Relocating

Now that we've been in the lower mainland for a little over a week, we're starting to feel settled enough to get some updates on the go. Abigail and Dana left Smithers with Grandma and Grandpa Hoogland on Sunday, April 25, leaving Dan and me 2 quiet days to get packed and organized for relocating to Abbotsford. In some ways, it was no different than getting ready to go on vacation. In other ways, it felt very strange -- especially knowing that when we return home our family will be drastically different than when we left.
The drive down was uneventful, but we were glad we didn't have the girls with us, and I was especially glad we didn't wait around any longer in Smithers. By Wednesday afternoon, our 2nd day of driving, I was terribly uncomfortable sitting in the car.
Friday morning we had an ultrasound and checkup at Women's Hospital in Vancouver. An ultrasound with triplets takes about an hour and a half, so even though it's exciting to see each baby, it's a fairly uncomfortable and tiring process. Lying on my back is not much fun, because of the weight of my uterus. But the wonderful part of it all is being reassured once again that the boys are growing well, at almost exactly the same rate. They're estimated to weigh 1.5 kilos (3.3 lbs) each. After the ultrasound we met with one of the Dr.'s, and she was very pleased with how things are progressing. Despite fatigue and increasing discomfort, I have no major complications and the babies seem to be thriving. From now on, our appointments will be at Surrey Memorial Hospital. The initial goal is to make it to 32 weeks, which is May 24. At that point the babies, while they will need some initial specialized care, are unlikely to have any long-term complications from being born premature. Term for triplets is 36 weeks, which would be June 21. So we'll get as far as we can go for these little boys!
Saturday we moved into our own place. It's a 2-bedroom basement suite, in Abbotsford, with basic furnishings. Dan's mom stocked the kitchen with dishes and cookware from their 5th wheel, and while it's definitely not home, we're comfortable. In a way, it's refreshing to have less space and less stuff to manage and to keep clean.
As we settle in, it's been good to reflect on the past few months, which have been incredibly busy, and to switch gears. The girls are doing well, considering all the changes they have been through in the last little while. I'm continually amazed (and often dismayed) at how steadily my fatigue and discomfort levels increase. I'm also starting to feel quite large. I'm getting lots of comments in public like "you must be about to have your baby!" I have moments where I'm really not sure how we'll hang in there for another 6 weeks, but we're taking it one day at a time, and overall, I still feel good, all things considered.
Sorry for the epic post, we'll do this more regularly so the updates will be shorter in the future. Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. They are much appreciated.