I did the standard pee in a cup, weight check, blood pressure check, then had my blood drawn for the glucose test. Everything at this point had been fairly routine. It wasn’t until we got into the ultrasound room that things were shaken up a bit. About 2 minutes after the technician began the scan, I noticed she was hanging around in one spot for a little longer than I was comfortable with. No one said anything for another 3 minutes or so. Finally, it started to get a little tense in the room and the conversation went something like this:
Ultrasound Technician: If you’re wondering why I’m struggling right now (insert long pause), it’s because I’m not completely convinced that this baby is still a girl.
Joye: Looks at Jeramie, both look at the technician and simultaneously let out a “really?!”
Jeramie’s was more of a question, while mine probably had a little more of the “!” added in. WOW. A boy? Talk about having our worlds rocked. The technician spent about 10 more minutes trying to get an accurate picture, with no luck. She left it as “inconclusive”, but did note that the baby is completely on target with all of the growth measurements she took. Thank you, God! With that, we were sent onto our next destination, the actual OB.
The doctor gave us 1 of 3 scenarios. Number 1 is that Baby Mullis may still be a girl, but may have some swollen parts due to the extra estrogen in my system. This will “fix itself” after delivery. Number 2 is that Baby Mullis is actually a boy. Then, scenario Number 3 is that Baby Mullis is a boy, but may not be developing properly in all the right areas. So, to find out what’s going on, we go on Jan. 6 for a Level II ultrasound. This will basically give us a more detailed and accurate picture. In the meantime, we continue to pray for the health and development of our baby, and we ask that y’all do the same.
Jeramie and I had a long talk about this nice little surprise after our visit. We went through a wide range of emotions in a matter of a few hours. Not that we would at all be disappointed if this baby is a boy, but it will be a huge paradigm shift for both of us. We came to the conclusion that regardless of what happens, we’re just thankful that we have a healthy baby. Given the rough start of my pregnancy, we were feeling a little bit like the Israelites complaining about only having manna to eat in the desert after God had already been faithful to them so many other times. God has rescued us, within the realm of this pregnancy, as well as other areas of our lives. What makes us think He can’t handle this?
Personally, I’m dealing with the loss of control that comes along with wanting to have everything planned out. Two hours before our ultrasound we were in Pottery Barn trying to pick out a rug for the nursery we had planned to decorate next week. Is it ironic that all the rugs we picked out were not in stock?? Needless to say, decorating is on hold for now! I’m learning a very practical lesson through all this. And, as my daddy told me so honestly, I was never in control in the first place.
Now, if I can only trust God enough to fully believe it.
Here are a few shots of our growing baby:
Baby Mullis sucking his/her thumb!
Baby Mullis looking at us. Note the eyeball...
