It's a .........

beautiful baby, don't you think?

The placenta, cord insertion and cord placement all look normal and the placenta is located away from the cervix! I was so relieved when I met with my midwife after the ultrasound and she said that the umbilical cord was inserted centrally into the placenta. (I never thought I could be so excited over a placenta in all my life!!!) No sign of vasa previa. We both let out a big sigh of relief. The Baby-to-be's heart and brain look great, too. (Callie was hoping that it would have a "smart mind and heart"...that's what she wrote in the card that she gave me on the day after we told my family the news.) The baby's heart was beating in the 150's. Of course, I still have my worries and will continue to worry until this sweet baby is in my arms, safe and sound after delivery.

I watched the ultrasound with my head elevated off of the pillow until I just couldn't do it anymore. I loved watching all of the little moves and the bloodflow on the color doppler was such a treat! The Muffin wanted to see the baby's nose. We got a great picture of a foot. Those kidneys, that brain, those hands, that spine and those ribs...all so cute. I saw nothing that told me if our Baby-to-be is a boy or a girl. Fortunately, Pam saw otherwise...and she says it's a girl. A sweet, little baby girl. A sister for The Muffin. Another granddaughter and promise of matching outfits for my mom. Another niece and goddaughter for my sister and brother-in-law. Another reason for Big Daddy to buy another shotgun. Surely, another squealing voice in our house.

We really couldn't be any happier! There's no need to worry that we were hoping for a boy...we were just hoping for a baby. The Muffin is thrilled because she knew it was a girl. She wasn't surprised by the news at all. And in case you're wondering, I thought it was a boy!

Thanks to everyone who has been anxiously awaiting our big news!

And F.Y.I.:

She weighs approximately 10 ounces and I've gained (only) five pounds so far!