing the sex of the babies. YAY!!!!!!!! I thought 3 boys and 3 girls for a long time but now we think 4 girls and 2 boys! With this news I am starting to think there are 3 sets of identical twins which my doctor originally predicted. Marshall and I cant agree on 1 girl name so I have no idea how we will come up with 4. HELP!

Overall the visit was good but the doctor wants me to work on 2 areas:

My cervix and the cerclage are looking good BUT my cervix is a little more stretched than he would like to see. To fix this problem I need to sit and lay down as much as possible. I'm extremely active so this has been a big struggle for me. Of course I will do it for the babies but it adds another challenge to this journey. 

The doctor also wants me to tweak my diet. A little less carbs and more protein. Maybe I should lay off the pizza, and mac and cheese, and chips, and baked potatoes... I think you get the point! The babies have more fluid around them than he would like to see and he said tweaking my diet will help with this. I'm not sure how eating carbs correlates with more fluid around the babies but I will do what I am told. 

For the moms out there that have been on bed rest, what tips do you have? what activities did you do? I have a fear that I'm going to forget how to walk if I'm on bed rest for 2 straight months! ​

If Nicole and I had a theme for week 17 this statement would sum it up: "I Believe, but Help My Unbelief".

In the bible, Mark tells a story of a dad who comes to Jesus to heal his son. The dad asks Jesus to help if He can do anything. Jesus responds by saying everything is possible for him who believes. To this, the dad tells Jesus, "I believe; but help my unbelief!"

Throughout this journey Nicole and I have been on what has felt like the old Texas Cyclone roller coaster at Astroworld. We have and continue to experience twists and turns, highs and lows, and falls that make you light headed. The Bible tells us that God will not give us more than we can bear. While I am not disagreeing with scripture, I think we will often deal with things that we cannot handle on our own. This makes us lean into God, our families, our friends, and our church for support and encouragement to get through the hard times. 

We haven't talked much about the first few days after finding out Nicole was packing 6 babies, but let me tell you, the support we received those first few days set the tone for our journey. Once we found out Nicole was pregnant with "The Sixlets", I think Nicole and I sat in silence that first night sniffling and wiping away tears. We started to make plans to tell our parents (the cool youtube pregnancy reveal we planned for Mother's Day went out the window...) because we needed their support, encouragement, and prayers. The next call was to our church. After speaking with our doctor, Nicole and I were going to have to make a decision whether or not we were going to keep all 6 babies, or if we wanted to "reduce" the number to a more manageable and more safe pregnancy. We needed guidance. Turns out reaching out to the church and talking to Linda and Ashley was the absolute best thing Nicole and I could have possibly done. I think Nicole and I both cried through the entire first meeting. It was a hot mess. We were both emotional wrecks to start with and then to see the love they had for us and our 6 unborn children took the emotions to an entirely different level.

Fast forward 10 weeks and we are still on that roller coaster. We wanted to meet with Linda, and this time Sarah, again because Nicole and I kept catching ourselves "stinkin thinkin" (it means your thoughts stink...) and just struggling to stay strong in our faith in God's plan for our family. We would start to worry about the health of the babies, I would worry about Nicole's health, then the ultimate new parent worry, how the heck are we going to pay for this? How are we going to night feed 6 babies? How are we going to go on a vacation? and further down the rabbit hole we went until we were both in bad moods, or exhausted from trying to get the other person in a good mood which leads to the roles flipping. The advice Linda gave us was amazing. The first thing she told us was to make a "Think List" to go through when the "stinkin thinkin" starts. Verses like I Corinthians 10:13, II Corinthians 10:3-5, Psalm 139:16, and a few others will help to build that faith in God's plan that has been waivering for us a little bit. The big nugget of wisdom I walked away with was "Trust me for tomorrow, I have you for today." How true is this?!? Nicole and I started looking back at all God has provided for us since the news of the babies and when you look at the loooong list, you start to realize you aren't following blind faith, rather you are trusting a God who has delivered and provided time and time again.

