May 6th, 2008

So we had our long awaited 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday, May 6th at 9:00 am. It lasted about 20 minutes and about halfway through we found out it was a boy! I was right - I knew all along :) Even before the ultrasound technician told us we thought we saw a penis. It was so cool to see our baby, he was moving a lot and I was so happy. The technician told us that the reason I wasn't feeling movement was because the placenta is in front and acting as a cushion right now blocking the baby's movements. We also found out the baby is laying transverse (across my uterus). We got a DVD recording of the ultrasound and three pictures of our son. I think he looks just like Jered :)

Then we went on to meet with our doctor and I was weighed (up 13 lbs!) and for the first time my blood pressure was normal b/c I wasn't nervous anymore. Then Dr. Marichal came in and right away told us there are some problems with our baby. It was definitely like one of those scenes in a movie where you see someone's lips moving but you can't hear anything. He said that it looked like the right foot was a "club foot," the right femur was shorter than the left, there was a missing bone in the lower right leg and some extra fluid on the kidneys. He wasn't too worried about the kidneys, but obviously concerned about the problems with the foot and leg. He told us that we would have to schedule a Level 2 ultrasound at Shands and see a specialist. The next ultrasound is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th at 10:00 am.

It has been a tough week and we are sad for our baby. The good thing though is that so many people are praying for our son! I believe in the power of prayer and know that God can perform a miracle.