Grr.

(An old one but a classic.)

I left for California last Thursday and got back on Monday, and then worked two (oh-so-long) days at Starbucks, so it was last night that I finally asked Nate to take a picture of my bulging belly. Yes, well, the man was tired, so no photo...YET. He agreed to take one this Saturday, and if he doesn't I know Leslie will. We're heading to Pendleton tonight for Les' graduation.

We had an ultrasound appointment with Peggy on Tuesday, and it was so funny I just have to tell you about it. Nate and I were put into the ultrasound room and sat there for a few minutes before Peggy passed by the door on her way to another patient's room. Before she came by, though, I had been reading the poster next to the table I was sitting on.

I haven't really gained any weight this pregnancy. I lost 20-ish pounds when we lost Nathaniel, and I kept it off for several months. I wasn't trying or anything - it sure was a nice surprise! The first trimester of this pregnancy, my weight stayed put. It didn't fluctuate at all. But when I got on the scale at Peggy's, I had somehow gained 5 or 6 pounds in the last week. Personally, I think it just looks that way because I went into the appointment after lunch...

So I was sitting on the table in the ultrasound room and reading the poster when I spotted a little bit of information under "Month 4" - it said that I would be gaining a pound a week pretty much from here on out. I hollered. Nate laughed. At me. He thought that was hilarious.

It was about then that Peggy stopped by for 2 seconds (and good timing on her part because my baby and I were about to go after Nate). She handed ultrasound goo and the ultrasound tool to Nate and told him to find the kid, which distracted Nate and I from a-pound-a-week-from-here-on-out. I laid back on the table and we exposed my belly and Nate started squirting the goo all over my clothes. I took it from him at that point and put a good sized glob on my actual stomach. And Nate performed the ultrasound!

We got some good pictures. We saw the heart beating rapidly, the unearthly glow of its growing bones, it's strangely large and weird looking head...And because Peggy wasn't in the room, I got to hear how Nate actually feels about it all (usually he leans against the wall and sticks with, "Oh that's neat. Cool."). This time he was totally involved with the ultrasound: "OH...Did you see that? That's so awesome! It totally just moved, did you see that??" I may have spent more time watching him than the screen at that point...

Peggy finally bustled in and took over. She took one look at my stomach and said, "Wow, oh my, you've grown!" Good? Bad? Ugly? I don't know. We walked away from that ultrasound confident of the amniotic fluid levels and the kid's heartbeat. All good!

This is our "scary week," the same time we lost Nathaniel in our first pregnancy. This baby feels much stronger than Nathaniel did, though. I find myself easing up.

Our baby anatomy appointment is set for July 1st. We'll take a good long look at the kids developing body, and find out the sex of the baby! So exciting...