Babies

This morning, the cats started pouncing and pawing at the front door. When I went to see what was causing such a stir, I saw a baby Blue Jay perched on the little wooden ledge on the other side of the glass.



I couldn't decide whether it was cute or ugly.




The cats were frantic to go outside, but I wouldn't let them. The baby bird couldn't fly--only flutter and hop. The mother Jay screamed from a nearby oak.




I was excited for my ultrasound this afternoon, and I couldn't help feeling awful for this mother and her baby. When I stepped outside, I found the bird perched on a flowerpot on our porch. It regarded me miserably, and I could see the tiny soft feathers on its breast ruffle as it breathed.



Finally, it hopped off somewhere else, and I was left with the hope that it had somehow found a haven from the neighborhood cats.


Then in the afternoon, Tom and I were off to the hospital for our ultrasound. Despite the fact that I had eaten a candy bar and drunk coffee beforehand, the baby did not seem much inclined to move. After a series of pictures, the tech had me use the bathroom, and when I was in the exam room waiting for her to come back, I did some belly dancing. The tech took some more pictures but still wasn't satisfied about the sex or the heart. She had me rest on my side and then (with much uncomfortable prodding and jiggling with the transducer) took several more pictures and got all but one of the views of the heart that she wanted.


As far as we can tell, we have a healthy (if stubborn) baby girl. :)