We have a healthy baby boy...oops, nevermind, it's a girl!

Okay, baby GIRL!!!!! (Yes, GIRL - we'll talk more about that in a bit!) What a day! We went in for your detailed ultrasound today and had my doctor's appointment first. Met with the same nice doctor that we had a several weeks ago. We really like him a lot. Anyway, my blood sugar numbers looked pretty good to him and he suggested a few changes, which was great. He answered a few questions I had (like would getting an electric shock hurt you, because yes, your Mommy somehow managed to mess with the pool pump's on/off switch with a wet hand the other day and I guess I touched some exposed wires! Anyway, he let me know that you should be fine, especially since it seemed like a small shock and we have heard your heart beating away just fine in there since then!). And, we were just a bit concerned because I had a high-ish blood pressure reading (140/85). I am always soooo nervous before I see you - and they ALWAYS do the ultrasound first, except today - so I was still all riled up because I hadn't seen you yet - and so obviously my blood pressure reflected that. So, we would just wait and take it again after the ultrasound. He let me know that my appointments were going to get closer together - every week to two weeks - which is great, I figured around halfway through things would start ramping up! After talking with the nice doctor, we went and got your sisters out of the waiting room and went in for the ultrasound.

The tech first asked if we wanted to know the gender - we, of course, already knew - but didn't want to "admit" this to her because we went to an outside company so we felt a little silly about it I guess. So, she started in on your scan and we first saw your beautiful spine - so cool to see all your vertabrae! Then, she went down to your boy parts - except - there weren't any and she announced that you were a girl! We were all shocked! We couldn't believe it - we had thought of you for almost a month now as a boy! All I could do was laugh. I had this little gut feeling that I shouldn't lock my mind on you as a boy yet. The girls were all shocked too...all we could do was laugh and talk about how crazy this is...and that they would have a sister now! We did confess to the tech then that we had gone and gotten a gender scan a few weeks ago, and she checked over and over again....still a girl! She admitted that there's always a chance for her to be wrong, but she has done this over and over again and never been wrong (to her knowledge). You were a little shy at first and had your legs crossed, so we got a shot of your girlie-ness, but later, you opened up and really showed it off even better. It's almost like you could hear us questioning whether or not this could be true and you just spread 'em and said, "hey, look...I really am a girl, okay?!". =)

All that crazy stuff aside...you looked great and healthy! That was the biggest deal to me above all. You were sleeping at first, but then started moving all over the place - which is SO COOL to see on the ultrasound screen.  Your heart rate was 148, which is exactly what we measure you at at home with our doppler.  She checked your brain, kidneys, spine, bone lengths, head and belly measurements...and I'm sure a ton more that I don't even know about. By the time she was to look at your heart, you were hiding it under my belly button, so the angle to capture everything was tough for her to get. We did get to see that you had all your four chambers and the aorta valve pumping (I think)...but I guess there were a few other things that normally get measured and checked that she could see properly because of your position, so we will have to wait a few weeks until I get a fetal echo sonogram...that will be a detailed heart look only at 22 weeks. The ultrasound doc came in to review the tech's findings and she reiterated all that the tech found - all looked great...just the heart was a little difficult to see...so they were a-okay with getting the rest in a few weeks. She said that this detailed scan finds at least 50% of all deformities and abnormalities (even alerts to Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida) and everything on your looked great! Whew! What a relief! Now the only stressor was to figure out how to return all of those boy clothes we had bought over the last few weeks! =)

After the awesome 20-30 minutes looking at you (oh...and your sisters LOVED seeing all your nooks and crannies! They were ooooh-ing and aaaah-ing the whole time!) she gave us some pictures and sent us over to take my blood pressure one more time before leaving. I was still 138/82, which is a little high to them, so they had to tell the doctor the number and have him talk to me before they would let me leave! Felt kind of crazy to be stuck there because of this...but the doc came back in and let me know that he's sure my nerves were playing into this number and I should just go find a BP machine at Walgreens or CVS over the next couple of weeks and check and make sure it's down. Your Daddy and I went a step above that and went and bought a machine so we could take it on vacation with us...and I am happy to report I came in at a healthy 104/65 tonight. Whew! I'm telling you, those ultrasounds do a number on me!

Oh yeah, I also found out that I my placenta is on the front side of my uterus, or "placenta previa". This isn't where you want your placenta at the end of the pregnancy, but the doc said that 90% of the cases resolve themselves and change by the end, so they aren't worried at all at this point. I did ask the tech is the placenta being in front (or between where you are and my tummy) would make it less likely for me to feel you move and she said, definitely yes...but I'd still feel you plenty...just maybe not as early as others. That was kind of nice to know so I don't sit here and worry that I haven't felt you much yet.

Tonight, your Daddy and I returned some of your boy clothes to a consignment store that we like...they took them all back and we picked out some cutsie new girlie ones for you! They are really, really cute! Your Daddy even found a Cowboys onesie for you...it says something like, "I spit up blue" and then has a Cowboys star on it. He loved it...whether you knew it or not...you are a Cowboys fan. =)

We are sooo much smarter than we even realized because we 1) used all neutral greens and yellow colors in your room - no need to change anything there, and 2) had your initals be AJ whether you were a boy or a girl. So, you used to be Aidan Josiah, but now will be our little Avery Jo! And your middle name comes from your Mimi's middle name! Oh, and I looked up your names tonight and what they "mean"...Avery means "elf counsel" and Jo means "he will enlarge". Your Daddy and I are cracking up at those meanings. Too funny - Jo's variant forms mean "God is gracious", so I think we will just stick with that one instead!

Okay, here are several pictures of you....you're our little girlie! And we love you so very much Avery Jo! More than you will ever know probably!

That's your back at the top - and your spine is all white - your head is down on the left

This is your scary alien baby look.  =)  Head is on the left, and a distorted look at your arms, legs and belly.  =)

Okay, so here's the big revealing picture.  It's a shot of your buns and legs, like you are looking up at them when you are sitting on a glass chair.  You're a girl!

Your head is on the right, with one arm/hand coming up to your face, with the other fingers showing up in the background.

That's your arm and fingers - looks like you got them all!  =)

One of my favs from the day - your profile shot - you look so cute there!  I think one of your hands is coming up by your face in the background too!

A 3D shot of you

Look at that little chicken leg!  This is just a shot of one of your legs, bent, with your cute little foot.  Your knee would be to the left and your foot on the right, with your butt cheek right above your heel.

Another 3D Shot...looks like you may be sucking your thumb!

Another girl shot - just in case you were still wondering about it.  =)

Whew!  Baby girl...quite a day we had.  Can't wait to think of you as a girl now!  And buy all those adorable girl outfits - boys clothes really just aren't as cute!  =)  We love you Avery Jo...like Kyndall said today at the scan, wish you were out in our arms already!  We all can't wait!