Good-bye First Tri...

This morning we had our NT ultrasound. It was a moving experience. After waking the blood tech up, yes I said waking her up. The test took place at a genetics and IVF place that we hadn't been to yet. I was considering getting a second opinion there if this hadn't worked out, thank goodness a second opinion is not necessary. The ultrasound tech told me I was going to have my blood drawn first and brought my file to the blood tech. I went into the lab and the blood tech was conked out at her computer. Yes, it was 0845 on Monday morning, but really? How professional is that? I literally sat quietly for a minute and a half thinking maybe she was just resting her eyes. No movement from her. I cleared my throat and she woke up slowly. Without even a comment about her snooze she snapped at me for sitting in the wrong chair. After switching chairs she proceeded to commit the ultimate phlebotomist sin, she wiped my arm with alcohol and instead of waiting for it to dry or wiping it dry immediately stuck me. Ugh. Then it was off to the ultrasound. Now I felt my fertility clinic was particularly clean and comfy, but after being at this one wow!! They had separate private recovery rooms for after procedures, complete with crackers and all. At my clinic you were just wheeled right back to the prep room with all the other ladies waiting for retrieval and woken up in earshot of them all. If you needed something to settle your stomach after anesthesia you had to hope the nurses felt particularly generous and packed lunches with crackers, because the clinic didn't provide any of that. Our ultrasound tech had quite a thick accent and DH & I were struggling to keep up. After a bit we'd each pick up every other question so one of us was always following what she was saying. I've had them use cooler wax when getting my eyebrows waxed than the ultrasound gel was this morning. I'm pretty sure I've got a burn on my belly from that super heated gel. Suddenly there was Baby Bean on the screen on the wall. All grown up looking, well more grown up and baby looking than previously. DH was just stunned by how big "he" is. We try so hard not to call the baby he or she but it's so much better than it. So our default is he. I laid on the table sobbing. The tech told us Baby Bean looked great and measured all the appropriate places for the NT. It's incredible how much detail you can see in a good ultrasound. The baby was constantly rolling and seeing the entire spine was just incredible!! The baby used to be just a huge beating heart with a head and now it's a huge head, and arms, and legs, and belly, and feet, and hands, and nose, and heart...amazing!! Baby Bean is measuring right on track at 13 weeks exactly. I am officially in the second trimester!! What an incredible relief!! It's so surreal and there's still a lot of fear, not as much as before, but a little fear will always remain until I'm holding this little one in my arms. I do know one thing, I am more in love than I've ever been in my entire life!! :)