Friday, May 8, 2009

Meet baby Gaius!

20 weeks, 3 days
Feeling pretty good, just a bit tired and my feet swell a bit in the evenings.
Still a little nauseous in the mornings, but not too bad.
Feeling regular movement, especially when I eat fruit or drink juice.

Well, we had our Level 2 ultrasound on Thursday and found out we are having another BOY!!! We have decided on the first name: Gaius (pronounced GYE-us). Still kicking around middle names, but we have a few months to go, lol.

The ultrasound went very well - everything is measuring perfectly, nothing to raise any kind of concern. Since the twins were premature, they consider me "high risk" and are keeping a close eye on my cervix length through ultrasound to make sure it doesn't start to shorten or dilate (signs of possible premature labor) - so far so good! The doc and u/s tech even went so far as to say it was "perfect... almost too perfect." LOL! They don't think I'm really at risk to deliver early again, since last time it was twins and the labor catalyst was Giovanna's water breaking. Water breaking early is generally a random event (though some things can weaken the sac), and doesn't indicate that it will happen again. The doc wants to see me in another 3 weeks (I think appointments are usually every four weeks at this point).

Since I'm technically sort of "high risk," though, that means I get more ultrasounds (completely safe - they are just sound waves, like sonar) at the perinatologist office, as opposed to my regular obstetrician office. The peri ultrasound machine is apparently much higher-tech, and can do 3-D images... and the doc suprised us by doing a couple 3-D for us!!! Usually you have to go to a special clinic, and/or pay hundreds of dollars - and we got ours at our regular visit! YAY!!

And without further ado, here's baby Gaius!





And some good ol' fashioned ultrasound pics:

Profile:


Baby butt:


Footprint:


And proof that it is a boy, lol:



I think the twins are starting to get that there is a baby coming. They say hi to baby Gaius and give him/my tummy hugs and smooches. They got a big kick out of seeing the baby on the screen at the ultrasound, and they recognize the pics as being the baby in mommy's tummy, lol! They still have to be reminded sometimes not to jump on mommy a lot, though. Not that it would hurt the baby, but it's sure uncomfortable for me!

Both Roman and Giovanna are doing so well with their talking, counting, recognizing letters and numbers, and imagination. One of the latest things is to say "Oh my GOSH!" We were at the pretzel place at the mall a couple weeks ago, and she saw that there was milk in the cooler, so she ran over, pointed, and said "Oh my GOSH! There's MILK in there! Oh my GOSH!!!" Roman sauntered over, looked at the cooler thoughtfully, and said "Yeah, there's milk in there," and walked off. During the rainstorm last weekend, both of the kids said "Oh my GOSH! It's RAINING!" LOL!!

Potty training seems to be going well. Boogie is still being very consistant pooping on the potty, and has been asking to pee on the potty every once in awhile. She did have an accident when she had panties on the other day, but since we haven't practiced that a lot yet, it wasn't a big suprise. Roman actually asked to pee on the potty today, and he did! And on the toilet seat, and his hands... but at least it's progress! Only 19 weeks 4 days left to get these kids out of diapers before we have another little poopy butt on our hands, lol! We're not pushing it - we're letting them go at their own pace (with encouragement). No need to stress them (or us!) out!

The kids have had several playdates lately with a bunch of other kids. We've been a part of a group of people looking to start an intentional community (basically a co-op living arrangement, as self-sustaining as possible), and we went to see a farm last weekend with a bunch of the rest of the group. There were a couple other little boys there (one just turned 2 and the other is 3) and they played a LOT! There were some older boys there, too, and the youngest (about 10?) played with the preschoolers most of the time, lol. Kyle has also been going out with his stay-at-home-dads group who all have kids around the twins' age. Again, all boys! Luckily, our friend Connie has 2 girls (a 1 year old, and a 2.5 year old just a couple weeks older than ours). I love that the kids get so much socialization even though they aren't in daycare or school yet.

Here's a bunch of pics!
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/Brieshon/2009/2009-05-08/?start=all

2 comments:

Patty said...

Well I've been WAITING to hear a baby update! Thank you! The twins are getting so big... I think Ro and Stephen are about at the same place with the potty stuff, too. Fun times, huh? I LOVE this age!

Rachael said...

Congrats on adding another little guy to the family! Your kids are just so completely adorable. I love the picture of Ginny on the potty. And the one of the four kids on the coffee table - so cute!