First ultrasound

Things are moving right along!  Yesterday we went in for our first ultrasound.  Baby Moke #2 measured at exactly 8 weeks, 3 days, which puts us right on target for our original estimated due date of May 16, 2011.  We were also able to listen to #2's heartbeat drumming away at 162 bpm, normal and healthy for this stage.

The coolest thing about this ultrasound was that Emma was present for it.  Until now the idea that there is a baby growing in Mama's belly has been pretty abstract for her, and we're sure she hasn't grasped what we're really telling her. 

Before going to the ultrasound, I had explained to her that we were going to visit a doctor who would use a special camera to see inside Mama's tummy, and that we would get to look at a picture of the baby that is growing in there.  As she sat on Kurt's lap during the procedure, her little eyes were wide as she looked at the screen.  Toward the end she kept saying "That's a picture of inside Mama's tummy, and that's a baby in there!" 

Now ever since yesterday afternoon, she's made regular comments such as, "There's a baby growing in your tummy, Mama!"  Although I'm sure there is no way for her to really know what is headed her way in May, I think the ultrasound really helped all this make a little bit of sense to her.

It is hard to explain, but all of this feels so much more "real" to me this time around.  Maybe its because I've been here before and know first hand what a deep bond I am going to form with this little person, or maybe it is the act of preparing my first baby for becoming a big sister, or maybe its knowing this is the final time we'll be taking this journey.  Any way you slice it, when I can take a moment to look past the nausea, the fatigue, the chronic moodiness, I am truly in awe of this growing life.

Jen