It's (Going To Be...) a BOY!

It's official -- Wee is a He Wee! So he can be Cooper's best friend and Delaney's boyfriend, and Chris can have a few more years off from worrying about who his daughter is out with.

Our appointment was Friday afternoon, and I came prepared with both Chris (so that I could stop having to imitate the sound of Wee's heartbeat) and a Coke (so we could rudely stir Wee into action in case he was being modest). We told the sonographer (that should be a word, if it isn't...) that we did want to know if Wee was a boy or a girl but that we didn't want to find out right then. At the end of the sonogram, she had us close our eyes so she could take a picture and put it in an envelope for us to open later. Fortunately, she labelled it "Boy!" because even when we looked at the picture at dinner that night, there was still no telling to our untrained eyes. Knowing that it was a boy made us say, "Maybe that's it?" about lots of parts of the picture.

I thought we might get some action out of Wee during the photo shoot since he was poking me in the waiting room, but the boy sleeps like his father and was passed out again 5 minutes later in the sonogram room. He started out on his back and curled into a little ball, which was cute but not making it easy for the sonogram lady to find any of the stuff she was looking for (organs, not just "parts"), so she took the sonogram wand and bounced my stomach around to get him to wake up! It worked but also made me feel nauseous and gave Wee the hiccups, poor little guy... Once he was up and moving, she could find what she needed -- the little chambers of his heart and his little brain and his stomach and some other stuff. She took several cute / non-medical pictures for us, which we've scanned and added in the Photos section. She said Wee looked like a healthy baby -- had all the stuff he should have at that point (even bones -- because I eat so much cheese, no?). He measured a few days smaller than they thought he would be, but they don't adjust due dates unless the change is more than 2 weeks -- plus, he might always catch up later.

To tell the grandparents-to-be, we bought Wee his first "obviously a boy" outfit over the weekend and layed the clothes out when we saw everyone over Christmas. I guess I should have taken a picture of that, too, but forgot!

What's Wee Up To This Month? Installment Six

Month Six -- Weeks 21-24

Size -- Completely done with the fruit bowl, so you'll have to find a ruler to keep up now. Wee starts this month at 9 ounces / 7 inches ("crown to rump") and finishes off at 1 pound / 8 inches, so we're working on bulk rather than length for the next few weeks. Not sure how long Wee's legs are, but they don't count towards his size just yet.

Development -- Although Wee's legs don't count in his length, he will start stretching them out this month. His brain is working on nerve cells that will make his senses work, so he'll start responding to sounds and practicing his sense of touch. Wee's liver and pancreas are both working. and his tongue is in place.

Appearance -- Wee pretty much looks like a baby now. He has baby teeth in his gums, and his eyes are ready but still colorless (meaning they don't have color, not that they don't see color). Fingernails and toenails are complete, too!

So not too, too many changes for Wee this month. I think most of the changes will be for me -- apparently, first time moms usually start showing in their sixth month. It's about time! I have had enough of the "Oh, but you're not even showing" comments! If only I could pull my shirt up and show you how I am showing (but I'm at work or the grocery or a neighbor's house -- it's okay to post your belly on the internet, just don't do it in real life...).

Rachel's belly at 20 weeks

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I've been waiting to feel Wee for about 2 weeks now (knowing that that might happen around this time) and have thought that I've felt Wee several times this week, although it wasn't ever what I'd been expecting (what I'd read that it feels like and what my pregnant friends have said it feels like). So finally this morning, after feeling the same thing 3-4 times a day every day this week, I called the doctor's office and described what I felt. The lady said, "Yup -- that's your baby!" Just to be sure ("trust but verify" -- the CPA's motto), I told her again what it felt like and how it felt different from what I was expecting, and she said, "That's definitely it!" So we celebrated together. :)

For the men, the women who have not been pregnant, and the women who have been pregnant but whose babies followed the rules and did what the books said (which is a light, feather-y, brushing to tell Mom you're awake and changing positions), my "quickening" (not sure why it's called that -- maybe because the mom's heart quickens as she realizes what that feeling is) feels like little pokes from the inside, just below my belly button. If you put your hand up to your neck and press down to feel one heart beat, you'll know what Wee feels like to me (only now imagine it in your guts). It's not a surprising feeling (maybe since I've been concentrating so hard on feeling it) -- just a nice little "Oh, there you are again" feeling. And as happy as I am about knowing what I'm feeling, Chris might be happier -- now I'll stop all the speculating! Also, I am already a bit of a talker to things that won't answer (animals, plants, cars, a baby the size of a lentil), and now this has really sent me out of control because I answer Wee every time (s)he pokes. "Good morning, Wee." "Not now, Wee, Mama's on the phone." "Yeah, I'm hungry, too." "You're right -- I'm never wearing these pants again." "Good night, Wee."

A historical note for you... I learned this yesterday when I Googled "quickening" to see if anyone else reported little pokes instead of little brushes. Way long ago before there were sonograms or other ways to confirm a pregnancy before the mom felt the baby, laws defined the quickening as the official beginning of a baby's life. If a woman was hit or poisoned (presumably to abort a baby -- not just random attacks?) after the quickening, then the attacker was guilty of homicide. And now you know!

Wee just gave me another little poke to say, "That's enough now. Post it already and let's have second breakfast."