We had our first ultrasound today. Once again I was armed with only the knowledge gained from TV (see ‘Morning’ Sickness is a Lie) about ultrasounds. On TV they are these fuzzy pictures that no one can really decipher except for the doctor. Armed with this incredibly sound knowledge, I went into our appointment with low expectations of what we could see, except for knowing we would hear a heartbeat. My first pleasant surprise was that Jooae did not have to disrobe and/or expose herself (cf. last post). She did have to come with a nearly bursting bladder though, but that was the only discomfort. The nurse/doctor/technician (I honestly can’t remember) had her pull up her shirt and squirted some translucent goo (think hair gel) on her belly (it was thoughtfully pre-warmed). Then she simply put on the ultrasound laser (I know it’s an oxymoron, but it sounds cooler) and flipped on the monitor. There in stunning black and white-ish were Jooae’s innards. Right in the middle, surrounded by a black silhoutte (which I was to learn is the amniotic fluid) was an easily identifiable baby!
(I am going to wax emotional here, so guys you can skip to the next paragraph, unless you want to be a real man and read on.)
I could not believe what I saw. There before my eyes was our moving, heart beating, arms waving little guy or guy-ette. The head, arms, and legs were easily distinguishable. The heart beating away (good, strong heart) nearly brought tears to my eyes. Even as I write this I am welling up a bit. Here was our little miracle that God provided in living color (okay black and white). The clarity was amazing. I swear he/she (by the way we are going to keep the sex a surprise until birth-day) was waving at us with the cutest little arm. The baby seemed so big but really is only 3.24 cm (to be exact) at almost 11 weeks. Suddenly the notion that we are having a baby became very real and exciting. A pregnancy test is one thing, but there is nothing like seeing your baby there moving around to make it hit home that you are a daddy-to-be!
Like going to a photo booth (though probably a bit more expensive), they gave us a strip of pictures of our kiddo. I am in a conundrum of what to do. Do you frame them on the wall or make wallet sized versions to start showing off? Any suggestions are welcome, and of course here is one of the pictures:
Our little one at 10 weeks
