Big Monday

The day had finally arrived this morning -- the day we'd get to see our little baby again and hopefully find out the gender. My big girl packed a purse full of fun things to do while we were there and carried it on her own tiny little shoulder to the car. It was so, so cute. Our friend Julie the ultrasound tech had advised us to request that our ultrasound be at 20 weeks instead of 18 because everything is a little more developed and the gender is much easier to see. Unfortunately Julie was not our tech this morning, but it all worked out because the lady we had was very nice as well. I felt like the room could feel my sigh of relief when I saw that little black spot blinking -- the happy, healthy little heart saying, "Look at me!" Because the baby was in such a good position at the start, we decided to check for the gender first. Those legs were spread wide, and before the tech could even say anything Travis said, "It's a girl!" We stared at Evalee's "proof" ultrasound shot so often, Travis knew exactly what to look for. She said, "Yes it is! Impressive!" Evalee sat like such a big girl with her Daddy while the tech went through with the rest of the sonogram. She was a little concerned when she thought the tech was hurting her Mama. She marched right over with her finger pointed and said, "NO!" I thought she was being a brat for her father at first, but once we saw what she was doing we had to laugh. I assured her that she was just tickling Mama's tummy, but she kept her eagle eyes on for the rest of the appointment.

Unfortunately our day did not end on that high note. We decided to make an appointment for Evalee to get her ears checked due to her behavior lately. (Another post, another day). I was so, so proud of the big girl she was up until that point of the day. She even let me run a couple errands between appointments with no tantrums or whining. When we pulled up to the doctor's office, she walked in, she played in the waiting room, she was polite to the other kids there. When they called her name, my big girl took my hand and walked back to her room all by herself (usually I have to drag her screaming at this point). She did not cry when the nurse came in and only whined quietly when she took her temperature in her ear. She played while waiting for the doctor with her Buzz Lightyear she packed, being brave but flinching every time she heard the click of a doorknob. She did cry when the doctor looked in her ears and in her throat, but she didn't hit him or kick him so I was still considering the visit a success. And then he said the words I had been dreading: I think I want some blood work and a strep screen. Noooooo was all I could think. She broke down into hysteria during his finger prick - not because of the prick but because the nurse was trying to hold the cotton ball on her finger to stop the bleeding afterwards. She cried until snot ran while she swabbed her throat. She screamed during the waiting period to get the results back, attempting to figure out how to get the doors open to escape. A sucker from the desk did help a bit. But eventually she wore herself out enough to just lay her head on my shoulder. The results showed that she has some sort of virus that has raised her white blood cell count and a minor ear infection. She passed out in the car before we drove the few blocks to Walgreens to get her prescription. Here's hoping she feels back to her self by the end of the week!