Everything that has happened has all been a part of God's plan.

We are beyond grateful for the support from friends, family, and especially our church. 

Tuesday, I had a doctors appointment and it was an overall great visit. This time my dad went with me and I love that he got to see the babies again. The doctor checked each baby and did a mini "physical". The babies were all cooperative and the doctor was able to measure their heart rate, head circumference, belly circumference, measure the femur and check the fluid around each baby. I was shocked we accomplished that much in a little over an hour.

I have one baby, who is a girl, and a little bigger than the rest of the pack. She is about 6 ounces which is neat because that is easy for me to visualize just how big she is. The other 5 babies are all around the same size and measuring 15 weeks and a few days. I was a little worried because I'm 16 weeks along and I feel like all the babies should be 16 weeks in size but the doctor seemed to be okay with this. The doctor was very please and said all the babies have great movement. #keepgrowingbabies

We also discussed bed rest (EEEK!) and I will go into the hospital the first week of August (@22 weeks) and stay in the hospital until the babies are born. I'm nervous about the hospital days but I am also relieved because the nurses will be able to monitor me on a daily basis and if anything major happens I am already there. Me being in the hospital will also put my family at ease.

The other not so fun but very serious topic we discussed was preeclampsia and the risks associated with it. Preeclampsia is characterized by high blood pressure and can lead to serious health conditions for the mom and babies. I know many moms who have had preeclampsia and I know it's common with multiples. I currently don't have any signs of high blood pressure but my body changes quickly. I think the scariest comment he made was, "if I do show signs of high blood pressure and they can't control it, he will have to deliver the babies regardless if they are fully developed or not."  Wait...what?! This was terrifying to know that I really don't have a choice. I CAN'T imagine making it all the way to 20 weeks and this happening so let's all just PRAY that preeclampsia is something I don't have to experience. We didn't come that far to not make it to the end.  These babies are already fighters and I need them to stay strong. I tried explaning to Marshall that there is not much you can do to prevent preeclampsia. He thought I should maybe lay off the Oreos (ha!). Rule number #1: Don't take a pregnant women's Oreos away. 

The doctor also sent me off for a gestational diabetes test. No results yet but hopefully they all come back clean. PS. this orange drink they give you is super yummy! 

What has changed this week?

• I now have a waddle.
• My belly is 39". Holy moly!
• I think I felt my first baby flutter! It could of been gas in my stomach..who really knows but I'm going with a flutter.
• Getting in and out of bed and up and down is getting harder.
• Bending down wont be happening much longer. Why is it when you are pregnant you drop everything?
• Pre-pregnancy my planter fasciatias was bothering me and I believe the extra weight gain is bothering it again.
• It is getting much harder to be on my feet everyday. When I am my feet, legs, and calves scream at night. Luckily my sweet husband will give me foot rubs most days. 
• Sleeping a little better now that I have discovered peppermint oil and snore strips. It has helped my congestion and I can tell Marshall is sleeping  better.

Cravings?
I'm tired of food but don't worry I eat anyways. I have been enjoying my moms famous tuna fish on bread paired with cheetos and BBQ chips. I don't know how those chips got in my house but they need to leave!

What have we been doing?
CELEBRATING! This weekend I turned the big 29 and who knew it would be such a BIG birthday(ha!)?! It is the last year in my 20's and the last birthday without kids. YIKES! It is fun to think about what my birthday will look like next year with as a family of 8. I might request SLEEP for my next birthday. 

Friday night we had friends over at the house and Marshall cooked BBQ. It turned into a carb fest which I'm always down for. Mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, cheesy squash casserole and cheddar cheese biscuits. YUM! Saturday Marshall and I went to my favorite restaurant in the the heights, Coltivare. Saturday was a HARD day and I was in a major "pregnancy funk". If you have been pregnant you know what I mean. If you haven't, just wait! Thankfully Marshall was persistent, got me out of bed, dressed, and it turned out to be a fabulous night. Then Sunday was dinner with family at Punks Southern Kitchen. YUMMY!

