Our Second Ultrasound

So, I think most of you know that we had our second ultrasound today. It was predominantly to check for probability of Down's syndrome and other chromosomal problems. It involved measuring the fold (? don't ask me, I don't understand it!) of the baby's neck and combining it with blood work to determine the probability of issues. That said, I don't know about the blood work, but I'll go ahead and tell you the fold looks perfectly normal which is good news!

This ultrasound was our first abdominal one and to start off, the tech said it would either be really easy or really hard. Well, proving that he/she is OUR baby, Bernie was completely uncooperative, thereby putting us in the hard category. We probably had in total about 30 minutes of ultrasound to get the measurements we needed. And, for all of you who have gone before me, someone should have warned me that to get the baby to move, they punch you in the gut!!!! (Either that, or our tech was particuarly hostile). She didn't punch really hard, but she would jam the wand into my stomach like 5 or 6 times rapidly to force the Peanut to shift positions. All said, she did it about 15 or so times and I now have a sore belly. Moreover, the Peanut did NOT like being punched and flipped all around.

Punching aside, it was pretty amazing. Bernie's arms and legs are now both completely visible (though the legs were curled up, which seemed to be of frustration to the tech though I'm not sure why, he/she was just getting comfortable). There were some clear shots of the head and in one, it appears that the Peanut has a pointier chin than I (which would mean he/she has his/her daddy's chin). And such wiggling. I had no idea that Bernie was moving so much inside me. Since he/she is still small, I can't feel it of course, but it appears that he/she is very active. Oh, and he/she moves her mouth A LOT, again, making me feel certain that the Peanut will take after us.... (and our families :-)

Turner was VERY excited and didn't even notice that the tech was punching me until the 3rd or 4th time (though after he did realize it, he asked if there was a better way and she assured him she was not hurting the Peanut).

So we're posting the pix as well. My personal favorite is the one in which the baby is looking head on at the ultrasound (I'm positive after a round of punching) as if to say, "Are you seriously punching me? Don't you know that that's a crime? And don't you know how many aunties and uncles I have that work for the DA, are in law enforcement or practice law? Come on!".

That's all from me for now.

Love to all!

Jessica

Doesn't look like Jessica's chin, does it?

Not sure how this one wound up upside down...

You can see Bernie's little curled up legs in this one!

And this is the one where he/she is clearly questioning the techs sanity after a round of pounding the two of us!

Peanut Pix!!

So he/she's kind of blurry and actually resembles a peanut, but look at the big brain :-) We're proud.

The Peanut's Brothers

Just thought it was appropriate that the first pics on the blog were of the big brothers to-be...







We've tried to explain the importance of being big brothers to the boys, but I'm not sure they really get it, although Garcia did try and eat the bib we got to send to my mom when I showed it to them. Either way, they are both enjoying the lazy dog benefit of all the extra sleeping I've been doing, so that's something!

Let the Blogging Begin....

So, first, you may ask, why the Turner Peanut.... well, basically the first time we went to the doctor, the nurse made reference to the baby being the size of a peanut and the name kind of stuck. Though now, he/she is larger than a peanut (about fig or apricot sized), we've stuck with the Peanut (which is particuarly odd as Turner is allergic to peanuts).
Beyond that we also call him/her Bernie quite a bit as we picked it as our gender neutral name (no nasty comments, my grandma was named Bernece) until we find out the sex. And no worries, we have no plans of keeping Bernie as a permanent name.
What else to share....
Well, basic info that we know is that we're almost 12 weeks into this and the approximate due date is 12/6/2008. We've had our first ultrasound (I'll post a pic later, have to get it into the computer) and the Peanut was perfect for 10 weeks and 3 days which is what she was at that point (I'm just going to switch gender back and forth cause it's hard to always type Bernie or the Peanut). In the ultrasound we could see his hands and head (note the big brain when I post the pic!) and the heart rate which was 161 (maybe an indication that he is a she). Either way, we were soooo excited to see Bernie for the first time and so happy all is well.
We're scheduled for another ultrasound next week (when we get back from Myrtle Beach) so we should know more then. Other than that, in general, things are going pretty well. Very minimal nausea, I've cut back on caffeine and all that jazz and things are going well.
And for those of you who already know and have been an amazing source of support, love and advice, thanks a ton!
Jessica