Pregnancy Update: It's a...

On Thursday I had another appointment and the *BIG* ultrasound. Weight gain at this point is about 15 pounds, so about the same to slightly less as the first go around. All the vitals are great with no issues!

The ultrasound at this point is primarily to check development - measurements of the leg, belly, head, etc. and to check vital organs - brain, heart, kidneys, etc. Everything looked good, and the baby was measuring between 21 & 22 weeks on everything, which was perfect. The baby is so active, and I feel it more regularly than I did Claire, so I wasn't surprised to see all of the kicking and jumping around on the screen. The tech told us that if the baby cooperated, we might be able to find out the sex.

Since we didn't find out with Claire, this part was completely new for us. We both had mixed feelings about finding out - it just seems a little more exciting to not know until the baby arrives. Plus, I had a paranoia about the tech being wrong and getting an unexpected surprise at delivery. But, I wanted time to prepare this go around, and I think I just wanted to be able to start forming a better picture of this baby during the last half of the pregnancy. Robert graciously conceded to finding out. :)

For some reason, I really was feeling "girl" - who knows why! Turns out, my "motherly intuition" was not that good, as I discovered when the tech pointed out the male parts. The skepticism must have been all over my face as the tech took the time to point out the difference between it and the umbilical cord, even flipping to a view that shows blood flow so we could see the blood flowing through the cord. I asked "So we'd be safe if we wanted to paint a room blue?" and she replied "Yes. Girls don't have those." Obviously, she was totally confident, and she doesn't seem like the type to insist if she isn't sure about something. So...

I'm so excited to be able to experience parenting one of each, and glad for Claire that she gets to remain the little girl in the house. Bring on the blue!

Here are a few photos from the ultrasound:

Profile and hand

Leg over the head - explains all those kicks!

An arm & hand

Tiny foot