The Most Recent Ultrasound

Thanks for all the congratulations. We were really happy to learn that she is a girl, because we had been picturing ourselves with a daughter. You might recall I ate extra sweets around the time of conception. Don't know if it was fate or the Skittles, but anyway we have a girl coming.

The ultrasound started on a really solemn note though because we could hear the heartbreaking sobs of an inconsolable woman who I imagine received some very bad news during her ultrasound. I was fighting tears as Bill and I left the ultrasound waiting room to go in for my ultrasound. I felt so sorry for her. Her grief reminded me of how extremely lucky I am to have this healthy child growing inside me.

When went in for the ultrasound, I was relieved when I recognized the u/s tech as the woman who did my first ultrasound, because I remembered her as being very patient and kind - carefully explaining everything we were seeing. Also, I had a very bad experience with another tech there at my 12 week ultrasound, and I was glad that my doctor had remembered to make sure we didn't have to deal with her again.

This time we had a very good experience. Vicki, our tech, explained what she was looking for, then let us know that each thing looked good. I remember she said the baby's heart was "pretty" - and it WAS pretty. She was very informative. She would say, for example, "We're looking here to see that the heart has four chambers, and it does."

She asked if we wanted to know the gender. We said yes. When she said, "It's a girl," Bill squeezed my hand so tightly. The reaction would have been the same if she had said the baby was a boy, of course. It was just so great to reach another milestone of the pregnancy.

Anyway, everything checked out perfectly. The ultrasound confirmed that I have an anterior placenta, which I suspected because when I feel movement it's very faint. So I used to think "mellow baby" now I wonder if she's not a hellion, since I DO feel her moving around in there even with the cushioning of the placenta.

We'll be doing another ultrasound some time after 30 weeks. This will be a 3D ultrasound. Cool! I am just under a such spell each time I get to peek into her little world.

It's A Girl!

I am excited to announce that we are expecting a very healthy baby girl! It took a while to count all of its HER fingers and toes but I am glad to announce they were all there! Click on the image below to view more pictures.


One Excited Poppa Bee,
Bill

Baby Stuff! Lots of photos.

OMG! Suddenly, we have so much baby stuff.


I was so glad I went home for lunch today, because the Rockabye CDs from my mom had arrived! Now, in addition to Radiohead, baby has The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd lullaby CDs for bedtime music hour.


ALSO, arriving in the mail today: my fetal stethoscope!!! This is a nifty device I can use to hear the baby. I tried it out on my lunch break today, but I think all I could hear was the placenta (it makes a noise, too). I'll have more time to play with it tonight, though.


We got our stimulus check, too. Nursery furniture is in our near future, I suspect.

And there is MORE stuff...
Yesterday, my dear friend Cheryl gave me a lot of cute baby clothes, new and hand-me-down (a few items looked very familiar; I'm pretty sure they came from Bill & me. Really kind of neat that our baby will be wearing stuff we picked out before we even knew we'd have a baby of our own some day!).

Onesies & a Snuggly Sleeper Thingie:


Cool Nightmare Before Xmas Onesie (w/stripes!!! I love stripes!):


Misc. Bibs (Including a Spit Happens bib):


Most Kickass Eat Brains bib (modeled by my RC Dalek):

Cheryl got this bib at Tear It Up, one of her favorite shops, which has really cool clothes for adults AND babies/toddlers. The bib is way better quality than pookie's other "I eat brains" bib. We love it!

Adorable Memphis Zoo hat (baby's first hat!!):


State Quarters Coin Collection from Granny

We saw Granny over the weekend and she gave the baby $10 rolls of each of the state quarters released in the first two years of the state quarters. This is going to pay for baby's college education someday. ;)

We are so lucky and so grateful.

20 Weeks Belly

No slimming black outfit this time! Here's a few other shots of my 20 weeks pregnant belly.

Daddy Felt Flutterbug Kicking

Twenty weeks today and feeling great. :) We're halfway there! Time to get serious about childbirth lessons, hiring a doula, deciding on a hospital, etc.

Yesterday, we were at a family reunion in middle Tennessee, and as Bill rubbed my tummy he was surprised to feel the baby kicking. I couldn't even feel it, so he wasn't sure what he was feeling, then I felt a big kick and he did at the same time. :) Very neat!

Later that evening, while I was telling my mom about it via IM, as if on cue, the baby gave me the biggest kick thus far. The rascal. :)

In other news, since the m/s seems to be gone, I've been cutting back on the Unisom at night. The vivid dreams I had been experiencing at the beginning of my pregnancy have returned now. I had a cute dream Saturday night: I was rocking the baby and singing lullabies. Awww.

Twenty week belly pics coming soon!

China's #1 Mom!

Let's hope the baby doesn't get all of my features!

It would be a little bit scary! Yikes!