Old Wives' Tales

We had our 18 week appointment today, and this time it took no time for the doctor to find our Little One's heartbeat.  We measured the heartbeat at about 145 beats per minute, which is completely normal!  (However, if you're going by any old wives' tales, anything over 140 bpm indicates a girl!)  It is such an amazing sound to hear the little thump-thump of my baby's heart.

We also went for some bloodwork today for an alpha-fetoprotein screening.  This screening is not diagnostic, but rather could tell us if we are at an increased risk for any abnormalities.  It was an optional test, but we decided to have it done so we can plan for our future, and the future of our child, if need be.  Our results should be back within the next few days.

We didn't get an ultrasound today, but we will have one next week.  Shawn and I are heading to Baptist Hospital for some genetic counseling and a Level Two ultrasound.  Although I was a little sad that I didn't get to see our Little One on the screen today, hearing his heartbeat will certainly hold me over for another week.

Since we don't have a new ultrasound picture to post, I'll show you a picture of the outfit we found last week.  We were browsing through Babies R Us (which is extremely overwhelming!) and found a clearance rack.  We ended up buying a cute Mickey Mouse fleece outfit so we'll have a head start on winter.

I also want to think more about the Old Wives' Tales.  I know the one about the heartbeat, and I've heard a few others, too.  What Old Wives' Tales have you heard?  What is the funniest one?  Share some in the comments section of this post, please!  Its fun to read about them.

Team Blue

On Tuesday, January 18th, we were 16 weeks, 1 day along.  Shawn found something online that said the baby's gender could easily be determined at this point.  For those of you that know Shawn, once he gets an idea in his head, it has to be done RIGHT THEN.  (Unless, of course, the "idea" is the "honey-do list" I've come up with....)

Shawn wanted to do an elective 3D ultrasound.  I've never been a big fan of these, and to be honest, thought they seemed a little creepy.  We had a "discussion" about it, and finally I ended up telling Shawn that if he made the appointment and he took care of all of the details, I would do it.  (I, of course, thought this would end up on the "honey-do list".)  Ten minutes later, Shawn told me to drink a lot of water because our appointment was in two hours. 

To be honest, I was less than thrilled.  I'm sure Deidra at Watch Me Grow Ultrasound could tell, too.  Begrudgingly, I filled out the paperwork and allowed myself to be led into the ultrasound room.  This was no ordinary ultrasound room, though.  Instead of having to squint to see our Little One on the monitor, there was a 53" flat screen TV.  The soft sound of instrumental lullabies was in the background, and I found that very relaxing.  (Until, of course, I looked at Shawn and could see him trying to figure out if we could get a 53" flat screen in the Man Cave....)

Once Deidra set up the machine, she asked if we had heard our baby's heartbeat yet.  Since we had not, that was the first thing we did.  What an amazing sound!  Let's just say the tears started to roll then, and I didn't really have a dry eye after that.

Within five minutes of the ultrasound, my worries and reservations about the 3D ultrasound were out the window.  I guess it is different when it it your own Little One up on that screen, but there was nothing creepy about it.  I fell in love! 

We were only scheduled for a 15 minute appointment, but we ended up staying for almost an hour.  Why?  Well, that was because our stubborn Little One wouldn't uncross his legs for the first 30 minutes!  And, when he did....he put his hand between his legs, continuing to block our view.  Modest?  Nah....Stubborn!  Once he finally let us see, though, it was hard to get him to stop!  We were also able to see him trying to eat his toes, crossing his legs, waving, tucking his hand behind his head, and dancing all over the place.

Deidra was wonderful, and I could not have been happier with our experience.  She let us take home a CD of over 35 pictures.  We also booked an appointment for another 3D ultrasound in March.  We're hoping my family can come down that weekend and see, too.  (Trust me, the TV is big enough!)

Boy Parts!

Side-by-Side:  The traditional ultrasound, and Our Little Man in 3D

See his hand over his eye?

He must get this from Shawn...he's trying to put his foot in his mouth!

Our last picture that day...giving us the thumbs-up!

Stubborn Little Thing

After we told our families and friends over the Christmas break, Shawn and I returned to NC and had our next doctor's appointment.  We were so excited about this appointment, because it was supposed to be the first time we would be able to hear our Little One's heartbeat.

In the doctor's office, we spent more than five minutes with the doppler machine.  I know five minutes doesn't seem like a long time, but when you're searching for a tiny heartbeat and can't find it, five minutes is eternity.  The doctor finally said, "Well, I'm having a little trouble finding it.  Let's head over to the ultrasound room."  While he seemed calm and collected, I broke down.  I was so afraid something was wrong, and I was not ready to hear that news.

The wait in the ultrasound room also felt like forever.  When we were finally ready to go, the doctor first moved the machine so Shawn and I couldn't see the screen.  Then, we heard, "Ah-ha!  There's that heartbeat.   Your baby seems to be a little...stubborn.  Everytime I get close, the baby moves so I can't get a good look."  He then let us look at the screen.  We both saw the heartbeat.  I cannot even begin to tell you what that was like...relief doesn't seem like a strong enough word.

Since we were getting the ultrasound, the doctor agreed to print some more pictures for us.  But, every time he went to snap a picture, our Little One flipped over.  The doctor was able to get plenty of "butt shots"!  The doctor mentioned again how stubborn our Little One seemed, and at that moment....it hit me!  It HAS to be a girl!  Nothing says a DiVito Family Girl like stubborn and doing their own thing!  (For those of you who know our family, you know I don't mean this as an insult...we're very proud of that!)

We did get one "face shot", but it is really hard to see it.  Well, it was for me anyway.  All I could see was an octopus eye, and I'm pretty sure we're not having one of those!

Our "Face Shot"
To the right of the picture, you can see the baby's forehead, eyes, nose, mouth and chin.
Or, like me, maybe you just see an octopus eye! 

Its an....Avocado??

On October 23rd, Shawn and I learned we were expecting our first child together!  It was hard to keep our news a secret, but we managed to stay quiet until Christmas Eve.  That's when we told Abi, and it was her job to tell everyone else. 

Shawn has joined me at every doctor's appointment, and we've had our fair share of ultrasounds in the doctor's office.  We've been able to see our Little Pumpkin grow from an avocado (see picture!), to a blob, to a little baby!  It has been amazing to see our Little One grow, and we're excited to see even more progress!

Ultrasound #1:  Baby Q looks like an avocado!

Ultrasound #2:  Baby Q is a Blob!

Ultrasound #3:  Its a Baby!