This morning J and I made a trip to Holy Name Medical Center — where I plan on giving birth — to have our nuchal translucency (NT) scan.

The NT scan, otherwise known as the first trimester screening, is a combination of a sonogram and blood tests to identify risks of chromosomal abnormalities (e.g. Down’s syndrome) in the baby. It is usually recommended for women over 35 who are at higher risk of having babies with birth defects; however, our OB advised that I should get one considering my history and I happily obliged.

One of the many reasons I chose Holy Name is for their polite and amiable staff, and today was no exception. Our ultrasound tech was warm and friendly, answered all our questions, and printed out a total of five images for us to take home!

So without further ado, here are the first pictures of our baby…looking like an actual baby!

The heartrate was strong and steady at 165 bpm. There is one head, two arms and two legs…what more can a mother ask for?

When the scan first started, the baby was clearly sleeping. However, it soon woke up and started moving around like crazy! In the picture below, you can see it sucking its thumb.

The ultrasound tech said that our baby is very active — it was bouncing, stretching, and twisting away like a happy little peanut. I asked her if an active baby in the womb leads to an active baby after birth, and she said that this is true in most cases! If she is right we’re sure to be tired parents.

The baby was such a ham. It almost seemed to enjoy the spotlight, stretching and posing for the camera. I have heard many friends lamenting their “shy” babies who turn their backs on ultrasounds, but this was definitely not the case for us. In fact, our baby turned to face us more than a few times, and I could’ve sworn it was waving “hi!”

Here is a full limbs shot, where you can see both an arm and a leg. We were able to see the bottom of its little feet for a split second, and I just about died.

I really think that the baby already has a few of J’s features — face shape (mine is round while J’s is heart-shaped) and profile of the nose. However, in the picture below, its profile reminds me of my dad!

The funniest part of the ultrasound was at the beginning, when the scan had just started and the baby was still sleeping.

What amused us was not the fact that the baby was sleeping, but how it was sleeping; it was sleeping with its arms thrown over its head. And this is the exact position I am known to sleep in, starting from the time I was a baby myself!

When I told my parents this news they couldn’t stop laughing. “The baby’s already taking after you!” they exclaimed. It’s too bad that we didn’t get a picture of this.

We will not know the full results of the NT scan for another week, but the ultrasound tech told us that everything looks great from the sonogram alone, including the measurements of the nuchal fold.

The last thing we did before leaving the hospital was to schedule a full anatomy scan — where we’ll find out the sex of the baby (I’m thinking that it’s a boy) — for May 13. That’s just two days after we return from our babymoon…it’s sure to be an exciting week!

I once knew a blogger who lived an enviable life. Not only was she gorgeous, her husband was extremely wealthy and handsome. She constantly wrote of her designer purchases, exotic getaways, and decorating their mansion with custom-made furniture and one-of-a-kind decor.

Soon, she started getting snarky comments from readers who judged her for her lifestyle. “Shallow bitch,” they would write. “Don’t you know there is a recession going on? How can you brag about being rich when so many people are hurting? Why don’t you donate some money to charity?”

After receiving numerous comments of this nature, she shut down her blog.

I felt bad for this girl, because she genuinely seemed interesting and wrote of her extravagant life without sounding snobby.

Then I realized…I’ve done it too. I’ve judged others based on their purchases and lifestyles. And I’m sure many of you have too.

Financial decisions are coming into play more than ever, as we slowly begin budgeting for the baby’s arrival. (I know I have 6 months left, but it’s never too early to plan and prepare, right?)

Do we really need a $500 stroller?

Is a recliner/glider — which can run upwards of $1000 — really necessary? What’s wrong with the couch? I love my couch. Can’t I just feed the baby and read to my baby on the couch?

Why pay an extra $300 for a doula when my husband can do the same thing?

What the heck is a lactation consultant and why do I need to fork over additional money to be told how to breastfeed? (Read the harsh comments a NYTimes article about lactation consultants received.)

