Ultrasound Update!

We had our prenatal and ultrasound the other day and things apparently look good. :) Little Muppet's heart rate was 150 beats/min., which according to a fun pregnancy myth means the gender is female, though this isn't necessarily true. This gender "predictor" uses the heart rate to try to figure out if the baby is a boy or a girl. If the heart rate is slow, it is supposed to be a boy, and if it is fast, then it's supposed to be a girl. I really enjoy trying out all these old wive's tale methods, as it's so much fun! I'm very curious to see how accurate this test is. My mom said it worked for all her children, so we'll just have to wait and see! :)

In the ultrasound, Muppet was a super active baby! It did not want to sit still and get it's picture taken! The sonographer was quite convinced that I must have drank a gallon of coffee that morning, which I assured her that was definitely not the case. What I had drank was too much water! Oh good gracious! I got to my appointment 20 minutes early, and had to sit in the waiting room for an extra 15 minutes on top of that, staring at the bathroom across the hall. I tried reading food magazines, golf magazines, crossing my legs, standing...Oh, I had to go so bad! Finally my name was called and I jumped up and ran to the room. I warned the sonographer that I would have to go pretty soon, but I don't think she realized how true this was. As she scanned my tummy, she began pressing hard on my bladder, and well, one can only visit the desert in their mind for so long before they reach an oasis of water. I told her I had to go, and she quickly cleaned my belly off and told me, "Don't pee it all out!" I'm sorry, you want me to stop mid stream?! I sat in the bathroom and wonderered, how much urine was too much? There is no gauge on my bladder to show me if I'm running close to empty, so I had to guess and went back into the ultrasound room. She continued scanning around my tummy, when maybe 5 minutes later, the urge to "go" returned. I couldn't believe it! I casually mentioned it to her, feeling a little bad I was keeping her from doing her job properly. She told me to tell her when she was "pushing her luck". Ya, I told her very soon after that. I ran back into the bathroom, breathed a sigh of relief and sheepishly went back into the room. I apologized profusely, but she assured me it was normal. She then went back to work, which wasn't so bad until she had me lay on my side because the baby had stopped dancing, but was in a difficult position and she needed to see it better. As soon as I rolled on my side, my bladder started twitching and I knew I was not running on empty. I prayed she would be done soon, that she would go get Chris, show us the baby on the monitor, and then we could go (to the bathroom again). I think the urge to pee is worse when you know you can't go. I counted ceiling tiles, read the fine print on the light bulbs on the roof, dug my nails into the flesh of my palm...everything to keep from having to tell her I had to go again. Luck was on my side and I heard the sweetest words ever spoken, "I'll go get your husband!"

What a crazy baby Little Muppet is! When the sonographer showed us the baby, it was in the wackiest position ever! It had it's legs bent over it's head, with it's feet in it's face. It did not look comfortable at all. I can see why she was having difficulties being able to measure with the baby all cramped up like that. She showed us it's spine, the bones of the face, the little hands and it's jumpy legs that started marching on the spot. It was quite adorable! I'm not sure if it was having it's first little temper tantrum in there, but if it's anything like me, there will be many to follow once it's born. ;)

As soon as we left the hospital, we made a beeline for my family's house, as I really had to go again. I really do love going for my ultrasounds, but I wish they would figure out a way to do them without making a pregnant woman, who has a lot of pressure on her bladder from a growing baby, have to hold a few bottles of water in. Come on science! Help a mother out! ;)

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Our First Glimpse Of Little Muppet!

We went for our first ultrasound the other day and I can't even begin to share how amazing that experience was!

Being a first time mom, I obviously over-react to every little twinge and cramp I feel. Somedays I even wondered if I was still pregnant, I mean, when you can't see something, you start to wonder if it's even there! So going in for my ultrasound was just what the doctored ordered...literally. :)

I was instructed to drink a whole bunch of water, how much I am not really sure, but I decided that 2 bottles of water should do it. I started drinking my first bottle about a half hour before we were to leave for the hospital, which of course resulted in me needing to pee right before we went out the door. I decided to quickly top off my second bottle to make up for the water I ...uh...wasted. We got in the car, and I pulled out my second bottle and started to drink. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot at the hospital, I exclaimed to my husband, "I gotta pee!!" We checked in, and then I ran to the bathroom...*sigh* Another wasted bottle of water. I then filled up my bottle and as I filled out my paperwork, I chugged that water down like it was going out of style but on sale for 75% off. (Who can resist a deal like that?) ;)

The sonographer approached me and asked, "Do you have a full bladder?", to which I responded, "...I did...But I had to pee super bad!" Apparently she felt I was 'hydrated' enough anyways, so it was all good. :)

My husband wasn't able to go into the room with me at first, as the sonographer wanted to do all the measurements and stuff before sharing with us, so I waited until he was invited back into the room to hear whatever news she had for us. I have never been so nervous in my life! At one point, I was like, "Can she not find the baby?!" Thankfully, that was not the case. She called Chris into the room, and then showed us the most magical thing we have ever seen, our little baby! When it first came onto the screen, both of happily exclaimed, "It's a baby!" It was so adorable...yes, I am going to be one of those mothers. It was moving around, kicking it's little legs, and at one point, it's arm and hand were so clear we could count the fingers! Watching it's little heartbeat was also amazing. It fluttered around in it's chest like a little bird's. I kept apologizing to it as I laughed, as it made it jump around in my belly. I still can't believe that a little person is kicking up a storm inside me and I can't even feel it! It's so crazy, but having the ultrasound really made everything feel real for the first time. Seeing Chris' face light up as soon as he saw his Little Muppet on the screen is something I will carry with me forever.

Little Muppet is 11 weeks 6 days and is about the size of a large plum now. It is almost fully formed. Soon it's hands will form into little fists, and one day I am sure that I will feel them flailing around in my tummy. Right now, it's taking advantage of all the room I've got, and is preforming either water ballet, or some form of karate, as it is kicking and squirming all around.

Here is my belly at 11 weeks 6 days. I am definitely starting to show, though I just look like I let myself go instead of looking pregnant. I find my tummy hangs over my pants, and we all know how sexy that can be. People probably think I'm a frequent diner at McDonalds, which is totally the opposite, as I find my hunger has diminished. This little baby doesn't want me to eat, though I have to so I can push through my nausea. :P  I go about my days wearing baggier shirts and yoga pants. They hide the flab and are very comfortable.

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