Girl - 3, Boy - 1

I’m on a conference call for work right now, and I don’t know how I’m expected to be able to focus, or even stop shaking. The drive home from UNC is a blur. There is a baby, inside me, growing and kicking and flailing his/her arms, and basically becoming a person. 167 beats per minute is how fast that little tiny heart is thumping, and I saw it. I saw the umbilical cord, and passed the Nuchal Translucency (less than 2.5mm is good, and my kid is 0.7, so I feel pretty happy about that). Length from crown to rump is a respectable 10.1 cm, which is long for 12 weeks but I had already expected a long big-headed baby.

I don’t know about people who say they can’t really make out the baby on the ultrasound viewer – maybe ultrasounds have just improved a whole lot since the sitcoms I remember, but I could see arms and legs and at times an oddly skeletal-looking face. The spine looked good, and there was a LOT of movement (although he/she seemed to be happiest snuggled right at the bottom where it was hardest to get measurements).

I also learned that because my blood type is A positive I don’t have to worry about the RH factor (duh, I wish now I had taken some sort of biology class). So basically I am reassured (for now), and will hear all the other results, including the blood draw, some time next week. The genetic counselor, Tricia, was very nice and had terrific hair, so I trust her implicitly. I don’t think at this point that I would do CVS or amnio, unless something comes back from the testing that was suspect. I know that people hit three months and see the baby and hear the heartbeat and then still miscarry, but I am done worrying for now. I can’t imagine that this crazily active being would want to jump ship, especially when it continues to get such an excellent diet of veggies and desserts.

The other kind of cool thing I saw (although the tech was very careful to say that she couldn’t officially say anything), was a somewhat pronounced genital area. Which would indicate boy. So that brings us to Girl – 3, Boy – 1. I can’t wait for that test. Yes, I am definitely going to find out the gender if I can. I hate mint green and butter yellow, even more than shell pink and baby blue. Plus I am just damn impatient.

So May 16 is the official magic date we’re aiming for. Either a Taurus or a Gemini (since as a firstborn it’ll probably be a bit late). I am just grateful it will be before the brutal Southern summer.