The big ultrasound!

Well, yesterday Malone and I went to our doctor's office for the "big ultrasound." In reality, I will continue to have ultrasounds every two weeks to keep a check on my cervix.

While I LOVE that I get to see my baby so often, I hate holding my breath every time we go in there. We know it's basically inevitable that my cervix will shorten to a dangerous length prematurely, it's just a matter of when that happens. With Baby G, I was 24 weeks along when we discovered the cervix had opened. With Baby K I was about 23 weeks along when my cervix opened down to the stitch. So hopefully we'll have at least one more good ultrasound before we have to face things like steroid shots and bed rest.

Anyhow, enough of the gloominess. We will deal with those things when they come, but I am refusing to allow myself to become overly anxious about something I have no control over.

So, on to the more exciting stuff! According to our ultrasound, the baby's brain is growing normally. The tech showed us both hemispheres of the brain as well as the baby's cerebellum. She also took a look at the baby's heart and we could see all four chambers looking just right. Then she showed us the baby's belly and we could see the baby's stomach which is all right on target. The placenta looks healthy as well and is in a normal location. Among other things she looked at were the length of the baby's femur, the size of the head and belly, and the length of the cervix. The ultrasound technician estimated the baby's current weight at 9 oz, which is exactly average. So, we had good news about everything! In fact, we received GREAT news about the cervix in that it developed a little extra length than normal this time, so hopefully it will last a bit longer. YAY! So, all in all, we are very thankful for such a good healthy report and for the technology that allows us to keep an eye on my body.

Of course, I know you're all wondering whether or not we were able to find out the baby's gender.

Welllllll......

YES! We were able to get a clear shot of our little baby's bum. This baby is not nearly as shy as Baby K was the first time we tried to take a peak. So yes, we know the gender.

To that end, Malone and I are excited to announce that in May 2012, our family will be blessed with a little baby . . . .

TO BE CONTINUED CHRISTMAS EVE

(You have only 2 more days to make your guess as to whether we are having a boy or a girl! Check out our poll on the right hand side of the blog)