21 Weeks

So I've really gotten round in the last couple of weeks! It's so much fun! I mean, sure it makes it difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep, bend over, maneuver in many ways... But it's fun! Getting smiles from passersby, and having people come up to me with hands stretched out "I wanna feel!" It's really fun.

On Tuesday we got to have our first ever ultrasound, and it was the most incredible experience of my life. We actually got to see our beautiful baby, and boy was it ever beautiful. The sonographer could not stop talking about how good the baby was, and how cute it was, and how she never gets babies that are this cooperative. Two arms, two legs, one beautiful 158 bpm heartbeat. We saw it from every single angle, crystal clear. "I can really see everything on this little baby!" she said. I was so proud. Perfectly healthy and beautiful, perfectly perfect. There will be many pictures to come, as we ordered a CD from the hospital of the entire study. And they are just perfect. Perfect perfect. They should be coming sometime mid next week, and I can't wait to see them again.

They wouldn't tell us the gender of the baby, however. We were really interested to know, but apparently throughout all of Winnipeg they aren't allowed to give that information anymore due to lawsuits. I mean, I can understand that. I'm sure there are many a parent who went out and painted their nurseries pink, adorned them with princesses and frills, and spent thousands of dollars on girly attire, only to find a precious little boy in the end. That'd be a financial nuisance, I suppose. So, I can understand. I was bummed out, but I understand.

There are a couple of locations in the city that will tell you, however, but they are the privately owned 3D imaging places. The novelty places. And they will not just tell you the gender, you are required to purchase a photo package. And the cheapest package they have? $115.00! Can you believe that? And we already spent $50 at the hospital for the pictures there. No thank you!

So, we figure we'll either wait until the third trimester to get the baby sexed at one of those places, that way our pictures will at least be different. Or we'll just wait until the end and have a beautiful surprise, the old fashioned way! Either way, it'll be fun. And either way, it's a bit more of a wait before we know whether the nursery will be pink or blue. Or, I guess, green or yellow?

That very same day, after the ultrasound, we went for a doctor's appointment with Dr. Macek. He told me that the screening tests all came back negative, that there's absolutely nothing wrong with our beautiful baby. Our new and official final due date is January 17th! Which puts me at about 21 weeks and 3 days. He weighed me and I'm starting to slowly catch up on the weight I lost, I've gained a couple of pounds! Yay! And everything is going swimmingly!

That evening, Matthew and I were sitting in bed, and the baby started kicking so hard! The hardest it ever has! It was incredible! I grabbed Matt's hand and stuck it on my belly and told him "Wait..." and he did. And then, as magically as ever, the baby kicked him in the hand. Hard. Over and over again! He finally got to feel the baby! He was so happy, it was beautiful! And since then, every kick has been hard! And constant! It's the most incredible and strange feeling in the world. I think we're both really starting to feel like we have a baby coming.

And the love just starts to grow, you know? The most remarkable thing, this connection I'm starting to develop with this unborn child. This urge to comfort when it starts kicking and fussing. Like I want to rub my belly and say "Ssssh, everything will be okay." One of these days someone will catch me bouncing up and down as I rock a kicking baby back to sleep again, I know it. :)