Geek Habitat

Checkup this morning went well. Baby’s heartbeat sounds terrific and is still around 160bpm. Mom’s (my) blood pressure was a little elevated this morning, but I confessed it’s probably because I drove myself to the appointment vs. the past couple that Justin’s driven to. Driving a brand new car in fog in the tail end of rush hour does that to me, I guess. I’ve gained three pounds in four weeks since my first appointment (August 19, 2006) which is within expectations. I thought I’d gained more, but despite all the vacation eating, I also burned a lot of calories hiking 17 miles in Rocky Mountain National Park and on my feet for hours at the Valero MS 150 finish line. Seems it all evens out just fine! My belly’s firmer and baby will “pop” pretty obviously between now and my next OB checkup I bet. The right shirts already make it pretty clear there’s a “Baby on Board” anyway.

We scheduled our “big ultrasound” — the one where we’ll find out if Sprout’s a wee boy or a wee girl — for two weeks from today: October 26 at 10 AM. I’ll be 17 weeks and 5 days. Two weeks after that, I see my OB again for my 19-20 week checkup. It’s hard to believe I’ll be roughly halfway through this pregnancy by then! Folks on my “birth board” at BabyCenter.com are right, pregnancy just flies by in some ways (and drags on in others).

I continue to feel very good and be blessed with a bare minimum of Mommy maladies. I’m still useless after about 9 PM though I don’t actually fall asleep until closer to my pre-pregnancy bedtime of 11 PM or so.

I’m looking forward to Joey’s (et. al) birthday party tomorrow evening and the Siesta Valley Ranch Walk with Justin’s family, including Jason, Karen & crew from Dallas on Saturday; the walk has become a family tradition and it’ll be fun knowing Sprout’s along for the ride this year! I even ordered an XL t-shirt so I can wear it throughout the pregnancy.

Hope everyone is well and happy.

Remember, if you’re taking any bets on whether we’re having a baby boy or a baby girl, place your bets before October 26th! (I have a bet of my own, which I’m keeping to myself (I think it’s going to be a boy), but I’m keen on either.)

P.S. I found out today that my OB has over thirty other pregnant women who are also due in April 2007! We laughed and mutually wondered what in the world was happening in June/July of this year to inspire such a population boom! I certainly can’t point to anything that inspired us to “choose” that particular month, but it is interesting how population levels fluctuate so wildly. In a “normal” month, my OB will deliver between 10 and 12 babies, so we’re talking three times the number of births in April ’07! The good news is I’m due April 1, 2007 so either I’ll be delivering the first week or so of April or in late March.