HOLY CRAP!

We saw the heartbeat! We couldn't hear it due to the type of ultrasound, but WE SAW THE FREAKIN' HEARTBEAT!!!! Had they used the wand ultrasound thingy (if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch Knocked Up((Thanks Cousin Kari, that movie is funny and educational!))(((Sorry, Dr. Joel. No superduper ultrasound info this time around)))), we would've been able to. This one was for more accurate dating purposes, and a conventional ultrasound was suitable. Except for weird ultrasound operator guy Gary, this was a magical experience. I'm not certain why he found it necessary to tell us that he wanted to sell his medical imaging business and get into the restaurant business during one of the absolute coolest moment of my life (this far!), but he did. Weird dude for other reasons too. But not creepy weird, just off kilter weird. Anyways, we needed the more accurate dating of the baby to insure that we'll be able to make use of the many screenings that are available. We're still in discussions on these, as the implications are far reaching and possibly severe. For instance, the first screening that they can do is for Downs syndrome. We can have that test during the first trimester only. Our natural inclination on these screenings is that they are unnecessary in our circumstances. We have no family history. Jake and Sara have no birth defects (personality disorders, maybe, but no defects). And Jess is not over 35. We found out today that our baby is alone in the womb. Sorry, voters for twins, you are wrong! We were also informed that the strength of the heartbeat means it's a girl. The doctor was quick to point out that this is an old wives' tale, but she was the one that proffered the information! Unprompted, even! We got our first picture of lil Shaka. I spent all night at work thinking of the image of the teeny-tiny baby heart flapping away. 188 beats per minute! Interestingly, the baby (technically - an embryo) weighs about four paperclips right now. The baby book that we got this info from does not specify whether they are standard or jumbo. Jess thinks standard, I think jumbo. Nevertheless, there are four paperclips hanging off our refrigerator, a silly reminder that life is growing in our home!