9 weeks and counting...

Just a quick update for those of you who may be wondering how things are going... and who may not have seen this on Facebook.

We had an ultrasound on Friday with our new OB. He said everything looked encouraging, that the heartbeat was "plenty fast enough" and that, as long as the baby keeps growing as expected, he wasn't too worried about the little bit of bleeding in the uterus (probably coming from a spot where the placenta failed to completely fuse to the uterine wall). It was so fun to see the baby moving around and to hear the little "steam-engine" heartbeat (to quote Dan).

The doctor is a senior citizen who has been at the business of babies for a LONG time and has the deep low drawl of a Southern gentleman. He was simultaneously no-nonsense and in possession of a sense of humor. Dan and I both really liked him.

Among the surprises of the day, baby looked to be about 3 days larger than the original estimated due date would indicate, so we have a newly revised (sooner!) due date of August 9. Either way, this baby is apparently determined to arrive at the hottest, most miserable time of the year! The other interesting tidbit is that the doctor thinks I may need a c-section when the time comes. That is one bridge that we won't be crossing for several months, but it doesn't concern me too much either way. (One thing that wasn't surprising is that baby has a tail. Even that seemed somehow adorable.)

The doctor told us that a good ultrasound at this stage means that the likelihood of miscarriage, while it never drops to zero, is greatly diminished. Given the bleeding I have experienced, the doctor did encourage me to keep my activity to a minimum, so I will still be keeping to bed and chaise much of the time until I am told to do otherwise.

As always, we appreciate the prayers, happy thoughts and encouragement that so many of you have offered (and would ask our prayer warriors to keep at it)!