Date day

Today was date day.  Date day with my Mr. and ultrasound date day.

I started off the morning, bright and early.

We had our anatomy ultrasound for Little Loprinzi #4 (more on that later), followed by date day: 

First Stop for date day: Louisville Slugger Museum

Paul batted in the cages, 20 pitches, and he looked pretty snazzy smacking those baseballs

 

He took a cheese-ball touristy picture with Babe Ruth.

There was a random arcade/nintendo exhibit in the museum.  Paul and I talked about playing the nintendo and Super Nintendo growing up…now it is like a collectors item.  They had a ginormous nintendo game control to play on.  Paul got schooled, but looked sexy doing it.  Then we raced on a race care game, I got 29th, he got 24th…so we realized we are not good at gaming/arcade lifestyle, but it was fun anyway.

Outside the museum there is a ginormous replica bat, and despite the single digit weather, he posed for  picture, and I practically laid my pregnant self on the freezing pavement in an attempt to get the entire bat in the picture.

After we at lunch at a fancy place - the kind that takes your jacket at the door (but I kept mine because it felt like 3 degrees outside today, so I never got warm, ever) and they even also had a fancy umbrella holder at the door too.  Both evidence that we were out of our element.  A bit above our Taco Bell standard of lunch, but perfect for our celebratory, special day.  We toasted over Coca Cola in fancy glasses, because we are classy like that.  Then we reminisced about how far we've come and promised to make time for just him and I more once grad school isn't all consuming.  This man, oh how I love his company, I am so blessed I get a lifetime with him.

 All good things must come to an end, and so after lunch we went back to Bellarmine, because Paul had to teach, and I needed to study (I have an exam tomorrow, and should really be studying for that, instead of doing this…)

Now back to the ultrasound…

In the OB office waiting room Paul discovered he had one solo gray eyebrow hair, and complained about it because he is only 31.  We giggled uncontrollably, and I tried to get photographic evidence of the gray fella, but it wouldn't show up on my phone camera.  It is there, probably as a result of the single daddy duty he has been pulling since the start of this crazy busy term.  

I got good news, that my insurance policy doesn't suck as bad as I thought…$267 out of pocket (our pocket that is) cost for my OB prenatal visits and the OB portion of the hospital delivery isn't too shabby.  

Then they called my name.  

The first picture of the anatomy scan was the money shot, but since I'm not a parent who wants to plaster our sweet baby's "va-giant" as Jovie once called it, all over the internet I'll just let you know that there is not doubt that this sweet thing is a SHE!  Following in the footsteps of her siblings, sweet #4 is proving to be just as high energy.  She gave the ultrasound tech a run for her money in an attempt to get all those tiny details of her heart.  The little wiggling minion wouldn't hold still.  

We managed to get one sweet 3D of her face, and I am in awe of the technology.  22 weeks and you can already see the details of her little face.  

 We did discover that, like her big sister, she has a single umbilical artery SUA.  According to research, SUA affects 1 out of every 500 pregnancies - so we find it very interesting that both of our girls had it, and that it affected 50% of my pregnancies.  All her early trimester and second trimester screenings came back absolutely perfect though, so no worry about chromosomal issues.  The only thing they will watch closely is her growth this pregnancy, because she only has one artery in that umbilical cord instead of the normal two.  So far she is right on track - weighing in at 14oz.

And while 2D images are so 1990's this mama does adore a sweet profile shot…The nifty looking bubbles that it looks like she is "blowing" is actually just looks of umbilical cord.

 Almost every single image that we got, has her little face covered with umbilical cord.  Apparently I have a low lying placenta, and she was laying right next to the placenta so there was lots of cord in the way.  As a RN, I appreciate the amazingness of that umbilical cord, even if it is covering her face.  But goodness those lips, and tiny nose.  Yes, I am in love.  Absolutely.  Plus, how cool is it to see that cord so clearly.  The one that connects her and I, sustaining her.  Yes, pregnancy, even with baby #4 is so absolutely amazing to me.

I brought balloons home as a way to tell the kids our news.  They opened up the box.  Ryk said "why did you get  balloons?"  Then he read the big one that said "a new little Princess" and he shouted "HEY GUYS, our baby is a girl!"  as he grinned. Then he said, "well I guess it won't be boys rule, girls drool in this house after all."  After running around the house like wild with balloons for a few laps, he continued to wrestle with his brother.

Kip said "You gotta huge belly, and inside is a girl like YOU?!  She will come out and be like JOVIE?  Oh man!"  Nothing but sheer honesty from my favorite 4 year old.

And out little Jovie, her face in these pictures totally capture the moments when she found out.  So tender, and sweet.  I can't wait to see her in the role of big sister.

We are so blessed, and so very thankful.