WEEK 21 VIDEOS!

Because our sonographer was unable to get an adequate look at Button's spine the last time we went in, she had us come back in today for a 21-week exam. We can now officially say that Button is as healthy as can be! (Not to mention just beautiful... and I think she has R's nose!)

Since they don't seem to have the capability of saving video to disk for us, I took my digital camera (which has a video camera built in that will record only a few minutes of footage) in and recorded a few scenes.

This first scene shows Button's little face pressed right up against the screen! Linda (the sonographer) zooms in on the heart and you can hear it beating -- so exciting! I could listen to/watch this all day.



This next scene shows in detail Button's heart beating like crazy. See that flashing black hole, opening and closing? Well, that's her heart! Linda also shows us the blood flow, which is blue and orange on the screen. Check it out!

BUY OUR HOUSE!

We've had our house on the market for almost a month, with no luck and no interest. I know the market stinks right now and all of that, but we really need for this to happen. We really love the house and are selling it only because we need more room, pronto. There is a part of me that is happy that the house isn't selling and that we are sitting in it. But then there's the part of me that is aware of all the changes coming up and that part is ready to move.

We picked out a new house (Shelley, it is just like your mom's!) that we love and think would be a good house long-term. We're having an open house next weekend and I am hoping that it goes well (and that the amazing heat wave breaks a little by then)! It is hotter than hammered hell right now!

In other news, my aunt gave us an early baby shower last weekend. All I can say is that my family must be excited about the baby because we got tons of nice (and actually useful) presents. And the family christening gown and bonnet were given to us for safe keeping.

My mom has very sweetly offered for us to have a housekeeper come a few times when the baby is really small to help me out. Evidently, she is anticipating that I will be overwhelmed and she is physically unable to help. The other option is that she fears my housekeeping skills.... hehehe. Either way, I'm thrilled!

SWIMMING RIGHT ALONG

Time is swimming right along! R's now past the halfway mark of pregnancy and our doctor says everything should be "auto pilot" from here on out. And speaking of swimming, R's taking a maternity water aerobics class at our local YMCA, where we're members. Class is each Saturday at 9:30. Before she left the house, I just had to take a photo of her in the bathing suit she's wearing. How cute!

WHAT DO Y'ALL DO?

R's an educator. This year, she's split between two schools. One of the schools is the same where she worked last year and the other is new to her. As it turns out, her assigned "mentor/coach" at her new school is an older (meaning late 50's) lesbian who we sorta know because she's friends with all of the old-timer lesbians where we live (we like to call them the "lesbian mafia").

Anyhow, on Friday morning, this woman gave R a big speech about how she's not "out" and how she recommends that R not tell anyone she's gay, either. R was like, "Well, the fact that I'm visibly pregnant will make it a little difficult to avoid the questions about my life and my 'husband', etc." I mean, R can either look like an unwed floozy, or people can know she's gay and in a commited relationship. And even if R chose to remain in-the-closet, chances are that our kid will out her one day on their own -- ie, "I want my other mommy!", or something like that.

Well, R, after being bombarded with a million questions on Friday afternoon, finally came out. It went fairly well, no big deal. She happened to talk to her coach today and mentioned what happened and Friday and said that she'd outed herself. Surprisingly, the coach was pretty supportive. However, she did say one thing that was really sad to us.

R was explaing that our kid, at some point, would probably say something about her mommies or whatever. Her mentor said, "Well, it all depends on what you train them to say." We were horrified. I mean, why would we teach our child to be ashamed of us, or to lie about who we are?

So, this prompts the question -- how do y'all handle the two-mommy thing? What names do you use to designate who is who (both being called mommy can be confusing)? Do you encourage your child to refer to you as something else? etc, etc, etc... details, please.

DONOR SIBLING REGISTRY

Anyone out there signed up with the Donor Sibling Registry? If so, what's your experience been like? If you don't want to write it in comments, you can just email us at twogeorgiamommies-at-gmail-dot-com.

