Little Women

I am 18 weeks and 1 day along in the pregnancy. We had the ultrasound yesterday and discovered that, what else?, we are having another little girl! We think it will be great fun for Ari, and it is nice not to have to buy a whole bunch of boy´s clothes. This is the 5th granddaughter (in a row) on my side of the family!!!! Daniel managed to get a few hours off from work, so he came along to see the ultrasound. That was a huge relief for me. All the organs seemed to be functioning fine. We´re grateful. Ari thought it was all quite exciting. This time around, she didn´t scream at all. Instead, she pointed at my belly, said "baby," and pointed at the baby´s toes on the screen. Daniel tried to explain that there was a baby in mama´s belly (however strange that must be to a child). But he made a good point when I asked him whether we should mention the baby to Ari at all: at her age, she can still accept pretty much any information...her perception of logic is still very broad. It may seem more normal to her now than it would to a 5-year old. So, we told her, and she poked at my belly and said, in the sweetest of voices, "ooooh, baby".

When she joined me for the first ultrasound, she screamed uncontrollably. This time, I think it really helped that she had her papa there to explain things and to keep her calm. She was delightfully chatty: the nurse and the ultrasound-technician were quite taken with her.

Needless to say, we walked away without a photo. But we were delighted to know that everything was alright, and that Ari´s going to have a little baby-sister.

She (Sjoerdje #5) kicks a lot. I have started to feel the kicks much more clearly, and it makes the whole experience of pregnancy more real for me.

That´s it for now. Oh, did I mention that I have been borrowing a car? This new freedom and mobility is wonderful. I am continuously trying to think of an excuse to get in the car and drive for a while. It is addictive. I will suffer greatly when I have to return it to its owner.
Daniel will just have to buy me one! HA! For our 3-year wedding anniversary (tomorrow!) perhaps??? hint, hint.