Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump (From June 27, 2011)

Since the DC trip, things slowed down a bit. I ended up taking an extra day off work to recover from the visit - something I've never had to do before. The exhaustion hit while we were on that trip, too. Sure, I'd been tired off and on all along, but exhausted? Nah. Until the last couple of days. For a good two weeks, I was a done woman. I would have to take a nap around eleven to even be able to function for the rest of the day. Since I work until 10:30pm at night, an 11:00am nap doesn't really interrupt the work day, which is a good thing.

Aside from the exhaustion, though, was the excitement. June 21st was quickly approaching and that would be the day I would see my gift for the first time. With everything I read, I wasn't expecting much more than to just see my Butter Bean on the screen and maybe see a little heartbeat. What I got was so much better.

My mom came with me to my first appointment. Brian had to work and I couldn't get an appointment time before he had to go in. My mom was excited. As she says, it's different when it's your daughter. Plus, she's never seen the ultrasound in person for any of her grandchildren, so I knew it would be special. I brought my camera which also takes video so I could record the event for Brian. He got more than he bargained for, too!

There we were in the dark ultrasound room, and my OB-Gyn, Dr. Schwartz, says, "There's your baby! And, it's only one!" Whew! I was relieved! "And, here's the heartbeat..." I looked at the screen but was also surprised to hear it! Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump...it sounded like a train going by on the tracks! It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard! My Butter Bean's heartbeat was a whopping 173 beats per minute! Super fast! Well, the Doc said it was normal, but from everything I've seen, it's pretty fast. I know it's suppose to slow down a bit as our Bean grows, but to hear it for the first time - there's not much I can say.

When I got home that evening, I immediately showed Brian. He teared up and said that he can't wait to see and hear our Butter Bean at the next ultrasound. I called the very next day for my first trimester screening and made sure to get a time that Butter Bean's daddy could make it to. July 19th, Daddy's going to see you for the first time, Butter Bean! Make sure you smile!