IT'S A BOY!!
James Lucca Hopkins
I knew all along, but I was still really excited to hear it and cried in the ultrasound chair. I could see the penis a mile away before she even pointed it out. It was just a normal 2D ultrasound, but it was really high res on the big screen and we could see every little detail of his anatomy inside. The technician pointed out all his little parts and organs, the umbilical cord, the placenta, my ovaries, my cervix (which is curved!), his little feet (they are big like his daddy's feet).... he is head down already and he's facing my back (I pictured him transverse for some reason), and the placenta is not covering my cervix. I think his face has a good shape for being an Allegretti face (those Italian genes are strong!) but he looks long and proportioned like Ash. They said either I'm a week farther along than I think I am, or he is a bigger baby. There is a New Moon on August 29th, so I'm liking the chances of the birth happening around that day.
The trip to UNC hospital was so... interesting. We showed up and were immediately overwhelmed by the size of the place and the hustle and bustle. There was a large open entrance with an escalator- it felt like a shopping mall. The women's hospital is right next door to the children's hospital, so there were sick, sad-looking kids everywhere. The place was really hot, which is weird because I thought hospitals were supposed to be cold. There was a woman crying in the ultrasound waiting room, and another woman came out of a room crying as we went in. Needless to say, it sort of put a damper on our spirits since we were there under such happy pretenses (and BOY ARE WE GLAD we chose to do a home birth). Our friends Lauren and Carter had their ultrasound technician write down the gender on a card and they read it later when they were alone, and now I really understand why that might have been a great idea!! I'm also really glad we found out the gender, I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and I can start really mentally prepping for the reality of parenthood.
If the ultrasound is right, then I will be 5 MONTHS PREGNANT next week. I didn't know time could move so quickly. I really don't look 5 months, and I still only weigh about 133-135ish. I still haven't found the time to go to a prenatal yoga class even once!!! I finally have some time tomorrow, I just have to drag my ass out there (everything is 30 minutes away from here).
After the ultrasound we went to the chiropractor who owed us some sessions after we played music at his party for him. He gave me my first ever adjustment! It hurt a little bit, so he just did a couple vertebrae in my neck and a couple in my back, and will do the rest next time. My whole body felt flooded with giddiness after the pops. I got a massage afterward too. Apparently my sacrum is tilted, which makes my right hip a whole inch higher than my left hip (which makes my left shoulder higher than my right shoulder). My posture is pretty good now (I need to lift my collar bone a bit more), but I slouched so much as a teenager that I almost have no lower back curve. The car accident I was in when I was 17 actually did more of a number on my neck than I thought, and all that violin playing as a teen did about as much damage as I thought it did. I don't know why I haven't gone to a chiropractor before!
I finished making that all-in-one cloth diaper. It looks really cute (for something sewn so poorly, haha), but I can't decide if I want to bother making more until I know how many I will be getting at my baby shower, or if the pattern/material is even any good and holds up in the wash. I think I will make some other projects for a while and come back to it if I want to. I bought some really nice wool felt, it's maybe 70% wool which is the highest percentage I have found so far. I want to make some little felt things, like animals and mushrooms and other pretty things that can be mobiles now and toys later.
My mom brings home random baby stuff sometimes. She got me some wipes (disposable... even my own mom has trouble listening sometimes!), some baby powder (does anyone use baby powder these days?), and some diaper rash ointment (I have no idea if it is compatible with cloth diapers though). Hopefully my pottying baby will never need the diaper rash cream, but it's good to have some on hand. She also got a pretty cool baby food musher. You just put whatever you are having for dinner into it, and instant baby food!
My parents implemented mine and Ash's idea of hiding all the dishes in the house except for one per person (so one bowl, one plate, and one cup each). So far it has helped IMMENSELY with cutting down on the kitchen mess. This is essential since my mom is going back to work and therefore the kitchen fairy has retired.
EDIT: Just looked up the Avalon Organics Baby products on consumerdatabase.com, and they got rated a 4 (moderate hazard) because it contains an ingredient that is an 8 (high hazard). SO I guess I won't be using those.
