something different

I spent the drive to the ultrasound the same way I have spent every drive to every ultrasound: blaring some favorite music to try to calm my nerves and repeating "Stress is bad for baby" in my head over and over. This child's music has been Brandi Carlisle :) On the way, I had to stop for gas, and as John was filling my car he said he just may not find out the sex today. He had talked to someone the day before who convinced him how great a surprise would be. I smiled, half knowing he would change his mind and half envisioning the angry mob of people that would be after him when they found out the sex was still a secret. I was finding out either way though, so that was his issue to deal with :)

I loved our technician immediately, because she not only showed us what body part she was examining, but also told us what she was looking for in terms of abnormalities or concerns, and after each assessment she said "Looks good." Our previous technicians haven't said much, and I usually spend my time trying to figure out if the baby has arms or not - worry much?

John loved the technician too - partly because she answered his questions with words like "Megahertz".

We saw everything from the baby's tiny toes to a close up of his nostrils (seriously!) and everything in between. There was fluid in the stomach, so that means he can swallow, fluid in his bladder, so kidneys are working, plenty of amniotic fluid, good heart function, brain looked good, no cleft lip, etc. He weighs 14.2 oz, which is a bit ahead of schedule, and all measurements average out to 21 weeks, which is great because I was 20.5 weeks. His arm bone measurements were particularly long, so John has been trying to figure out who he inherits that from. He measured our arm spans this morning - it isn't me!!

When the time came to find out the sex, I said I definitely wanted to know, and John said he wasn't quite sure. We didn't want to know if there was any guessing involved. I think John then told the technician to decide if he should know....who does that??! She quietly said "boy" (no guessing involved) and we both went into shock. I had thought the baby was a boy in the very beginning, but as we got closer to finding out, I was reminded of how I felt sitting in that room two times before and hearing the words "it's a girl", so that is what I was expecting to hear again. I immediately starting crying, and John ended up leaving the visit proudly with this photo (clear shot between legs)The doctor came in last and confirmed everything the technician told us. Everything looks to be functioning great, and the measurements are perfect. He asked what we had at home, and I said two little girls. "Well", he said, "this is something different."

Yes it is, and WE CAN'T WAIT!