It's the best kind of abuse - swatting, jabbing, the occasional uppercut. The doctors were right, too - he is an ACTIVE one! At first I thought that's what they tell all mothers-to-be, a cute little footnote they squeeze in to each ultrasound appointment to give mommies an additional rush of my-baby's-so-unique! But upon asking my OB to just level with me, she insisted that our little guy is more active than most. He's been kung-fu-ing his way throughout my uterus, typically at night, when he probably senses mommy's eyelids getting heavy.
During our 20 week ultrasound (the biggie - when they measure baby's everything to make sure all is well), our ultrasound technician delicately informed us that it looked like our baby had what's called a "two vessel cord". Most babies have three vessels within their umbilical cords as passageways of sorts to help baby receive nutrients and expel waste. Rarely, a baby will only have two of these vessels, making it harder for the process to take place and can thus affect his fetal growth. The doctors assured me that most of the time, this does not present any sort of a problem. True to form, I left the appointment with every ounce of consciousness hinged on the phrase, "most of the time". The OB referred me to another prenatal care facility to keep track of our bundle's growth. Josh and I banded together and processed our emotions while striving to just stay positive. A week later, I was getting my next ultrasound to track things.
"Well.......I'm seeing three."
These were the words that lifted my spirit to the highest high. Within the first 30 seconds of ooey-gooey running over my belly, the tech noticed that the baby actually has his three vessels! I was so filled with emotions at that moment - gratitude, relief, love for our baby, and an intense desire to buy this woman a gift card to her steakhouse of choice. The bearer of good news has got to be the sweetest gig on the planet.
Life will present obstacles and opportunities to exercise your faith and inner strength. I feel lucky every minute of the day to be growing this little one, however nature intended him, and this mini-blip gifted us with the chance to truly realize it.
In nursery news, we have gotten it painted, and in the room sits the crib, changing table, and glider. The nursery is still in its infancy (oooh, PUNS!), and it's been such a thrill for Josh and I to watch it go from an empty space to the IHOD (International House Of Drooling). Josh and I had briefly considered painting the nursery and assembling everything ourselves, but then we remembered we are Jewish and proudly dialed up our favorite handyman.
More to come :)
IHOD! Brilliant! I love it.
ReplyDelete-Grandpa Steve