Final Regular Ultrasound

But first, here's a backlogged picture of Bridget and the dog:

29 weeks, 5 days, 1 leetle Poopanz

It's getting hotter in Arizona for real, with afternoon temps in the mid-90s. This is the time of year I start having to take multiple showers a day just to feel human. Bridget, meanwhile — who generally loves hot weather, sunshine, warm air, and long walks on the beach — is finding her pregnant self feeling overheated on the regular. Feelin' faint. A little woozy. Thirsty.

Which seems to me like she's finally coming to her senses. At last she can relate to how I feel anytime the temperature rises above 80°. But she feels deeply unnerved by the change. Sort of. 

But then she goes into the nursery and feels great!

32 weeks, 1 combination washer/dryer

Yesterday during the ultrasound, Dr. Rolle could barely restrain himself from telling us the sex of the baby, but he somehow managed it. Here's a face:

 ...and here's some feet and maybe a hand:

The baby is 4lbs 10oz at the moment, and a little bigger than expected (reading at 33w5d instead of 32w1d) but that's fine. Bridget's blood pressure is 102/58, which makes the OB swoon with joy. Everything that we ask about as a potential problem or concern is "fine, perfect, totally normal," according Dr. Rolle. The placenta is working just fine. The baby is hiccuping, which means its diaphragm is working — a sign that breathing will come naturally(!). The baby is head-down. The baby's pulse is 142bpm. Bridget is, shockingly, drinking enough water.

So far so good!

CAN THIS BE SAFE...?

 ... at 28 weeks and 2 days?!

28w2d riding, real mellow-like, okay?

That's nothing. I heard that Caroline Diehl, the head of the equestrian program at VVS, rode up to the hospital to give birth on her favorite horse.

28 Weeks

Tomorrow is 28 weeks even, and Monday Bridget will go visit Dr. Rolle for a checkup, sans ultrasound -- no new wombpix yet.

Instead, here is a picture of Bridget in a beautiful dress (thanks Sue!) in the backyard with some irises and a lovely piece of outdoor furniture:

Won't you sit down?

 

Dog Days of Spring

I don't actually know what the phrase "dog days" means. Hold on while I look it up.

Okay. It refers to the"hottest, most sultry days of summer." I kind of doubt that these are the hottest, sultriest days of Spring in Arizona. But here is a video taken on the patio yesterday featuring our dog (Sonmi-451) and Bridget's belly. I thought bright sunshine would demonstrate how crazy our weather is when you compare it to that of the previous post.

24 Weeks: Skiing and Such

Rocking the Rockies with a Bun in the Oven
Last week, Bridget and I drove to Telluride, CO for some Rocky Mountain skiing. As predicted by anyone who knows about skiing in America, it has ruined us for skiing in the East. I'm not saying we won't ski in the East ever again -- Ben would be heartbroken, for one thing. I'm just saying that we will make a huge deal about how much awesomer it was to ski in Colorado.

Here's a picture of Bridget just being mellow:

O HAI -- I'M ON YR MOUNTAIN, SKIING YR SLOPES

In case you couldn't tell, she is standing on top of a mountain. At 11,000 feet or so. Where is the whipping wind? Where is the arctic gear just barely protecting her from lethal frostbite? Where is that look of abject misery that seizes Bridget when a light breeze brushes her exposed flesh on, say, a beach? Nowhere to be found. It was just balmy up there. Here's a poor attempt to include the view in a portrait:

Some of you might be surprised to hear that I chose to ski without direct Heersink-applied duress. But it's true. After December's rainy letdown in Franconia, NH, I actually found myself wanting to try skiing again before the spring made it impossible. There was another reason, too....

Oh, yeah! I remember now -- it's going to be a lot harder to dash off to the slopes for a carefree ski getaway for two once a baby arrives. So this is probably our last vacation as an unaccompanied couple for, I dunno, let's say 15 years or so. SO WE SKIIED OUR FACES OFF. It turns out I am getting much better. I didn't fall down at all, not even once, over the two days in Telluride, and we were not just on the bunny hill, thanks. Ask Bridget.

