It's a...

Our mystery is solved.  You've got to love modern technology.  Thanks to ultrasound equipment, and a cute sonographer (whose husband is apparently a coworker of mine...small world), we found out we're having a girl.  We're so excited!  We would've been just as excited for a boy, but the suspense was killing us! 

I've always thought ultrasound pics were hard to distinguish what was what.  I still feel this way, but we'll give it a shot!  (I apologize for the poor quality, the scanners are not working too well this morning so I had to improvise) 

This is her face, and her little upper body.

And this is a side view of her face, and her arm...if you can find it!

And this is a pic of her feet side by side.  I think its my favorite!

If you can make out any of those pictures, you get a gold star.  It's a little like trying to find Waldo.  It's fun to try though!  I have the advantage, because I'm her mother, and I have the originals...and because the expert told me :)  It was a lot of fun to see her moving around, and hearing the heartbeat.  I think my Grandma is right.  She's going to be so sweet!  And why wouldn't she be?  Look at her mother! ;)

Oh, and I think she needs this shirt...

And the Countdown Continues...

Countdown Clock by Zoodu.com

Predictions: 
people who say it's a boy-  4 (our grandparents)
people who say it's a girl-  EVERYBODY else

Time will tell.  I've already been having a talk with little britches.  "You had better cooperate, because Mommy can't afford another ultrasound."

Countdown...

I think I told you how much it’s driving Dean crazy having to wait to find out the gender. He keeps saying he wants to know what we’re having. I keep telling him, we’re having a human and that I’m 50% sure it’s going to be a boy. He doesn’t find it nearly as amusing as I do. But, now we have a date to look forward to. Our ultrasound is scheduled for April 27 at 3pm. Let the countdown begin!


(And that baby better cooperate. Ultrasounds are expensive.)

Swollen Ankles

I had my monthly prenatal appointment yesterday. The wait was MUCH shorter this time, which was good. I hate sitting for long periods of time. I do that every day at work; I don’t want to do it anywhere else. It was a pretty uneventful visit, but that’s probably a good thing. We did the usual check the heartbeat, check my measurements, and check my blood pressure. All was well with that. My ankles have been swelling this week, and I made sure to ask her about that. I didn’t expect for that to happen this soon. Dr. Anderson was not concerned at all. She just told me it’s going to get worse, and asked if I could wear flip flops to work. The most notable part of the visit was when they faxed over the ultrasound order. We’ll have our big ultrasound in 3 more weeks! Dean is excited to know if we’re having a boy or girl, the wait is killing him. I’m excited about that, but I’m just as excited to see our baby with arms and legs. Our last ultrasound was at not quite 7 weeks, so we saw a head and body and that’s about it. A friend gave me a bunch of old maternity clothes, so I’ve been having fun picking through them the last couple days. It’s nice to have things to wear without having to wear the same stuff every few days! Now, if I can convince my boss that I need to wear flip flops everyday, I'll be good. 

Planning, Freaking Out & Cloth Diapers

At the end of this week, I’ll be 16 weeks. It occurred to me yesterday that 16 weeks = 4 months. That makes it seem more real! So far, I’ve been taking it easy, and not worrying about a lot of things. I have plenty of time, right? Not at this rate! People are starting to talk to me about baby showers, and hand-me-down bassinets; which makes me think I should be planning something. I have to figure out when to take birthing classes, and when to start interviewing pediatricians, and I’m sure there are about a million other things I am not even thinking of! When do I need to start a registry? And for the love of Pete, how much longer do I have to wait to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?! (The answer to that is about another month…ugh. I hate waiting). As you can tell, I tend to freak out a little every so often. I’m usually pretty laid-back, and stress-free in general though, so my freak out sessions never last very long, and they really don’t come too often. I’m very thankful for the friends/family who say things like, “I have some maternity clothes for you, I’ll bring them such-and-such day” or “I have the following items left over from my baby, I’d love to give them to you.”

I seriously considered cloth diapering for awhile. Although I would only do that if I was able to stay home, and still use disposables for weekends with Grandma or a morning in the church nursery. I did some research, and found that whether or not they are really any more environmentally friendly is debated. I also did research on cost, and discovered it really isn’t much cheaper (if at all) when you factor in cost of extra laundry, etc. The upside is that you can re-sell cloth diapers or use them for future children, but there’s no guarantee there will be any more. Another benefit to cloth is that they tend to potty train easier, but I figure that’s why they make training underwear. There are also other downsides to cloth, for instance you have to be careful what kinds of cream you use, particularly doctor-prescribed creams. So, the hippie side of me did not prevail this time. I think Dean is secretly relieved.