Hurry Up And Waiting Rooms...

I think today's was probably the longest series of obstetrical appointments we've had, ever. The screenings that preceded Princess WiggleWorm took a day and a half, but that wasn't obstetrical. We expected to have an ultrasound, a typical OB appointment and blood work. And those, we got. By the by: I.F. came down to join me for the appointments. We got to spend some lovely time chatting and discussing pregnancy, babies, toddlers... You know, all that stuff about which proud parents love to prattle. He reports that Princess WiggleWorm is doing very well; that she's a very easygoing girl, but that she's very physically active.

Anyway! Up first, the ultrasound was relatively quick. The ultrasound technician was friendly and courteous, and remembered us from last time. She said that Tempest's nuchal translucency (the thickness of the skin at the base of his/her skull) looks great. It's actually thinner, even, than WiggleWorm's was. Thinner is better in this case, as long as it exists. S/he is measuring right on for dates, too. I'm 13 weeks, 3 days pregnant, and Tempest measures at 13 weeks, 3 days gestation. This means s/he is about 7 centimeters long, give or take a few millimeters. That's right around 2 and 3/4 inches for you non-metric savages. (It's okay; I'm a savage too.)

 The doctor - I'll call him Dr. Firstname, since he insisted we use that rather than his title and surname - double-checked my history, ordered my blood work, gave us the results of the ultrasound "officially" and measured Tempest's heart rate. During the ultrasound, it was 159 beats per minute; a healthy heart rate. During the obstetrical appointment, it was 164. Tempest was very mobile during the ultrasound, so I call it his/her post-workout heart rate. Dr. Firstname declared me and Tempest, "outstanding." I'll take it.

The blood work part of the day was, however, not outstanding. It wasn't awful or anything; it just took forever. I.F., if you're reading this: It's a good thing you didn't stay to keep me company. You would have missed your whole day! The OB nurse gave me a slip of paper to make sure I'd be right at the front of the queue for blood draw. Unfortunately, there was a debacle between the OB clinic and the lab, and it took quite a while, along with trips up and down the two levels separating the lab from the OB clinic; and several phone calls. The reason being, I had apparently missed my prenatal profile blood work and urinalysis back in December, because I misunderstood Dr. Goggles when he said I didn't need to redo my STD screenings. So I had to have that done in addition to the integrated screening (for potential defects and abnormalities. It combines blood tests with ultrasound results to make sure that a fetus is not at risk for serious congenital defects, Down's Syndrome, spina bifida, etc.) Once that got straightened out, things went a bit more smoothly. The phlebotomist was so good at her job, I literally did not feel the needle piercing my arm. Even when my vein rolled away, I still didn't feel anything when she corrected her aim and tried again. All of the lab technicians were friendly and thoughtful. At one point I started getting a little faint, because it was after 1:00 and I hadn't eaten since 8:00. Normally I have breakfast, then a snack, then lunch. They gave me some fig newtons to hold me over until I could get something more substantial.

All in all, The Big Hospital is a relatively pleasant place to spend a day if one must. I can't complain. The staff remember me and I.F. and always greet us with enthusiasm, which I must admit makes me feel pretty special. That's not to say they aren't friendly to everyone else - I think we're just an unusual case, since most people have never met a surrogate, I guess.

Let's see, what else is going on outside my womb? OH! Bamf and her boyfriend The Ginge got engaged this weekend. He got her this very classic, classy looking setting with a HUGE moissanite stone in it. They stopped over yesterday so Bamf could show it off. It really is a very lovely piece of sparkly.

Pooka has a concert tomorrow at the local high school. She's even got a short solo in one of the songs! I'm so glad to see that the chorus director at this school encourages her. The director at her last school was less than enthusiastic about his job, as near as I can tell from the reactions of his students. Pooka's (biological) father is going to try to come down from the Queen City to attend, and two of her Aunties (Mama and Wifey) are planning to go, too. I have to appreciate it when Pooka's father attends her events, because he always makes a point to make a big deal of her. Brings her roses and little gifts; that kind of thing. Hubs and I make a to-do of her concerts and plays too, but it's good for her to get affirmation and encouragement from all of her parental units.

Don't worry, grandparents: We'll find a way to get at least her solo on film.