Carbonite Punch

Because I am a high-risk pregnancy, I get a lot of attention. And, I have a lot of appointments. I don't know what what is a "normal" schedule for soon-to-be Mommas, but if I haven't been to the doctor in ten days, I double check the schedule to see if I missed something. I already know that my brain is shrinking--up to 8 percent according to neuro-imaging studies, so I try to be proactive. (Thank goodness, the studies also show that my brain will return to its normal size after delivery--apparently it could take up to six months, though!) I'm proud to report that I haven't missed an appointment, nor have I forgotten a child's homework--much to their chagrin. (Being a teacher is good groundwork for parenting, but that could be the topic of a later post...)
A couple weeks ago, I had a Level 2 ultrasound. I had no clue what that meant except that it would be more thorough than any of the other ones I had already. Apparently, a Level 2 is only given to women who are high risk--basically, the medical team checks to see if everything that is supposed to be there is there. It's a full anatomical inventory, really. The technician snapped images of every organ from the brain to the kidneys--and toes, too! We spent a long time watching the heart; she zoomed in so we could look at each chamber pump away. She flipped the view on the screen and we could look at blue and red blood flow to determine if everything was coming and going as it ought to be. (We watched my/our umbilical cord's blood flow, too.) Anyone who's interested in anatomy or science or human life would be fascinated by what I was seeing on the flat screen monitor.
She measured the brain, the fluid in the brain, the spinal cord, the fluid around the spinal cord. Everything. We looked at the stomach, the lungs, the kidneys--it was all intriguing. At one point, the technician said, "you have a very active little baby in there" because it did not want to stay still to have all of these photos taken. 
She even said, "C'mon little pumpkin. Can I just see your right kidney? Just for a little bit?" Made me smile. 
(Two years from now, behavior like this won't be very cute. But now, be as stubborn as you like, child. Enjoy it while it lasts.)


Turns out, all the measurements are in the "normal range". The babe weighed in 1.5 ounces heavier than the online trackers say and the head measured a week ahead of schedule. Sweet Jesus. Help us all.
The other cool thing about the Level 2 ultrasound is that the technician has the option to see 3-D images of the baby. Before she showed me the 3-D version, we talked about how I thought those pictures were sooooo creepy. Because they use sound to create the image, sometimes the machine can't get a super clear picture--at least that's what I had noticed when I googled it. The images can look distorted and surreal. And, a little like this:

An image of our baby captured in carbonite.

But, I saw the wee one in action. I was looking at it face-on; the umbilical cord was in the foreground and the head was in the background. Here's (essentially) what I saw happening somewhere inside my body:

Apparently, all the kickboxing lessons I had taken in my lifetime paid off in spades. No need for self-defense lessons here. This child has mastered The Hook. OR...maybe the kiddo is taking after its Pops as seen in this previous post. Either way, I think it's gaining muscle control and survival skills.