Ultrasound Results

Yesterday afternoon Kyle and I went to see the perinatologist. I suppose the medical reason for such a visit would be to check for birth defects. It's probably not to cause stress, but it did. I didn't realize exactly how worried I was about the visit until after it was over and suddenly I was ravenous.

I really enjoyed having this particular perinatologist read the scans. He's the same one we saw when we were waiting for Donovan to be born. Now that I've seen him twice, I think I like him because he talks about each scan. He explains what he's looking for and tells us what he thinks each measurement means. While he warned us that an ultrasound is not conclusive in ruling out Down Syndrome as a possible condition, all of the baby's measurements looked good. I was especially happy to see a full, round head.

My main concern was whether the baby's parts were all there and in working order. However, most people don't ask me about that. Most people, including my children, have been terribly concerned with the question of gender. We've put away all the little girl names for the moment and are getting ready to welcome boy number four into the family. I'm thrilled, because I absolutely enjoy little boys.

There has been some grumbling in the ranks though. This morning Conrad complained, "We don't have any girls in our family." Donovan had made the same observation a couple of weeks ago. When I reminded Donovan I was a girl he said, "No, you are a woman." Conrad, aware of that conversation, added to his complaint a definition of "girl", "A girl is a woman that is little or really young. I really wanted to have a little sister." They are sure to warm up to the idea of another brother eventually. I hope.

Belly Bump

Last week Donovan put his hands on my belly giving me a little push. Then he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and exclaimed, "Mom, you have a BIG belly!" Conrad, who was standing nearby, decided it was time to tell me what Sophie had told him several days earlier. "Sophie said her mom told her you might be pregnant."

I wasn't sure what to say at that moment. While it's very true that my belly has been getting larger, I had hoped to wait a little longer before having this conversation with my children. I thought it might be best to wait until my visit to the perinatologist. That way I would be able to tell the boys how their new sibling is doing physically. They've expressed concerns over the last year about any more babies we might have. They've wanted to know what would happen if we had another baby with anencephaly. My answer has always been that we would love the baby until we had to give it back to heaven.

Instead of admitting Sophie might be right, I decided to probe a little further. I asked Conrad, "How would auntie Holly know I'm pregnant." He looked at me indignantly and said, "She's had four children. She should know what a pregnant person looks like!" Who could argue with that? The truth of the matter is that I told Holly myself months ago. Sophie, being the observant little girl she is, probably didn't need to be told as my belly bump has just been getting larger in spite of visits to the gym.

I dropped the conversation for a bit. During lunch I told the boys that Sophie was right; I am expecting another child. Conrad looked up in disbelief and asked, "How do you know?" I did my best to contain my laughter while trying to think up a response. It came through a question, "Why do you think I've been going to the doctor so often lately?" Then Conrad's face lit up, "Oh! Oh, that's why you've been going to the doctor." Convinced we would have another baby, his questions reverted to the normal questions children ask. He wanted to know if it would be a boy or a girl, what we would name it and where in the world the baby will sleep.

Now all I want to know is whether Conrad will be able to handle sharing his birthday. It's very possible he will have to since the expected date of arrival is just two days after Conrad's birthday.

The Roasting Pan

Today a beautiful roasting pan joined our much too large collection of pots and pans. There's no room for it in the cupboard yet so it's current residence is on our dining table. This afternoon I was sitting at the table near the pan when Donovan came to sit in my lap. I teased him saying the pan was big enough for him to sit in. He gave me a goofy look and glanced at the pan. That's when he noticed his reflection. In the convex curve of the lid, his face was quite distorted. He giggled, moved closer and learned that his reflection became more distorted the closer he came to the pan. He began to sway forward and backward. All the while his giggles became more contagious. I joined in the fun swaying and laughing with him. At one point Donovan looked at me with a big grin and announced, "I look like Fisher". Then he was back to giggling and swaying once more.