Li'l Miss Peanut

Yesterday, Chris, Ginny, and I headed for the Springfield Clinic for my 20-week ultrasound and appointment with Dr. Quinn.  I was a bit nervous this time.  For most of this pregnancy, I have been calm and unconcerned, which seems strange since I was quite worried and paranoid when pregnant with Ginny.  For some, knowledge is power. For me, it leads to worry and paranoia.  

When I got my 20-week ultrasound with Ginny, I was not that concerned.  I was nervous, but under control. I had been feeling Ginny move pretty regularly since I was 17 weeks along.  My general assumption was that she was okay, and she was. However, our little peanut has not been very active at all, as far as I can tell.  I started feeling some faint movements since I was 13 weeks along, but I will go a week or so between feeling the baby.  My nerves had me thinking this might be a bad sign.  Trying to be rational, I would remind myself that it is normal not to feel the baby so much at this stage of the pregnancy.  

Additionally, since having Ginny, I have met people who found out things weren't so great at that 20-week u/s.  One, that I couldn't stop thinking about, discovered their baby had anencephaly and her baby would not live long past birth. What if my baby had the same thing or was missing a limb or had a heart defect? While our plan was to find out the sex of the baby this time, I wasn't much concerned about that. I wanted to know my baby was okay. That was (and still is) my ONLY concern.

After waiting a bit in the waiting room, we were called back to the u/s room and began.  The tech, named Madonna (a good sign I hoped, being named after Mother Mary), got started.  She was looking around, not saying much. I couldn't stand it and asked if there was a heartbeat. She smiled, said yes, then apologized for not telling me sooner.  I found myself relaxing.  She asked me if I had been feeling the baby. I told her I had, but that the feelings were very light and rare. She told me she was surprised I felt anything. Apparently, Peanut has an anterior placenta which makes it difficult to feel the baby because it provides a bit of a buffer (like a pillow). When the baby kicks or moves, it hits the placenta, and the placenta usually prevents the mom from feeling the baby until the baby gets bigger. I cannot begin to explain how relieving it was to know that my baby was okay and that it will be normal for me not to feel the baby regularly because of this. 

Peanut's profile! What a cute nose! :)

Then Madonna continued with the level 2 u/s; checking the brain, the parts of the heart, the abdomen, making sure there were 2 legs, 2 feet, 2 arms, 2 hands, 2 eyes, the nose, the mouth, and all the other parts that can be seen. Of course, our baby decided to not cooperate and to keep rolling around and hiding arms and legs. It was rather amusing watching our little gymnast.  Madonna told us that the baby's heartbeat was at 150 and weighed 14 oz.  She kept trying to figure out the baby's sex, but Peanut was not very cooperative.  First, the baby wrapped it's legs around it's umbilical cord. Later, it decided to sit Indian-style.  We tried one last time before ending the u/s and the baby FINALLY cooperated.  After looking carefully, Madonna told us that we are having a girl!  I asked if she was sure, and she said yes.  Chris was not as convinced. I'm sure watching the struggles to figure it out didn't help. Also, we know a couple who was told one thing at an early u/s, only to be told a different thing at a later u/s. The u/s tech reassured him and said she was 95% sure that Peanut is a girl!

We are thrilled!  We would have been thrilled if it was a boy too. But right now, I can't help but to be happy that Ginny will have a sister. I think it can be an amazing bond.  I also think that it is appropriate that my husband, who was not popular with girls growing up, will have a houseful of girls who adore him. Sweet karma. :)

Crab Boil

My Aunt Nita with Ginny

Our last evening in Florida was spent at my Aunt Nita's. We went over there with my parents as well as my sister and her family for a crab boil.

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I do NOT like fish of any kind, which works out for me since I am allergic to anything that lives in the water. However, there are a few sea creatures I like and do eat despite my allergies, for example, calamari.  I don't eat these items in large amounts. I will get sick. Luckily, I am not deathly allergic, rather I have gastrointestinal issues only after eating them.  To me, it is worth the occasional issues. (That being said I am highly allergic to scallops and haddock. Therefore I avoid those for fear that I will have a worse reaction.) Since I am pregnant, I have been told to try and avoid foods I am allergic to because my hormones could alter my response to the food.  I could react much worse which would be dangerous for the baby.

My Uncle Todd and Dad (in beard) boiling the crab legs

Back to the subject at hand, I love and adore crab legs!! OMG!! So wonderful!! A crab boil sounded amazing! However, since I'm allergic, it would mean avoiding. Yuck! I didn't fully avoid though.  I indulged in one crab leg. Totally worth it. I wasn't willing to take any more risks than that. Ginny got to taste crab for the first time too. She really seemed to enjoy it. She has great taste! ;)

Ginny is pooped at the end. ;)

Besides eating crab legs and all the fixings (kielbasa, potatoes, corn on the cob), we enjoyed spending the late afternoon and early evening with family.  Ginny found some stairs and learned how to climb them (we don't have stairs in our home). The problem was in her climbing down them. She tries to climb down going face first. I have all sorts of nightmares when I see her doing that. We tried to teach her how to go down backwards, but she still wanted to try and go her way. She can be a bit stubborn.

Anyhow, our last evening was fabulous. We are now back home recovering from our trip.

Cousins

The cousins: Carson, Ginny, and Kendall

Auntie Amy with Ginny

Living in Illinois means that we don't get the opportunity to see my family very often. While my parents have been able to visit us, my sister and her family have not. Thety are quite busy with two active children, my niece Kendall and nephew Carson.  So, when we do make a trip to Florida, we make sure we visit with them. The last time we saw them was in early December.

Yesterday, my sister, Amy, her husband, Jeff, and my niece and nephew arrived. All seemed to be thrilled  to see Ginny.  My sister, in particular, couldn't wait to get her hands on her one and only niece.  Getting her to let go of her became the challenge. :)

Kendall hugging Ginny

My niece and nephew have been LOVING the visit with Ginny. Ginny seems specially drawn to Kendall.  You can already tell that Ginny looks up to her older cousin. Kendall appears to be enjoying all the attention thrown her way.  Carson also has a special fondness for Ginny.  Ginny is their only cousin so I'm quite sure this has something to do with it.

Carson, Aunt Amy, and Kendall with Ginny

Ginny experiencing sand on her feet for the first time.

After Amy and her family arrived, we all went to lunch at a Chinese buffet. Ginny discovered fried rice for the first time. She ate it all up, as well as some fruit and hot dogs.  Then, we went to a Mayport boat landing to feed bread to the sea gulls.

When we got back, the kids all went down for a nap or quiet time. Once everyone woke, we all spent time as a family. The cousins all delighted in playing with each other.

Kendall and Ginny spending quality time together

Today we had planned to go to the beach; however, the weather is preventing us.  At least the cousins will all get another day of playing and fun despite that.