Milestone 20 weeks - half way there!

Today marks a couple of milestones for us during this journey. One is the 20 week mark which makes baby half baked - haha, I just wanted to say that. But, truly, we are half way to the finish line.

The second milestone was our "big" ultrasound. I assume that this ultrasound is considered "big" because you can find out the sex if you desire. However, for us, this ultrasound was similar to our NT Scan with a few more details such as looking at the heart ventricles and the brain. Everything looks great! "Perfect" was the word that was used frequently throughout the procedure. She even double checked the fold on the back of the neck (which is what they checked at the NT Scan) and it still looks perfect as well. This was all good news.

She did wander her wand down to our baby's "area" to have a look around. She merely told us to "not look" so I placed my entire arm over my closed eyes and T deliberately looked away during that time. Tatum continued to look but really didn't know what she was looking at so it didn't matter too much. She did say that its "mouth" was wide open which made me think it was a girl! Haha! But then I realized that, if "it" was "wide open", there may be some concern on the techs part!! So I think she just saw one of the many "black holes" that exist as the wand rolls around on my stomach.

Before the procedure, the tech told us that she will be referring to the baby as "he, him, his" as she does with all babies so don't take that to mean she knows something we don't. It made me feel better that she does this since T and I have both been referring to cashew in the masculine tense for so long. So, for the remainder of this blog entry (and for entries to come) I will probably continue to do that just to make it easier.

I must admit it was hard not to look but exciting at the same time!! I am looking forward to having THAT to look forward to during the many hours of labor. Finally finding out what kind of cashew we have!

Boy (and that is just a term I am using), was he active today!! I kinda knew he would be going into it. I could feel him squirming and kicking on the way into the parking lot. I even mentioned it to Tatum that we might see some movement today. As soon as she put the wand on my stomach, you could see him twitching and turning. Almost doing swimming moves like a dancer. It was so incredible to see. I was a little worried that he was going to turn or squirm a certain way that was going to reveal a little something (or a lack of a little something) but the tech kept close tabs on the anatomy and, to be honest, I probably wouldn't have been able to really detect it without her literally pointing it out to me.

It was really nice because, since our last visit, they have added a flat screen plasma so that you and your guests can sit back and enjoy the show without trying to look at the small ultrasound screen. It was awesome! This appointment was done at the same perinatal center that my NT Scan was performed which is not at my doctor's office.

Without further ado, the pics.

My gut-o-rama at 20 weeks



Check out the flexibility of this child! We were saying that it looked like he jumped off of a high dive and was doing a flip of some sort! Just so you can get your bearings, his legs are over his head. His knee is coming close to touching his nose!! T and I both noticed that he has long legs...a Daddy feature for sure!!



Closer up of the face profile



These are two pics side by side. The one on the left is a good shot of four fingers (there is a thumb not shown - tech confirmed 5 fingers and 5 toes on each hand/foot). The one on the left is his arm and hand over his head (you can kinda make out a face).



Another combo pic. The one on the left shows a birds eye view of the baby - looking down on the top of his head (you can kinda see the chambers in the brain). In this pic, you can see how he is about to kick himself with his own foot! He must love that position. The second pic is a great shot of the bottom of his foot.



The shot that scared Tatum. On the left is baby saying "what?? never seen a baby before?" and the one on the right is hard to decipher. I believe she said that this was looking kinda down the top of the baby's face. You can certainly see a hand and a bone. This was a very encouraging pic for our tech because it ruled out a lot of "markers" or bad signs that something could be wrong. No cleft lip or anything like that which rules out those abnormalities.



A close up of Skeletor aka Cashew. We should totally blow this up and print it out for our Halloween party. It is pretty scary looking but one of my favorite pics. I almost feel like he is looking at us saying hello! He looks pretty content with an arm under his head. Kinda resembles Michael Jackson during his last days (yikes, sorry. I just felt the bad karma vibe!)



So it was a successful day! We saw cashew, heard his heartbeat (which sounds great) and scared the bejesus out of Tatum. Pregnancy isn't always pretty, my dear. Her reaction today made us grateful that the hospital won't allow her in the delivery room when the baby is actually on its way. She wants to be in there but, after her fear of the skeletor pic, I think the bloody mess during the delivery might have her running and screaming!!

Thankfully, because of my awesome age, I get to have another ultrasound similar to this one at 32 weeks! I am so glad!! It's good to be "of mature age" and pregnant! All the ultrasounds and pics you get!

My next appointment is August 13 at Dr Hutchinson's office. Not sure what that will entail but I am sure it will be a short visit overall. Maybe a listen to the heartbeat and measuring of my ute.

In nursery news, we found a lamp at Target that we liked for next to the glider. It has a cherry and black base with a sage green shade. It works PERFECT in the room!! The table that it is sitting on is an antique that T's late grandmother painted. We have had it forever and never had a real good use for it. I am so glad it has found its destiny!



We also found a hamper at Ross for $10. Fits perfect in the room. It looks black but it is a real dark mahogany type color. Another detail done.



Other news on this milestone day:
> Louisville is under water after a huge down pour of rain! Flash flooding - the worst seen in years - engulfs the city. http://www.wave3.com/
> I bought a new nano iPod since losing mine - it is pretty purple!!
> Londyn will be celebrating her one week birthday tomorrow.

Dear Cashew,

Well, Daddy and I did good! We didn't peek to see whether you are a boy or a girl. If you are a girl and reading this later in life, please don't be offended that we are using the masculine tense to refer to you. We love you already no matter WHAT you are!!! A gorilla, Skeletor, whatev. We love you still!

You sure were moving around in there today. It was amazing to see! And your flexibility is amazing! You look like you are having a really good time in there. I'm glad. But don't get too comfortable come December. Use that stylish diving pose you showed us today to get the heck out of there! But, until then, enjoy!

You are already playing pranks on your big sister. You really scared the pants off of her with your skull shot! I can see many more pranks in the future...you guys will have a lot of fun together. She gave you a hug before she left us today. She already loves you too!

Well, I think it is time to go feed us now. Since we had Buffalo Wild Wings with Habanero sauce for lunch, I will stick to something mild tonight. Jackson just came up to say hello to you and Kizzy has been keeping your bed warm!

It was so nice seeing you today. I know it will be a while before we can see you again but we will just continue to talk to you and you can continue to kick and squirm whenever you'd like!

We love you so much Cashew!!
Mommy and Daddy