Wednesday, April 14, 2010

70% Sure

We saw our doctor again today--and more significantly, we got to the see the baby.  My husband wasn't at the last appointment, so it's been four weeks since he's been around for the ultrasound.  Our baby looks so much more like a "baby" at 16 weeks than he/she did at 12 weeks.  Don't get me wrong--it was a beautiful image at 12 weeks too!  But fingers and toes and face are so much more well defined now.

During the ultrasound, she pointed out the umbilical cord, and I mentioned that my mother-in-law had thought the umbilical cord was "boy parts" when she noticed it (until I pointed out that it would be in a really weird location if it were indeed "his package" protruding from his abdomen).  When I mentioned this, the doctor offered to try to determine the gender.  Although the baby was moving around a lot, she couldn't ever truly capture the shot she wanted in order to confirm.  So she shared that she was "70% sure"...but we'll know more at the big anatomy scan on May 5th.

Yep...May 5th...three weeks from now.  The doctor asked if I wanted to come back in two weeks, but since I knew that we would be scheduling the anatomy scan in 2-3 weeks, I figured that it was "unnecessary" to have two appointments within days of each other (as we did at 12 weeks, and then days later for the Ultrascreen to test for Downs Syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities).  So I'm going to be brave(r) and  (more) patient and (try to) wait the three weeks instead of two.  It has been such a blessing to see the baby every two weeks, but my doctor keeps reassuring me that everything is "totally normal", and I guess I want to be able to act that way.  Also, I absolutely LOVE seeing the baby, but I wonder if such frequent ultrasounds are kind of like a "crutch" for my faith.  It's easy (well, "easier") to trust God when I can visibly see that the baby is growing--but I want my faith to be constant, and not just in two-week intervals.    So three weeks it is (and besides, that also gets me past the extremely busy time at work).

Today's blessing is my group of student leaders who make my job so fulfilling.  I see most students once per year, or maybe once per semester.  But I get to see this group of students at least once per week--sometimes even twice.  I've known them each since their Freshman year, and it's so fun to see the types of leaders they have become since that time.  I shared our news with them last week, as they were making plans for selecting new members, and were counting on my involvement for the Fall.  Although they are now (kindly) wondering what they will do without me while I'm on maternity leave during the Fall semester, they are really excited for us in a "I'm still in college and can't think that far ahead...but it's still really cool for you" kind of way.  It's nice to know that our larger leadership organization for first-year students will be in good hands with them.

8 comments:

  1. Can't wait for the big scan!! That is really exciting. What a great pic too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great picture! Congrats! I hope May 5th comes quick for you! 3 weeks seems long, but just think how great that anatomy scan will be!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah!!! What a beautiful photo! Three weeks will hopefully be here before you know it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm totally breathless. Amazing. Beatiful. And she does look like a baby now. 16 weeks!! You must be so thrilled. Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gorgeous picture!! Can't wait until the confirmation on the 5th. I think it's great that you are working so hard to trust the Lord and waiting 3 weeks. You can do it. Whenever you question it, just try and remember your reasoning.

    ReplyDelete
  6. awwwwwwwwww what a great pic Laura! It is good to hear that you are good with waiting the 3 weeks - look how far you have come! 3 weeks will fly by in no time ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Isn't it amazing how quickly they grow and become fully formed babies. I am so happy for you, and proud that you're taking the step to wait 3 weeks instead of two. That's a big step, but I know your strong faith will get you through. You're doing great Laura!

    ReplyDelete
  8. isn't it amazing how quick they grow up? i just went for an u/s monday and s/he is so much more defined at 15 weeks compared to 12. Truly amazing!

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear what you think!