Gulliver or Gretel? Weeks 19 and 20

As some of you have so sweetly pointed out, yes, I am behind on my posts.  I wish I could say that I had not updated the blog because I have been so very busy figuring out daycare for the little carrot (that's the size comparison this week, btw) and "decorating the nursery" (supposedly this is a fun and exciting activity that I should be doing judging by the enthusiasm and frequency which people ask me about it).  Of course, that is not the case.  Confession: I have not updated the blog because I have been basically just enjoying my life and it's minimal responsiblities.  Enjoy it while I can, right?!! Well, believe me, I am.

That being said, there's a lot of news to report from the last two weeks, so hopefully the wait was worth it!  First, here's Week 19's baby bump picture.  Not too impressive, I know, but Baby B was still being shy.

I had been affectionately calling Baby B Gulliver for fun.  John didn't appreciate my funny pet name as much as I did.  I think he was afraid I would actually end up wanting the name Gulliver for the baby.  So, Monday April 2nd we would find out if we (well, I) could keep calling Baby B Gulliver or I could come up with another fun name.  Oh, and more importantly, whether the baby was healthy and all that good stuff.

The ultrasound was one of the best baby experiences for me thus far.  It was so neat to see the baby moving around, bringing his/her hands up to her face, and arching his/her back.  Baby B was so active for the ultrasound that the tech said she had a hard time keeping up with baby.  She still managed to get some great shots of  little Gulliver ;-)

Head and hand up under the chin

Full body - Baby B is about 13 ounces

Action shot of Baby's knee and elbow

Feet!! Baby Branstad has feet! And don't worry, they're not on backwards - baby's just got his/her legs crossed!

Arms!!

And now what you've been waiting for, is Baby Branstad going to be a boy or a girl?  Let's see the goods!

IT'S A BABY GIRL!!  The blob on the left is her rump.  Imagine she's sitting on a copier.  The three lines in the middle are the "telltale hamburger sign" of a girl - a.k.a - her hooha ;-) Let's hope this is the one and only time her privates end up on the internet!!

The tech also generated a couple 3D images for us.  Here she is with her arms crossed in front of her.  When my dad saw this one he said, "She looks like an angel." She's our little angel indeed!

We are very excited to be having a little girl!  At our follow up appointment at Week 21 our doctor let us know that everything came back normal and she's in the 50th percentile for size.  The tech was a little reserved when she told us we were having a girl, so in the week after our ultrasound and before my doctor appointment we didn't quite know how confident to be in her prediction.  Our doctor took a look at the image too and confirmed it was a girl so now we feel a lot better about the prediction and can't wait to meet Baby Girl Branstad.  I shall now be calling her Gretel. ;-) .....temporarily, of course!

And finally, here's the Week 20 baby bump photo:

I had a grand plan to take a cute baby bump picture at the Twins Home Opener last Monday but it was so dang cold I didn't want to take my sweatshirt and fleece off.  So instead I took one in front of the window again after we got home.  We'll be going again in a couple weeks.  However, will I still fit into my Twins gear? Stay tuned!