Objects in mirror may appear larger than they are.
Wait. That’s not how it goes.
Anyway. That’s “Baby Toopis”* and me at 18 weeks. That was a couple of weeks ago, but I’ll try to recount some of the highlights of weeks 0-18 that I can remember. Well…maybe just weeks 5-18, come to think of it. You don’t need ALL the gory details (“EEEEEeeewwww,” says OtherFavoriteSara).
*My BFF came up with this name, a mashup of our last names, when I was pregnant for the first time in 2011. That one ended in a miscarriage at 7 weeks, so this bambino took over the name.
Week 5 (Part 1): We’re on vacation in St. Maartin and Aunt Flo is running late. How odd. But, whatever, we’re infertile! We have frozen embryos (the kidcicles) safely awaiting us back home. Yes, I’ll have another frozen fruity drink thankyouverymuch.
Week 5 (Part 2): WTF? So, this is what they mean by non-zero probability. Told T, who was surprised and cautiously psyched, on the Old Fort overlook between Big Bay and Little Bay. Told Mom and Sister in the pool during B-I-N-G-O. T told Dad at dinner (Dad having slept through Bingo). We return home with an island themed onesie and cautious optimism.
Week 6: First ultrasound. There’s a fuzzy blob, but it doesn’t have a heart beat as would be expected for week 6. “I’m 95% sure that this won’t work out,” says Dr. G, “But, come back next week just to be sure.” We are devastated for 2 days and then resolve to make the most of this new-found opportunity to plan ahead and book a vacation to Mexico for January because we know we’ll be free then. I go on a work trip to West-bygawd-Virginia.
Week 7: Second ultrasound just to be sure that the fuzzy blob really isn’t going to work out. This time, heartbeat! WTF?!? “Guess you are a bad counter,” says Dr. G. There is much crying and hugging and joy. Could we really have done this? All by ourselves?
Week 10 (we’re on real time now): Final ultrasound with Dr. G and team. Baby Toopis is right on track, having grown the expected amount for the time lapsed. There is more crying because we are “graduating” to a regular doctor and I’ll miss Dr. G and team so very much. We go home with a sense of hope as jet unknown.
Weeks 10-12: Wake, eat, work, nap, eat, sleep…repeat. Not much going on. I felt good, not sick at all (its okay to hate me). Just tired. Having entered “the safe zone,” we offer our Mexico vacation to Auntie K, who, of course, accepts.
Week 13: Ten of T’s clan come to visit and its utter (controlled) CHAOS! T breaks the news the first morning everyone is around, while we’re all sitting on the porch. Grandbaby #12 is on its way! I’m asked to nap, rest, sit, relax about a million times but stubbornly refuse because A) I’m not tired and B) I can be difficult like that. We have a lovely time, start making plans for Toopis’ room, and having all sorts of crazy adventures in and around our town.
Weeks 13-17: Toopis and I hit 3 different states (most of them hot and humid) for work trips. I learn the “elastic band” trick to keep my pants “buttoned.” I inherit bags of maternity clothes from the BFF and Cousin C and am grateful, although frightened because some of them are rather large and these ladies are normally my size–what have I signed up for?!? My garden comes to life and gives me two 4+ pound zucchini which I grate and freeze–I’ll bake zucchini bread on maternity leave! Yeah, right.
Week 18: OtherFavoriteSara finds a fantastic “headless” way to document the growing bump (which is mostly, at this point pictured above, INTESTINES. Yes, people, that’s gross and not cute as a “baby bump” at all. And, yes, I do like to mention it to people when they comment on my “cute” bump. “It’s mostly intestines,” I say, smiling sweetly.). We snap pictures on the back porch and I wait weeks to show them to you. Oh, and Toopis, who has heretofore been a “shark-baby” with only cartilage for an internal skeletal structure, apparently starts to ossify (cartilage–>bone) and I am definitively kicked several times one night while watching the news. Its creepy and lovely all at the same time.
