Baby #4's First Picture and a Name

I finally had my first prenatal appointment this week. I was pleasantly surprised when the doc rolled in an ultrasound machine. Even after 3 previous babies, I forget how perfectly formed they are at just 10 weeks! Baby's heart looked great. The baby kept stretching and wriggling. It never ceases to amaze me.

The 2 pictures they gave me don't do it justice (do they ever?), but for the ultrasound illiterate I tried to label baby parts. It still takes some imagination.

ALSO...

We have some exciting news that will surely drive our parents insane:

We're not finding out the baby's gender! Well, until birth at least. We figure we've got everything for a boy or a girl, and since this is probably our Omega, it's our last chance for that kind of surprise.

My only hesitation was in light of Gregory's enthusiasm over this baby. We've had to prod him with his sisters, but this time he's so excited. He kisses my tummy good bye at the bus stop and kisses it again when he gets off the bus AND "good night"... without ANY encouragement! I think it has a lot to do with several of his friends recently welcoming babies into their families.

I considered that he would like to know whether he's expecting a brother or a sister, since he actually seems to care this time. I also was a little leery of calling the baby an "it" for 8 months. Well, Gregory solved all that.

It occurred to me to ask him what we should name the baby while he or she is in my tummy. He concentrated for a while. Then his face lit up (a bit mischievously, I might add) and he sad, "Cindy-Lou!" (we've been watching "The Grinch"). I wasn't sold at first, but then I realized "Lou" by itself can go either way!

SO, for the pregnancy, we're referring to #4 as "Baby Lou."