36 weeks!!

Gaius and I are doing great! We had another doc appt last week at 35 weeks (probably the last ultrasound!) and I am now "graduated" to no longer being "high-risk!" - meaning, if I went in to labor, they wouldn't stop it because the risk for the baby is as low as it is for a full term baby. Crazy to think about! Next Tuesday I'll be 37 weeks, which is considered "full term" (though 40 weeks is how they determine due date). Wow.

They measured Gaius and are estimating he is 5 lbs 10 oz (give or take 13 oz, lol), which is the 65th percentile. We got a great pic of some already-chubby cheeks. The doc called him "well-nourished" and warned us he may be so used to being well-nourished that he will expect the same amount of nourishment after he is born, lol!! I figure if my breasts could mostly keep up with two babies, I can keep up with one hungry one! :) He's head down already, but no indication of labor any time soon! I've had a few Braxton Hicks contractions, which the doc says is expected at this point.

Gaius is very very active - he is always kicking and squirming and stretching in there! He likes to push up against my diaphragm which makes it uncomfortable to breathe easily, but at least he isn't usually pushing on my bladder or cervix, lol. The twins did that and it was soooo uncomfortable! My main discomfort is the heat and just having my belly in the way all the time, lol. My ankles and feet have been getting some swelling which has been pretty uncomfortable!

I'm getting so excited! We pre-registered at the hospital after our appointment last week so when I go into labor I don't have to fill out any pesky paperwork. I got all teary-eyed just being in the maternity ward lobby!

Giovanna and Roman are doing AWESOME as always! Kyle took them out on what the map said was a 10 mile hike this week!! They slept soooooo well after that one, lol!! They continue to crack me up every day with silly stuff they say. This age is so damn fun (though the whining and random completely-disregarding-mommy moments can be very frustrating). We're working on potty training with Roman now. Still doing a lot of laundry, but he's making progress and he's soooo proud when he uses the potty!! Giovanna tells him "good job! You peed!!" lol!

I have a ton of pics to upload, but my photobucket tells me it's apparently full, so I'll have to figure out another place to upload stuff! I'll give a few here:

Good thing they are washable (both the kids and the markers, lol)


Holding hands was their idea:


They looooove to hike with Daddy!!


At one of the many water fountains in Portland!


Me at 36 weeks:


Gaius at 35 weeks:


Some "well-nourished" cheeks, lol:

Senses of humor have emerged!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! We've been busy (and hot and tired).

I am 33.5 weeks along - only 6.5(ish) more weeks to go! Exciting! Everything is going well. I feel very full of baby already - Gaius likes to push up against my diaphragm and make it somewhat difficult to breathe comfortably unless I am leaning back with my belly sticking out, lol. Not the most ladylike of poses, but whatever, lol. I'm still enjoying myself since I don't plan on doing this again! ;) My last appointment was a week ago and still no signs of premature labor. No contractions, no dialation, and Gaius is VERY active. At least once a day I can sit back and watch my belly shift and churn like something out of Alien. If I didn't know what was in there, I'd be freaked out, lol. My next ultrasound is on the 18th - I'll be 35 weeks along and after that they won't stop labor if it starts! ACK!! Then another appt at 37 weeks, and probably one at 38 or 39, then it's showtime!

Giovanna and Roman are growing up so freakin' fast. I know it's totally cliche to say that, but I marvel every day at the crazy, funny stuff that comes out of their mouths. For example, Roman's new alphabet lyrics are "Now I know my ABCs! Next time won't you POOP with me!!" followed by hysterical laughter. The other night, Giovanna was trying to postpone bedtime by refusing to get off the potty. The subsequent conversation went like this: "C'mon, Boogie. Time to get off the potty and go to bed." "No, I'm upset." "Why are you upset?" "I'm UPSET 'cause... 'cause... Roman didn't give me coffee!" Roman then poked his head around the door and said, "Boogie, you want some coffee?" They say things like "What are you talking about?" and "It's blue, ACTUALL." Total attitudes. Love it. Usually. ;)

The animals (by which I mean the pets) are all doing great! Wulfric, our new kitten, has pretty much taken over. He play-attacks Merlin mercilessly, and Merlin just sits there and takes it. Sometimes he plays back, even! Never thought he'd do that, lol. Alex knows to pretty much stay out of the cats' way, lol.

We went up to Bellingham last weekend. We had a lovely small baby shower - Tory, Laura, Nana/GG, Mom, Rick, and our brood. We had grilled salmon and veggie kabobs - so yummy! We got great gifts (thanks, all!!!) and had wonderful fireside conversation about babies! And I love to talk about my babies. ;) It was so fun to see Laura's baby belly poking out! It is so cool that we will have cousins close to the same age!

We also spent some time at the park that weekend, and the kids played in my mom's backyard a LOT, often sans clothing! They picked veggies and apples from her garden and helped water the plants! They even helped Pop in the garden - Roman pretty much attached himself to Pop most of the time, and had a blast! It was a short trip, but very fun.

Yesterday, Kyle had a bunch of his parenting group over to do tie-dying! He made some really cool shirts for Roman and Giovanna (they are calling them their superhero shirts, lol) and some onesies for Gaius! He even left me a couple of white onesies so I could make some too! Yay! Here's what he made:







A few weeks ago we went to the wedding of our neighbors, Christe and Matt. They are expecting a baby this fall, too! It was a bit of a drive, but we all had a lot of fun. The twins got to watch the fish in a koi pond and run around with a bunch of older kids (who were great about including them!). And we all got to blow lots and lots of bubbles. :)

We've also spent a lot of time at the park lately (on days where our thermometer didn't read 110 degrees anyway) and the zoo and the Children's Museum, and visiting family and friends.

Tons and tons of pictures at the link below. Sorry some are rotated wrong. Photobucket is still not uploading pics right. Argh.
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/Brieshon/2009/2009-08-08/?start=all