Feeling the love

Oh, I am definitely feeling the love of this pregnancy.

I am feeling the love of varicose veins - never had these before and now my poor right leg has been attacked and boy, do those things hurt! It's probably because I always sit with my right leg folded under me. Not any more!

I am feeling the love of itchy skin that keeps me awake at night. Seriously, why does it only itch at night?

I am feeling the love of my stomach at war with my colon and my colon at war with every other organ in my abdomen. It is like WW3 going on in there - all the grumbling and churning, it's ridiculous! And makes me feel horrible!

I am also feeling the love of many other pregnancy side effects.

I honestly don't know if I will come out of this pregnancy in one piece! I am definitely feeling my age or something! I just started crying last night because I had just had it. It felt like this poor body was just falling apart. I am sure it was just exhaustion from not sleeping good that was making everything else feel worse.

The only love that I haven't felt from this pregnancy yet it the movement of my little one.

Actually, I take that back. Sunday I was sitting in church and WW3 had quieted down (it will happen every once in awhile where everyone is happy in there at the same time - not often, but it will happen). Anyways, I suddenly felt one little "thump." At first I thought that WW3 was going to start up because once someone in there throws the first punch, it is all out. It will not go unanswered. But this time it did. No one retaliated. Hmmm - got me thinking. They (the books) say the normal range to start feeling movement is between the 14th week and the 22nd week and I was in my 14th week, so I think I am going to claim it! Woo Hoo!

I just can't wait to feel it more.

The State of CA has "new" tests that you can choose to do if you want. I say "new" because they didn't have them when I had Evan and I don't think they had them a year and a half ago when a friend had a baby. Anyways, it is 2 blood tests and an ultrasound at very specific dates to check for things like neural tube defects, abdominal wall defects, down syndrome (trisomy 21), and trisomy 18. Well, I heard "extra ultrasound" and signed right up!

So, at 12.5 weeks, we got to do another ultrasound. So here is our little peanut:

At first he was very still. He must have been napping because all he did was sit there. Every once in awhile we would see his hand move like this:
See it up by his head? I finally asked the lady if he was ok - I could see his heart beating but he just wasn't moving. She said sometimes they are really quiet like that. Plus he was cooperating and she was getting all the measurements she needed. So maybe he was just being obedient? Maybe that's a good sign for the future?

Then after while, he started moving around. She focused on his legs and he was kicking away. So cute! Then he was arching his back (see below) and jumping around, having a good ol' time. I could have sat there all day watching him!

You may have noticed I keep calling him "he". Kurt has me throughly brain washed that it is a boy. We have no definite answer yet, probably not til February, but Kurt is just determined that it's a boy. I am still neutral but refer to it as a he all the time, thanks to said husband. If it's a girl, I am going to have a really hard time picturing it after all this brain washing!

Kurt has reassured me that he will be very happy with a girl too, but that I don't need to worry about it because it's a boy!