2nd & 3rd Doctor Visits

We met Trish's regular OB/GYN, Dr. Jackson, on Wednesday, July 18th. It was a pretty routine visit with some basic exam stuff. Trish was able to hear the baby's heartbeat again, which the nurse said sounded like a "healthy little heart." Diabetes tends to affect the cardiovascular system in developing babies more than any other major organ system, so it was good to hear that our baby appears to be doing well.

On Friday, August 3, we had another opportunity to view an ultrasound of our little fetus. We weren't supposed to go in until the 13th, but due to a scary low blood sugar incident early this week, we decided that we needed to get Trish in to get checked out, and to make sure the baby was ok. This was only our second ultrasound and it was amazing to see how much the baby is growing. We were able to see so much more this time, when before it just looked like a little peanut. This time, we were able to see the skull, spinal column and other bones, kidneys, stomach, bladder, and best of all.... we saw our baby suck it's thumb!! Amazing. The nurse was able to record the ultrasound onto a DVD to send home with us to view again and again. Trish has already seen it twice and it is only been one day!

The baby measured about 5 days bigger than scheduled (which is still pretty normal) and weighed in at about 6 ounces. Estimates put the baby about the size of an avacado or the size of Trish's fist. The nurse and doctor both commented that all the vital organs that can be viewed at this point seem to be in good health. Of course, we'll be able to see more every time we go in, but at this point everything is going pretty well.

And finally, Dr. Jackson decided to make his first stab at our baby's gender. After staring long and hard at the spot where our baby's two femur bones come together, he said that it looked a little too crowded to be a girl and put his guess at 85% sure that it will be a BOY!! (Ask Trish about using a pencil, a needle, and some thread to successfully predict that it would be a boy).

We are also making a little progress on the baby's room. We haven't quite figured out if we are going to paint or what color. But we are in the process of cleaning up and organizing to get ready for our new addition. It is seeming more real everyday, especially after seeing the more lifelike ultrasound and watching Trish's tummy begin to take shape. Here you can see the latest profile of Trish.