Baby Willow!

As planned, we had our first ultrasound on May 20. After confirming that our baby had all the right parts and the right quantity of each, our ultrasound technician (who informed us she'd been doing it since 1978) said she was 99% sure we are having a daughter. Happy tears just poured down my face. With the distinct lack of girls on Don's side of the family, we were convinced we were expecting a boy, so it came as quite a surprise. Of course we would have been just as happy with either, but it is so fun to know now and to think about our baby girl.

Here are her first few pictures:

This one shows her heart.

This one shows her stomach (the larger black dot) and her bladder, I think (the smaller black dot).

And this one Don fondly calls "Skeletoria" (he has a copy on his desk at work).

First Family Portrait

Auntie Mel and Baby Willow

The next day we had another visit with the baby doctor, who told us that my "Quad Screening" blood test showed no increased risk for genetic abnormalities, so we won't be having further, more invasive tests. Phew!

The nesting instinct has started to kick in, so we've set up the crib and the dresser/changing table, and moved my dresser and the TV out of the baby's room and into our room. Last weekend, my friend Stephanie and her daughter Katherine helped me find my first maternity clothes at Target and start a registry at Babies 'R Us. Both the bedding I purchased and the dresser have bunnies on them, and the mobile on the crib has birds, so I think we're going for a forest animal theme in the nursery. It's starting to come together - now I just need to get painting in there before I fill it with too much more stuff!

We're now at 21 weeks and she's the length of a carrot. So big!