Ultrasound Pics: IT'S A ...

... SURPRISE! Haha. Sorry, but I couldn't resist. We did get to see our little one on the big screen today, but we're keeping the results a secret until we can share them with my family in-person when they come down to visit for Thanksgiving next week. And just in case you're thinking of ways to bribe me or Jon into telling you, don't bother. We don't know either! That's right. #2's identity is sealed up in an envelope, awaiting the next step in a little plan that the folks over at HANcakes and I have been "baking" up. :) Haha, I keep snickering while I type this. Too much fun!!
I know you're all dying with anticipation, but imagine how I feel!! And trust me, we have something up our sleeve for next week that is way more fun than typing IT'S A ____ on the blog. We gotta keep things interesting around here. So, while you're all waiting over the next 6 days, here are some images of our beautiful/handsome (one or the other!) baby:

We opted to send Jack to the sitter's since we didn't know how long the entire appointment would be and we didn't think he'd sit still through any of it anyway. So today was one of those rare occasions where Jon and I were out by ourselves. Kinda like a date without the fancy dinner. Although we did grab a drink and candy bar at the end.

They ask you to drink two glasses of water before your appointment so your bladder is good and full, and pushing up on your uterus. So I filled my water bottle and started guzzling on the road. I must have been very thirsty because I drank all 32 oz. before we were even halfway there. ...And then we hit traffic. Two lines of cars were literally stopped for several miles on the highway. I'm presuming because there was an accident in the tunnel. Thankfully, my husband is not only an expert navigator of the seas, but also of the roadways, and he quickly had us re-routed in another direction. (I really hope he's around when I go into labor, I don't think I could make that drive on my own!). By this point my bladder is definitely ultrasound worthy. We finally made it to the hospital only to have to sit in another line for ID checks. I was literally dancing in my seat. "Hello security police! Pregnant woman with a full bladder coming through!" They have stork parking there, maybe they should consider a "stork lane." We made it to the parking garage, where there were no spots readily available. I actually saw one, but Jon didn't and by the time he did it was too late. I was trying not to be mean but really men, you have no idea. Well anyway, we made it incident-free. I knew there was no way I could last through the entire appointment so I caved and used the restroom. Then felt extremely guilty that my bladder was not going to be full as the receptionist had instructed. Then again, the tech didn't say anything about it so perhaps it's not as big a deal as they make it out to be.
Our tech this time was much more friendly than the last one. That may have something to do with the fact that our appointment was at 1pm instead of 6:30am. But I don't think she had the same skills. I was a little disappointed with images and prints. I hope it wasn't because I didn' follow their instructions right because then I would feel really bad. She went so fast that the shots didn't turn out very clear. But baby looks good! He/she is lying transverse with the head on my left and the butt on my right. Baby was moving around a lot and I could feel a few kicks. With Jack I remember getting extremely frustrated that I could see him moving but not feel it. This time around I've felt baby's movement a little bit earlier.
I wasn't surprised to hear that baby is measuring almost a week behind my gestational age. I am CONVINCED I'm due the week after April 14. The tech said they won't change my due date based on a few days difference, but I'm going to try to talk to my doctor anyway. If nothing else, I simply am not planning to have this baby until later in April, and then I won't be disappointed either way. But maybe I should keep telling Jon I think it will arrive earlier so that he actually has his school assignments done for that week (unlike last time).
And so, baby weighs around 8 oz. and has a heart rate of 155. Which is what it has been at the last two appointments. What a consistent little guy/gal!! The tech was very cooperative, and turnded the screen for the "between the legs check." She seemed to have a hard time getting baby to turn the right away, and I'm not convinced she got a good view. But she said she had no doubts about baby's gender. She typed it out, took a picture and put it in an envelope which is currently burning a hole in my table. If everything works out as planned, it's going to be a fun surprise, and I don't want to ruin it. We should be able to break the news by Wednesday. So be patient with us folks. If I can do it, you can too!