Halfway and loving it!

Well it has been a slow month for blogging. After the excitement of finding out his sex, not much else has been happening. Though I believe I have started to feel the little guy kick. It feels like the noise that those popper toys make that little kids push around with the balls in the dome, anyone know what I am talking about? And then sometimes it feels like gas that doesn't hurt, softer and rounder. Very cool, all in all.

Since getting all of the tests back that say he is healthy, no defects or anything, my biggest worry now is that he will strangle himself before he gets to come out. I have asked the OB about this likelihood, being that my mom had this happen to her and Josh was almost lost the same way, but she said that umbilical strangulation is very rare and nothing I can do will prevent or cause it. Be that as it may, it is the only thing I have left to worry about, so I do.

My next appointment is on the 8th of July. The OB told me that my placenta is riding too low, 3cm from the posterior side of my cervix. They are hoping that as Leif grows it will pull up and away naturally, but we won't get a change to see it again until a 30 week ultrasound (I am 20 weeks now).

I am starting to fill out my maternity clothes in earnest :) The belly bump is taking on a life of it's own. Also I am starting to get the pregnancy lean. You know the one, the distinctive belly forward, leaning back to balance the beach ball you are smuggling, walk. Ya, that one, I am beginning to go there.

Next week, oh joy of joys, I am going to find a maternity swimsuit, so that Josh and I can start using the pool at the Rec Center near our house, as part of my attempts to exercise. Wish me luck with the spandex!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...gross.

It's official! We are having a boy! We had the ultrasound yesterday and the kid has external tackle. We are very excited about our son, and couldn't help but buy some newborn onesies. He was very cooperative and danced for us the whole time, flexing his spine and waving his limbs. Grandma Karla and Grandpa Phil got to go with Josh and I, which was special for all of us. The baby looks healthy, so the u/s technician tells us, no problems or anything. They also think that we are at 18 weeks, not 17 like the first u/s said. That gives Grandpa Phil a better chance of the kiddo arriving on his birthday. GP is also sure that the boy will be an athlete, the onsesie from GP says "Grandpa's Little Allstar."

I am stoked that it is a boy, that is what Josh and I were hoping for. We think we have decided on Leif Connor Konyndyk, for the name. Leif would be pronounced "Leaf" as an homage to Josh's middle name "Lee" and he will have my last two initials "C.K." which will be cool (hmmm, also Clark Kent, I wonder if he will be as good looking as Smallville...).

So I have to say that it is a little weird to think about the fact that I have a tiny boy living inside me. Makes the whole thing a more surreal, not sure why, but a girl seems more symbiotic, and it just is strange knowing I have a dude growing in me, peeing in my uterus with his little penis, lol. Strange.

I really like not calling the baby an "it" anymore and I am pretty excited that our first is a boy. Josh is stoked, he said "Whew, I know what to do with a boy. " I think he was stressed about how to raise a girl and this might have relieved some of that pressure for him.

Well with out further ado, here are some of the ultrasound pictures of our tiny man.

Anxiety, eustress, and ultrasounds: the psychology of my pregnancy.

Okay, so the scary shortness of breath episode, I am chalking up to anxiety, probably a full blown panic attack. Not sure of the source, though I lean toward it being a combination of eustress and distress. My GP is still running blood work to make sure all of my organs are working and whatnot, and I have gone ahead and made an appointment with a psychologist for good measure. On the up side, I have not had another episode since that first time, which is another clue that makes me think it was a panic attack. My GP agrees that with my hormones all ramped up that my sympathetic nervous system could easily kick over into that mode because it is a familiar place for it to be, but she is erring on the side of caution, thus the tests.

We received the results from the quad-screen blood work from the OB, which came back negative, so looks like no Down's Syndrome or neural tube defects. Go fetus!

In other news, we have company arriving tomorrow! My mom and dad get in early in the morning. I am very excited to share this whole thing with them in person! We are planning on shopping for maternity clothes and baby stuff while they are here as well as doing some nature walks.

We also get to try and find out the sex of the parasite on Thursday!! I will only be 17 weeks, so they warned me that we might not get a good enough picture yet, but we are keeping our fingers crossed. Oooh, and everyone gets to go, my husband, mom, and dad, how much fun is that?!

We aren't leaning one way or the other, but everyone I talk to tells me I am having a girl. Ex. "Oh you have been really sick, it will be a girl" or "You are already showing, it is a girl." or "Mars is in retrograde, it will be a girl." However the Chinese calendar prediction is a boy (that goes my month conceived and mom's age at conception). I have heard that boys are easier, less drama than girls, but I would like to be able to name my daughter after my mom. So I am on the fence. Grandpa Phil wants a girl because they are so sweet, but the caveat is that she has to be athletic. Grandma Karla wants a girl because she will get her name. Grandpa Marc wants a girl because he remembers how much fun his nieces were. I think that Grandma Darlene is subliminally hoping for a girl if the fuchsia stuffed bear she sent the baby is any indication :) And lastly Grandpa John is hoping for a boy, I think would like to see what a male of his bloodline would look like.

Really I am just looking forward to not calling the monster "it" anymore :) That is my driving force behind finding out the sex. It is interesting how many people sound disappointed when I tell them that we are finding out and aren't waiting to be surprised. But we figured, the technology is there, why not? Besides we are not notoriously patient people. I also think that this will help it "get real" for my husband who has been dragging his feet about getting stuff done for the baby, like cleaning all of the storage stuff out of the baby's room so we can start setting it up.

Lastly, I think I have finally traded in nausea for headaches. Yes! Score. Headaches I can work through. I still haven't gained any weight, maybe a couple of pounds and have only grown an inch in my waist and hips, but you can tell this belly has a grander purpose, or so my husband tells me.

Wish us luck on a good ultrasound position!