29 February 2008

Been Busy Building a Baby

There is absolutely no excuse for not posting anythingto the blog in well over a month, okay almost two months.
Except that Ive been, um, kinda busy, you know, throwing up and feeling for kicks and taking naps and going to bed early and getting ultrasounds and finding out we are having a girl...
So, Im hopeful that little bit of information will inspire you, dear reader, to forgive me for not being a better blogger.

My husband, son and I went last week for my ultrasound at a local hospital. When I called to schedule the appointment, the secretary informed me that I would need to have a full bladder for the test.

Okay, did I mention that the baby has taken up residence on top of my bladder, kind of like one of those papasan chairs, for oh let's say about four weeks now? Yeah. I have to pee just about every fifteen minutes. And that includes during the night. Yeah. So, Im thinking to myself "Okay, self. You are going to have to suck it up and drink a bunch of water before you go because this might be your only chance to find out the sex of the baby and we want good pictures!"

So, the day of the big test comes along and I brace myself for the Big Hydration. I realize, though, that even though Im a Licensed Health Care Professional, I have No Clue Whatsoever how long it actually takes liquid to travel from one's stomach to one's bladder. So, to be safe, I decide I will drink 500cc's an hour before the test and then another 500ccs a half hour before the test. Cool.

We reach the testing place right on time and take a seat in what will turn out to be the first waiting room...waiting for my husband and for them to call my name. I already feel like my bladder is going to burst. And that's not hyperbole. It is painful for me to walk and I am finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything else. Ian is preoccupied with the large fish tank to my left, pointing out the different fish and monitoring their behavior. My husband arrives and sits next to me. At this time, I realize that it might be better for me if I sit further away from the constant trickle-bubble-trickle of the huge fish tank filled with gallons and gallons of water. I stand up to walk across the room and look at the paintings on the wall...until I realize that featured on the wall are three gigantic oil paintings of Niagara Falls.

Great.

If it didn't hurt so badly, yeah, Id be laughing. My husband laughed for both of us.

Once we were escorted to the second waiting area, I turned to my husband and said "I cant hold this any longer. Im in agony. I have to go!" He supported my decision, urging me to see if I can "do a partial" (must be a guy talent, Ive never "done a partial" in my life). I rationalize that I will probably be in this room for at least twenty minutes, and it didnt take very long for the last liter of water to reach my bladder, so I will just go to the bathroom and then drink another liter of water and it will be just fine.

As soon as I flush the toilet, I hear my name being called in the waiting room.

"She just went into the bathroom."my husband said. "She couldnt hold it any longer."

"Oh that's fine." said the technician. "She doesn't have to have a full bladder for this test."