Boy or Girl?

17 Weeks

So, I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment at 16 1/2 weeks, but she had to cancel because she was going to be out of the office - probably an emergency surgery or something, so I had to wait and come in a week later at 17 1/2 weeks. I was really very bummed about this, because I knew that my appointments were still going to be about every four weeks for awhile and I knew that the BIG appointment with the ultrasound was coming up. I thought that I was now going to have to wait until 21 weeks to find out instead of 20 weeks, but little did I know that I get to have a separate appointment at 18 weeks to do this! In fact, the very first thing that the nurse did was grab the schedule for the ultrasound technician to make sure that he was available for the following Tuesday afternoon (since my school schedule makes it where I have to have afternoon appointments). Even though I have to get blood taken on that day (bummer), we get to see whether we are having a boy or a girl along with making sure to see that the baby is healthy and developing normally. I care most about how healthy our child is, but obviously I want to know whether he or she will be wearing pink or blue! And, I can't wait to get to say only he or only she instead of both, because it feels weird to say "it."

Also, we heard the heartbeat again, which had dropped to about 150 beats per minute, and my doctor measured my stomach, which is now 17 centimeters from my pubic bone to the top of the uterus (the fundus, for those of you who have always wanted to know the technical term). She said that is exactly where I should be - the stomach should always measure one centimeter for every week of the pregnancy. She said that sometimes it ends up bigger if you are carrying a larger baby. Let's pray for a small to normal size baby! And, I think I may have gained a pound. It is hard to tell, because my weight has fluctuated a bit during the first few months, but I think that I have officially gained one pound - it feels much more like ten or fifteen though, just because of how my body shape is changing. Neal and I are really enjoying my doctor - we were her last appointment of the day last week, so I feel like we had some extra time to ask questions, and we ended up chatting with her about movies and some of the interesting things that have happened in her office. When she was an intern, she witnessed a woman having a hysterical pregnancy! I can't imagine trying to keep a straight face with someone who believes they are pregnant when they are not pregnant at all!

Neal and I are friends with a couple who have a five year old boy and a ten month old girl, and they needed a babysitter for Friday night. They called us hoping we were available and willing to help. We decided that it would be good practice for what's coming, so we said yes. The nice part was that they didn't need us until closer to bed time, so the kids were already washed up and in their pajamas. I do have quite a lot of experience with babysitting from my high school and college years, but babysitting after a long week at school really took it out of me. I think the pregnancy had something to do with that, also. I was really impressed with how well Neal did with both kids, he played Uno, made sure that Owen went to the restroom, tucked him in, fed June her rice cereal and breast milk mixture, and even held her when she started to get a little fussy. I did get to read to the kids, since Owen decided that he would rather have me read than Neal! Neal even helped me change a cloth diaper and was willing to try to help me put her to sleep, but he soon realized that this was going to be a very tough job. In June's defense, she had taken her afternoon nap later than usual, so her mom had warned me that she was going to bed later and that she might really try to fight it. I felt so bad for her, because I knew that she was tired, but she did not want to go to the bedroom, she did not want to be in her crib, and she did not want me to rock her the way that she gets rocked when it's time for bed. Finally, I had to sit on the couch with her and pat her bottom while she finally started to nod off on my shoulder. When I knew that she had been asleep for a good 10-15 minutes, I moved her to her crib. Even though the process was frustrating, I felt like I had conquered the world! Then, I fell asleep on the couch and did not wake up until our friends came home from their date! Neal and I had plans to watch a movie, grade papers, or read books, but after putting the kids in bed, we were too exhausted to do anything else. I think I have a taste of what life will be like in a few months, so I am trying to enjoy my freedom now, while I can!

That's our life right now! The next big post will be after we find out the gender of our baby, so stay tuned! If you have a guess on the boy or girl question, leave me a comment - I would love to hear what you think! And, to see who's actually reading this - sometimes I feel like I am writing it just for me!