Cool as a Cucumber

So, yesterday we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound scan.

IT.
WAS.
BRILLIANT.

I wonder if there have been big technological advances in sonogram technology since the last time I was up the duff, but I don’t remember it being so clear! The technician was an absolute doll; she did all her necessary measurements first and everything looked really good. She said the baby was lying in a perfect position, so she had a good ‘ol root around and let us see all kinds of things… a close-up of the heart pumping away; two perfect little footprints from underneath; little fingers and other bones. The best shot (picture attached) was a full frontal facial shot. Call me kooky, but I am convinced in and of myself that I can see a resemblance between this baby and its elder brother. Mental or what? The little shadows of the facial proportions are just like Ben!

So now I’m in official ‘excitement’ mode. I have spent these first months in such a haze of exhaustion, nausea and general feeling-sorry-for-myself-ness that there hasn’t been much room for that giddy exhilaration of being excited about it. If I wasn’t absolutely certain it would make me look like a total knobhead, I could actually see myself taking weird pleasure in stopping random strangers in the bread aisle at the supermarket to say, ‘HEY! GUESS WHAT? You never will so I’ll tell you… I’m pregnant! AND… THIS BABY LOOKS LIKE MY FIRST BABY! I can’t wait to meet it! Seriously; I’m so excited – can you stand it?!?! NEITHER CAN I!!!!’

I’m a gnat’s willy’s length away from being one of those ultra-hyper mothers-to-be who indiscriminately whips out the pictures from the scan and shoves them under the noses of uninterested people in random social situations, forcing them to ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ over the blurry silhouettes and indistinguishable blobs on the paper.

Good thing the nature of my character makes me naturally this cool and composed, eh? Ha ha ha.

OH YEAH! We almost found out the sex as well! We didn’t, but what follows is not only an precise transcript of the conversation which occurred but also a pretty accurate assessment of the depth of my affection for my husband:

Sonographer: So, did you want to find out the sex of this baby?

Nicola: (accusingly) I do. He doesn’t. Although… (slyly beseeching, fluttering eyelashes in a cute and lovable manner) … is that your final answer?

Jason: (with maturity and calmness… and a slight hint of defeat) Well... you decide. Do what you like, I don’t mind.

Nicola: (demure and with integrity) Ah, no. I know you really want to keep it as a surprise, so let’s keep it as a surprise after all.

Aren’t I lovely?

12 Week Scan

Happy holidays everyone; I haven't updated in ages so thought I'd do a quickie this morning.

We had our 12 week scan on 29th December at Wansbeck General Hospital in Ashington. A different hospital than I was at when I had Ben -- North Tyneside General, which has changed to a midwife-led delivery service. That means if (touch wood) I'm so unfortunate to have some complications during labour and delivery, I'm facing a 20 minute ambulance ride to Wansbeck, where there are consultant obsetricians. I think I'd rather have a 20 minute car trip at the start of labour than a scary ambulance one... 20 minutes is a long time.

Anyway -- so we head out to Wansbeck. As Ben has been so excited, we thought we would take him with us to the scan. Mistake! I think it was just excitement, but he was so naughty at the hospital! Once we got in the imaging room, poor Jason barely saw any of the scan because Ben was tearing around fascinated by all the machinery wanting to know what things were called, etc. I just lay there, belly all glooped up and a little teary-eyed, for there, on the screen, was Proctor Baby Number 2 in the flesh!

It was veeeeeeery different from my first ultrasound with Ben... Ben was a wriggler, he was never still. Shaking his arms and legs, doing a little 'Hey, look at me!' dance. But this one was just all laid back and comfy, with a really steady little heartbeat.

Will post more later -- here are my pictures.