It's a...

We're Having a Margot!

And as you can tell, Chester is thrilled about it.

Wednesday was my 20 week ultrasound. I was nervous for days beforehand. This was a big check up! You just assume things are progressing normally... but what if they're not? And of course, I wanted to see if we had a Margot or a Fletcher on our hands. I'm suffering this compulsion to nest, which is nearly impossible without knowing pink or blue.

So I hadn't slept in days due to the nerves, and I had this wicked heart burn. Really, you'd think I could handle this a bit better. But I was worried that I might soon have to call on a reserve of strength I'm not sure I have. And, let's be honest here: gender, please! What if the baby didn't cooperate?

Bob is in California for a month, so my friend Paige went with me. Immediately the tech said that the baby was curled into a tight little ball. -Oh no, I thought. Will the baby divulge her little secret to us?

Turns out, curled up in a little ball was the perfect angle to examine the goods. We are 99.9% sure she is a Margot. And, well, if she's not a girl, it's an "it" because there was no boy plumbing there at all.

More importantly, she looks like she is developing nicely. Her fingers and toes are all there. Her organs are lined up properly INSIDE her body (whew!), and her brain is the right size. She has slightly longer than average legs, but that's not a complete surprise either. Right now she weighs 11 ounces, and her birth date is still around September 10th.

The best part was watching her do this sucking and swallowing motion with her little face. It's really pretty amazing. And the technology was astounding! How can you see the right and left ventricles and chambers of the heart? How can you see the different sections of the brain with this magic wand and some warm jello spread on your belly? I'm impressed.

And so... now I can rest easy. Margot is right on track, and she has bedding ordered from Pottery Barn Kids.

Proga (Prego Yoga)

I have always imagined my pregnant self in a certain way: I will glow, and not get too fat, and will write poetry to the baby, and will do prenatal yoga. It's hard to say how things are going on my checklist. BUT, last Thursday I did try prenatal yoga, which I will now call Proga, because it's my blog- and I can.

I was looking at yoga studio websites in Olympia and found a doula who also teaches proga, and I thought: Eureka! The class testimonials promised to help you connect with your baby. So I went.

The class was one and a half hours long, which I thought might be way too long. However, it was the perfect amount of time. It's from 7:00-8:30 p.m. (kind of late) in downtown Olympia. There were probably about 15 pregos there of all different sizes, ages, and stages in pregnancy. At the start, we all settled down in the studios on our mats and introduced ourselves. We were supposed to say how many weeks we were and what we hoped to get out of the class or what we were experiencing in our pregnancies.

There were ladies who were 9 weeks and one who was 39 (one more to go for her!). I said that day was my 19th week, and that I just really hoped to bond with the baby. I want to feel like I am carrying a little person... instead of just feeling fat and rotund. -To which everyone chuckled, indicating we have ALL been there!

Introductions over, we got down to business. At first I was feeling smug (I was the smallest woman there) and competitive (look! I can hold my poses longer than they can). Before I snapped out of it. Damn, if I don't have a hard time possessing my new role in life right now. Grow a baby, grow a baby. It doesn't matter how big your thighs are right now or how athletic you perceive yourself to be. I'm working on it.

Anyhoo, once I was in the moment and going through the paces, I did feel the baby move more precisely than I have yet. Either that or it was moving more energetically than it has so far. Either way... it was a treat. And our instructor, Kristin Rubis, had these wonderful affirmations for us to think about:

• This is the time your baby was meant to join your family. -Good reminder for me, especially. Deployment!!!!
• Your body knows how to deliver a baby.
• Your baby knows exactly how to be born.

When I left the studio that night, it was just barely drizzling outside, and you could smell the ozone. I walked to the car with the lightest of steps and a tear or two in my eyes. For the very first time, I felt like I really was designed to have this baby (not a blob in my gut), right now, and that I am enough.

I am now a proga believer, and if you call my house on Thursday evenings, you'll reach the voice mail. I've got a date with the baby.

Spring Break

My mom came for a visit over spring break. She was here Tuesday through Saturday, and it was a great chance to catch up and see my state of Washington. I haven't seen her in 14 months, so a visit was much overdue.

Our agenda:

Tuesday- Ft. Lewis, Lacey, Olympia

Wednesday- Seattle

Thursday- Weeding the yard and planting flowers and lettuce. (Mandatory) Volunteer dinner on post. Ha!

Friday- Out to Ocean Shores (only 1.5 hours from our house) and to a lovely dinner in Olympia that night.

Saturday- To the airport for a morning flight.

The Capital Building in Olympia

Pike's Place Market in Seattle

The Japanese Gardens in Seattle

Chester in the back seat with me on the way to the coast.

Our little Cornelius family (all 3.5 of us) on the beach in Washington.

Bob and I at dinner in Olympia.