20 Weeks - You're Still Growing, You're Still Glowing...

First off, let me just say that it is darned hard to take a picture of a glossy photo without the new picture coming out looking all hazy and warped and horrendous. If you cannot even tell that the below pictures are of a baby, I apologize. I did my best, I swear. And if you see an adult arm, head, or other body part looming in the background, do not be afraid for my uterus. That is merely my reflection in said original glossy photo.

Yesterday was Orange Seed's official 20 Week check-up, although I'm technically closer to a full 21 weeks at this point. The official appointment was way better than the ER appointment though, for a number of reasons. First off, I really love the ultrasound technician at our doctor's office. She is friendly, hilarious, and always willing to slow down to explain exactly what you're looking at and what it means. That was especially important this time when the baby's skeleton was suddenly visible, a glowing line of ridges that looked a lot like the aliens from The Abyss. (If you get that reference, bonus points for you) When one's baby has suddenly grown a luminescent map beneath its skin, one tends to want an explanation. Second of all, the ultrasound at the doctor's office goes a lot slower, so you get the full explanation of "This is the baby's brain. These are its kidneys. These are the baby's femurs and these are the baby's butt cheeks. Look at those cute little butt cheeks!" Gotta love it. We even got confirmation that Orange Seed is indeed a girl. The picture was pretty clear, although it didn't make it into the set of print outs. I guess the tech wanted to save Orange Seed the embarrassment of having us break that one out in front of her boyfriend sometime 15-16 years down the road.

At any rate, the important news is that all is well and Orange Seed is growing exactly as she should be. She weighs 11oz now, so she should be hitting the 1lb mark soon. Holy reality! She's also getting very long - about the length of a large banana. And I finally know where she is! The tech was nice enough to point out that she is lying diagonally across my abdomen, head near my right ribs and legs near the lower left side of my abs. She was also nice enough to point out that if I feel "kicking" high on my left side, that is actually my bowel and not the baby.

...

Some things you just do not need to know.

In this one, 20 Week Orange Seed looks not too different from 12 Week Orange Seed. Same little round belly, same curled up legs and arms. One would think, "Oh, she hasn't changed at all."

In this one, I think you start to see the differences. You can just make out that glowing skeleton I was talking about and you can see how her arms have gotten longer and thinner and her little fingers are starting to grasp about for something to hold.

Speaking of something to hold...the Ultrasound technician was pretty proud of this one. Orange Seed has apparently discovered that she has two hands and *GASP* they can GRAB EACH OTHER. Oh the miracle! The happiness! We watched her do this over and over again, like every time was a new revelation.

And lastly, I know I'm biased, but tell me this kid does not have a cute profile, even in the womb. I didn't expect to think my baby was cute before she had actually emerged into the world, but after this picture...I'm sold.