18 Weeks - IT'S A BOY!!!

Baby Boy Dalton's Hand- Five fingers!

Baby Boy Dalton's Spine, Placenta is the bottom mass


Looking straight at us, and arm

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So it's official - we are going to have a son!!

Yesterday was Christmas for me. I was so excited the night before that I, for once, didn't want to stay up late. Time flies when you are asleep, and that's exactly what I wanted it to do. I didn't even set my alarm clock to account for the extra fifteen-minute snooze - I knew once I awoke, that was it, and I wouldn't have been able to drift off for those extra minutes that we normally insist make such a difference (when in reality, do they really?).

Fortunately and FINALLY, I've reached the point where my typical nerves before appointments are drastically lessened, as I now get notices throughout the day that my little kickboxer is indeed still growing and lively. In fact, I was filled with so much excitement yesterday that at least ten times between 7:30 and 10:00, I uncontrollably broke out into a grin, bounced up and down, and clapped my hands three times in a row, as quick jolts of giddiness broke out of their restraints.

On the car ride to Alexandria, Jimmy and I belted out songs from the 80's and reminisced, with much laughter, about our life in Madison. It was a beautiful, sunny day and definitely one of the happiest mornings in a long time. We also both discussed how we still thought our baby was a boy (we have from the beginning), but then followed it by a nonchalant, "But whatever, we'll be so happy either way."

After waiting in the pot-belly-filled waiting room and two bathroom trips for Mommy, we were led to our ultrasound room, and luckily the doctor came in very quickly. We got straight to business after he asked whether we would like to know the sex. (YESSSS!) The first thing we saw as our baby magically popped up onto the screen was its, excuse me, HIS, brain - we were looking straight down into what the doctor describes as two very advanced, knowledge-filled hemispheres (okay, maybe he just said two hemispheres, but, hello, we could all tell). Next, a quick detour to my favorite stop, the heart and its glorious pumps, and then straight to Boy Town! The doctor got right under its two legs, and before he even said what it was, it was clear (to me, at least. Jimmy admits he still doesn't know what he is looking at most of the time, but let's cut him some slack, he sits a bit further from the screen). The doctor confirmed my observation with, "The sex is very clear - you have a boy!" And then after that I have a hazy, mostly auditory memory of Jimmy and I "yeaaahhhhh"ing and "ahhhhh!"ing, and then maybe a half high five/hand grab somewhere in the midst of the noise coming out of our faces. Just like we thought, we have our son. AWESOME.

The doctor began to do the anatomy check, which really, to be honest, was equally amazing to me as finding out the sex. As he traveled around the baby, he checked out all the major organs, limbs, placenta, and umbilical cord. The detail in which we saw femurs, toes, hands, kidneys, the heart, you name it, was undescribable. As he took the measurements of all of these, he reassured us each part was measuring a-okay. With each "normal" and "very good" I felt like I was ... I don't even know how to describe it...I've never felt that way before. I guess I could only liken it to winning the lottery twelve times in a row, only way better. Our baby, SON, appears to be in tip-top condition, and I'm quickly learning that is the greatest thing for a mother to know. So even though I couldn't be more thrilled to know the sex of our baby, the tears flowed when my boy's body appeared in wonderful condition. It's all I ask of God every day, whether it be when Jimmy and I say our prayer before dinner, or all alone with Him before I fall asleep ... please, Lord, let this baby be healthy and safe and give us the opportunity to be loving and devoted parents.

Funnily enough, the doctor took all the measurements and most of them measured around 18 weeks, except for... Baby Boy's BELLY. Yep, that's right, it sounds like our boy is on his way to being an adorable chunker! Now, whether this is strictly genetic (Jimmy says he is reassured that it is definitely HIS child:) or whether Momma has been snacking on one to many spare ribs, we don't know. Interestingly, the baby's legs were measuring a little bit bigger, too, so we may not have a little hobbit after all. Possibly the "tall genes" (scientific term) that exist in my line, might have made their way to our child, despite having skipped me. Then again, I, too, have long legs and a big belly, but am still painfully short...this could also happen. We can only speculate. Anyway, our boy's average measurements put him at 18 weeks 6 days, a week ahead of schedule, bringing our estimated due date to July 31. However, again this doctor was reluctant to move it up from August 8, but just about gave in. I guess we'll keep an eye on it. So if you ask me when my due date is, I'll say August 8, but in reality, we are thinking it will be the first week in August rather than the second. I mean, really, who is more of an expert here ...the doctor or the woman carrying the child? Now that's a thinker.... Anyway, he is 10 ounces (thanks to Nicole, we have a reference point - the size of beer) and 6 inches long.

Oh! And during our ultrasound, our boy was surprisingly very chill. He had been moving ALL week and then the night before the appointment and the morning he just stopped, nudging only once an hour if I was lucky. So during the ultrasound, he just hung upside down in my uterus (not facing my belly, which is another reason I couldn't feel the kicks as much) and just slept. He'd move his arms and legs every so often, and Jimmy even got to see him wiggle his fingers. We also witnessed him swallowing, which was very cool.

Calling the family members to share the news was FUN. And we found that there were two types of people on the line. 1.) The Tiptoer: One who anxiously tries to let the news unfold on its own, while trying to remain cool and composed, failing miserably and 2.) The Demander: One who thinks we've already strayed from the topic at hand just by greeting them with "Hey, [Name]" and won't give a crap about anything else until they know "What is it?!?!" You all know which category you belong ;)

The responses were amazing. Everyone's excitement could be felt from half a country, country, and half a world away (did you follow that?). I'd like to go ahead and share a couple replies, if you'll indulge me.

My mom, after telling her I saw a little penis, responded with, "A little penis on a girl?!?!" She should know how this works by now. And one day, you will get your little granddaughter, but let's not try to force it. :)

My brother's wife, Nicole, still not used to addressing the baby as anything but "it" asked, "How big is him?" It's okay, Nicole, this new pronoun is a big change for all of us. It's gonna take a little practice. Just ease into it.

And of course there were the couple of siblings understandably anxious to know if we had a name picked out, in which we have to disappoint everyone when we say, "Yes" and "We're not telling." (And I mean that in a non- second grade, "I've got a secret -nana na na nana" way.) Sorry, folks, but the name will be revealed on the big day. Please hold your judgement until then. Or better yet, just check it at the door and forget to pick it up on your way out. Until then, though, we have some wonderful substitutes. Mandi and Eric have donated Rodigar and Bjorn, Nicole's offered Boomer and Bubba, my four year old nephew, Magnus, has decided upon Hakkah, and we also have the oldies, but goodies, Hannah, Frodo, Jimmifer, and Little Jesus. And I personally like them all, as the real thing obviously could not be worse than the temps. :)

So what now? What do I do with this knowledge of our first child being a son? I'll probably need a few more days to continue to exclaim to Jimmy, "Guess what? We're having a boy!" And ... I shall shop. Until next time....