whoosh whoosh whoosh

So ... I had my third doctor's appointment earlier today, and it was good.

Mr. W accompanied me so he could hear the baby's heartbeat.

And, boy, did we hear it, loud and clear.

There's a period between when you know your baby's alive in there and when you first feel it that's kind of a no man's land. Like, you think you're getting fatter, but you're not a hundred percent sure, you think something's just not right down in your lower abdomen, but it could be digestion gone awry, you know you should be good, but you really want that glass of red wine. It just kind of sucks. Not as bad as the morning sickness, but still a state of non-fun limbo.

Unfortunately, during this time, I negotiated my maternity leave, studied up on day care costs and analyzed new and exciting expenses that come along with an infant.

So between last month's check-up and this month's, I was blue because there was no real affirmation that this whole process would turn out for the good.

It's amazing how quickly that little heartbeat can brighten one's outlook.

The heartbeat was strong and showed up on the doppler immediately. It was between 155 and 160 beats per minute, which is on the high side for an in utero baby. There are old wives' tales that say baby girls have faster heartbeats, so of course, I'm on cloud 9.

I know they're not medically necessary, but it would be really nice to have the affirmation that comes with a checkup more often than every 4 weeks.

We have our ultrasound in 2 & 1/2 weeks. I can't imagine how giddy I'll be after that.