It's a....BOY!!!!!!!!!!

Really, it's a girl! Just kidding, we didn't find out! We did, however, receive alot of other info on this visit. Seems Baby Mitchell is already "advanced" (as Dr. Anding put it) for his (remember, we call it "he" but don't really know the sex) age. He's about a week ahead of schedule as far as his size is concerned. Just another way of saying I'm going to have a big-ass baby! Good thing God blessed me with these big 'ol hips!

The baby weighs 6 ounces and his organs look great. We got to see his brain, spine, heart, and the blood flow through the umbilical cord. Unfortunately, he wasn't in a dancing mood this morning and would not stretch out for us to see him. He stayed balled up for most of the exam. When the tech initially examined me (they make Ben wait outside until all the technical stuff is done) the baby was totally asleep. I had to turn onto each side, touch my toes a couple of times, do a little coughing, and get up and use the restroom just to get him to un-ball himself. Finally, when Ben came in and started talking to him and touching my stomach, the baby starting stretching. Sweet, huh?

We got a few pictures, but they didn't turn out too great. Below is a 3-D image (it doesn't look as cool as it does from the commercials on tv) where the baby is facing the camera and has his left arm across his face trying to hide his eyes and a side view where you can see his head, spine, and knee.

We have a couple of short video clips from the ultrasound machine that we will load tomorrow. They're no where near as awesome as the last video, but you can see him wave his arms and his heart pumping away. Check back soon!

Whew...

I haven't made a post in a while, so here goes....

Amanda and I had yet another ultrasound appointment today. She can give all the details, but it was essentially the second half of the Sequential Test - to make sure Baby Mitchell is growing the right way.

Well, the results were good. Apparently the baby is going to be smart and beautiful...Very healthy, it's growing a week or so faster than normal babies do, so larger and stronger than most!

We resisted them temptation to find out he or she, so we won't know boy or girl/ pink or blue until it's time! Crazy huh?

Amanda is going to scan the pix in soon, but none of them are really good because the little guy was sleepy and cranky. He's move around and wiggle lots, but then curl back up into a snuggly ball right away. I think it's because she didn't eat any spicy food before we started the appointment. Well, maybe that was a good thing!

Anyway, All is well and growing fine.

--Ben

15 Weeks!

Not much to report... other than my stomach is suddenly shaped like a basketball!

More Testing

We got our first blood tests results back and so far so good. No cystic fibrosis, syphilis, HIV, and all that kind of stuff! My cbc came back negative (no infections).

Today, we had a sequential screen done. Babies accumulate fluid at the back of their neck (nuchal) during the first trimester. As a result of this fluid, the baby's nuchal fold increases in thickness each day of gestation until the fluid disappears around the 15th week. Researchers have established an average or "normal" thickness for each day during the three weeks you are eligible for the screening (between the 11th and 14th week of pregnancy). If the baby's nuchal fold is thicker than average, he or she is considered at a higher risk for an abnormality (such as Downs Syndrome, trisomy 13, or trisomy 18); if it's thinner, his or her risk is lower. It cannot diagnose an abnormality; it only determines if you are at high risk for an abnormality and can help you decide if you want to undergo more invasive and riskier diagnostic testing such as Chorionic Villus Sampling or amniocentesis. Unlike these diagnostic tests, nuchal translucency screening is painless and involves no risk to mom or baby.

The technician had some trouble getting measurements today. Seems the baby was in a playful mood and danced all around. She called him a "class clown." He threw his arms up and his head back as if he was laughing! Then he would turn and look directly at us! It was WEIRD!

He is the "normal" size for this point in gestation (despite everyone's comments about how huge he is!) and his heart beats 147 times per minute. Below is just one of the still frames from today's ultrasound. We go back for more tests on March 26. I'll keep you updated!

13 Weeks and Growing!