We had our first ultrasound this morning – what they call a “dating ultrasound”, to confirm the age of the baby.  And yes, there is only one baby in there!

I’m officially at 15 weeks and 1 day, which means my new due date is December 1st.  During our ultrasound, we could see the baby’s little heart beating away and we saw him/her wave his/her arms and kick his/her legs.  I can’t feel any of the movement yet, but it was so neat to see it all.

T was a little panicked because he had trouble finding parking and I was already in the examination room by the time he arrived at the clinic.  Thankfully, the technician had to do her thing first before allowing the both of us to see it.  So in the end, we both got to see the first glimpses of our baby.

I wrote a prayer this morning for all pregnant ladies going in for ultrasounds:
Lord, grant me a full enough bladder for this ultrasound,
And let me not pee my pants.
Amen.

Since making it public, our inboxes and T’s facebook page have been buzzing with activity.  The #1 response has been “Congratulations!”

I commented to a friend the other day that it felt a little puzzling to me to be congratulated for getting pregnant.  It felt somewhat akin to being congratulated for winning the lottery.  After all, I didn’t actually make the baby’s life begin – I only helped provide a suitable environment for it to happen.  And I don’t have any control over how well the baby grows either.  My friend responded by saying that I welcomed this new life, and that was worth congratulating me for.

I’ve been reflecting a bit on the irreversibility of it all.  I had prayed for this pregnancy, but now that it has happened, I sometimes feel alarmed about what I’ve really asked for!  It’s unlike any other decision I’ve made in life because carrying this baby has meant that I have had to change already and there’s no undoing it.  And this new person will impact me more than I can ever guess.   It’s sobering to realize that my life is forever changed by the answering of this one prayer.

Last weekend T and I watched the musical, “Wicked,” and this one song has been with us all week.  It’s called “For Good” and it speaks to many different relationships in our lives.  But as I think about the lyrics, there are certainly parts that express how I feel about this lemon-sized little life within me.  I hope you enjoy the song as much as we do:

This week, we’re going public!  By the end of this week, the world will know of CHANnel 3’s existence.  We’re excited about that.

Last night, I wore this t-shirt to our small group. 

After watching the Canuck’s game together, we took some group photos and T said, “Olive wants to show you her new t-shirt!”  Watching their faces as they realized we were going to have a baby was priceless!

As I looked around the room afterward, I was overwhelmed by the thought that our little person will enter the world already with so many people who love him/her.  We pray that this child will always know just how loved he/she is.  We are blessed, indeed.

Last week, we began telling individual friends about our exciting news.  On Saturday evening, I had a graduation dinner with my classmates and professors.  After I told them I was pregnant, my professor quietly commented to me that she suspected it when she saw me walk into the room.  I feel like all of a sudden over the past week, my belly has a pooch.  I’m very glad that by the end of this week, the news will be public and I won’t have to hide my growing belly anymore. 

I have to admit though, having been stick thin for most of my life, seeing my tummy protrude more and more is taking some adjustment.  It’s hard not to think I’m getting fat.  I do have a couple sources of comfort though:  T says he loves my belly; and ultimately, God is watching over how I grow – and God makes beautiful things.

In the last week, the reality that I am going to be a parent has slowly hit home on several occasions.  Last week, I had to sign some medical paperwork and as my doctor handed me the sheet and pointed to the dotted line, I was shocked to see the words, “Mother’s signature” next to the line.  I stared at it for a few seconds before signing my name.  I’m still in shock that I signed it! 

This morning, I met my OB (baby doctor) for the first time.  She used a handy little device called a Dopplar to locate our baby’s heartbeat.  T was there in the room with me when we heard the rapid fire “thump thump thump thump thump.”  It brought a huge smile to both our faces.

This afternoon, my mother-in-law took me maternity clothes shopping.  We discovered the hard way that all of the department stores at the mall no longer carry maternity clothes.  This is partly because most shirts these days are loose enough and long enough to be used as maternity clothes.  The unfortunate part is that they don’t carry pants or underwear suitable for growing bellies.  In the end, we went to the one and only “maternity” clothing store at the mall.  After picking out several items, I went to the dressing rooms to try them on.  As I tried one item, my mom-in-law would browse the store and come back with another item or two.  I felt like I tried on at least a quarter of the store!  Oh, and they had this pillow thing that I could attach to my torso to simulate what I might look like four months from now.  I put it on under several outfits.  We giggled every time I came out of the dressing room with the insta-belly.  In the end, I got a couple dresses (perfect for summer!), a pair of capri pants and a top – all as a gift from my in-laws.  (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)  I am super-excited about wearing these clothes, not only because they’re incredibly comfortable, they also let people know that I’m pregnant.  =D

T has quickly discovered that one of the quirks of having a pregnant wife is that I will be absolutely crazy about a certain food one day and completely abhor it the next (and by next, I mean day – or hour – or minute).  So he gave me a piece of sound advice to keep in mind every time I go out for groceries:  Don’t buy anything in bulk!  Let me tell you, I have been terribly tempted at times to buy lots of whatever it is I’m craving at the moment.  But I’ve learned to listen to the voice of reason – and these days it sounds very much like the voice of my husband.  And I’m super glad.  Because otherwise, I’d probably be stuck with lots of Triscuits, cucumbers, hummus, cranberry juice, goat mozzarella and other things I don’t even remember liking anymore.  And I’d have a fridge full of half-eaten meals.  Oh wait, our fridge IS full of half-eaten meals. 

On another note, I realized I often gag when I brush my teeth these days.  I’m wondering if it’s the minty toothpaste.  So I’m trying kids “fruit flavoured” toothpaste for now.  It tastes more like bubble gum but I figure if it’ll help me actually get a decent teeth-brushing instead of a race-against-the-gag kind of teeth-brushing, it’ll be worth it.  And if the taste doesn’t help, maybe all the Toy Story characters on the toothpaste tube will distract me enough.  ;)