Baby #2: 19 Weeks (It’s A…)

Baby #2 Highlights

How Far Along: 19 weeks (Need to catch up? Here’s last week.)

Size of Baby: 6 inches, or the size of an heirloom tomato. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tomato that big in my life, so it’s safe to say there were none at the grocery store this week. And since we got to have an ultrasound yesterday, I thought I’d show you some pictures of the actual baby!

I’m a sucker for baby feet.

6 inches is the length of a dollar bill. So just think of her as a buck.

Did I say “her”? Why, yes I did! It’s a girl!

Couldn’t you tell, with that little hand in front of her face? Already a drama queen. I am in trouble!

She’s fine and healthy! The doctor estimates her weight at 10 oz. right now, and she’s measuring a few days ahead of my due date. We may get another peek at her in about 8 weeks, because Dr. P wants to take some more measurements.

Big Brother Caedmon: Caedmon is feeling much better after his bout with Strep throat last week, and has been sleeping wonderfully. He was excited to go to the ultrasound appointment with us! We had to wait a long time, but he did well.

We got into the ultrasound room, and they had a large flat screen on the wall for us to watch. The Ultrasound Tech was really sweet and worked quickly! She found the money shot and said, “There it is. It’s a girl!”

Husband said, “Did you hear that, Caedmon? It’s a girl! You’re going to have a sister.” He  buried his head and wouldn’t look up. I looked over at him and said, “Caedmon, it’s a sister!” He responded quietly and most seriously, “No, I have a brother.” We assured him that this was indeed a sister.

He didn’t say much for a while. We left the ultrasound room and went to a room to wait for Dr. P. When she came in, she excitedly asked Caedmon if the baby was a boy or a girl. He once again stared at the floor and wouldn’t look up. I poked his arm and whispered, “Are you going to have a sister?” He raised his head a little and whispered at Dr. P, “I’m having a sister.” Dr. P said, “She won’t even want to play with your toys! She’ll have girl stuff!” Caedmon thought on that one for a minute. Nobody had told him that!

I think he was processing the whole thing. He was very withdrawn for a while, even with me. Denial might be a good word for it. But I cheered him up with the promise of Chick-fil-a for lunch and the chance to be the first one to buy a present for his little sister. He liked that idea.

So after lunch, we hit Target and I gave him the option of buying a blanket, clothes, or a toy. This is what he chose.

In case you can’t tell, it’s a pink giraffe. It plays music when you pull the cord.

He was pretty proud of his present choice. He even wanted to sleep with it when we got home. I told him it could stay in his room and watch over him, but it was for his little sister to sleep with. That’ll take some getting used to.

I’m sure he’ll warm up to the idea of a sister as we are able to talk more about it and let him continue to process everything in his detailed brain.

I think Husband and I need some time to warm up to the idea of a little girl, too. Not that we aren’t excited and blessed beyond measure, but we really have no idea what we’re going to do with a little girl. There’s already been an anti-giant-pink-hairbow discussion on Twitter. And one of the first things Husband said to me was, “We’re not painting the walls pink.” I agree. No pink walls.

As far as her name, I know a lot of you are wondering. So are we. We haven’t solidified her name yet, and even when we do, we might not tell anyone what it is until she’s born, just like we did with Caedmon. Not many people understood that, and some were even downright offended that we didn’t share his name with the world until he was here. It’s not a superstitious thing. It’s just a decision we made. We are still in negotiations (like some multi-nation peace treaty or something) over this little girl’s name, and we don’t want it out there until we’re ready. That’s all.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I’ve gained a total of 8 pounds so far. Not as bad as I thought, really. Dr. P warned me that this coming month is the “growing month.” Get ready to see this little girl coming!

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much only in public. At home, I still wear my regular sweats & t-shirts.

Gender: Girl!

Movement: Yes, and getting more noticeable and regular.

Sleep: I’m sleeping pretty well these days, when I finally wind down and go to bed. I have a hard time settling down at night, but once I do, I’m out like a light.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams. I dreamed the other night people were saying I was crazy and took my cell phone away. It was not nice.

And, of course, some pregnancy brain. More on that tomorrow.

What I Miss: Nothing, really.

Cravings: Nothing in particular right now, although fruit has sounded really good lately.

Best Moment This Past Week: Seeing that little face on the ultrasound yesterday!

What I Am Looking Forward To: Actually getting to start making some decisions for this baby girl! There are so many things to do!