A Peek into the Womb

Just before we left on our big, crazy trip to Utah, we took a little trip to the radiology department and had a peek at our 20-weeks-in-utero baby.  Everything important was accounted for, including gender.  And it appears we are to expect another healthy little girl in November.  Of course, while there's pretty much no mistaking a boy, there's always the chance a girl could turn out to be a boy, but it's not a very big chance, so we're planning on girl, and her siblings have already named her Elizabeth (with some encouragement from Papa and Mama).

To be determined are her middle name and what she will actually be called (Bella, Beth, Bess, Bessie, Betsy, Betsey, Bette, Bettina, Betty, Bezzy, Bitty, Elsie, Eliza, Ellie, Ilsa, Izzy, Leeza, Libby, Lila, Lisa, Lissy, Lisbet, Liz, Liza, Lizzy, Lizzie, Lizbeth, Lizbee, Tibby, Zeeba....) Although Oswaldo's already referring to her as "Lizzy," I think I'll need to wait until she's born; for now, in my mind she's Elizabeth.

She gave the sonographer quite a time in determining the absence of cleft palate, because baby had her nose snuggled against the placenta and wasn't about to shift from that comfy position, even when the sonographer tipped the bed back and left me to rest for awhile with my toes in the air.  But it was adorable to see her sucking on her fingers and wiggling her toes.

I'm really grateful for ultrasound technology.  I know there have been concerns raised about potential harmful effects of the over-use of ultrasound, and it's not exactly as accurate in determining due date or fetal size as people would like to think, but it helps me enormously to know that my baby is doing alright, and especially to know my baby's gender.  It really helps me feel like all the crazy, frustrating things that happen to my mind and emotions, and all the uncomfortable--and even painful--things that happen to my body, are worth it.  It helps motivate me to take care of myself, and by extension, my baby, who is more real to me after seeing her through ultrasound.  Knowing the baby's gender is a big part of this for me.  That, and I simply don't have the patience to wait until the baby's born to find out!