Overall, it was an awesome weekend and I'm glad I got to spend my birthday with family and friends. The best part, my sister was able to come in town and spend the weekend with us.

Many of you have been kind enough to ask, "How can you help?!". I'm not good at asking for help but I'm trying. :)

My friend Elise helped me setup Meal Train Plus. It is a website where you can sign up for activities to help families with major life events. Right now you can help us by brining food since I will be on bed rest at home in a few weeks and then in the hospital. You can access our Meal Train Plus website here: https://mealtrain.com/dl681l

Thank you all for your support! Marshall and I tell the babies every night that they have a huge support system waiting for them and to stay strong. Please continue to pray for emotional, physical, and mental strength during this time.

Until next week!

​Nicole & Marshall

I'm obviously not going to have SUMMER ABS this year...well my sweet husband did say, "technically you never lost your 6 pack and you never will". hehe! I guess he is right. 
Here is a great ab routine you can do at home or at the park if you have a play date setup with your kiddos. Pre-baby I tried to work my core for 5-10 minute 3x a week. I never had a dedicated "ab" day because you use your core all the time when working out...well you should be!

Can you believe there are 6 of those inside of me?! They have heart beats, working organs, fingers, toes, noses, and eye lashes! And we all continue to grow each week!! My dad measured my belly on Sunday and I grew another half an inch which puts me stomach at 36 inches. DANG! The nurses seem to be impressed with my weight gain. I probably have gained close to 25-30lbs in 15 weeks. I'm still struggling each day getting in 4500 calories but luckily Marshall keeps me going especially at night when I have reached max capacity and want nothing to do with food. Its been a real struggle and when I don't reach 4500 calories I feel like I'm letting the babies down and hurting them for not giving them everything they need. I pray to feel hungry so I can keep going!

Anyways, if I had to sum up week 15 in one word I would describe it as....EMOTIONAL! I have cried a lot this week....happy tears, sad tears, worry tears, etc. You probably could of told me I was having a fabulous hair day and I still would of cried. I have no clue why I am so emotional this week because there was not a particular event or anything that happened I just think it comes with the pregnancy card and all the extra hormones running through my body! 

It's been a stressful week too. The doctors and Marshall and I didn't know if we would make it this far and now that we have it's becoming more real! We have normal stresses (I think). For example, how are we going to afford 6 babies, are they all going to be healthy, when they come home will we all fit in our house, can you die from lack of sleep, what schedule do we follow, how do you feed 6 babies at one time, will I be able to produce enough milk, can we afford formula, diapers, and whatever else they need...I think you get the picture! Sometimes it's hard to turn off our brains and just relax.

So what has changed this week? 

• I can no longer see anything south of my belly! My belly is big and scary! 
• Belly button poped and is officially an outie.
• I can't tie my shoes and heels are not even an option.
• Extra pressure around my ribs. I think a baby or two is trying to make a home under my rib cage. My initial thought was can they break my ribs?! 2nd thought was I better not google that.
• Bloody noses are becoming an everyday occurrence.
• The HARDEST part of this week....was the decision to stop training clients. My body needs the extra rest at night since I work all day and giving up personal training was not easy!!! I love helping other women reach their goals, to work hard for something they want, and it was one of the only times throughout the day that I didn't think about me and these babies. I'm going to miss it and my clients but they know I will be ready to rock post babies! 

What have we been doing?
Marshall went crazy and decided to knock out most of our long household to do list. I think he knows the time to get house projects done is almost up. Now or NEVER! We got someone to trim our trees, Marshall installed gutters on our back patio and he even put 2 cribs together on Father's Day.

I thought planning the nursery would be fun and easy but I have come to the conclusion EASY is not possible with 6! We live in a 3 bedroom 2 bath house which is plenty for the 2 of us but trying to accommodate 6 babies and their "stuff" in 2 average size rooms is becoming more of a challenge than we anticipated. We are thinking we can fit all 6 in 3 cribs but I wonder how long that will last. Last night I told Marshall we should give the babies the master bedroom but he didn't like the idea of that. I don't blame him! It is the last room in the house he can really claim as his! More to come on the nursery and what we decided to do. For my super organized friends, I would love to hear your ideas. 

