Our Visit with Ultrasounds

Friday morning brought our ultrasound visit. We went into work for 45 minutes before going over to the doctor's. Jared thought I was crazy for doing it, but our off-site tape storage guys come Fridays by 8:30 and I didn't want there to be a chance no one let them in.

Someone at work (actually, he works from a different state) jabbered (IMed) me wondering if it was already time that I could be back. He dropped his vote for the pink team.

We arrived at the doctor's office. I drank all the 32 oz of water by this point and walking was mighty uncomfortable. Jared tried to help. "Just four more times of walking!" The view from the office was really nice. It was a nice little forest area which was unexpected since we were in Salem and right next to Willamette University.

The tech was very nice. She took some general pictures before letting me go to the bathroom because "you're all filled up!!" I guess water doesn't shoot right through everybody like it does for me. At this point, baby had its back towards us and was just laying very contentedly. When I got back much relieved from the break, baby had moved onto hands and knees.

Then the detailed pictures and looks started. We looked at spine, measured head, stomach, arm bones, leg bones, checked fingers and toes, etc. Its bladder was full too at this point so it was easier to see (later on, it was empty and much harder to see). Part of the time I had to lay on my left side to get baby to roll over more. We eventually got it face up (I actually had to go to the bathroom again to give baby more room to roll). It is best to check the heart in this position, I guess (hb = 148). She pointed out where the umbilical cord was connected and then pushed this button and red and blue came up on the screen showing us where the blood was to make sure that it was going where it should be. Baby wasn't much of a wiggler, which I already knew because I don't feel baby much.

Then baby finally moved her legs apart for us to see this:
This is the view from the bottom up. Baby is a girl! And this is her little foot (not a very clear picture):
And this is what Jared calls her tragic pose because her fist is raised (she didn't open her fist at all):
And this is just her chilling out:

And wait, there's more! Well, actually the picture taking was done. This was a different place than where I went for 8 weeks. This place makes a DVD for you. It includes all the pictures they took plus a few movement clips, and the heartbeat (I think). They're mailing it to us, so I don't have it yet. Also, included in the charge of the 20 week ultrasounds are free 27 week 3D ultrasounds so we will be going back in early September to get those.

Once we got back to the office (we went out for an early lunch at iHop which was really yummy and I was starving), it wasn't long before I got a phone call from the guy who had emailed me before. "You gotta tell me!" I had some work that needed to be done immediately, but by the time I was able to get an email out about an hour later I (and Jared) had already told several people around the office as well as the few people who jabbered me.

So I did send out a mass email because I knew SOMEONE would feel offended that I didn't tell them. So anybody who currently works on our project knows that we are having a little girl. That flooded my inbox with many congratulations and "hope she looks like her mom!" and "pink clothes it is!" Hopefully there won't really be all pink clothes arriving at my baby's room. I DO like lots of color. I've already encouraged someone to give purple because even though it's not much better than pink, it's not pink.