It was like ice, was there really any need for it to be so cold?!
Don’t they know they are putting it on pregnant mothers not using it in a recipe?
The sonographer gently pushed down on my lower stomach with a probe, the tv screen beside us flickering into life. It was difficult to make sense of it at first, and I realized I wasn’t even breathing as she used a finger to point at the screen.
“This is your uterus, and this area is the amniotic sac where your baby is forming,” she was pointing to a white rim around a clear center, whilst the rest of the screen was a grainy black and white image. “Thisis your baby.”
My eyes focused on the center, my heart pounding as I recognised the circular head and a tiny body attached to it. Cal squeezed my hand as I gazed at the screen in wonder.
“Everything looks as it should be, and I am just going to measure the little one to see how far along you are for sure.”
She zoomed in, clicking on various buttons until she nodded with satisfaction.
“You are approximately thirteen weeks. Which would make your due date around March. Your obstetrician may be able to give you a more exact date. You can clean the gel from your stomach now. You will have another scan in about seven weeks which may be able to tell you the sex of the baby, should you want to know.”
She printed us a couple of scan photos and I dabbed at my stomach, turning to see Cal sitting, completely stunned. He was staring at the photo and I saw him gulp, a lump in his throat.
“Finally, we meet. Hello, Bean.Wow, Gretchen.”
He flickered his eyes over to me and I blinked back tears. Panic flashed over his face as I grabbed his hand in reassurance.
“Happy tears, Cal.”
He nodded as I pulled my top back down and swung my legs down, standing slowly.
I was starting to show a tiny bit, but I must confess I was more excited than ever at the idea of having a large baby bump.
We left the hospital and Cal drove us to a little Italian restaurant we both loved, and he even ordered me a coffee without me asking. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara with extra cheese and a side of garlic bread and Cal watched me in awe.
“What?” I smiled as he gazed at me.
“I just really love you right now. I can’t believe our baby is in your tummy, listening to us. I want us to go and view some houses soon and stay with your parents until we find one. We need to leave New York, honey.”
I nodded sadly.
I’d become so fond of the city, despite having recently only spent time with Cal, I had made some friends.
My parents were shocked but elated when we told them about the baby, but more so they were ecstatic we would be moving back to Winterburg. They had offered for us to stay with them until we bought our house for when the baby was born.
My stomach lurched when I thought about becoming a mother, but I had no real fear. I would be bringing our child into the world at the same hospital I was born in myself, going to the same schools I had, growing up in the same town I did. I wanted that for them; my childhood was idyllic.
“Have you considered names?” Cal asked, his eyes flickering with amusement. I had already gone through about a hundred baby name websites and still was no closer to choosing one for either sex.
“I can’t decide on any. What about you?”
“If it’s a girl she will need a plain name like Margaret. Or Beryl. She won’t need an attractive one.”
He scowled as I suppressed a giggle. I would really feel for Bean if it was a girl.
“I like names like Grey, Thor, and Theo for a boy,” he continued.
I scrunched my nose up and shook my head.
This is going to be hard work.
Luckily, we had six months to argue about it.
The food came and we both dove in, unable to speak with how delicious the food was.
