We had our 18-week ultrasound on Tuesday. and all is well : )
This was the ultrasound at which we could have found out if we're having a boy or a girl, but we are old-fashioned and like to be surprised. And as it turns out, it's a good thing, because the baby's legs were crossed, so even if we had wanted to know, it would have remained a mystery.
I'll have another ultrasound in 4 weeks, though, and will have to remind them again that we do NOT want to know the sex of the baby. I don't want to glimpse anything mistakenly!
The reason I'm having another ultrasound at my next appointment is that my placenta is currently very low in my uterus, and is actually covering the cervix - something called placenta previa. It generally doesn't cause any problems, and usually moves up in the uterus as the pregnancy progresses, so I'm not worried too much about it. The complication arises if it does not move, because if it remains in a position where it's blocking the cervix when it comes time for the baby to be born, I'd have to have a c-section.
Hopefully that won't happen, though. And they'll keep close tabs on things by checking with ultrasound. Which means I''ll get to see the baby again next month, which, I have to admit, isn't a terrible thing.
Everything else with the appointment went well, though. We brought the boys with us - the day before, we finally had told them that I was pregnant - and they were so well-behaved, I was astounded. They can be crazy maniacs when they want to be, but when push comes to shove, they can really pull it together. It helped that I had brought coloring books and crayons, which kept them busy while we were in the waiting room.
They weren't all that thrilled with the 'technical' parts of the ultrasound, where the tech was scanning and measuring the baby's heart and kidneys, etc., but when she gave us a good shot of the baby's whole profile, and you could see the baby wiggling around, they were much more interested.
Their reaction to the news that we're having a baby was about what I expected. It was a mix of bewilderment, excitement, and curiosity.
They actually asked fewer questions than I expected them to ask, but I suppose more questions will come up as they digest and process the information a little more. They both keep asking when the baby will be born, and Dante asked me what kind of baby it was. They've also both made it clear that they want a sister, "because we already have a brother." Good logic, I think, but we keep explaining to them that we won't know until after Christmas if it's a girl baby or a boy baby.
Yesterday, though, at random points throughout the day, they'd stop and ask me "What's the baby doing right now?" I find that to be a pretty interesting question - they're actually thinking about what the baby does in there, which I think is pretty cool.
We did get a few books to help make all this a little clearer to them. One is called "Where Do Babies Come From?" and they like that one a lot, but the one they like the most is "When You Were Inside Mommy." It has illustrations of a baby inside the womb, and they're fascinated with those. But confused, too, because after we read it, Dante asked me why we can't see our baby. I think he thought he'd have a cutaway view like the one in the book!
I'm so glad we finally told them, though. It's fun to talk to them about it, and one of the best things ever was yesterday, when Gabe told me he wanted to hug and kiss the baby. I've told them that in a few weeks, they'll be able to put their hands on my belly and feel the baby kick. I think they'll really like that!
So, all is well in babyland. I feel like I've now officially popped. My belly is definitely out there, and getting in the way when I'm standing at the sink. I'm not entirely sure how much I weighed when I got pregnant, but I think I've gained about 14 pounds so far, which I think is pretty reasonable.
My cravings have totally shifted to super healthy foods, and I cannot stop eating fruits and vegetables - which is really nice, seeing as how it's summer and we have awesome Farmer's Markets, as well as plenty of fresh veggies from our own garden. I eat salad in some form every single night - sometimes with lettuce, but sometimes just tomatoes and cucumbers sliced up and tossed with olive oil and vinegar. So good!
Not having a ton of food aversions at this point - salmon is definitely one aversion, though, and one I've had with every pregnancy. But I am not eating as much meat as I usually would - it just isn't appealing to me as much. I still eat it, and I still enjoy it, but given the choice, I'll choose a veggie-based meal over a meat and potatoes meal. I'm loving barbecue in all forms, though, and that's one way I will happily eat chicken or pork. Barbecue chips are hitting the spot, too : )
In other news, I went for my first physical therapy appt. this morning, and was given a group of stretches that I need to do twice a day, and I'll go back in a week to see how it's helping. In the meantime, I can run, but I need to back off if it starts hurting a lot.
Pretty much what I expected to hear. Stretching is about the only thing I can do right now, since medication is off limits. And right now, I'm doing ok with only running a few times a week. I'm really enjoying my biking and swimming, and have adjusted to the cutback in running - and given that we're going to be heading into a 5-day stretch of hot and humid weather, I don't know that I'm going to be doing a lot of running outside anyway. If I can get out really early in the morning, it might be ok, but I'm just not coping well with that type of weather right now, so I have to be smart and avoid it.
Another small annoyance that's now accompanying my running is that I am constantly having to stop and pee! I went for a 4.5-mile run on Monday, and had to stop twice! I'm really going to have to plan my routes carefully from now on, even for short runs like that!
As for my other 'babies,' who are so far away from babies, it's crazy - we went school supply shopping yesterday, and had a lot of fun. Gabe was so excited to get his supplies. And Dante was a little jealous that he didn't need to get any supplies. I let them both pick out a new lunchbox, though, so that helped with Dante's jealousy. They both chose "Star Wars," which did not surprise me one bit.
And while I was out with them, I spotted a few things on clearance that I thought would make great Christmas presents, so I headed out again by myself last night to pick them up. With a due date of Jan. 8, I know I'm not going to be doing any last-minute shopping this year, so the earlier I start, the better!
That's great news that the baby is incubating properly :-) I'm entirely jealous of the boyz choices of lunch boxes!
Posted by: Wes | August 14, 2009 at 04:25 PM
hold on a second!!!!!!!! you're due date is on sophie's (and elvis') birthday??? YAY!
oh, and let's roll the dice a-la-nic.
AS SOON AS i read that you'd been craving the veggies, especially the tomatoes tossed with oil and vinegar, my head said "GIRL!"
when pregnant with sophie, i couldn't eat enough acid-heavy veggies and foods. tomatoes were a HUGE craving for me. HUGE.
so huge, that one day while shopping, i leaned over a tomato display, caught a whiff, and it was all i could do to keep from shoving my face into it like a trough. looooots of fresh salsa and oranges and tomato sammiches! (YUM!)
bryce had me craving meat. sophie's pregnancy not so much.
that's my guess!
Posted by: Nic | August 14, 2009 at 11:30 PM