Ultrasound fun!

This morning we had our big ultrasound for this baby. It seems as if this is something I look forward to from the moment I find out I'm pregnant. Even after feeling the baby kick and move within me, reality doesn't truly sink in until you see the baby moving while feeling those little kicks. Its amazing. I never tire of seeing these images. Our little one was quite cooperative during the ultrasound and was awake the whole time. It kicked often and even responded to the technicians gentle pushes to roll over for a better shot...what an agreeable little guy or gal. We specifically asked to not find out the sex of the baby. I asked the technician before we left if she had determined the sex herself, and she said no. She said she specifically tries to spend as little time as possible in that area, other than to rule out abnormalities, when the parents do not want to know the sex. She said she didn't look close enough to figure it out. Matt thought at one point that he might have seen something indicating a boy, but he admitted it was so brief that he was not even sure if what he thought he was looking at was really what he thought it was, so really...we truly don't know. I love that big surprise in the delivery room. Labor and delivery are such hard work that it really is like a reward at the end of a long, hard day. He have picked out a full name for the baby if its a boy, but only a first name if its a girl. I think the middle name is definitely easier to figure out when you have determined the first name. It almost makes me want boy/girl twins so we can use both names right away!

Just last night I told Matt that for whatever reason, this pregnancy seemed a little surreal. Even just today, I glanced down towards my feet as I was about to come down our stairs, and had a jolt of reality when I saw my big tummy. Its almost as if I forgot I was pregnant for a split second. I love how much more real pregnancy feels after an ultrasound. I'm already finding myself itching to hold the baby and breathe in that sweet baby smell. I'm more than halfway there!

My first actual prenatal appointment with my new midwife is on thursday. I'm hoping that she has received my medical records from my former OB's office by then as I sent the request almost two weeks ago. I'm actually really excited about the appointment.

On a mostly unrelated sidenote....the upstairs bathroom that we decided to start remodeling a day or two before Matt's parents came in town in June for his ordination has come much closer to becoming a finished reality. Matt was able to finish laying the ceramic tile this weekend and grouted sunday night. Monday night meant reinstalling the toilet that has not been hooked up for 5 months. As a pregnant person who gets up at least once, if not twice to go to the bathroom during the night, I cannot tell you just how happy I am to have a fully functional bathroom just a few steps away from our bedroom. No more trips up and down the stairs in the dark, hoping I don't step on one of our cats who likes to sleep on the steps. Ahhhh...life is good! The rest of the project seems small in comparison....paint the walls (already bought the paint), install new faucet (already bought that, too), replace drawer pulls (already bought some to match the new faucet), and put trim up. Honestly, all that can be done in about a day. Then, to make everything flow together, hang my new shower curtain that my oldest sister remade to fit our funky sloped ceiling. I can picture it all now in my mind, and it looks amazing! It will have to wait a week or two since I have another jam sale this weekend. I'm down from 220 jars a few weeks ago, to just 71 jars now. Some varieties I have completely sold out of, so the next few days will be marathon jam sessions once again. I just have to remind myself of the new couch and loveseat all this hard work is getting me!

Well, I'm off to make some hot chocolate for my little family and settle down to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special. I cannot tell you just how many happy memories this brings back from my childhood! Hopefully my kids will feel the same way when they are older...