The Obligatory Update

I call it "obligatory" only because I feel like I need to report something, yet I feel guilty because I have so little to say. After all the drama of the past several months, I have been at a loss for things to write about. We have really just been trying to enjoy the slower pace of life and focus on all of our blessings.

Max has been his usual delightful and entertaining self. Here he is in his latest costume; I am calling this one "drag-queen pirate."

He is thoroughly excited about being a big brother, and he thinks we should name the new baby either "Otto" or "Firestar"--at least those are his top choices this week.

Speaking of the new baby, we had another ultrasound recently, and everything is progressing perfectly. This is a ten-week picture, and you can see that (s)he is really starting to look like a baby. (S)he even seems to be sucking a thumb, although the doctor said that is still physically impossible.

I promise I will get my butt in gear and post some really good pics and interesting anecdotes soon; right now, I am just trying to relax and get through the end of this pukey first trimester. Love to everybody...

UPDATE: When Max saw his picture on the blog this morning, he said, "That's me! I'm a lady pirate!"

Latest Pics of Butch

Here (s)he is! Isn't (s)he beautiful? In the top one, you can see that Butch has a nice strong heartbeat--166 beats per minute. We got to hear it this time, too--loud and clear and GORGEOUS!

In the second one, you can ALMOST make out a bit of a "real" baby shape. The head is closest to the bottom of the picture, and you can see little arm and leg buds forming. The circle toward the top is the yolk sac, which nourishes the fetus until the placenta forms. It is now almost completely depleted and moving away from the baby. It will dissolve soon, and the placenta will take over.

Dr. Dunn told us that the chance of miscarriage is now less than 3%, so we feel very confident and excited about this pregnancy. He congratulated us on our "graduation" and released us to start seeing our regular OB, Dr. Cone.