Baby update

We had our 14 week checkup today, and Baby #3 is doing beautifully! It's still too early to tell if we're having a boy or a girl, but my doctor said she has a "feeling" that it's a boy. Our next visit is in 4 weeks, and there's a very good chance we'll find out the gender then. But, if not, our 20-week ultrasound will follow 2 weeks later...that's when we'll get to see more detailed images of the baby. At 22 weeks, I am having a fetal echocardiogram done because I was born with a heart defect, and there's a 4% chance (significant in the medical world) that it could be passed on to our children. For now, it's time for this tired momma to catch a quick nap!!

Fancy!

Our "eldest" child, Ginger the dog, has been having some health issues lately and, as a result, has become a regular at our vet's office (which is located inside Petsmart). The last few times the girls and I took Ginger in for her appointments, we stopped on our way into the store and said hi to the assortment of hamsters, gerbils, mice, and rats. Giselle especially liked one hamster, called a Dwarf Robo hamster (if I remember right), that ran like a flash of lightning. On its info sheet, it said to be careful not to let it run loose, because it was "difficult to catch." So, last night, Keith took Gingi in for another (and final!!!) appointment, and he came back with a load of goodies, including a ventilated cardboard box. All I said was "PLEEEASE tell me that's not the "Bolt" hamster!!" No, we are now the proud adoptive family of a Fancy Hooded Rat named Iridessa (after one of Tinkerbell's best friends). Apparently, rats are less inclined to bite than other small pets, and she's fairly easy to handle. Giselle was terrified at first, but the girls both think she's great...although I'm having a tricky time trying to keep the house volume level down so that our little nocturnal friend can get some rest today. Since I will be homeschooling the girls, Keith felt that they needed a "classroom" pet that they could help take care of in order to learn more about being a responsible little person. I'll get some photos of the girls and their new buddy posted soon!

"Official" announcement

I've been trying to keep quiet about this for months, but I'm excited to finally tell everyone that we're expecting baby #3 on May 20!!! We had our nuchal translucency exam today in Walnut Creek (an ultrasound that helps determine the likelihood that a baby is at risk of Down Syndrome), and our little peanut is looking great. The ultrasound pictures we received are very blurry so I'm not going to post them, but I have another appointment with my doctor in 1 1/2 weeks...so we'll have photos soon! Our girls are SO excited and are both convinced we're having a boy. We hope to know in the next month or two if they're right.

Halloween '09

The girls had such a great time on Halloween, especially since it lasted for a week with different activities around town. On Halloween night, "Papa" Pat (Keith's dad) took us out for dinner and then we all went out trick-or-treating. Giselle REALLY got into it, practically running from house to house, and then trying to take extra pieces out of the candy bowls. Serious business! Last night, they wanted to put their Belle and Snow White costumes back on and head back out for some more candy. Sure, who wouldn't?!?