oh boy. maybe.

Monday was the biggest day of all big days in a very long time. I'll make this concise:

1) We had our 12 week appointment and NT Scan. "This prenatal test (also called the NT or nuchal fold scan) can help your healthcare practitioner assess your baby's risk of having Down syndrome (DS) and some other chromosomal abnormalities as well as major congenital heart problems.The NT test uses ultrasound to measure the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back of your developing baby's neck. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger than average." It was a wonderful morning! Baby Cinco is suddenly looking gigantic. In reality, he/she is the size of a peach, but the first look at the ultrasound image made us both gasp- it's a baby! Nose, mouth, hands with fingers, feet with toes, and 6.4cm of pure cuteness. The measurement was perfect- 1.2. They want to see a number under 3.0, so I breathed a big sigh of relief at baby's low measurement. They took blood as well, and good results will rule out 99.9% of chromosomal issues. The amount of confidence this test gave me is remarkable.

2) There was a possible PENIS SIGHTING! J saw "it" immediately (or so he says), and the tech asked a momet later if we planned to find out the sex. She said she's "fairly certain" that we'll be having a BOY!! She added that we need to wait another month to know for sure, and cautioned us not to paint the nursery just yet. After she left us in the exam room to dress (me, not J) we stared at each other, eyes wide, speechless. J's grin made me happier than I ever could have imagined- although he's still quick to say he'd love a boy or a girl- he was thrilled. I was just relieved that the test had gone well, and trying to take in the idea that this may very likely be our SON! Afterward, when we chatted with the nurses during my nurse visit, they said this particular tech isn't a guesser, and that if she's not sure, she's not saying anything at all. They too reminded us that it's early and our next scan could prove the tech wrong, so April 7 will be a big day! J's itching to buy the airplane wall decals, but mama's holding him back.

3) J got a new job! He's been waiting for 5 months for this to happen, and when it happened, it happened fast! He found out about the position opening on Saturday, emailed his interest minutes later, chatted with the dealership manager Saturday night, and received a call for an interview with the general manager right after our ultrasound Monday morning. Three hours later, he called to say he had the job, effective immediately. He looked so happy this morning in his big boy clothes, heading to his big boy job, in his big boy office. I'm one proud Mrs. His former manager sent him off with his blessing, saying he had no doubt that within a few years, J could be running the dealership. Proud, proud. His new hours will take some getting used to (he'll work until 8pm or 9pm five days a week)......but on the bright side, that leaves me with unrestricted remote control ownership in the evenings. Always a good thing. But seriously, we'll manage. It's worth it to see his dreams beginning to come true.

Monday evening found us exhausted, thrilled, and feeling on top of the world. And gosh darn it, we kind of deserve that kind of happiness. At last. 2008, so far, so good!

that's one hungry baby

I'm blaming it on baby. Today, despite the tantalizing plethora of restaurants available to us in the Austin metropolitan area.....I had to have Applebee's. Yes, Applebee's. Not one of the approximately three billion unique, tasty, well thought out restaurants the Austin area has to offer....I wanted to do as the apple says and eat good in the neighborhood. (The neighborhood located inconveniently far from our house and close to nowhere we needed to go.) Random.

I ate my salad, and half of J's (the veggie part....gotta get those veggies in). I resisted the urge to lick my salad plate for the Thousand Island droplets. Next I polished off my Fiesta Lime Chicken, and tucked into the fries. I stole a few chicken strips of J's plate. As he pushed his plate away, loosened up his pants, and began to look ill, I chewed my fries, asked if he wanted that last chicken strip, and whipped out the dessert menu. "Seriously?" he has the nerve to ask. Bad idea. "THE BABY WANTS IT! SHUT IT!" And shut it he did. As did the waiter after I placed the dessert order, when he asked "two spoons?" and I frantically shook my head no. "Just one." Mama's hungryyyy. (I'm not selfish, J doesn't even like what I ordered. And he still looked ill.) I totally showed that maple nut blondie what was UP. The ice cream too (calcium!) The sad part is, as I looked over the ruins of my 8,000 calorie meal, I wasn't even that full. We left, ran a few errands, and my phone rang. It was my aunt, wondering if I'd like to join her and her boys for Mexican. I'll be damned if I wasn't tempted. J looked afraid. Or grossed out, who knows. (I didn't go.) Anyway, morning sickness seems to be fighting a losing battle here. It wants to hang out longer, but its time seems to have come. I'm feeling more cravings, fewer gaggings. There are still moments of misery, but overall, I'm sensing a change. And a rapid outgrowing of my pants in the not so distant future.

I had another ultrasound on Monday, and it was beautiful. And so exciting. As I emerged from the bathroom, cup o' pee in hand, Nurse K was waiting outside, looking ecstatic. "11 WEEKS! SWEETIE, THAT'S WONDERFUL!" I put my pee down, and we hugged as she congratulated me and said how happy she was that things looked so great. (I love this place.) My nurse practicioner was just as excited, and I couldn't help but feel special to finally be the patient they're happy to see. The ultrasound looked wonderful. Baby was wiggling all over and making it very difficult to get a good photo or measurement. Heartbeat strong, measuring ahead of schedule, every part looking perfect as can be. Next up, Monday's 12 week appointment and NT scan. After this, we tell the whoever will listen.

At home, the doppler continues to be my very best friend. I love it. I love laying there, listening to the proof that baby Cinco is in there, working away at growing big and strong. I'm 12 weeks now and amazed that I've made it this far, that the "second trimester" chapter in my pregnancy books will soon apply to ME. More and more, we talk about the baby in "when" terms instead of cautious "if" terms. We've got names on the short list. Of course, there are still moments of worry, where I'm afraid to feel too happy, too attached, to hopeful. But those are fewer, and we are happier.