Baby #3!

We are pleased to announce that we are expecting #3!  Due January 30th.  I'm not sure exactly what we're in for, or if we're even ready, but we are sure excited!  Especially Gabe and Elisa.  Their eyes were wide as saucers when they were told I have a baby in my tummy!  This pregnancy has been similar to the others in that I've had no morning sickness or cravings.  Just general discomfort and a little fatigue here and there.  However, around mid August (15 1/2 weeks or so) the varicose veins that started my last trimester with Elisa came back with a full vengeance.  Varicose veins can turn what would have been a good, easy pregnancy into a nightmare.  Wearing thick compression stockings in 90+ degree weather with high humidity is hell, as is not wearing them, because then my legs would feel as if someone took a baseball bat to them and the worst part is that the veins just get worse, especially if I don't wear the stockings.  So that is what I have been dealing with for the past months.  It has cooled off and my legs have not been bothering me as much, even without the stockings.  Well, at least I never got morning sickness!
We found out September 13th if baby was boy or girl.  I had been debating a while if I should have a gender reveal party or not, but I decided to go ahead and do it, because if anything, it would be fun for the kids.  I went September 12th for the ultrasound.  I was nervous this time around, just because we have gotten so very lucky/blesses to already have two perfectly healthy babies, so I thought we might be pushing our luck this time! But thankfully baby #3 looks perfectly perfect and adorable!

Shots of the face in ultrasounds always look creepy to me

He has 10 little fingers!

and legs...

And ten little toes on two cute little feet

It's pretty obvious.  He wasn't shy :)

 His cute profile picture.  I knew he was a boy just by looking at this.  He looks like my other two.  Elisa had a teeny tiny nose and this one's looks more like Gabe's so that's how I knew he was a boy!


I had the ultrasound tech turn off the screen while she checked the gender and then circled boy on a piece of paper and put everything in an envelope for me.  One of my friends volunteered to take the envelope, and fill up a box of balloons with either pink balloons for girl or blue for boy.  I invited a couple of friends over and we played some silly games (at least the kids did) like pin the bow/bow tie on the baby and baby catapulting into bowls.  And then we opened the box!  I wasn't the one taking the video so sorry if it is in 3 separate parts! Erik and I were confused for a split seconds by some green balloons but that didn't last long when we saw the blue ones.  I wasn't surprised that it was a boy at all, since the profile picture sorta spoiled it for me :).  Poor Elisa was a little bit upset.  She didn't cry, but she wanted us to turn the blue balloons into pink balloons.  Gabe was happy.  Elisa has now accepted the fact that she will be getting a little brother and not a sister.  And I'm sure she'll be perfectly happy with this later on in life as she will be the one and only princess in the family!           

Sheesh--I can't even remember how far along I was here.  I'm pretty sure it was around 20 weeks though.

30 weeks!  I'm 34 1/2 weeks along now, and surprisingly yes I am bigger than that! Yikes.