Spencer Baby #5!

I had my first doctors appointment today and it went great! It was good to see Dr. Mullaly again (she delivered Emily and Abbs) and we were able to talk through all of the "stuff" we needed to talk about. My due date is exactly as I figured: October 12th which puts me at 8 1/2 weeks right now. I had my first ultrasound which showed only ONE :) very healthy little baby with a very strong heartbeat! The pictures are a little dark, but you can see my little jelly bean baby (inside the dark mass). :)

Because of the fact that my odds are raised a little to have another baby with Down Syndrome, we discussed some testing/screening options. I told her I'm for doing anything that's non-invasive. And given that we WILL NOT "terminate" (I hate that word) this pregnancy, she understands that they would only be for our peace of mind and to stay on top of any possible medical issues should the baby have DS. So at 12 weeks (April 6th) they will do a special kind of ultrasound to measure tissue in the back of the baby's neck (or something like that) and that will give them an indicator. My friend Meredith is pregnant with her 5th child and just had this same screening done. (You can check out her blog here and see ultrasound pics here.)

People have asked me (and I know many more are wondering) if we are afraid that this baby will have Down syndrome. And the way I honestly feel is that... I'm not really concerned about it. I don't "feel" like this baby will... but you know, if he does... so what? That might sound strange, but I've just learned that all my kids are God's first. I'll love this baby the same as all of my kids rather he is "typically developing" or has Trisomy 21 (DS), Trisomy 18, Trisomy 13, Autism, Cerebal Palsy, Blindness, has only three limbs or no limbs! Life is precious and its a gift. In my heart I'm prepared for whatever God has for me and I'm not afraid. I can say that honestly. I fully trust that God is the author of all life and can and will use it for His glory. So yes, I will do this screening, because I feel it would be wise medically, but I'm not worried about it. For now, there is a tiny, HEALTHY baby inside me and thats all that any mom can ask. :) (And I'm only saying "he" because I'd rather not say "it"... and yes I'll be completely excited about a boy OR girl.) :)

Anyway, the girls were really excited to see the pictures too. Emily was explaining to her Nana today how Mommy and Daddy are "gonna go get Pabel, and he's MINE age, not Ashy's" and "then Mommy's gonna have a baby from her belly".

In other news, we're still waiting to get pictures of Spencer Baby #4. (Although he'll technically be #2 in line... whatever). :) I told Jake last night, I feel like I'm waiting to get ultrasound pictures of Pavel. I can't WAIT. :)

So today, I'm glad to have that first visit over... to know the baby is in the right place, is growing well, and the Dr is happy with the way everything looks! Praising God for this tiny new life that one day, we won't be able to imagine our family without. :)