the ocean or outerspace

yesterday morning will officially go down as one of my favorite moments of life!

We got to hear our sweet little baby's heart beat.

It was our first time meeting our doctor (i'm not using my regular doctor, she is scaling back from obstetrics). I am thankful to have the same doctor that delivered Roger. Leah recommended her, and I am really enjoying her so far. She is friendly and makes me feel comfortable. So, since it was our first time meeting her, I wasn't sure if she was the kind of doctor that takes her patients on time, nor was I 100% sure where her office was (ok, I was 98% sure.. but that's not 100%). So thankfully Michael just went along with my silly request to leave super early (what if it's not in the building I thought it was? What if we can't find parking? what if she takes her patients early? What if I have to fill out all kinds of paper work? etc.. slightly irrational, yes i realize that.)

In the end, we were there at 9:30 for a 10am appointment. And she was running behind, so we only saw her at 10:30. Since Michael spent a lot of his younger life in hospitals and around doctors (his brother had cancer) he is not a big fan of hospitals or doctors offices. So, it was a long hour, but he managed :)

We got aquainted with her, she asked me all kinds of questions, I had a full physical exam and then the best part of the morning.. hearing the heartbeat.

She had a hard time finding it for awhile, and she reassured me that this is totally normal. I mean, it's only the size of a lime. After searching for awhile she said maybe she'd get out the ultrasound machine so at least we could see the heartbeating. And right as she "threatened" to do that, the baby cooperated and she found it. It was strong and fast. (155 beats per minute). But after 10 short seconds, the baby snuck away again. The doctor says we have a very sneaky baby (to which my Dad said he wasn't surprised, since I'm a wee bit sneaky myself). But she was able to find it again, and for longer this time. We decided that it sounded like the baby was at the ocean or in outerspace. Either way.. it was amazing! What a miracle to have a little life inside, only 2 1/2 inches long and full of life. Incredible.

The more time I spend with my nephews, Everett & Roger,  and my "honorary" nephews, Joel, Marcus & Simon I just can't wait to meet this little one. It is so fun to watch babies show their personalities. and then toddlers showing their imaginations and their voices. and then kids showing their creativity, their passions and their humor. I love it all. We have a strong feeling this baby is a girl, and I would love to have one of each gender. Either way, I can't wait!

What was it like hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time?