CURIOUS...

Of those of you who have given birth, how many of you attended childbirth classes? How long before your due date did you take the classes and what did you think?

CHECK IT OUT!

Upon request, photos of R's belly:



She is so cute, if I do say so myself! The funny thing is, she hasn't gained any weight yet. But she's really short-waisted, so the only place for the baby to go is straight out!

I HEAR YOU!

I got my hearing aid this morning and now I can hear everything! As soon as the doctor placed it in my ear, I could hear papers crinkling, my keys clanking as I nervously played with them in my hands, the air blowing out of the cushion when the doctor sat back down on his stool, etc. When I left to go to my car across the street in the parking lot, I could hear cars far up the street approaching, the leaves blowing in the trees, and the birds chirping! Amazing! The best part is that I know I won't have to miss out on all of Button's coos and giggles or if she's crying, I'll actually know it! It is such a relief, that's for sure. I am so grateful for this technology.

As you can see from my photos, it’s not really all that noticeable. The straight-on view hardly shows a thing and I usually wear my long hair down, so you can’t really see it from the side, either. I pulled my hair back for the photo.

ENJOY!

A lot of you out there might enjoy this:

baby onesie (will open in new window)

WE'RE HAVING A...

Click on the photo to find out! (photo will open in a new window)



We're so excited, words cannot describe it! Our sonographer, Linda, did a detailed exam of all the organs and Button is in tip-top shape! Now, it's time to start working on names...

WE DID IT!

Well, our little blue house is now officially on the market. We’re kind of sad about this, as we love our home, our neighborhood, and our neighbors/friends. However, our house is just too small anymore and we need more room for Button!

We’re hoping to sell within a reasonable amount of time because we’d like to be in a new home before Button arrives. We’d especially like to begin work on a baby nursery. We’ve been working our butts off to get everything perfect for an open house on Tuesday, the 24th — the same day we go to the doctor to learn Button’s gender!

Stay tuned for more…

WE HAVE MOVEMENT!

I felt the baby move this morning! R was lying there and said she felt it, so she put my hand on her stomach and I swear, I felt it, too! It was the best thing ever. That's all!

SORRY ABOUT MY LACK OF BLOGGING....

So, I haven't really been blogging much, in case you haven't noticed. The only reason we still have a blog is because Ju manages to actually post entries, unlike me!

I've had a hard time talking about the baby because it is hard for me to feel like this is all okay and I don't want to feel stupid later when something happens to the baby. I am getting over this because I am starting to see that we really are having a baby and not a medical disaster, which is exciting!

I became a very good fertility patient. I read everything, worked hard to understand what was going on, and talked with doctors endlessly. However, in the process I become very comfortable with the idea that I was unlikely to ever get/stay pregnant. Then, it happened...poof...no more infertility patient! I became a regular OB patient and while I get some special treatment, like a monthly ultrasound (and a doctor who discusses her sex toy purchases), it has been a hard transition to make.

I envy people for whom there is no difficulty getting pregnant because I suspect that they worry less, they know less, and enjoy things a little more. My worry is not helped by the fact that I have a strangely (but not dangerously) placed placenta, thus have been informed that I will not have much feeling/sensation until reatively late in the game (ie, when the kiddo is so big that strangers on the street notice movement).

At any rate, I am begining to relax a little and trying to see things as okay. I am really thrilled about the baby, and as we reach the half way mark things do look more and more ok.

WAITING...

We went to the doctor today, thinking we were having an ultrasound, and excited about the prospect of finding out the gender of our Button. We were disappointed to learn that we were not having a full ultrasound, but rather just a test to hear the heartbeat. R got to hear it, but it was uneventful for me, as I established in an earlier post that I do not hear well. I missed it entirely. Needless to say, I was especially disappointed.

We did have a good time chatting it up with our doctor about... sex toys. It was so random and funny. She was telling us about all the ones she'd seen on the internet as she was shopping for her own collection. It was a pretty damn interesting conversation! She is a riot.

