A few days after that, Paul and I went for our second (and probably last) ultrasound. Traffic was bad so we were about 15 minutes late. Not such a big deal but it meant that I didn't see our usual technician. I can't recall her name but she was a little more personable than our last. We chatted for a while during the scan and it made the time pass a little faster which was good because this was the big anatomy ultrasound and it took about 45 minutes before Paul could come in. We had a good look at our lil' bean and saw him/her put a had to his/her mouth. We saw a kick, the heartbeat and of course a tiny foot. But, dun...dun...dun, the gender is still unknown. At least for me it is. That's right. Paul had the technician write down the gender and he alone knows if we're having a boy or girl. I thought it would eat me alive but it hasn't been that bad. The only thing I've really been concerned about is having a healthy baby and being prepared for a not so short labour. We'll see how long I hold out ;)
The first piece of big news at 22 weeks is that Pauly finally got his first tooth. One on the bottom of course. It's weird though. I've spent 11 months seeing a gummy smile and now that this tiny tooth is emerging my little man doesn't look like himself. I'm sure I'll get over it soon. Maybe it's just the realization that he's growing up.
I also had a midwife appointment which went well. All results were normal and the lil' bean's heartbeat was music to my ears. My mother-in-law came with me since Paul couldn't make it so I was able to bring Pauly with us. Basak, the midwife who delivered Pauly finally got to see him again. I had stopped by a few times with him but she was never in the office. Everyone was smitten with him.
One thing that has been a constant pain is my mom's gallstone. It was discovered a couple of months ago and she had it removed recently. Unlike kidney stones, a gallstone must be removed by surgically removing the entire gallbladder. It wasn't a very complicated surgery and took all of 20 minutes to do. The hardest part was the recovery. Four incisions around the abdomen made my mom mostly dependent on help for a few days. She was alright when it came to walking but sitting, getting up or any kind of twisting would cause intense pain. So for the first four days of her recovery my sister and I took turns spending the night. And we were usually both there during the day. I'm glad to report that my mom is doing much better. And although she still needs to be careful about how much weight she lifts and how she turns her body, she is healing up nicely.
In the process of being at my mom's, my sister and I came to realize that she's got a lot of junk collected in her basement. It's mostly just things that once had purpose but have now been replaced for various reasons. Or that my sis and I stored while we were living there and never took with us when we moved. While in the process of sorting, repurposing, and donating, I inherited 3 planters. They're the big clay ones and I can't wait to fill them with flowers. If the rain holds out I might be doing that this weekend.
As for the lil' bean, at 23 weeks he/she is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. About the size of a large mango. His/her sense of movement is well developed and can feel you dance and sway. Blood vessels in the lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the ears are picking up on noises from the outside world. Things like the dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner become so familiar now they probably won't faze him/her when they hear them outside the womb.
thanks! I enjoy writing it.
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