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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Good Things Are Worth Waiting For

We never thought it would take so long. We never figured we'd have to see so many little tests in the garbage with their little negative signs. Never in a million years! In reality, it didn't actually take that long, but when you decide you really want something, waiting can seem like forever.


When we decided to try to conceive, we agreed we wouldn't share that we were trying, as we didn't want to feel pressured or be bombarded with advice, even though it would have been given with the best intentions. We thought, "What if it takes a long time and people think we are broken?" or, "Do we really want everyone know what we are doing at night...?". So we went on our baby quest, secretly and quietly and eventually we began to question ourselves. "Should it be taking this long?", "Why did I even go on birth control in the first place?!", "Are you sure you aren't broken?".


 I went off to the "trusty" internet and began searching for answers. I learned that many couples take 6-8 months to get pregnant, and 84% of couples get pregnant within a year of trying. Well, did that ever make us feel better! So we continued our adventure, and then one day, we were super surprised when one of those little tests finally read positive!


I had started to suspect that something was up that month, because I was feeling a little dizzy and was suffering from some bad heartburn, which is very unusual for me. I didn't tell Chris my suspicions because I didn't want to get our hopes up, so I kept my thoughts buried deep in my heart for the next few days. Then after missing a visit from my "aunt", I decided to take the urine test. Chris wasn't so sure. He wanted me to wait a few more days, but I really felt that something was going on, so I made him get out of bed and come and check the test with me. Sure enough, when we went into the washroom, there were two pink lines waiting for us! I was overjoyed! I went from crying to laughing, then back to crying while Chris stood in the washroom, leaned over the test on the counter with his arms crossed and said, "Yup, there are two pink lines..." and "I'd pick it up (the test), but you peed all over it!". He was in shock, and even still I think he has a hard time believing it. 


We immediately tried to think of what to do next. We had spent all that time trying to have a baby, that we had no idea what the next step was. I decided to call the midwives in the area as I know they book up very fast, and was put on two waiting lists. Then I called my family doctor. I was told that I had to go to a clinic and do another urine test so they could verify the results.  


I was even more nervous to do the test at the clinic, as I was afraid that maybe our test was faulty. To make matters worse, Chris couldn't take me until the afternoon, and I was supposed to go in the morning (TMI: morning urine is really potent). To calm me down, Chris bought me another home test to take in the meantime, which turned positive instantly, in fact, it was positive before I was even done! I believe Chris said that meant I was "super pregnant". 


We calculated that at this point we were about 4 weeks pregnant, so the baby was about the size of an apple seed. I felt that we needed a visual demonstration, so I took a picture of an apple. Our estimated due date is December 18, 2010...but of course, that could change when we go for our ultrasound.


We are still in shock but over the moon with happiness! It amazes me how two crazy kids can fall in love with each other, and still have room in their hearts for a new little buddy (even if it is only the size of an apple seed). I just never knew one's heart could grow any bigger. 


April 12, 2010
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