All normal on the baby front
A couple of weeks ago, we went in for a long, detailed ultrasound to check all the anatomy of our baby. We decided to find out if it was a boy or a girl. For some reason I had it in my mind that it was a boy, but then two nights before we were to go in for the ultrasound I had a dream we were at the Dr.’s office and they told me it was a girl. I guess I always had a 50/50 shot.
A tear rolled down my cheek when she told us it was a girl, not of saddness that it’s not a boy, or even of relief that it is a girl, but just general happiness. Apparently I mostly blocked Matthew getting a good view of the screen because I was so eager to see everything. The heart, the ribs, the legs, the hands, the face, all skeletal looking but still so cool to see. She wasn’t particularly cooperative, constantly putting her thumb in her mouth when the poor technician was trying to get a good shot of the face. If you’d like to see the newest ultrasound pics, they’re in the baby slide show in the photo-section. Out of respect for the baby’s privacy, we didn’t put up what Matthew likes to refer to as the “R rated” photos where they point out certain parts of the anatomy.
The baby has been kicking me like crazy. As of right now, I like it because it’s reassuring. Nice to be aware of her there and to know she’s active and doing well. I’m sure I’ll tire of it when it starts to become painful. We’re starting to figure out what we need to get before the baby comes, a pretty daunting task (not to mention expensive). We had another Dr.’s appointment yesterday where we again heard the heartbeat, and the Dr. told us how pleased she is with the way everything is going and how everything looks normal. It’s reassuring to hear.
You don’t actually need to have all that much on hand when the baby arrives, so try not to worry too much. If you have a good supply of diapers and wipes and a basic set of clothes for her, you’ll be covered. That’s not to say that there aren’t a lot of handy products out there — just that it doesn’t take a ton of “stuff” to keep a newborn happy.
Yeah, what Nichole said. Don’t get too sucked in by the baby industry.
Congrats on your lil girl to be!
Hey congrats on the girl. Very exciting. We never found out which at times I regretted.
I thought the kicking was nice until sometimes the baby didn’t kick for a while and then I got worried that something was wrong. Turns out he was just sleeping. Later as he got bigger he used to get the hiccups all the time. Cool at the start and kind of entertaining, but annoying at 4am when you were trying to get back to sleep after peeing for the 4th time that night.
As for everything you need. Don’t buy loads of clothes because you get lots as presents and also they grow so fast. We had some things that Zach only wore once and then grew out of. Also don’t buy things too small. Zach was a big baby, so he was already too big for the 7lb clothes that some people had bought us.
You look so happy. I’m glad everything is going well. I would be completely terrified!!!
Yay - congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just left you a phone message, but I’m so happy for you and Matt. Kyle is 5 1/2 months now and so much fun! Hope to catch up with you soon.
DeAnna,
Oh, I am completely terrified, luckily not all the time. Hormones do strange things to your brain, making you feel happy and crazy in love with this little creature you’ve never met. I think it must be nature’s way of making sure people keep having babies!
Amy,
I got your message and I’ll try to give you a call as soon as I can. The time change keeps me from calling you, every time I think of it, it’s already 10:00 your time!
Thanks Nichole, Afreeman, and Sinead. I agree that we don’t need nearly as much stuff as everyone (ie, what Matthew likes to refer to as the “Baby Industrial Complex”) would have us believe. It’s just so hard to decide which is the best one of the things we do need, like a stroller, and some sort of crib. We bought a bunch of baby clothes used via Craigslist. I figure if she’s only going to wear them a couple times, what’s the point in spending a small fortune.