I think week 16 will be a better week. We have a doctors appointment on Tuesday and my birthday is on Saturday. Lots to look forward to!! 

Thank you friends and family for everything! God is good!

I went back and forth on getting maternity photos done and after much debate I decided:
1. I may never be pregnant again
2. I'm going to regret not having nice photographs to look back on
3. I better get this done before I'm too big to get dressed and I'm on bed rest

It finally stopped raining in Houston for a hot second and we were able to have a mini photo session with the BEAUTIFUL and TALENTED Anna Dean. We met online a few years ago through one of my health and fitness challenge groups and I fell in love with her and her photography and lifestyle blog. Go check her her website out at annadeanstudio.com!

I don't have all the photos yet but here are a few favorites!

Wednesday I met my multiples Nutritionist at Texas Women’s for the first time and HOLY MOLY is my brain spinning with all the information she gave me!

When you are pregnant with one baby the general rule is to add 300 extra calories in your 2nd and 3rd trimester. Seems pretty doable to get those extra calories in especially when you have a sweet tooth like me. 

I wasn’t sure what “magic” number the Nutritionist would give me but I expected it to be BIG…and she did not disappoint y’all!!! The number on the top right corner of my paper was….. 4500…CALORIES. WOW! You have to laugh when someone tells you your goal for the next 3ish months is to consume 4500 calories A DAY! Especially when that person is tiny and not extremely active at the moment. Now…some of you are probably saying, “You could literally eat anything you want! This is every girls dream!” Yes and No! I can eat a lot of food, healthy and not so healthy food, but I don’t think the idea is for me to eat a platter of Mexican food and stuff my face with blue bell ice cream and call it a day. I'm guilty of this on the weekend but not 7 days a week.

Before I met the nutritionist I started tracking my calories to see how many calories I was consuming and I was close to 2500 calories maybe 3000 if I had a piece of cake or cookies. I'm okay with the first 2000 calories but by the time I get home after work I start feeling pretty miserable because I am so full! It definitely effects my mood and I feel lethargic. 

It is crazy wrap my brain around everything going on in my body at once. My small frame is carrying 6 babies, their fluids/organs, my fluids/organs, the food that I eat, and the liquid I consume to stay hydrated. I would call it the Ultimate Battle of the Fittest but we all need to win when this is over. There can’t be any losers in this game!

So what does a typical eating schedule look like for me:
5:45am         Breakfast
I have to get up early just to start eating so I can squeeze in 2 snacks before lunch...
8:00am        AM Snack 1
10:00am      AM Snack 2
12:00pm      Lunch
2:30pm        PM Snack 1
4:30pm        PM Snack 2
6:30pm        Dinner
7:00pm        Late night snack 1
9:30pm        Late night snack 2

Throughout the day I make sure to consume (roughly) these macronutrients:
20 servings of Carbs

• Examples: ½ cup beans, 1 slice of bread, etc. (haha..I just realized my 20 servings could come from an entire loaf of bread..let me jut pack that in my lunch kit before I head to work.)

21 servings of Protein

• Examples: cooked meat, ¼ cottage cheese, 1 string cheese stick, 2 TBSP peanut butter, etc.

14 servings of Fat

• Examples: 6 almonds, 1 tsp butter, 1 tbsp regular salad dressing, 1/8 avoacdo

6 servings of Milk

• Examples: 1 cup milk or chocolate milk, 6oz of Greek yogurt

4 servings of Fruit

• Examples: ½-1 cup fruit 

6 Non-Starchy servings of vegetables

• Examples: 1 cup raw vegetables, ½ cup cooked 

WOW!

