Whew.
After a VERY busy (but totally fantastic) last few days, I finally have a minute to sit down a compose a decent post! So, where to start? Hmmm...maybe with Thursday's ultrasound, perhaps? :)
I was definitely excited (okay, that might be an understatement---I was completely giddy with anticipation!) for the ultrasound, but I knew that no matter what Peanut's gender was, we were going to love him/her just the same! (Of course, I was rooting for a girl...;) ) My husband didn't really have a "guess" as to the sex, but I think he secretly thought it was a boy, only because pretty much everyone in his family "makes boys", lol. Either way, though, we were just excited to find out and have that moment to share together!
They called us back pretty quickly after we did the paperwork, and we went into a large room set up with multiple TV screens and with music playing in the background. It definitely sets the mood for a sweet moment! The ultrasound tech didn't waste any time looking for Peanut, and as soon as she found her...tadah! Booty shot! That little girl was apparently dying for us to know what she was just as much as we were! lol Within about twenty seconds, my hubby (who has really good eyes and a knack for reading any sort of radiology, since he does it on a daily basis) said, "It's a girl, isn't it?", to which the u/s tech replied, "Yep! She sure is! You saw that right away, didn't you, Daddy?" (I think he might be a tad bit proud he could determine his child's gender himself, lol.) Honestly, I
thought she was a girl, but in the back of my mind, but I was sort of expecting the u/s tech to tell us it was a boy! But whenever I heard those words, I was a mix of emotions...shocked, excited, scared (after all, girls can be a handful!), and overwhelmed with joy! It was an a-maz-ing experience, to say the least, and it made us realize even more what a miracle and blessing this baby is!
So here's the u/s pictures from that portion of the session (the bottom one is just a sweet profile pic, which makes her look like she's kissing the placenta):
Can you see it?? There's no denying she's a girl! And judging by her choice of poses, Baby Girl's not modest in the least! lol (Geez....her Daddy and I both hope that changes once she arrives!!)
Once the u/s tech confirmed the gender, she went on to listening to the heartbeat (a strong 150 bpm), measuring Peanut, and explaining the anatomy. She explained that I have an anterior placenta, which means that my placenta is on the front wall of my uterus. This is completely normal and doesn't really mean anything, except that I may not be able to feel her kicking as soon as someone who's placenta is on the side or back of the uterus. She then measured Peanut's head, stomach, and femur bone to get her gestational age and EDD (estimated due date), and she's actually measuring a day ahead, which makes my EDD July 26th (that's likely to change again, though). Guess the little munchkin likes all the food Mommy's been giving her! ;)
We had originally wanted to do the 4D u/s, but decided to just stick with the normal 2D one since Peanut wouldn't quite look like the baby who will be joining us in July (due to less fat, muscle, etc). But the u/s tech went ahead and flipped the machine to 4D, so we got to see her looking all skinny and alien-like anyway! I have to admit, she's one darn cute little alien baby if you ask me! lol We got to watch her moving around (and man, was she dancing away in there!) and putting her hand under her chin, behind her head, and over her face. It's amazing how much personality she has for being so tiny! Here are the 4D pictures:
The first one is pretty self explanatory, but the second one can be a little more difficult to figure out. Her face is turned to the side, and she has her hand on her ear (maybe we were being loud??). The large blob looking thing in front of her is the placenta, which she's all snuggled up against (and her feet---which you can't see---are pushing on my bladder...ouch, lol). Isn't she the cutest, scrawniest, most adorable little Peanut EVER?? :)
So that was the ultrasound! Next came the Gender Reveal party (an agonizing two days later). The house was decorated in a blue and pink theme, just to keep everyone guessing. I made blue and pink "voting sticks" so that people could cast their vote when they came in (some of them also wore pink or blue depending on their guess). We took pictures of all "Team Blue" and "Team Pink", with everyone holding up their sticks. Surprisingly, there were a lot of blue votes! Here are the sticks I made:
We decided to announce the sex of the baby by putting colored icing in the center of a cupcake, so that when everyone bit into it, they could see the bright pink. When it came time to announce it, everyone had a cupcake and I said, "Are you right? Take a big bite!" My MIL (who was so excited she almost couldn't take it anymore) broke her cupcake open instead of biting into it (smart thinking, GG!), so about five seconds after I finished saying "bite", she screamed out "IT'S A GIRL!!!!" and jumped up to come hug us, while most of the other people hadn't even taken a bite yet or had a mouth full of cupcake and couldn't speak! LOL It was quite fun to watch everyone's reaction to the much-anticipated "verdict", and definitely worth the wait, if you ask me! Here is one of the yummy cupcakes, which had a chocolate ganache glaze and white fondant question mark on top):
All of the grandparents are thrilled at the thought of having a sweet little granddaughter (it is the first grandchild for my MIL/FIL and the second for my parents, who also have another granddaughter)! The rest of the family was just as excited at the thought of picking out tiny pink tutus and hairbows! lol I have a feeling this baby girl is going to be Spoiled (with a capital "S")!
Once the party was over, my mom, future sister-in-law, and I went to make a final decision on the baby furniture (which should be delivered Tuesdsay---oot oot!). My amazing Baby Daddy (with the help of his dad and my dad/brother) managed to clean out the room that will be the nursery while we were gone, so rather than a few areas on the that need touching-up, it's ready for Peanut's furniture! Looks like the nursery decorating will finally be underway! Yaaaaaay!
Man. What an amazing weekend! Now for a little Pregnancy Progress Update...whatcha say?
Symptoms:
-mild cramping (on and off)
-mild nausea
-fatigue
-restlessness
-pretty constant heartburn/indigestion (yuck)
Size of Baby:
Onion (according to the u/s, Peanut is roughly 6 ounces and 6 inches long, which is a pretty big onion, if you ask me!)
Milestones/Happenings:
She is going to start to store brown fat (baby fat) this week, which should help her to look more like a chubby little baby. Her movements will start to be stronger and more frequent, and loud noises outside the uterus might startle her.
Food Cravings/Aversions:
Everything and none! lol
Belly Pic:
I've definitely grown this week! I can feel my uterus a little more than halfway to the belly button when I'm laying down; it feels like a hard ball. I think my tummy has gotten more pronounced and rounder in shape...what do you think?
Well, guys, that's all my news! Thanks again for being patient yesterday while waiting for the results---I know it wasn't easy! I'll keep you all filled in on Peanut's progress and any other happenings, so stay tuned! And, as always, to God be the glory, for great things He has done---and is still doing!! :)
