– 2:25 pm
Your mother and I went into Kingston Hospital yesterday for your twelve-week scan. I understand this to be a milestone in a child’s development. A point of no return of sorts.
We drove there early so we could figure out the parking situation and get a feel for the place. We were lucky enough to find someone vacating a spot which we tucked into easily enough. The front desk was nice and welcoming. We took seats waiting to be called out. Your mother made a joke about how her name would be pronounced. Sure enough, a nurse blurted out Yeahliza… Not bad, better than most.
The door shut behind us. By virtue of the layout, I sat facing the TV on the wall. Your mother stretched out on the bed beside me with gel squishing out onto her belly.
You appeared on the wall, this time with your back to us, refusing to budge no matter how hard the nurse tried to get you to move. “Cheeky one, your baby” she said. At one point, Liza had to lay on her side, then wiggle her butt, and as a last-ditch attempt to get you to move, the nurse made her jump up and down vigorously… Nothing, nope, not today. All this so she could measure the distance from your head to your bum and the thickness of your neck spine. We got there eventually.
“All is well” she affirmed, “it’s never 100% but everything seems fine, congratulations”. I got a bit emotional looking at you on the screen. So many thoughts speeding through my mind. Your grandmother would be so happy. I wish she was here to witness and share this moment.
On the way back, Liza got a call from Dr – I forget her name – with the Harmony Test results. She also gave the all-clear. You had a clean bill of health with a very low chance of getting any genetic disorders or disabilities. Phew! Relief, major.
We also got to find out your gender as a boy. I was convinced of a girl for some reason, we all were. Your mother and I had a working name and everything. We were going to call you Lola. But I guess you had other ideas haha! The only person who called it was Julia, Liza’s mother. She said, with all the boys in my family, there was a good chance you’d also be a boy. Well done g-mama.
Your mother didn’t seem so nauseated later that evening. Her symptoms subsided for the better. We talked about how we felt about you being a boy, what kind of parents we’d make, and so on.
This morning, on my way to the farmer’s market, I thought if there are two things I’d like you to become, I’d like you to be kind and to always find a way to grow your environment. That includes your fellow humans and everything around you. I am learning the importance of those qualities every day.