Doctor visit!

I'm sure you'd all marked your calendars with the date of my latest ultrasound (today), and you'll all be thrilled to know that all is well inside Mommy's tummy! Here's how the visit went:

I was nervous about this appointment, but this time more from the fact that I'd be bringing my 2-year-old than actual concern about the baby. Call it mother's intuition, but I was pretty sure the little one would be fine.

Things were much more up in the air with the 2-year-old. Last week I gave her the choice of coming with Mommy to the doctor and waiting patiently with me, or staying with one of her little friends and his/her mommy (I named a few so she go the idea). Kalina's response was to cower close to me and gently stroke my arm. Point taken.

So this morning, we role-played being in a dark ultrasound room, discussed her options for either playing on a chair or holding Mommy's hand and the fact that I still might be able to line up babysitting for her. No takers--Kalina happily role-played along as we talked about the baby in Mommy's tummy.

Fortunately, I knew that if anyone could handle this, she could. During naptime, I packed up some favorite books and toys she hadn't played with in a while, and put together three surefire snacks (I figured we could share). I was prepared as I was ever going to be.

The ultrasound began right on time. The ultrasonographer, who we love, kindly pulled a chair up right next to the exam table so that Kalina could sit on it and hold my hand. And then we got started! Here's what we learned:

Little Sister is head-down (yay!), with her face smashed up against me a little so we couldn't really get a good picture. Her heart looked and sounded perfect. She was sitting cross-legged (except I guess she wasn't so much sitting as she was balancing on her head, but you get the idea), and we could see a little foot and a little hand. And she's still a girl!

The ultrasound was scheduled to check her size, and we learned that she's approximately 3 lbs. right now, and in the 30th percentile. Looking back at Kalina's late ultrasound, the calculations were definitely off (at 37 weeks she was estimated at being about 6 1/2 lbs., whereas 15 days later, when she was born, she was 6 lbs. 1 oz.), so I think all we really know is that Little Sister is, in fact, little. No big surprise.

What's more, I have plenty of amniotic fluid: good. Not only is this healthy for the baby, but it will cushion her well against her older sister who is still occasionally known to climb on Mommy despite Mommy's best efforts.

We all came out of the ultrasound in good spirits, as I was grateful for another look at my healthy baby, and Kalina, who did remarkably well, was just glad to be out of there. The baby, having been awoken briefly by the ultrasonographer's poking and prodding, settled back to sleep. Role-playing worked like a charm, by the way--as soon as I was on the table, Kalina looked for my hand to hold and played her part marvelously well.

And then we waited for the next doctor for my regular appointment. For about an hour. In a very small, not enclosed, waiting room. You'd think that after an hour of waiting, a toddler would be at her wit's end--but not Kalina! Granted, we had some pretty cool books and toys to look at, but I couldn't help but shine with pride at how contentedly she sat in her chair, and how she knew almost every single animal in our zoo book. I think the nurse who was working in the area was pretty impressed, too.

Once we were actually in the exam room, Kalina developed enough of a comfort level that she was ready to explore, but fortunately we still had enough toys that I could keep her sequestered in the one safe corner. We also pulled out a special snack: cheese cubes. What a treat!

The doctor finally came in, and said that everything looks fine. It was a short appointment, for all that waiting. I don't have gestational diabetes, my weight gain is still on track (4 lbs. this time, but I think part of it was because I was there in the late afternoon, plus I've actually been trying to eat a bit more, just in case).

I did have one question: I wake up achy in the middle of the night and it keeps me awake. Not cool. Can I please, please take Tylenol often-ish? To get an occasional decent night of sleep?

No dice. However, the alternative is equally appealing--I should be getting more backrubs from my hubby, and taking hot baths. I asked if he could write that out as a prescription. He chose not to take me seriously (I'll request a female doctor next time).

And then, we were out the door, with Kalina chanting "All done, doctor!" on the way out. We scheduled my next appointment, and Kalina was given a cupcake sticker by the nice receptionist. It took her a good long minute to choose the pink cupcake over green or brown, and by the time we were in the car, she'd stuck it to me (as she does with most stickers). She certainly earned that sticker, having held up her end of the bargain to "wait patiently" amazingly well.

I doubt I'll get another ultrasound, and this one didn't produce a good picture (Matt compared the image to a dinosaur), so we'll likely have to wait to meet her in person before we can figure out just how cute her little smashed button nose is. No problem--Little Sister is healthy, so I'm happy!