In Utero Beauty Pageant

Well, the past couple of weeks has just flown by! It's finally spring in Edmonton, and I am really enjoying going outside without a woolen overcoat (although nighttime temperatures still hover around freezing). My husband and I have been keeping busy with soccer matches and barbecues and revelling in the sunshine.

We had the big 19 week ultrasound last week, which was extremely exciting (albeit a bit uncomfortable--it's getting more difficult to drink all that water two hours before an exam). The baby is lovely. We already think she'll have her father's high cheekbones, thanks to a sneak peek at one of the 3D images. It's still a little strange to me to have all of these pictures. When I was a kid they didn't even do ultrasounds, although we do have an ultrasound of my little sister--I think they must have started doing them more regularly in the mid-eighties.

So, for the past week or so, I must confess that I've been comparing our baby's ultrasound photos to those of my friends' kids' ultrasounds, courtesy of facebook (everyone seems to post their ultrasound photos there). Of course, it may not have even been born yet, but our baby is by far the cutest.

I wonder if this sort of thing is common now? It has a sort of playground quality to it--you know, my blob is cuter than your blob? I guess that's something we never grow out of. Poor child, it hasn't even been born yet, and we're already trying to figure out what it's going to look like. Obviously, this wasn't really possible a few years ago. My baby sister's 2D ultrasound from back in the 80s is kind of a blur, but all of the images today seem so much clearer, whether 2 or 3D.

Now the attempt to rationalize my obsession with our unborn child's looks: I suppose that when you think about it, this must be something we do subconsciously before we even choose to have children. My mom's pet theory is that we are all subconsciously trying to improve our DNA, and we seek out partners that will fill the gaps so that our kids will be healthier and better looking. It's just one piece of the puzzle, but I must admit that it makes sense to me.

Anyway, we are in love with our little baby, no matter what it looks like, and I must say that I'm getting very excited to meet it!