Sucking Thumbs

I'm about a week and a half behind in writing this post, but I had to share what we learned at our last ultrasound.  We were referred by my OBGYN here to have the genetic testing done by another doctor from San Francisco. Fortunately this doctor and her staff travel an hour north once or twice a week for appointments like ours. So, we only had an hour drive to make, rather than a two-plus hour drive.

The appointment went great! The doctor we met with is a perinatologist. She was so thorough and helpful in answering all of our questions and informing us with how things are going. Her ultrasound technician also did an awesome job of capturing some really cute glimpses of our babies sucking their thumbs. So cute! She even took some photos with the 3D ultrasound monitor, which are so amazing!

My favorite part of these appointments is listening to Marc's quiet "oohs" and "awes" as we watch our little babies in their very early stages. I love having him by my side through all of this, enjoying this miracle together. I don't know if there is anything that has brought me more joy so far in my life.

So, here are some photos from our 13-week ultrasound:


This is a profile of Baby A, just about to suck his/her thumb. It also kind of looks like his/her legs are crossed... just chillin' out.



This is a profile of Baby B, rubbing his/her face or eye... so darn cute!



And here they are together. Baby A is on the left, upside down. You can see the legs, feet, and cute little toes really clearly... if you look closely you can see his/her head in the background. Baby B is on the right, it looks like he/she is resting his/her head on his/her hand. Isn't so amazing how perfectly formed they are at such an early stage? Incredible!

(I can't wait until we know what sex they are so we won't have to refer to them as he/she.)

Some things we learned at this appointment:

* Both babies are measuring at about 7.5 centimeters (roughly the size of your pointer finger)

* They are both still measuring right on track with my due date (December 2nd)

* The fluid in each sac is measuring the same, which is good news!

* There is only one placenta ... meaning ...we're having identical twins! (So, I'll have to update the poll, since the "one boy, one girl" option is no longer an option.) Identical twins are more high risk than fraternal twins, but we're going to be monitored every two weeks with an ultrasound by our perinatologist, to make sure both babies are right on track. The longer drive for those appointments is worth the comfort we'll receive, knowing our babies are receiving the best care possible.

This probably goes without saying, but we are still totally in awe of this entire experience. We still look at each other with the expression "this wasn't supposed to be possible." And yet, here we are experiencing the most incredible blessing... one that we never would have expected to come to us. I'm reminded every day that God is truly a God of miracles.