23 weeks

We had an appointment today to measure Dresden's skull and brain development, and everything looks perfectly normal. I have to schedule another appointment in three weeks for them to check my glucose level to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. Since regular old diabetes runs in both sides of my family for two generations, I've always been concerned, but I feel fine most of the time. Not so much right this second, but I'm going to bed. Right now.

22.5 weeks

Two thoughts:

I look pregnant! A stranger asked me if I'm having a boy or a girl, so it's officially official.

Two songs are guaranteed to get Dresden moving: "Just" by Radiohead and "Low" by FloRida. This kid is my favorite.

And an update:

I'll be 23 weeks on Tuesday, and I have another appointment on Wednesday. I've gained just under 15 pounds. I keep thinking I'll take a picture of myself the next time I'm properly made-up, but it never happens.

And a question:

What do you think about maternity photo shoots? Dallas is very much against the bare upper body shots, and though I have seen a few that are extremely well done, I don't think I would be comfortable with that level of exposure. In fact, I don't think I'd be comfortable in front of the camera, period. Not that I ever really am, but you know what I mean. I can't imagine shelling out hundreds of dollars for pictures of myself looking awkward and uncomfortable when I can achieve the same thing at the house. Whachuthink?

Half past pregnant. (20 weeks)

I'm getting ready to give my midterm, but I wanted to take a moment to commemorate this halfway point. Twenty more weeks! I'm having a baby! Crazy!

Dresden is supposed to be the size of a cantaloupe, but my belly isn't exactly "melon-sized" like What to Expect says it should be. I know he's the right size--if anything, a bit big!--but I hate the whole "your belly should be this big by now" approach because it makes everyone feel bad, either for being too big or too small. Dallas thinks I'm too small and that I don't eat enough, but I promise I do. I've gained 13 lbs, which I personally feel is reasonable.

Okay, so this is technically from 21 weeks, mid-cruise. As you can see, Dresden enjoyed the 24-hour availability of food and grew a whole bunch. I may have that melon-sized bump now!

Beware: Ultrasound pictures inside.

I told you! If you don't like ultrasound pictures, don't look. I don't post them on Facebook for a reason. They're a little bit creepy, and I don't like the idea of everyone seeing the inside of my uterus instead of my face as a profile picture. It's not a room with a view. I'm sure if I had one of the fancy 3d or 4d things, I would change my tune. Unfortunately, I only have the old-fashioned ultrasounds, and they make my babe look like a mini-Skeletor. But I have had far more ultrasounds than the average pregnant woman, and I think watching the progression from a lima bean sized blob to a recognizable human is fascinating. So here he is!

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This is embryonic Dresden at about 7 weeks. He is the bottom mass, about the size of a blueberry. The top one is what became the placenta, but at this point it was called something gross like a yolk sack.

This is about 6 weeks later, so 13 weeks gestation. Dresden was about the size of a shrimp. You can see his eye sockets. Weird. This ultrasound was done after the ER trip to check on my cervix and placenta.

The top picture is his head and spine, the middle is his "credentials" (as Dallas called them), and the bottom right is his legs and feet. This ultrasound was done at 17 weeks to measure everything since my uterus was "too big" for my original due date. Turns out that I'm just small, which makes my inside girl parts (and inside boy, I guess) seem bigger by comparison. Dresden was about the size of my palm from his head to his rump. He weighed 7 ounces.

And here are the pictures from today's ultrasound at 19 weeks. The first one on the left freaked me out because it looks like his head was sliced in two, but apparently he was just hiding beneath my belly button, which caused interference. I was assured that his head is in one piece. His profile is on the right, but it's hard to explain without being about to point at things. You can see his eye socket, his nose, and his open mouth. He was in the process of putting his hand in his mouth. It was cute. He's the length of a large mango and weighs 11 ounces.

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SO! I've actually had five ultrasounds, since they did one at the ER, too. And Dresden wasn't very cooperative today, so my doctor wants us to have another just before our next check-up on March 30. That will be the sixth ultrasound, and I'm pretty sure most women only have three? I'm worried about it, of course, but my doctor didn't seem concerned that they couldn't get a measurement of his head or brain, and she's clearly not in a rush to double check. As the technician said, they've seen my baby so often that they could probably estimate measurements by looking at the last few ultrasounds. I guess I'm just going to stay anxious and stressed until the kid is born.

I love that I always use passive voice when talking about The Birth. Like it just happens, without me having to do anything at all. "And lo! He is born."