September 19, 2008

S/he


No, that picture isn't of Allison, but we did have an ultrasound at the radiology clinic on Wednesday. This was supposedly "the ultrasound" - you know, the one where you find out if your wee one has 1 or 2 X chromosomes. It all ended up being a tad on the anticlimactic side however. First of all, Allison got to the hospital about 30 minutes early, she signed in at the front desk, and then as she was sitting down, but before her hind end had even touched the chair, they called her back for the appointment. So, when I arrived (15 minutes early mind you) Allison was no where to be seen. After consulting the receptionist, she was finally located, but I still ended up waiting around in the aptly named waiting room for about an hour.

I had expectations of how the appointment was supposed to go, and things weren't going to plan. We'd actually been anticipating this appointment more than a 47 year old bachelor in mustard yellow spandex awaiting the release of the next Star Trek film. I expected that after showing us various images of the developing fetus the ultrasonographer would ask, "do you want to know the sex of the baby?" That didn't happen. In actuality Allison ended up asking her if she could tell the gender and her response was, "it looks pretty girly." Girly? Then Allison asked her how sure she was and she said 70%! We don't really know how to take that. I mean, I could have stared into a crystal ball and told Allison with 50% certainty that it was a girl. What's this 70%? So anyhow, it looks like we are maybe, possibly having a girl. We're hoping that at our doctor's appointment next week the OB might do an ultrasound of her own and give us a slightly more...shall I say...definitive answer.

We named the fetus Sparky weeks ago - it seemed pretty gender neutral. Now that there's a (mostly unscientific) 70% chance that it's a girl we're wondering if we should feminize the name a little and call it Sparkly. That sounds a little too much like the name of some yappy little lap dog that you'd see in the upcoming cinematic abomination Beverly Hills Chihuahua so the jury's still out on that one. Stay tuned for updates. Maybe by next week the odds will have climbed a percentage point or two!

8 comments:

Emily S said...

Your ultrasound tech stinks! Both of my "big ultrasounds" have been exactly as you pictured. They ask if we want to know, we say yes, and they do a freeze frame on the vital area. The second one even typed in "It's a boy!" and made an arrow. Luckily for you, the tech is just a tech and doesn't actually "read" the ultrasound. Congratulations on Sparkly, though! I say you're doing great as long as the baby is 100% something.

Kathleen said...

I told Allison that you guys better work on your list of shim names...just in case they never figure it out.

Syphus Circus said...

Pathetic...did that tech have any personality or was this a "I hate my job" kind of person. I've had a lot of ultrasounds, and none of them were ever so vague, unless this little one is shy...Hmmmm? That wouldn't even be a remote possibility.

Renee said...

I had a friend once who was having a "suspect female" (which was also typed on the ultrasound for posterity). That poor little boy will live with that forever...

sachia said...

Ohhhh I can't wait to squeeze sparkly! Maybe your sparkly and my mom (sparkles all the time) can get together. Then it would be doubly sparkly and we all pretty much couldn't take it.

I'll tell you my ultrasound tech story in person. I shouldn't swear on blogs.

Emily S. said...

You have another friend Emily S.? Well, anyway - sorry for the letdown. Please post again when (and if) you get a better confirmation. So excited for you!

Travis and Jen said...

Hey Ted, Congratulations! That is very exciting for you guys. Allow me to recommend a few things: The first six weeks after the baby is born is the worst (e.g., two feedings in the night), so just hang on through that; read two books, "Babywise" and "Happiest Baby on the Block"; and check out the Chinese Lunar Calendar (you can find free web sites) to confirm the gender, it is supposed to be accurate--one of those science things.

We should talk soon. By the way, Jennifer is pregnant with #3!

Travis

courtney said...

you're gonna regret titling an entry about your child's gender "s/he". mark my words.

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