Onwards and Upwards Into The Second Trimester

It may have taken over 13 weeks but finally I was allowed in the room while Jess got a scan. It was a very cool moment for me to actually be there and see the whole shebang in process.

I have to say that the scanning machine is hugely impressive with its lubes and dvd burners and cool ball-mouse thingy. Must be a huge improvement on the old can on the end of a piece of string I'm sure they used once upon a when. Jess had her belly greased up and we were ready to roll.

I get the easy job, I sit back and watch it all on the big screen. It seems a little detached at first but then the baby comes into view. We push through Jess' rock hard abs and something moving comes into view, and it's not peristalsis.

It's hard to describe exactly what you feel when you first sit there and see the little one squirming around. If you've been there before then you know what I'm saying, and if you haven't then you've got no idea and my florid prose probably won't help at all so I won't even try. I'm slowly learning my limitations. I will say, though, I could have watched it all day.

The little one started in a perfect profile shot, legs pumping like it was riding a bike and hands waving in front of it like it was tripping at a Timothy Leary recital and it could see the words. Watching it move is the coolest, knowing that what you see at that moment is exactly what is happening inside my wife. Life begins eternal, and all of that.

We watched as the baby was measured like a prize sow at the markets. Feet, legs, arms, and hands were identified. Crown to rump was set down in length numbers. All that jazz, I loved it all. My baby just became a stats game, wonder how long it'll take me to start charting its progress in an Excel document, haha.

For me, the coolest thing was seeing the top view of the cranium, and thus a view into the brain. The brain is such an amazing tool, or organ if you prefer, and it can do so so many impressive things and one of those super-computers is being built and knitted together as we speak. That freaks me out and makes me marvel at the human body completely. In a good way.

So without any firther ado, here's the big show. 5 whole seconds of the baby moving. I love that you can see its hand press up at athe end like some romantic Titanic image. I wonder who's in there with it?

Enjoy.