It's a BOY!!!

I am a little late in posting this, but…..It’s a BOY!!!

Which means my instincts from the very first ultrasound were correct! And if you go back and look at our very first ultrasound picture, you know that there definitely was not anything to give it away. The ultrasound tech was able to tell right away, not even 30 seconds in – he was not shy at all. I had two ultrasounds when I was about 12 weeks and they had looked to see if there was anything obvious there, and both times they guessed boy, but they always say it’s just a guess. The second time though, it did look pretty obvious, so we were pretty sure about it and were just looking forward to our 20 week ultrasound to confirm it. I didn’t tell most people that we were “pretty sure” it was a boy because I wanted to be “very sure” first!

We are thrilled and can’t wait to start decorating the nursery! Since before I was pregnant I knew that for a boy, I wanted to do a nursery with a nautical theme. Sailboats, lighthouses, ships, anchors, etc….even some pirates thrown in. I had been scouring the internet for things and am in love with some of what I have found so far – a lighthouse lamp, compass rug, treasure map for the wall…I can’t wait to start buying everything now. We are going to be painting the nursery walls a tan color since so much blue will end up in the room already. Today, our nursery furniture was delivered! I can’t wait to set it up but it’s in boxes in the garage until we can get it upstairs. Pretty sure 200+ lbs. is beyond my weightlifting limit for now (although of course I could do it easily). I think we also picked out a rocker/glider for the corner.

We did some more shopping with Todd’s mom last weekend and then picked up some things from my mom that she had gotten for us. Now, the house is really starting to look like there’s a baby on the way! My mom got us a co-sleeper that we wanted in mint condition and we set it up the other night to make sure everything was there; it wasn’t super easy so we’re going to leave it assembled. We also received an early gift from Marty, our Pack ‘N’ Play for downstairs, and I really want to assemble it but if we do, the cats will have a new bed that they won’t be willing to surrender in 4 months. We even already have a bunch of clothes in his closet; I love to constantly open it and look at them. I ordered some nautical themed dividers to separate 0-3 month, 3-6 month etc. and then whichever size he is fitting into at any given time we’ll put in the dresser drawers.

I am close to being 23 weeks now and sometimes it feels like time is starting to fly. Baby L’s movements are getting much stronger. When we had the anatomy scan, I asked what position he was in. He was head down, butt up, with his feet toward my right side. That was definitely consistent with the movement I had been feeling, I knew his feet had to be on the right side and it makes sense that his whole body is because I rarely feel anything on my left. I’m fairly certain he hasn’t changed positions since the ultrasound, so I wonder if he will stay head down until d-day. If he changes positions now, I worry he’ll get too big to flip back to where he needs to be.

For the last two weeks I have been feeling what I think is his head repeatedly slamming into my bladder. I think that he pushes his feet against the ceiling to stretch out and presses his noggin downward. It can be slightly painful but is mostly just a really odd sensation, a feeling like you have to pee really badly which only lasts ½ of a second. The other movements I feel still aren’t “jabs” of fists and feet like I thought they would be and like they probably will be soon, it’s more like repeated heavy throbs or dull thumps in my lower abdomen. They can be strong but still dull, not sharp, which makes even more sense if his head is down there. It’s really interesting to feel and hard to explain. On Tuesday (9/14), I felt him from the outside for the first time while laying on my back in bed right before I got up. I put my hand there and it bounced up a few times when I felt his little thumping. All week I tried to get him to do it for his daddy but he would either stop, or it just wouldn’t be strong enough for him to feel. Then, on Friday night (9/17…trying to keep these dates for the record) we laid extremely quietly on the bed and after a few kicks/thumps, he gave two that were strong enough for his dad to feel! This week, I think it’s possible he shifted (I wrote some of this last week) because he’s not bothering my bladder now (and by that I mean he’s not slamming into it…I am still getting up what feels like 20x per night to pee, though).

Right now, Baby L (who still does not have a name, by the way) is almost a foot long and weights about 1 lb.. He will really start packing on the weight now that we’re in the second half…and I’m afraid I will too! If he has hair, it doesn’t have pigment yet and is pure white. He can sense light and dark, grab onto things, and has a full set of fingernail and toenails, just to name a few things. As for me, not too much new going on except for starting to feel much more pregnant physically (I sit down on the shower floor and realize I can barely get back up, among other predicaments), started noticing some feet and ankle swelling this weekend, and have started getting a burning reflux-like feeling after I eat which chewing gum usually takes away. I can’t remember what it felt like to not have an appetite those first 4 months. Now, I am hungry pretty often and some days, like the last two, I amaze myself at how much I can eat and still not feel full. I won’t share how much, but seriously, it’s amazing. Still, all things considered I am feeling really good and trying to get things done while it lasts!

We also got a new car last weekend!! No more Prius for me, as much as I loved it, I didn’t love it in the snow or even in the rain, and with precious cargo on the way, we didn’t want to put it off. We got the GMC Acadia and so far are loving it – tons of storage room, easy (and safe) to drive, and the second row captain chairs are nice and low for easy carseat in-and-out, like a minivan.

Here is Baby L’s 20 week glamour shot, in 3D!!! He didn’t want to move his arms away from his face, but that’s ok, it's still a neat shot! I do wish they gave us more pictures, we only got two (the second wasn't great) but in about 5 weeks we’re going to go to a place called Visual Miracles where we will have a 3D/4D ultrasound done and will get a bunch of pictures and even a 20 minute DVD of him…imagine having a DVD of yourself when you were in the womb! I am going to try to make the appointment for October 30th.