In The Clouds!

If our new Blog Background didn't give it away, we are totally "in the clouds" right now!  This has been such an amazing week for us both.  On Wednesday we went to the doctor for our end of 1st Trimester appointment.  We learned that Baby MacColl is very healthy, and there is little to no risk for any genetic disorders or Downs!  We had another ultrasound, and heard Baby MacColls' heart beat again.  This time it was about 153 BPM, so quite a bit slower than the 169 BPM at week 8 and week 10.  This is quite normal, and as the baby grows, the heart beat will begin to slow down a bit.

During this ultrasound, the sonographer needed to take a few measurements.  After a few minutes, it was becoming clear that Baby MacColl wasnt cooperating and being quite stubborn (like its Mommy!!!)!  The baby was sort of lying on the umbilical cord and this was preventing accurate measurements.  The solution was to have Amanda stand up and do her best Hula Hoop imitation and dance in the room for a few minutes!  I had no idea that Amanda had such impressive dance moves!!!  Of course, she said that if she had to wiggle and dance, than I did too...so I did my best, but she definitely has the better dance skills!  This solution worked, and the sonographer was able to get the measurements that were needed.

It was truly amazing to see such distinct features at of our baby at just 13 weeks!  Even though Baby MacColl was only measuring 6 centimeters, you could clearly see skinny little arms and legs, and the facial features like eyes, cheeks, nose and mouth were clear as day!  We also got a great shot of what looks like Baby MacColl either waiving to Mommy and Daddy or sucking its thumb!  After Amanda's version of "Twist and Shout," Baby MacColl must have woken up from its nap because we could see it kind of swimming around.  We asked the nurse if there was any likelihood that she could tell what the sex is at that time.  She said she would "look around" but that it may still be too early to tell.  She said that she wasn't 100% certain, but did say that a specific "shadow" on the screen usually points the other direction if it is a boy. So...Amanda is thinking its a girl, but the jury is still deliberating!  We go back on March 16th to find out for sure.  


People have asked, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"  To be totally honest, we will be happy either way!  We are just so happy "to have a bun in the oven" as Amanda has said, that we just cant wait for August 14th to get here!  It is clear that God is in charge and that He has answered so many prayers for us.  We are just soaking in every moment together and enjoying what each new day brings.  A very special "Thank You" to all of our Family and friends for their constant support and prayers over the past 15+ months.  It was certainly a challenging time for both of us, and we drew such strength from all of you, and now we cant wait to celebrate with each of you in mid August!  Stay tuned for more updates on Baby, Momma and otherwise MacColl!