Tests

William and I went to the doctor today, the Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, and had genetic counseling and a test called the Nuchal Translucency. The genetic counselor was great and explained everything very clearly. She went back and out in our family trees and got any history of genetic problems. Nothing we had in there increased our risk in any significant way. Then we went into a dark room with a huge digital screen and waited for the ultrasound. This is a pretty sophisticated doctor's office with marble counters and a hushed atmosphere. They have warmed gel to put on your stomach. They took my blood first, and then did the ultrasound. The tech smooshed the little paddle around my stomach and the baby popped into view. First its head, then the rest of it. It was bizarre to see the image so large, on a 40-inch screen. We saw it raise its hand over its head! I haven't thought of the baby moving around and to see it moving in real time was surreal. She measured the crown to rump and said we were within the range of the estimated due date. She said the baby is a few days ahead of schedule in size, which is fine. Then she measured the fluid at the back of the neck. The measurement was well within normal range. If there is more fluid it can indicate chromosomal problems. This test as well as the blood test combined will give us some odds about the likelihood of any problems. I was a little concerned it might be a borderline result and that I would feel worried the rest of the pregnancy. Since the number was so good I feel much better. She could see the nasal bone as well, which is also a good sign. We saw the arms and legs. The baby was kind of reclining back with its legs crossed. We got some good ultrasound pictures. We'll have another ultrasound in the second trimester so they can check for neural tube issues like spina bifida. So far so good!

While we were in the waiting room we saw a man and a woman come in and sign in. The woman was fairly slender but had a very large pregnancy bump. They called her in right away; she didn't even sit down. Tonight while I was watching the news they showed a story about a couple named Jones who are going to have quintuplets. It was the same people! She's 28 weeks along and is already bigger than women at 40 weeks who are having one child. When we saw them at the doctor's office William speculated to me that they were having twins. It didn't look like quintuplets, though! She was walking very slowly, however. In the interview Dr. Berry said there were twenty medical people on call 24 hours a day from now until she has the babies. I thought she looked pretty darn good, considering. They're happy she's kept the pregnancy going this far and are hoping to make it to 33 weeks.

I took a nap when I got home and later when I woke up I found a note from William that he had gone to the hospital because his sister Tammy had gone into labor. I was kind of upset to see that because it is premature. When I called him he was with the kids at their house getting some clothes for Tammy. Her water broke in HEB. She'll stay in the hospital until the birth. Hopefully everything will be fine. This will be her fourth child.

We're going to try to go to two parties tonight but I don't know if we'll make it to both. We should make at least one. The fireworks are popping outside. The cats are sleeping through it. I took a CatAge test for Cash Kitty online and it said she should weigh more and we should give her dental treats. She is very skinny. I don't know if we'd be able to make her eat more. You can lead a cat to the dinner bowl but you can't make her eat. The other cats have no problem maintaining a more generous physique. Cash is a bit older so that may be part of the reason. She does like to poke her nose into any human food she can get close to, however!