No picture yet, but more good news....

So, Little Life was hanging out this morning in my ute. Looks like a cozy existence, I might add.

I was VERY worried that the u/s tech wouldn't give us any details since the NT scan is part of the sequential prenatal testing that we are doing. And all of the results will be delivered to us around 17-18 weeks. In fact, I slept a bit fitfully last night because of it.

But the tech was fantastic. She explained everything and was very agreeable when I asked for a HB check.

Little Life looks GREAT! I am still exhaling, I think, but it was all good news:

Nuchal Fold measurement was 2.1 (anything under 2.6 or so is ideal according to the research I did.)

CRL: 6.7 (We were told that that was one day behind - 12w4d - but that that is normal and no reason to worry.)

HB: 167 bpm.

We saw his/her feet, hands, mouth opening and closing. All of the limbs were accounted for. Everything looked normal.

PHEW. (Did I mention that I am still exhaling??)

The tech's last words to us were, "everything looks normal, so hopefully the blood tests will match our findings."

Can't ask for better than that, right?

The shocker was the size of my ovaries. They are still big, bigger than expected. That may explain some of the cramping that I experience. Now that my ute is growing, maybe it is crowding them out a bit. I thought they were supposed to go down by now but I am sure they will go down eventually.

I am back to thinking that LL is of the male persuasion. At one point, we were clearly getting a butt shot. I asked the tech if that was, in fact, what we were looking at and she confirmed it. I could have sworn that I saw the beginnings of a male appendage but she didn't offer and I didn't ask. Mr. LIW said later that it might have been the umbilical cord (which also looked normal - along with the other organs - btw). That is very possible.

I wonder, though, because the tech paused a bit after confirming the butt angle. I don't think that determining the sex is part of the NT scan.

In that moment, I felt like we could continue to wait to find out. Though Mr. LIW *finally* agreed to defer to my wishes about finding out the sex (the "how many shots did I get to create this baby?" guilt trip worked!), I know that he is a bit sad that the surprise will be "ruined." So I didn't want to ruin it even sooner.

I forgot to ask my OB two weeks ago when the next diagnostic u/s is but the tech agreed that it should be around 18 weeks - just to make sure that everything is still developing correctly.

Does that feel like a lifetime away or what??

But I would be crazy not to feel a bit relieved by the NT results. Though the scan alone is only 80% accurate or something, it is still a good sign to see that there are no red flags.

Let's see how long this relief lasts. Anyone want to take bets? LOL

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On an entirely shallow note, Mr. LIW did not have time to change the size of my belly shot last night. He had to work on his laptop instead. One would assume that after working 12+-hour days, Mr. LIW would be able to come home and spend quality time with his family. But, alas, that is not the case. In fact, it is the exception.

So my need to satisfy all of you who wonder about my bump needed to be delayed. But I promise it is coming soon. Despite my better judgment, it is actually a full body shot. I never thought that I would be that forthcoming with my appearance on my blog but I guess the concern about crazy stalkers wears off over time. Plus, I feel so close to so many of you, I want you to envision who is behind the rambling posts and comments.....
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On yet another note, I can't figure out how to label these posts. I don't know if I should label them 2nd trimester. I haven't been but I am starting to believe that I should. Does *everything* related to IF and pregnancy have to be so challenging? *grin*