How to watch the littlest movements...

20 weeks, 1/2 way there.

Today was the day. Today we went and watched our little baby on the screen - move around and ball fists and stare at the screen. Baby wasn't being cooperative regarding placement and seemed to think we had all the time in the world to measure and examine. We saw the heart beating. 174. Later according to the doppler, it dropped to 150 - which we'd seen before. I had to shift from one side to the next in attempt to get a better view.

Her first question to us was if we wanted to find out the gender. A couple months ago, I had this feeling inside me, that it was a girl. I can't tell you why I thought that but it hit me. Matt was the opposite. He thought he'd be seeing boy blue. In the end, I don't care... I was happy we were pregnant, I was more worried about health risks.

We watched baby move, legs stretched, arms by the face. I watched wondering what it would be like in under 5 months. I watched the heart beat away. I watched the spine stretch. I watched this little piece of Matt and I slowly gripe my heart. I wondered about hair color and texture, I wondered about eye color. I watched.

I listened when the tech said 12oz.
I listened when the tech said girl.
Then my whole world changed a little a bit more.

The next day, I felt her move inside me. The first time, I could credit her with the feeling.

Name of the week: Charlotte
Cravings: Chips and Cookies
Pregnancy symptoms: itchy skin, trouble sleeping, vivid weird dream (I dreamed I was either an FAA Director or State Aviation Director and went to visit Matt at the Steel Airport - to which he told me, they don't have an airport)

Ultrasound Tech: See, that's the bottom of one foot.
MJR: 5 toes there.
Ultrasound Tech: And, now that baby moved, there's the bottom of the other foot.
MJR: phew, 5 there too.
ALR: You were worried?
MJR: 10 fingers, 10 toes, we are in the right step.
Ultrasound Tech: You know that even if they didn't have all 10 of each, it would be okay. Those aren't critical.

**This post was post-dated and released at a later date for reasons determined by ALR/MJR