It's A...Mystery

I can already see this is going to be a stubborn kid.

Despite the persistent urgings of his/her mother and father, Baby Hill refused to cooperate during the ultrasound this morning.

Well, let me rephrase that. He/she did cooperate well enough for the ultrasound technician to see that he/she has a healthy brain, spine, kidneys, lungs, and four working, wiggling limbs.

But he/she was lying face-down toward Mary's spine, and he/she wouldn't turn over so we could see his/her face.

We could see his/her heart just a-pumping away, but the ultrasound tech couldn't see all four chambers of the heart at the same time, which she has to be able to do to confirm that everything is working normally.

And thanks to an inconveniently located umbilical cord (situated squarely between his/her legs), we couldn't see his/her private parts, either.

Thanks a lot, kiddo.

At one point, the ultrasound tech thought she could see the faintest evidence of "girl parts" (reproductive organs) in the lower abdomen, but she added, and I quote, "You came in here at 50/50, and now you might be at 60/40 [in favor of a] girl, but even at that, I can't be sure."

And so we wait. Another six weeks. Six weeks!

The optimal time for them to see the heart the way they need to see it properly is at 24 weeks, thus the next ultrasound six weeks from now. At that time, they'll try again to see what gender he/she is. We're hoping that Baby Hill will cooperate next time.

While we still don't know if the baby is a he or she, what we do know is what matters most. That he/she is healthy as far as they can tell; that his/her heart is beating at 148 beats per minute (perfectly normal); that he/she weighs about 9 ounces (perfectly normal); and that he/she is actively moving around in there, even if Mary can't feel him/her yet.

It's a blessing to know what we do know, and to see what we did see. All the other stuff – seeing his/her face, knowing his/her gender – will have to wait for another day.

Stubborn kid.