A couple things we learned at our doctor’s appointment today:
1. I have gained 15 pounds so far. I am now heavier than I have ever been in my life. Kind of neat, actually.
and oh yeah,
2. WE’RE HAVING A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
Archive
All is well here at the Corbell house. Since I have been rather lax at the updates the past couple weeks, here are some highlights:
- Baby Corbell is awesome. I have taken to calling him/her “Thumper” because the movements are no longer mere taps or flutters. This kid is thumpin’ and bumpin’ and kicking my butt from the inside out. We have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. I’ll post pictures.
- Made our first trip to Babies R Us this past weekend to buy a crib mattress. While we were there we took our first look at car seats and strollers and my head exploded.
- Not sleeping well. The hormones and back pain are the main reasons for my insomnia, but the future of our country being decided in eight short weeks has something to do with it as well.
- Totally obsessed with Election ‘08. I vacillate wildly between totally confident and absolutely scared shitless. The past two weeks have been much more on the “scared shitless” end of the spectrum. I spend most of my day online reading political blogs and praying to the God I don’t believe in to please just make John McCain and Sarah Palin go away.
- On Friday we are taking our beloved cats Jethro and Millie to their new home. I haven’t really written about this, mainly because I didn’t really want to talk about it much (made me too sad) but we came to the conclusion several months ago that Hawk’s allergies make it impossible for us to keep them any longer. Luckily, our wonderful friends Tammy and Aaron are welcoming them into their home. I am heartbroken to see them go, but this is the best possible outcome, since we know they will be so well loved and cared for, plus we can still visit them and Tammy will give me updates all the time.
I took this picture last evening of some tuberoses I bought at Ralphs. I happened to look over at the table where they were sitting and this ray of light from the setting sun was coming in through our back door, through the kitchen and onto the flowers. Gorgeous.
And then I took this picture of Millie:
To answer your question, no, before taking this picture I did not know that I own a demon cat.
Over the moon!
Had our structural ultrasound yesterday with a perinatologist and she says everything looks beautiful and perfect. We saw our baby’s little face and his/her mouth open and oh so much wiggling! Here is a video!
In other news, I am finally excited about this election, folks. After getting my heart trampled and spit on in 2004, I wasn’t letting myself get too invested in politics this year, but now I can’t help but feel hopeful. After the past four nights watching the Democratic Convention, I am finally excited to cast my vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden (who has been my boyfriend for some time now - I *heart* him). That was some speech Obama gave tonight - if you didn’t watch it, please take a few minutes (ok, forty-five) and hear what he had to say.
Eighteen weeks!
Check out that bell-ay. I am amazed every day at the rate in which my stomach is expanding. It’s a little freaky and I’ve started to get a wee bit concerned about stretch marks. I’ve been slathering myself with a yummy rich body cream from Origins, but does anyone have any other suggestions?
I’ve also started feeling the baby moving around. It’s totally wild. I can feel it best when I’m laying flat on my back. At first it just kind of feels like a weird pressure buildup in one area of my abdomen, below my belly button. But when I have my hand on my belly and he/she really gets going, I can actually feel the shifts and the rolls and the occasional distinct “bumps” from a hard kick. Last night I swear this kid was doing somersaults in there. Hawk was joking that the baby must be a girl because nearly every time I call him over to feel the kicks, he can’t feel it. He says, “She’s already defying her father. This does not bode well.” He did feel it last night though. Maybe it’s a boy 
Feeling my baby move has brought with it a whole new sense of reality. For four months I’ve thought, “Yep, I’m pregnant,” with not much to show for it other than a bloated-looking belly and a craving for Nachos Bell Grande. It’s almost been an abstract thought with ultrasound pictures to back it up every few weeks. But the first time I felt the baby move it was like, “Oh! You ARE in there!” There is a totally separate being living in my belly. Holy. Crap.
The movements also have given me more of a chance to feel connected to our little one. I love laying there, with my hand on my belly, quietly waiting to feel something. For a long time I feel the usual stomach gurgling, gas bubbles and then when I’m about to give up…*tap*. I smile and say, “Hi, sweetheart”. In these moments I am filled with such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I am so blessed, for so many reasons. I am blessed with the chance to be pregnant, to feel this life growing inside me, to nurture it as best I can (I promise there is much more to my diet these days than the aforementioned Nachos). And I see it as a blessing that surviving the pain of two miscarriages has allowed me to feel this gratitude all the more deeply. Would it have been so present if I hadn’t had those losses? I’m sure it would have to some degree, but I don’t know if it would be as intense.
