Baby M-2, up close and personal

I asked a friend of mine about ultrasounds, since she runs a diagnostic ultrasound shop and I never had a scan from the OB. Although I'd have been fine with going through the pregnancy without one, I was not opposed to having one either, just for peace of mind that baby looks healthy.

We went in to her place last night. She surprised us by doing a full 3D/4D scan. I never expected to see one of my babies in a 3D scan - it was unreal. Unfortunately we had Gavin there, who was bored and complaining, making it hard to concentrate and really enjoy it. At least we have these pictures to look at.

In some of the views, while it was running real time, this baby looked a lot like Gavin as a baby. You can't see it as much in any of the pictures we got, though.

Baby was really active - even K commented on it. And baby wasn't being as active as s/he often is. Am I surprised? Not so much. This one's got to have the energy to keep up with Gavin.

The only potential issue she found was that the placenta appears to be somewhat low-lying. She'll ask their diagnostician to review the scan and she'll get back to me. I know intellectually it's too early to be truly concerned, that the placenta will "move" as the uterus grows throughout the rest of the pregnancy. I know this. If a doula client in the same situation were to ask me about it I would not be overly worried for her, and would give her this information confidently. But when it's yourself, how hard it is to take your own advice! But I emailed my midwives, who told me what I would have told a client. I feel somewhat reassured, hearing it from someone else. But still, that knowledge is now riding around in my head and I can't get rid of it. What was that about ignorance and bliss?


There are two more pictures posted at Flickr.

Life with a 2.5 Year Old

Once upon a time, the fact that my family room looks like this would have horrified me. What would have devastated me is the fact that I could leave it like that, go to bed, and sleep soundly.

Having a baby sure has changed me in ways I never expected. I've thought this over and over since he was born. Every few months, as our house was slowly been rearranged and redecorated thanks to the growing reach and curiosity of Gavin, I have looked around and thought about how I never imagined having a baby would bring out this much change. Or at least not this kind of change.

But it has, and I've adapted, lest said reach and curiosity drive me to insanity. Someday, perhaps my house will be decorated with pretty objects housed lower than six feet (must be that high when climb-on-able objects are nearby). Until then, I will practice a minimalist approach to home decorating. Honestly, it doesn't bother me that much.

Most of the time, it doesn't bother me. I have to say there are days when, after spending all day picking up after the wee tornado, there is no noticeable improvement to the condition of the house, I feel caught in a hopeless loop. But then there are the other moments that go with it, which keep me plugging away.

Like the sweet voice that asks me to "play deens [trains] with me, Mommy!" Or the silly boy who puts on my shoes and clomps around the kitchen and says (in a funny voice that I suppose is mimicing me), "Look at me, I'm Mommy." Or when he notices the vitamin bottle on the kitchen counter and shrieks happily that "We forgot our vitamins today!" And when we actually have forgotten our vitamins (which is the case only about 9/10 times... he loves vitamin time) he wants to feed me my vitamins, so climbs on a chair and puts them into my mouth one by one.

Or the moments of pure joy. The other afternoon we were outside and he noticed a branch of a tree where all the leaves had changed to yellow. It made him so happy, laugh so hard. Leaves turning yellow... commonplace, yet to him, completely not normal and thoroughly worthy of laughter and joy. Joy in the little, everyday things.... things that ought still give us joy but don't. Being reminded of that on a daily basis is payment enough for the constant clutter and getting-nowhere-ness of life with a small child.

Now I'm off to bed. And in case you're wondering, yes, the family room still looks exactly like that. And so it shall stay. Until tomorrow. Or maybe the next day.

the cleanest my belly button's ever been

While getting Gavin's toothbrush from the medicine cabinet tonight a baby gumbrush (the soft finger cover kind) fell out on to the counter. Gavin picked it up and after I explained what it was he turned to me, lifted my shirt and proceeded to brush the baby's teeth, via the portal to babydom, a.k.a. my belly button. As he did so, he directed it like we do him: "Open wide, Baby... open wide.... teeth together, Baby..."

He's really taking a shine to the baby these days (no pun intended with the cleaning of the baby this evening, haha!). He talks to it and gives it kisses, all of his own volition. Of course, there are plenty of times he hits the baby, kicks the baby, and squashes the baby, so all is not love and fluffy kittens betwixt the two.

The other night he was leaning over my belly and talking to it (via the portal, of course), saying, "Hey baby! Come out, Baby! Come out!" And earlier today, he took the baby from my belly and cradled it in his hands, and walked away with it. I asked him to tell the baby about McDonald's, where we were going for dinner, so he leaned over close to his hand and was whispering to it, "Hey Baby, you want McDonald's?"

Today is Half-Baked Day. I'm 20 weeks today, hard as that is to believe. With Gavin it took nigh on forever to get to this point, but this time, it seems we just got the positive test yesterday. Which scares me. Baby'll be here in about 5 days, given the rate time's flying by!

We bought a half-baked gift for the baby tonight, a cute little newborn gown. I tried to have Gavin pick one out but he was more interested in playing with a truck than choosing between a fat giraffe suit and fluffy bunny one.

The midwives say that anecdotal evidence from their practice supports a mama's "kick day," which is the day on which the mama feels a good solid kick, followed by good solid kicks on every day afterward. They say that quite often, the baby is born five months from that day. An interesting theory. If that is true, then this baby should be born somewhere around its EDD. I'm not quite sure of the exact kick date - I thought I'd remember to notice these things, but clearly pregnancy brain strikes again. It was in the vicinity of August 21, give or take a day.