Okay, we'll back up to September 1st. That was Scott's 29th birthday. Because I had gotten his Mater's diploma framed for our anniversary (and matched it exactly!) he didn't want me to spend a whole lot on his present this year. So I contacted a 2nd cousin-in-law-twice-removed who makes fabulous custom baby clothes and had this made for him:
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He was actually really excited by it and I got a "Cool!" out of him. For those that know him, this is a very big deal.
That weekend, Kendra, Suzan, and Rachel came up to the clinic to see the baby on ultrasound. For those of you that know them, you can just imagine the oohs, squeals, and general girliness that that little excursion entailed. I am lucky to have supportive in-laws that are excited and will spoil our child.
September 20th was our second OB appointment at 16 weeks. Everything was progressing and growing according to plan. We heard the heartbeat for the first time and got 156 beats per minute (girl zone, if you believe the old wives tale). My lab work all came back normal except for that I do not have a titer to a disease called Toxoplasmosis. Toxo is a disease that is caused by a protozoa and spread by cat feces. It can cause miscarriage and developmental abnormalities in the fetus of pregnant women- that's why pregnant women aren't supposed to change litter boxes. The fact that I don't have a titer means I've never been exposed to Toxo and if I caught the disease, I might face problems. Strange because I've had cats all my life and work on sick cats all the time. Oh well, one more thing to be concerned about and a definite way to get out of cleaning up cat poop!
The very next night, as I was falling asleep, I was palpating my uterus (yes, I am strange, but still fascinated by how large it is!) and felt some strange poking or gas bubbles lower in my abdomen. They kept going for about 5 minutes and I told Scott that I definitely knew it was the baby kicking!! All the next day and every day since then I have felt it kicking, squirming, punching, and rolling around- so incredibly amazing. I think once you've felt that, there is nothing else to compare it to. One friend compared it to popcorn popping in a bag, another said it reminded her of a goldfish hitting the sides of a bag- both descriptions are great! The other thing is that sometimes you can tell the baby is completely flipping around or pushing against one side because there is some crazy pressure on my uterus and body wall.
Scott felt the baby kick last week (the 12th I think?)- I was really excited for him to feel it, but all I got was a "huh". Again, if you know Scott, you know that he's just not really expressive or excitable. Still, for my sake, there could have been a little more effort involved on his part. I think he's probably like most first time dad's: scared (but will never admit to it), nervous, not sure what to think, and it's not really real until they hold that baby.
There haven't really been any more milestones to speak of since then. I do definitely have my energy back and no horrible heartburn or indigestion. I have started showing (mostly because I think the baby flipped around and is more forward than it was) and people are starting to notice and ask me about it. My feet have started swelling a little when I'm on my feet a lot because my socks leave imprints on my ankles. My weight is shifting forward and pulling my back muscles, although I'm not waddling yet. I've gained a little over 10 pounds, but I've been told it's all in my belly and boobs. Hopefully I don't get in trouble for weight gain from my OB because honestly, I haven't been eating well, which is hard to do when you work over 50 hours a week.
AND LASTLY: I ultrasounded myself on October 13th and DEFINITELY know what the sex of the baby is. So do the rest of the office and Scott. But we're not telling anyone until I go to the real doctor on October 20th when I have my 20 week anatomical ultrasound. Until then.... ; )
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