Baby Boy

We had our structural ultrasound today. It was very exciting for the most part. What I wasn't expecting was the pain and discomfort. My back was killing me from laying down flat after only a few minutes. Then I started feeling nauseated and overheated and lightheaded. I felt like such a wimp for asking for a break, but the technician was very polite. She said that it happens to a lot of women because the baby puts pressure on the spine and arteries. She gave me a wet towel and let me sit up for a minute and then lay on my side for the rest of the time, which made all the difference. So, after that, I was finally able to enjoy the experience of seeing our baby for the first time. It's been an exciting time for Chris too, because he felt the baby move for the first time last night. Not bad for only 20 weeks along! So much fun!

This is pretty much the whole baby from the side. After all the measurements, they said his due date was August 4th. My date based on ovulation was the 6th, so we're not too far off base.

This is the baby's leg and foot. Chris was happy that the baby had two legs and two arms and no horns or wings. He is a bit of a worrywart!

This is the baby's first head shot. The tech gave us about five pictures of his face for some reason. I'm pretty sure you can't tell at this point who he looks like, so I'm not sure why five of ten pictures is necessary, but oh well.

Another head shot. They did not give us the shot showing the gender, but we are most definitely having a boy. Chris actually spotted that he was a boy early on, but I didn't realize until she pointed it out at the end--I think I was a little distracted from the discomfort until the second half. Anyway, I guess I have not been remiss in referring to the baby as "he" and "him" for the past two weeks. I can't honestly say that I had any intuition about it. I was basing it solely on the data from our fertility charting. I'm not even sure how reliable this is, but it was right in this case at least. So, Peter it will be. We are so excited!

It is so amazing to think that our bodies can create and carry babies. It's a wonderful experience, at least for the moment. Not so wonderful in the first trimester, and maybe won't be wonderful in the third, but I'm really liking the second!

Visit to Ankeny

Last weekend we took a trip out to Chris' parents house. Chris had an interview in Kansas City, and since Ankeny is only three hours away, we decided to make a weekend trip. We had a very nice time and were amazed by the crazy snowfall! Apparently they have had more snow this year than they've had since 1865! It's a little crazy driving in this, because you can't really see over the snowbanks if you're in a tiny Honda civic. In the picture above, you can barely see the mailbox poking out of the snow.

Okay, here's 17 weeks. I think I look fat rather than pregnant right now, but at least we're making progress! When I wore this shirt for my 13 week picture, the sweater was not pushed out by my belly nearly as much as it is in this picture. It's fun to see.

I also saw my doctor again, and everything's still great. Apparently I'll get to feel the baby kicking soon. Although, I suspect I may have already felt the kicking. It's hard to know if you're feeling it when you don't know what it's supposed to feel like! But, it's all very exciting.

I have scheduled our ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby for March 22nd. Chris and I suspect a boy, but hopefully we'll know soon. We're planning on Peter if it's a boy--we like it especially well since it's not on any top 100 boys name lists.

Speaking of babies, my lovely sister-in-law, Ann, just sent me a great book: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I think all women who are having kids would benefit from reading this book. It really helped me feel so much better about the upcoming birth experience. I feel strangely empowered from reading it, whereas I think I was almost scared silly before reading it. There is some strange hippie stuff in it, but overall it is great! Thanks Ann!!