19 weeks - Back from the sonogram!

Well, the verdict is in. The sonographer is 95% sure that our baby is a....... 

girl!!! 

I was actually pretty shocked for a little while. Thankfully Josh was there to ooh and ahh at how much she's grown (she's nearly 6 inches long now) and how much she weighs (9 ounces). Her heart was beating strong, at about 146 beats per minute, and she was stretching her legs and dancing about for us! All the while all I could mutter was, "Could ya check between the legs just one more time?". The sonographer humored me and I was pretty convinced by the second look. It's been just one day since we saw the results and I'm feeling alot more "at peace" with the realization that our bean is not a boy like I thought she was! (I'm not disappointed at all, just surprised!) So now, hopefully, the quest for names will get a little bit easier. Although, I keep telling Josh that all the boy names we've been thinking of will sound just as good on a girl. He's not buying it...

And as for The Incubator, everything is looking good! Weight gain is happening as it should, blood pressure and general health are all stable and healthy. I can now easily feel my uterus in my belly, and the top of it is lying just at my belly button, and it feels as though it's shaped like a big light bulb! The uterus itself is measuring 19 cm "tall". And I learned a general rule of thumb: that the uterus measures about the same as the gestational age for most of the pregnancy. So, we are 19 weeks along and measuring 19 cm! Our little girl has measured about one day ahead each time she's been measured, so we'll just say that she is due to arrive in early to mid June. The average gestational age for 1st time moms who go into labor naturally is about 41.5 weeks. And, it is also safe for a baby to trigger labor anywhere from 2 weeks before a due date, to 2 weeks after! So, all that to say, I'm just going by estimates for now...

Most of the sono photos were difficult to decipher, but I've tried to give you the clearest one. She was in the process of stretching out her legs in this shot. We also got to see her open and close her mouth. Her belly and bladder were full, indicating she has been ingesting fluids well. She started off curled up, and by the time we were done, her legs were extended long and far, as if she were standing up to take a look around! It's amazing to realize 1) how big she is, and 2) how much room she still has! She was lying head down, but she still has plenty of room and won't decide on a final position until the last week or so of her stay.

So, here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasure! And per Megan's request, another belly shot...  ;-)