(ETA: these were my initial reactions. I am not dismissing, or looking down on anyone who chooses to do these things. I just didn’t realize the numerous options that are out there, or how much they cost…nevermind the number of women who become trained to think that they need these options.)

As I browse mommy blogs and pregnancy boards, I can’t help but be astonished at how much some families spend in preparation for their little ones.

Alright, I’m a bit jealous too.

J and I aren’t wealthy. We will rely on a lot of hand-me-downs when the baby arrives. I don’t plan on adding anything to the second bedroom (which will be the nursery) aside from a crib.

So as much as I would love to paint the nursery, set it up with new furniture and decorate it with nice accessories, we realize that these are unnecessary expenses that can be better spent on other things.

And this is when the judging comes in.

Because I can’t help but ask myself: Will a baby really appreciate a nicely decorated nursery, an expensive stroller, or a $1,000 crib? Are these things necessary for a happy and healthy baby?

Maybe it’s my own jealousy talking — for not being able to provide for the baby these nice things that seem to be the norm for so many of my friends’ households. For being made to feel like I’m an inadequate mommy for not being able to afford these things. Maybe it’s my own form of rationalization.

Maybe it’s guilt for planning a babymoon — our first vacation together in over 2 years and probably our last for another few years — when that money could be spent on nicer things for the baby.

Wow, I’m judging myself here.

And yes, I’ll probably be judged for choosing a babymoon over nice baby stuff.

How do you rationalize your splurges and luxury items?

Do you ever get worried that you will come off as shallow and materialistic as you share your latest purchases (whether via a blog, Twitter, Facebook) and talk about numerous vacations, especially in light of the current economic climate?

J has a complex about baby names: if he knows anyone in real life with a certain name (even if he hasn’t talked to that person since the 2nd grade), it’s out.

Not surprisingly, this makes naming our children quite difficult as he is one of the most natural connectors I’ve ever known.

Luckily we were able to settle on two names (one boy, one girl) quite early in the baby-planning process. So when people asked if we have any potential names, I happily obliged…

…and experienced the wrath of my husband.

I know that many couples choose to keep the names of their unborn children a secret for various reasons. Some may want to leave it a surprise so that when the baby is born, a proper introduction can be made to the world. Others decide not to reveal the name lest someone will make a snide comment about the name (apparently, negative comments about the name are more likely to stay silent once a live, squirming baby is attached to it).

J wants to keep it a secret because he’s scared that someone will steal it.

I personally think his reasoning is ridiculous — we would only reveal the name to friends and family, and what friend/family will steal a baby name? In addition, if we keep the names a secret, isn’t it more likely that someone we know will use that name?

But he stands firm on this decision. He says that he’s seen it happen before, and he does not want to go through the entire name-choosing process again.

Do you, or did you, have named picked out for your unborn children? What is your stance on the keeping-the-name-a-secret issue?

I recently came across photographs of a German book called Where Babies Come From. I can’t tell if it’s meant to be a children’s book or not…because the illustrations are enough to make even adults blush!

I only wish I knew German so I could understand what the book says.

Would you show your kids a book like this?

When I first found out I was pregnant, the baby-preparation experience I looked forward to the most was not decorating the nursery or picking out the baby clothes. It was building the baby’s first library.

As a avid lover of books, I absolutely cannot wait to introduce my child to all the books I loved as a child. Where the Wild Things Are. The Giving Tree. The Velveteen Rabbit. The list goes on and on.

(And if my child takes after J and does not like reading much, I’ll just DIE. DIIIEEEEE, I tell you!)

Yesterday, Wired’s GeekDad introduced me to another book I must add to the list: An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton.

I immediately clicked on over to read the book online, and was impressed beyond words. What parent – what any sane person – would not want to gift their loved ones a fun, easy-to-read book that fosters creativity and encourages the reader to think BIG and outside the box?

Yes, I have already read the entire book online. But I will definitely buy a copy before Tater Tot arrives…and you should too! Why? Because the author will give away a copy for every copy that is purchased through the Awesome World Foundation.

What books did you love growing up? Which books are on your list of must-reads for children?