The nutrition piece I learned about this week has been a little baffling because a few years ago I majorly struggled (over the top crazy person) with body image and developed an eating disorder. I vowed that I would never EVER obsess over tracking calories, become an extreme portion control nazi, and go down a path where food and what I put in my body would be my main focus in my life. But yet I find myself here AGAIN...HOW?! Man, does God have a funny sense of humor! Maybe He is setting this up for me to face and overcome this fear of mine. I would like to argue how inconvenient the timing of all of this is, but we know His plans are perfect. 

To help strengthen our faith on this journey, Marshall and I decided to dig into the Word. We started reading the book of James and the message couldn't come at a better time so I wanted to share it with you! James 1:2-3 starts with, "Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its works so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking of anything." Matt Chandler, one of my favorite preachers, sums it up like this,  "Trials will come, but count it all JOY because God is good."

Going through this journey has been extremely emotional and I can honestly say I have NOT found it all JOY and I'm sure you can relate to this if you have or are currently going through a hard time, but it is an AWESOME AWESOME reminder that every good and perfect gift is from above and God does not tempt anyone. So as hard as it may seem to find JOY in your current trails, dig deep and know as James states, "​Blessed is the man who perseveres under trials, because when he stood the test, he will receive the crown of that, that God has promised to those who love him". 

Thank you all so much for the encouragement and support you all have shared with Marshall and me this week. It has filled our hearts with joy and hope that we can do this and we are not on our own. The texts, calls, emails, letters, and cake (hehe) are greatly appreciated. 

Until next week!

What a week!  My belly grows daily y'all! People on the street see me and they want to know if I'm 26+ weeks along. I smile not knowing if I should really freak them out and tell them the TRUTH or just go along with their story. I do both depending on my mood. #sorrynotsorry

Week 13 was a big week for my entire family. I went to Texas Women's on Thursday, 6/2, for my cervical cerclage procedure. If you are like me, you are probably wondering what the heck is that?! I will be honest...I did ZERO research or Googling before I went in for the procedure. I figured extra research would only stress me out...ignorance is bliss my friends! But in case you are wondering, the goal of a cervical cerclage is to hold the cervix closed. This allows the babies to fully develop before leaving the womb (in my case just hold them in longer). This is a typical procedure for moms with multiples and is usually done at 12 weeks. It also helps hold the extra weight of the babies. I believe once it is time to deliver the babies they will remove the stitches.

This was my first visit at Texas Women's Hospital and the nurses and staff were super sweet and encouraging. It was a super long day though. My procedure was scheduled for 3:30pm but I didn't get into the surgery room until 5:00-5:30pm. Hardest part of it all?! Not the procedure because I was knocked out (thank goodness!), it was NOT eating or drinking anything all day. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink until after the procedure because I was getting general anesthesia. I think not eating until 7:00pm would stress anyone out not just a pregnant women carrying 6 babies! I must have asked every nurse that came in, "Can I eat?" just to see if one would give in. The nurses kept firm and I finally was able to eat crackers, apple juice, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I packed around 7:30pm. So FYI...a pregnant women CAN live if she doesn't eat every few hours.

My dad and mother-in-law stayed at the hospital all day keeping me company. They are troopers and since I couldn't eat they wouldn't eat either. I finally told them they had to eat at 4:30pm because it was crazy for us all to starve. They munched on cold deli sandwiches and I told them not to stress about it because I'm not allowed to eat lunch meat anyways. 

I was finally discharged around 8:30pm. My dad was sweet enough to stop by The Famous Shipley's donuts on Ella Blvd. on our way home. He couldn't believe that I wanted one but a Hot GLAZED donut sounded amazing at 9:00pm and my mom was sweet enough to pick up Doyle's salad and pizza on her way to my house and was nice enough to stay with us.

I finally made it to bed tired from the days activities, a full-tummy, and a overjoyed heart! I can't thank my sweet friends and family for all their encouragement this week. If anything, Marshall and I need emotional support more than anything so please keep the prayers coming! We are so BLESSED to have such a wonderful support group.

God is GOOD!