Our next appointment -- the detailed ultrasound -- is in three weeks from now. At least then we'll actually get to learn the gender for sure and see everything well. We're both dying to know and R's mom is especially eager, as she's wanting to go shopping.

I don't much care one way or another if it's a boy or a girl. I'm just happy to have Button and hopefully s/he will be healthy. However, if it is a girl, I will be excited because there's a certain dress I've had my eye on! Ha.

JU'S GOOD NEWS

Okay, this isn't exactly "baby news" -- but after you read it, you'll see why I'm choosing to comment here. On Monday, I had to go to the ear/nose/throat doctor because I have an ear infection in my "deaf ear". While I was there, I discussed my hearing difficulties with the doctor and he ordered up some tests, which they did right then. I failed miserably, as I've never been able to hear anything in my right ear. But then the doctor attached this one object behind my ear, placed the headphones on, and tried a couple of the tests again. For the first time ever, I heard sounds in my ear!!! I got the words in the speaking test all wrong, mistaking "felt" for "silk" and "street" for "meat", etc, but the point is that I could hear! The end result is this: according to the doctor, I'm a great candidate for a hearing aid. This is totally thrilling to me, especially now that hearing aids are so discreet, sitting right down inside the ear canal. I called my mom to share the joy and she told me to get the best one and she'd pay, which is unheard of. Anyway, this is a relief in so many ways because I've been worried about my ability to hear the baby crying and such once s/he comes along. R and I have been around babies that were crying from another room and while everyone could hear it, I could not. It's terribly frustrating and worrisome, but maybe now I won't have to worry so much!

MORE!

Today was our 13-week exam with the sonographer at our OBGYN's office. She did some initial testing for Down's Syndrome, which looked completely normal, thank heavens. R also had to have some bloodwork done, which will further test for DS, as well as some chromosomal disorders.

Button's heartbeat sounded really strong at 155 beats and s/he waved at us through the monitor. We inquired about finding out the sex of the baby. Linda, the sonographer, said it was rare to see anything at 13 weeks and even if she did, she wouldn't call it because she wouldn't want to risk being wrong. For now, I'll go on record to say that I think Button is a girl.

This first image is a profile (3/4 view) of Button. I've labeled it, so hopefully it's clear about what's what.

NEW PHOTOS!

As promised, these are our latest ultrasound photos. They’re not as good as the others we’ve had, but this round was done more as a favor to us and wasn’t a scheduled ultrasound. We’ll be having another much better set done when we go next week, on the 19th. At any rate, enjoy!

OUR LATEST

We're out of town, in SC (for more about that, check my blog at Ju. 2007) so we haven't had much of a chance to update the blog.

We went to the doctor on Friday for the 12-week exam -- weigh-in, urine sample, etc. The doctor did an external ultrasound and we got to see the baby moving all around. It was amazing! S/he was practically doing flips and we saw fingers. With all of the stress I've been under, seeing this pushed me over the edge and I bawled my eyes out. Anyway, we got some new ultrasound photos, which I will scan and share when we return home.

WHAT'S UP?

What's up with the lack of comments these days??? Show us some love! We miss ya.

A to Z and other news

Today R and I got this A-to-Z alphabet bedding. It is too cute. Each block is done with such detail and the back and binding are done in green gingham, which is just adorable. I especially like the "Q (is for) Quilt", "X (is for) X-ray", and "V (is for) Violin" blocks. I had originally hoped to do a music room and while it's now out of the question, would it be silly to play the "V is for Violin" card? I think it might be a good way to combine the A-to-Z stuff with music, especially since we own a small child's violin. (R gave it to me for Christmas, in anticipation of one day teaching our baby to play.)

More photos:




The last photo shows the child's violin that R gave to me compared to my size-7 sandal. It's so tiny, but plays well. It's hard to imagine the tiny little hands that will one day hold it.

In other news, R is now 1/4 of the way through her pregnancy!