Sue and Debby Come to Visit
Okay, so we got back to Sedona just in time for Sue and Debby (Bridget's mom and aunt, respectively) to come for a few days of horseback riding, hiking, and Red Rock adventure!

Then this happened:

Cathedral Rock

Backyard

Back patio

It's rare for snow to stick overnight in Sedona, but it did. Horseback riding was out. So the ladies set to work on the nursery:

And although it's hard to fit the whole thing in a picture, I assure you that it is an adorable, gender-inspecific nest for a tiny baberton.

THEN WE SKIIED SOME MORE!!!!!!!!!

That's Debbie, Bridget and Sue at the Arizona Snowbowl in nearby Flagstaff, a miniscule ski area that got 56" of snow over the three days before we went there. It was also twofer Tuesday at the already affordable locale, so everyone and their mom (and aunt?) decided to hit the slopes with us. Which wasn't great, considering there was one lift worth using. But just in case you thought you could get smug about it, ("That doesn't sound so great!"), get this: the cost for a lift ticket PLUS ski and boot rental was only $60/person.

AND WE SNUCK IN A FETUS FOR FREE.

Anyway, that's probably enough for today, but here's Bridget, her belly, and the dog on the back patio, a sunny 70° today:

24 weeks, 4 days

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Week 20 Sonogram

Yesterday we visited Dr. Rolle in Cottonwood for our latest sonogram. He said everything looks "great, perfect, fine!" I only realized when he said it that other outcomes were possible. Here's the best profile view we got:

"Big Nose"

...in which the kid's nose looks big.

We said "what a big nose."

Dr. Rolle said "But look at the lips, the chin, we wanna see that -- no sign of a cleft palate," pointing with the tip of his pen as he spoke, "and everything looks really great."

Bridget looked at me appraisingly. "Is that from your side of the family?"

"It's not my nose..." I protested.

"No, you have a great nose."

Dr. Rolle pointed to another printout saying "Look! Here you can see the eyes, there's a perfect lens!"

"It's the Terminator!" I cried, spying the targeting device in the flayed cyborg's eye socket. I ducked and rolled behind the receptionist's desk. The receptionist squawked and threw a bunch of papers in the air as I pulled her out of range of the robot assassin's deadly lasers.

"You sure you don't want to know the sex?" Dr Rolle asked.

"No thanks," we replied. "It's enough to know we're having a robotic Jimmy Durante."

* * *
Seriously though. They couldn't tell the sex because the position of the fetus didn't offer a good view of the relevant area. We're going back in 4 weeks so the doctor can "feel [Bridget's] belly," but there won't be a sonogram until week 36.

Dr Rolle loves to give cryptic advice. Two examples from yesterday's session:

Food
BRIDGET: So can I ask about food and weight?
DR ROLLE: (Reassuringly) Eat whatever you want.
BRIDGET: (Reassured) Oh, good.
DR ROLLE: Just watch the carbs, and the sugars.

Baths
JEREMY: And what about baths?
DR ROLLE: (Reassuringly) Enjoy! Seriously.
BRIDGET: (Reassured) Oh, wow, great! I keep worrying that I'm gonna cook the baby.
DR ROLLE: Just don't take 105° baths, you know. Keep it around 100°
BRIDGET: (stunned into silence)
DR ROLLE: And don't soak for a long time.


* * *
And now a belly picture:

20w1d

Kicks?

So, I've had a lot of gas lately, but in the last couple of days it's been feeling weirder than usual, like watery bubbles that don't actually go anywhere- they just sort of blurp around very low in my abdomen. I asked my sister about it today and she confirmed my suspicions that it's probably a baby swimming around in there, which is nice because up until now I've mostly just been feeling like a slightly fatter, tireder version of myself. It's good to feel like there's actually a person brewing in there, and reminds me we should get a baby book! I guess this blog will do for the time being.