Baby Lee at 9 weeks 2 days:

There you go, a picture of the little guy. Doesn't look much different than the picture of an 8-week ultrasound, except this little guy is mine and so he's GORGEOUS. The best looking in-utero baby in the WORLD! Speaking of the little "guy", Donald and I think we are going to find out the sex after all. Will know by September - I think my detailed ultrasound is September 2. We're still talking about it, but I think we'll go for it.

Here's another picture with notes:

His heart was beating at 171 beats per minute. Didn't hear it, but saw it. He was moving around in there too, very active!

At my appointment on Wednesday, Dr. Rhone told me that I'm definitely delivering at BC Women's. I was so relieved! Either she or someone on her team will deliver, depending if she's on call at that time. I'm sure I'll meet the other doctor's, I think there's four that rotate. That's all way down the road though.

It's no problem to go to LA and Vegas in July and October, so I'm happy about that. Besides, if anything were to happen, I feel safe in those two places.

She's not concerned with the fact that I lost a bit of weight, we're just going to monitor it. According to her scale I weight 122. So I like her scale better than mine. Although her nurse did the reading wrong and told me I was 145 lbs! I laughed my head off, so did everyone else in the waiting room. I don't think so....

Don't have to take folic acid after 12 weeks becuase the risk of spina bifida is over (it's either present or not) as the spine is formed at that time or something.

Now, let's hope I explain this right:

There's a screen available only for women 38 and over that's 90% accurate (as opposed to the 70% accuracy of the triple screen) in testing for the markers for down's and neural tube defects (spina bifida being one). It's two different blood tests, one at week 11 and one at week 15. It tests for the levels of certain things that would be in your blood if the baby is at risk of having any of these defects. It measures two factors, #1 being the age of the mother (in my case at 38 the risk will automatically be a certain percentage), and #2 being the actual blood work results, which could be extremely low or high. I'm hoping for the low level, of course. Married with an ultrasound (that measures certain things on the fetus like folds at the back of the neck that are present only in Down's babies, among other things), it's pretty accurate. There's always an amnio as well, but I'm not leaning towards that as it's so invasive, and, well, for other very personal reasons.

I say this all now, but who's to say how I'll be if it ever presented itself?

Other than that, my next appointment is August 1. Until then, I'm feeling good and feeling pregnant and all is right in the world.

Except for the fact that I'm going to a party tomorrow and nobody there will believe the fact that I'm not drinking. So I'm doing one of three things:

1. saying I'm on a cleanse.
2. saying I'm just finishing antibiotics and can't drink.
3. pouring myself virgin drinks.

Later,

s.