Time for a boy!

We went in on Thursday for my 18 week ultrasound and found out we're having a little boy! And this time went much quicker and I didn't have to drink a ridiculous amount and have a full bladder when I went in. (I am convinced that last time they just wanted to torture me, as it didn't help at all and they made me jump up and down with a full bladder to get Madelynn to turn so they could finish measuring.) So if you want to have a horribly uncomfortable ultrasound, go to Good Samaritin Hospital in Portland, but if you want to have a quick, fabulous, easy one, go to Pacific Women's Center in Eugene. Madelynn was fascinated with the whole thing, although she got scared at first because she thought she was getting shots. However, once she saw me lie down on the table, she was fine and would hold my hand some of the time. When they put the goo on my belly for the ultrasound, that scared her a little bit, so we told her it was kind of like soap, so she is now going around talking all about "mama soap belly" all the time now. And her baby brother. I don't think she knows what a baby brother is yet, but she talks about it all the time.
So we have decided to name him Ian Lane Garrett. Ian because we like the name (plus Ian McShane is awesome) and Lane after Nate's oldest brother & Dad's middle name. And of course because I am a girl, I am totally excited about getting him clothes. I gotta say- girls clothes are really funy to shop for because they are so stinking cute with all of the frillies and bows and hearts, but I actually prefer the colors of the baby boy clothes- the greens, blues, browns and oranges. I am SO glad that I bought a lot of neutral colored outfits with Madelynn so I don't have to get an entire new wardrobe, and we bought all of our gear in neutral colors, too.
Another not so pleasant discovery is that I have early placenta previa. I don't know exactly how low-lying the placenta is at the moment, the doctor didn't specify, but he didn't seem terribly concerned and said that more than likely as the baby grows, the placenta will naturally migrate upwards and I should be okay. However, if it doesn't, I will have to have a c-section. So of course, I go home and do more research about placenta previa and although it was reassuring to know that in most cases where the placenta is low during the 18-20 week ultrasound, it generally moves up far enough for a natural delivery, but that if it doesn't, it can cause bleeding and the c-section has to be done about 37 weeks to decrease the likelihood of spontaneous labor, which could lead to severe hemmhoraging, and with a c-section, there is a possibility of heavy bleeding and a need for a lot of blood transfusions because after the pitocin is given to help the uterus contract and the placenta delivered, then because of the location of the uterus, the uterus can't contract as effectively, hence the higher likelihood of excessive bleeding. And I have issues with seeing or talking about blood, so that makes me want to pass out just thinking about it. Odds are that everything will be fine, but still, I am a little bit worried and hope that the next ultrasound around 26 weeks shows things are fine. I had a dream last night that I had to have a c-section and everything was fine, but I was in extreme pain from the incision and had a hard time holding the baby. Well, let's just hope that things go well and I won't need another scar to add to the teeth marks on my stomach from when a dog attacked me when I was younger. This baby's got a lot bigger to grow, so I've got a lot of room for things to move up where they're supposed to!
I expect around week 32 I will turn into a baluga whale and fortuntely at that time, I will already be on summer break from work, so I can spend my days eating popsicles and sitting in Madelynn's kiddy pool. That child is going to get to spend a lot of time in her kiddy pool this year. Or else we'll have to buy another one, so Madelynn can have her own, because by that time, I don't think she'll fit in the pool if I'm in it! I am really looking forward to summer- no work, watermelon, popsicles, barbeque, swimming pools, and raiding Nate's basketball shorts after I outgrow all of my maternity clothes. Oh yeah, and I won't have to wear socks and get weird lines in my ankles after they swell. They'll be smooth swollen ankles =) This baby is one of the few positive things right now in my family, so I am desperate for things to go well and to have a healthy baby boy. This pregnancy really has been a blessing, even though at times it's not so fun. I have been so much healthier this time around and it's been much easier than when I was pregnant with Madelynn so far. And we are all so excited for this baby; although I do have some fears about being peed all over on a regular basis, in addition to the guaranteed blowouts that are oh-so-fun when they happen in the middle of Sunday School every single week.......
Before I end this, I thought I would include something rather exciting (or, rather exciting in the eyes of any parent with a toddler who is attempting to potty train.) Madelynn is no longer afraid of her potty chair, and wants to sit on it all the time. She actually peed in it about a week ago! Hasn't done a repeat, but we're getting optimistic that we could have her fully potty trained before baby brother gets here! All it took was checking out the video "Potty Power!" from the library, and after she watched it once, she was suddenly obsessed with the potty and wants to 'go potty' all the time. Yay for potty!