Today was the day! Well, not THE day but in the short term range of things it was the day! We would find out for sure if we were having a boy or a girl… or an alien, which judging by the ultrasound is still quite promising.

I also had to go in for lab work this morning and both my lab slip and ultrasound slip said to come with a full bladder. So this morning before I left the house I drank a glass of cranberry juice. On the way into town I drank a glass of V8 fruit fusion and before I checked into the lab I downed 16 ounces of water. I was swimming while standing in line for the lab. When I finally got to the window to check in the gal took my name and apologetically told me they were running behind, but that they would call me at my office when they were ready for me. I leaned way over the counter… well, as far as my short and now rotund stature would allow me, and whispered, “Do I have to give a urine sample?� The gal looked liked I’d asked if I could stick tweezers up her nose and it took long bladder ticking seconds for her to shake her head no. “No, no.� She verbally confirmed, smiling. I raced to the bathroom. I heard someone call my name but I wasn’t stopping even if it was Santa Claus.

2.25 hours later I’d managed to down another 32 ounces of water. My appointment at the Radiologist wasn’t ‘till 1pm and at 12:15 I was squirming in my seat. My desire to follow instructions finally kowtowed to my bodies need to urinate. By 12:30 I needed to go again, so to compensate I snuck into the bathroom like a criminal, looking both ways before I went in and then making sure the whole bathroom was empty before doing my business. I met mom (Rose) at my car with another 16 ounce bottle of water under my arm and managed to drink half of that by the time I picked up Chris and made it over to the Radiology Center. By the time we got out of the car my bladder was ready to file for abuse and I couldn’t picture going through an hour long ultrasound with a full bladder. Do they really put everyone through this torture? I checked in and squirmed in my seat while filling out paperwork and Chris and mom commented over a notice for a memorial service being held for a teenager. “What was wrong with that guy?� Was Chris’s question. Further scanning of the flyer didn’t help. “All I’m saying is if you’re going to have a memorial service for someone you have to say what they died from.� The girl at the window frowned at him but a few moments later Bob the ultrasound guy called us back. He sat mom and Chris in two chairs on the far side of a gurney and sat me down in a chair with what looked like a highchair in front of it. Bob sat in the highchair and looked down at me to ask me questions like if this was my first child, had I had an ultrasound before, and did I have a dream about the baby. Yes, actually, to that last question. Several weeks ago I dreamt that we had to call the baby Madeline because when she grew up she would be a very famous scientist known as Maddy… although, we’d just watched the movie Paycheck which undoubtedly had influence on me… I still think Ben Affleck is cute. Bob the ultrasound guy was enthused by this, he said that four out of five times whatever the mother dreams the baby is, that’s what the baby is. Well, three out of four doctors were sure it was girl, but they weren’t making any promises.

Bob the ultrasound guy relinquished his highchair and had me get on the gurney. He asked if I came with a full bladder. Hell yes. He fired up the machine and spread warm goo on my tummy. That’s the best part, you get the same great anticipation from the warm goo for an ultrasound as you get from warm lotion before a massage… though any lotion massage that Chris gives me is with freezing cold lotion slathered on in ice trails down my back with the reassurance from Chris that ‘it’ll warm up’ with undertones of ‘you’re lucky you’re getting a massage lady’. Bob broke out the wand and moved it around on my tummy, we caught the first glimpse the baby who looked even larger than it had two weeks ago. He looked first for the sex but the baby was in a weird position so he took a quick scan of the whole area and then pressed down on my bladder. “Yup it’s full.� He commented. Yup. He looked at the placenta which in my full bladder state was now at the top of the uterus, which was good as my doctor had worried that it was too low. Bob took a couple of shots for his report and then released me to go use the restroom. Hallelujah! After that I was much more comfortable and we went on at a leisurely pace to look at the baby’s spine and kidneys. Bob would start a sentence with: ‘see that black thing right there?’ Chris and I would nod with worry. “That’s the bladder, that’s a good thing.� Chris and I would relax. Bob would point again, “see that grey spot in there?� Chris and I would nod again, wondering if the word tumor would come next. “That’s urine in the bladder, that’s a good thing.� Chris and I would relax again. We played that game over and over again with each new measurement and ‘black thing’ on the screen. Apparently we have a perfectly formed normal looking kid. “You’re a good farmer Mrs. Jones� Bob joked. Finally we looked again for the sex. First the baby wouldn’t spread its legs, then it put its hand over its crotch in a Michael Jackson pose, then both hands in an apparent show of modesty. Finally it gave up and low behold there was something missing. “No tallywacker� as Bob put it… or ‘turtle’ as Dr. Muday had put it. It was, is, most assuredly a girl. Wow was the first thing that came to my mind. And then, Weird. We’re going to have a girl… a daughter. Wow!

Posted by Emilie in Uncategorized, Family