Hi Blog Readers – I just got my first US ultrasound done last thursday.  Boy was the tech surprised when she casually asked if this was my first ultrasound and I replied that it was actually my 6th!  Then I had to go on to explain the liberal use of ultrasounds in Manila.  She assumed they quality had been sub-par and was shocked when I told her that we got a CD with the pictures and video of the ultrasound!

You can see in the picture above that she’s starting to fill out and look more like a baby now.  Her arm is down by her side.  The dark hole near her arm is the stomach and the other hole northeast of the first is her heart.  It looks like she’s blowing a bubble but that’s actually the umbilical cord!

Here’s a top view of her face.  Turn your head sideways if that helps.  You can see the eye sockets and nose in between.  I swear she’s smiling in this one, even though she looks a little alien-like.

The big relief of the day was a 4th confirmation that she is a girl.  I’ve been having these nightmares that I’d show up at this appointment and suddenly find out my she was a he.  No fear now, the tech clearly showed me her little girl parts!  Nia weighed in at 2 pounds and is now 13 inches long.  She is measuring in the 60th percentile.  There was a chance that my rheumatoid arthritis meds could slow her growth, but happily we’re not seeing that yet!  Let’s hope it stays that way….

Nia was SUPER active during the ultrasound, a trend we’ve seen repeatedly.  The tech politely said she had great fetal movement which I know really means “you’re going to have a busy one on your hands.”  On the bright side, she did delight me by getting the hiccups during the scan.  It was so fun to witness that.  Her next photoshoot is at week 32, so it’ll be a bit before you see her again.  Rest assured that she’s starting to kick me at lots of inconvenient times (like when I want to sleep).  It’s been good practice for what’s coming!

PS – Nia is pronounced KNEE – AH.  Rhymes with Tia, Sophia, Mia, etc… I’ve had several people ask, so I thought I’d clarify!