Announcing Pip

We are so excited to finally be able to tell the world that we are pregnant!

I felt a little "strange" towards the end of February, and suspected that something might be up - and all was confirmed at the beginning of March! We almost didn't dare to believe it was true, but at the end of March saw our first scan at 7 1/2 weeks and saw a little flashing pulse which was the heartbeat!

We decided to call our baby "Pip" while in utero, so as to have something other than "it" to call our little one while we wait for his/her debut. Jeremy suggested "Pip", and I think it works at many levels: a pip is a small seed, Pip could be a male or female nickname of endearment, and finally (we only realised this later), Pip is the main character in Great Expectations... and we're expecting, and it's great!

So this week we had our 12 week scan, officially finishing up the first trimester. Just as soon as the nurse put the ultrasound on my belly, a picture popped up onto the screen which was undeniably a little baby... and a VERY active one at that! "Oh look, it's break dancing" were my first thoughts! Pip was squirming and wriggling around so much that it looked like a kung fu demonstration - and as even the nurse commented, this kid already has long legs! A few minutes later we heard Pip's little heartbeat: quick, strong and steady. Everything you could ask for!

The photos don't do the little one justice - the angle didn't capture the length (or the activity!) of the limbs, but our little one measured 5.2cm from crown to rump, and seems to be doing marvelously. We are SO EXCITED, and the joy is greatly multiplied by being able to share it at last!!!

Blog readers, be warned - this blog may get very baby-fied in the next months!