We're Having A...

GIRL!!

Yes, that's right, our little bun in the oven is a sweet, precious, tiny baby girl!  Robby's reaction?  Well, he was really into the sonogram while checking her head, heart, kidneys, stomach, bladder, etc., then when they told us it was a GIRL (classic hamburger shot!), he got really quiet.  At least he didn't protest like he did when they told us Abigail was a girl!  It took him a while to let it sink in, but later last night I asked him if he was upset that it was a girl, and he said, "No.  That isn't fair."  Meaning it's not fair to the baby to not love her for who she is and not just what he wants her to be.  Aww!  That's why I love him!  He's such a good, caring daddy!

Right now, my OB wants to deliver the baby on 11/29, but the sonographer & perinatologist say that measurements have the baby due between 11/27-11/29 for the second straight sonogram.  It just so happens that 11/27 is the date that I think she is due, according to my calendar!  I'm betting that as it gets closer to time, either the baby will come on her own, like Abigail did 3 weeks early, or my OB will move up the c-section a week earlier.  We'll see!

Yesterday was our mid-pregnancy appointment for the second half of the genetic screening and the anatomy check.  Everything seems to be in place and growing just fine.  Over all, I loved the sonogram!  The sonographer we had was especially good; he explained EVERYTHING he was looking at/labeling, what the colors meant and what different body parts do.  He would tell us things like, "Now I'm checking for the _____, and the reason it's important is because it does _____ in the body," or something like that.   I really appreciated that because I am an inquisitive person and I like to know what's going on.  I hate it when I have a sonogram and they just zoom in and out, click and label, then print a few pictures and say bye.  His explanations gave me a good feeling about the baby, and I felt like it was an intimate moment peeking into my baby's world!

The best part of the sonogram was looking at her face.  At one point, she started drinking the amniotic fluid.  The detail in the sonogram was so great that I could actually see her lips moving to drink.  It looked so clear - I could actually see the details of her face!  I think she has her Daddy's nose!  It was that moment that it really felt real; since I haven't felt her move much yet, it's almost been a surreal pregnancy - just like I've been sick/having stomach issues, but not really like I'm pregnant.  I think it was that moment that I fell in love with the baby! 

I remember the two moments where I fell in love with Abigail, too.  First, at the 10 week sonogram, I saw her bouncing around like a jumping bean, and later, after she was born, she fell asleep on my chest at the hospital.  Those were my two "bonding" moments, first with the baby in my belly, then with the baby we created!  I think this sonogram was my first bonding moment with this baby.  Now I feel like there's a person in there, and most of my fears of something going wrong are gone.  She's growing great and moving and kicking, and DRINKING!  We also were able to see her wave at us!  We counted her fingers - all 5 there! - and then the tech showed us her muscle tone on her arms.  Amazing!  We are so BLESSED!

Here are some stats:

Heartbeat:  146

Weight:  9 oz

Head Size:  90% --- just like big sis Abigail!  (and Daddy!)

Avg. Measurements:  19w 4d (I was actually 19w 1d by 11/29 due date or 18w 2d by 12/5 due date)

About the head size - the doctor came in after the tech and checked for signs of hydrocephalus or other "head abnormalities" (this is the same suspicion they had for Abigail at 6 months old and had Abby do a CT Scan, which came out fine/normal), but the perinatologist says everything looks great!  The baby just takes after Daddy and has lots of brains!

Of course, I have a BILLION pictures (okay, but I think eight is a lot!).  I'll try to take them to school and scan them in to post!

We're two happy parents to be!