​Each week of this pregnancy journey has had its high moments and low moments. The highs can be really high and the lows can be dark and scary. I have noticed the dark and scary places are usually after our doctor appointments when we get a reminder of EVERYTHING that could happen.

Let’s start with the highs of this week!

​Each week we get to tell more family and friends about our big news and their unconditional love and support is overwhelming (the good kind of overwhelming).  It’s crazy how many people are willing to jump in and help anyway they can. If you told me you were having 6 kids a few weeks ago, I would probably run the other direction!  We also got to go to the lake this weekend with friends and stay with their family. It’s one of my favorite places and we have gone the last few Memorial Day weekends. Lots of sun time, reading, eating, and catching up. I got a little sad driving home because I know next year we will not be able to make this trip with 6 under the age of 1. We want to be brave parents that don’t live in fear of getting out of the house but that might be a little too adventurous for us next year.

We also got to meet our new high risk specialist doctor this week. I always get anxious and excited right before a doctor appointment. Excited because we get to see our babies on the screen but anxious because I want to make sure everyone is growing and developing like they should be.

Before our doctor appointment on Friday we had our first “practice fire drill”. I went to work like always but noticed my blood sugar was a little low that morning. I sipped on orange juice and figured my blood sugar would go back up shortly. When I got to work I started getting cramps on the right side of my belly and I had no idea what this meant since I have never experienced this before. I tried walking around but felt weak and I could tell my blood sugar was still low. Often when I have low blood sugar, I pass out, and I think the thought of passing out put me on edge and maybe caused a slight anxiety attack. All I could think about was if I pass out, the babies won’t get oxygen and I just spiraled downhill from there.  Luckily my mom was off of work so I called her to pick me up and was calling my husband to call the doctor to see if I should go see the doctor earlier than my scheduled appointment time or go straight to the hospital. My thought was…what IN THE WORLD is the hospital going to do when I walk in. Can you imagine..what are your symptoms..Yes, I am pregnant with 6 kids and I have cramps. I just had a vision of it being a disaster. Luckily the doctor answered and he told me to go home and lay down flat and eat. Sure enough, I felt better in an hour.

Later that afternoon we went to see our high risk doctor for our first visit. Marshall and I prepared ourselves mentally because we knew it wouldn’t be a warm and fuzzy visit and we were right. The doctor is amazing and is obviously great at what he does, but to hear ALL the risks and the statistics and odds of delivering 6 healthy babies are heartbreaking. The doctor would never tell us to terminate, but it is easy to read between the lines. We also got to see all of the babies (now named A-F) on the ultrasound and they were moving around like they were in a playhouse! Baby A is very hyper and never stops moving, whereas Baby C just likes to hang out and nap. We also found out the sex of 4 of the babies. WOOHOO! I can’t wait to share this news soon. 

When we left the room we were both overwhelmed with emotions. We sat in the quiet area waiting to be released and without any words tears just streamed down our faces. We didn’t need to speak to each other we knew exactly what the other was thinking. Then after a few moments we just started praying that God would give us the strength to lean into Him and have faith in His plan.

One thought I couldn’t shake after processing it all was: Because I know the risks of having mulitples, I understand the risks, and I’m willing to accept all the risks; does this make me a bad person/mother for not giving my kids technically the “best possible option at living a full life”?! But then I stepped back and thought about mothers who have 1 baby that run into complications and realized I might have greater risks than most moms but ALL babies are susceptible to dangers.

The statistics and risks on paper show we are crazy for going forward with this, but how could we not?! Those sweet sweet babies are alive and well, and are a miracle and a blessing! People might think we have options but it’s obvious to us that we don’t. God gave us 6 little babies and God willing we are going to have 6 precious babies at the end of this journey. Our babies may not have a voice but Marshall and I do and we believe they deserve a chance. We have faith, faith that Gods plan is bigger and greater than we could ever imagine.

Marshall and I are so grateful for the friends and family who have providing such sound, Godly, and strong advice when we need it the most. Your words and encouragement have been and continue to be such a blessing.