Awww

Sweet LJ felt Val kick (or punch) for the first time Saturday afternoon. Twice! He was very excited, and I think now he believes me that the baby is moving.

21 Weeks and The Big U

We had the big ultrasound recently, and everything looked good: A heart with 4 chambers (the doctor said it was a "beautiful heart"), liver, spine, 2 arms, 2 legs, "perfect nose and mouth" (so said the doctor--no clefts), fingers, toes, and 2 kidneys. Val was pretty still the whole time--just cool, hanging out. I'll post the images as soon as I scan them. It was thrilling getting to watch our amazing baby. And we know whether Val is a boy or a girl, but we're waiting a little longer to make the announcement. I'm not trying to torture you; we have a family party planned and are waiting until then.

There were two issues, but one is sort of a non-issue now. The perinatologist asked me the date of my LMP to confirm my due date, and I got confused and told her 5 days earlier than I told my OB long ago at my first visit. (Why they couldn't just call the OB's office down the hall to verify, I don't know.) Anyway, this threw Dr. F all off, because Val--based on my 5-days-earlier estimate--was measuring HUGE: 97th percentile. I explained I was confused and told them the real date, which put Val back on track and healthy but not huge: 79th percentile. This didn't really appease Dr. F, and she's telling the OB that they need to do the gestational diabetes test at my next appointment, which they weren't planning to do until next month. She's worried about the baby being so big (but Val's not, really, so this is the non-issue).

The other issue is that Val might have a minor kidney problem. This could also be a non-issue, and I'll post more once we find out more. If you are a prayerful type, please send one up for Val.

btw, we're not really naming the baby Valdosta. Someone asked that.

Thanks, Julia and Sara for the fun lunch today.