9 weeks

Meet the Muppet! 

Today was my first appointment.  Finally, we were going to get to make sure there was really something growing in there. 

J and I were both nervous and excited about the appointment.  There's always that fear that something is going to go wrong.  Last night I had a heart to heart with Muppet.  I told him how excited we were to meet him and warned about the transvaginal ultrasound.  "We're going to be seeing you" I said.  "So you better put on a show."

The first half of the appointment was mostly talking.  The nurse practitioner went over our information, and went over the packet detailing the rest of my prenatal visits.  She talked about the various tests available and when they would be performed if we chose. We talked about my lack of symptoms, and she reassured me that everything was probably fine because I did have symptoms, even if they weren't the crazy vomiting, fatigue, or craving kind.

And then it was time for the ultrasound.  Almost as soon as she put the wand in, she said "there's the heartbeat!"  I had no idea what she was looking at. 

J saw it immediately. "Holy crap, there it is!" 

Me: WHERE?????? 

At this point I told the NP my dirty little secret, I can never see anything on ultrasounds.  When I look at them, I usually nod my head and say "ooohhh a baby" but I don't really see anything there.  She told me just to listen, and she turned up the sound.  "Wooshwoosh/wooshwoosh/wooshwoosh"  Although I couldn't see a heartbeat, I could certainly hear one.  J whipped out a phone so we could record the sound.  The two of us have been playing it over and over again all day.  J even looks at the ultrasound picture when he plays it.

Then the NP moved in for the kill shot, a close up of our little Muppet.  And I could actually SEE something.  I pointed at the screen and said "Is that the head?"  It wasn't.  I told you I'm terrible at this.  She got a little closer and pointed out the head, the body, and Muppet's little arms.  Then she pointed out the little flicker which is the heart.  AND I SAW IT! 

I told her about my conversation last night with Muppet, and about expecting a show.  As I said it, she looked at the screen and said "Look!  The baby's moving!"  And sure enough, Muppet's little body was rocking back and forth. 

"Do you think he's waving at us?"  I asked?  She told me that was definitely the case.  Afterwards, J told me it looked like the baby was twitching, but I prefer to think of it as waving.  All night J has been mimicing the movement telling me the baby has a twitch. Which really just makes him look like an idiot.  My baby is not twitchy.  Muppet just knows how to rock and roll.

J said it was a good sign that the baby was moving, because I wanted a show.  "That baby must really love you, to already be following your directions."

Because our families don't live in town, the NP printed us out a bunch of pictures so we could send them out to the future grandparents.  Both J and I have an obvious favorite, and that's the one I'll share with you.

And now, without further ado, I am proud to introduce you to

MUPPET!

(If you are as bad as I am with identifying fetal structures, Muppet's head is on the left, body on the right.  That's an eye in the middle of the head and a little arm poking out of the body.)