Picture time...

Tuesday it was really nice out. Emma was going to have some chex, but then she was really interested in my orange. I gave her a little piece, but she didn't want that. She wanted the half. So I let her, and she did pretty well. I think she liked biting and chewing.





She sat on my lap, so I was doing some no aim action...it took a few tries.

Then we went to the flat area, and she "drove" her new little car around. She really likes it. She zips around pretty well. It's fun outside because she has to work a little. It went well. In a few minutes though, she had a total meltdown, the cause is still unknown.

This is the first ultrasound picture, at eight weeks. It's kind of blobby, but the clump is baby, and the left side is the head. The black is just extra space in the "baby room". The heart was strong, and everything was developing normally.

And this is 16 weeks, from yesterday. I went for a regular checkup, and my doctor was doing a c-section and they didn't know how long she would be gone. They thought I could just reschedule for my next appointment. I asked if we could just listen to the heart. I get so worried, and this time in particular because you don't feel a lot of movement yet, and you go a month between checkups. So they just did an ultrasound. The heartbeat was good, and everything looks good. It is a profile picture, with baby looking up, the head on the left, with a big belly. And the placenta looks huge to me! But they didn't act concerned so I'm sure it's fine.

But the exciting part was they were able to tell gender! I wasn't expecting it, so there was no anticipation at all. It was just as exciting and intense and magical as the first time. It was sad because Jess wasn't there, but I showed him right away and we got to be excited together. It's amazing. It makes it so real, this connection is so much stronger. Now that I have found out a couple times, I don't think I will ever be able to wait. And, for me, (everyone is different and this may not be so) I don't feel at all like I am losing out somehow by not waiting, like it is taking away a surprise, or that it isn't supposed to be this way. It is just this moment when you have a mini meeting of your little baby, and you just can't wait to have the full meeting. To hold, to rock, to feed, to dress, to pass off to daddy, he he. And, you know me, blubbery Anne, I cried, of course. They go from this little grain of rice to an Emma, who scoots up the stairs in a flash if you let your guard down.

So, it's been a good week.

Oh, do you want to know what it is?