17.5 week growth and picture update

Rainbow baby is still a boy. (Third opinion, all agree, with ultrasound picture evidence.) And, still not shy about showing us.

Everything looks great, still. His heartrate was a little lower than I'm used to (143 beats per minute), but well within normal range, so for us the old wives tale has been true so far...Olivia's heartrate was always in the 150's-160's, rainbow baby has always been in the 140's-low 150's.

Most importantly, he is still measuring ahead. Most of his measurements were 18 weeks + 3 days or so (and today is 17+4, so 6 days ahead), and the average of all of the measurements together was 18+3. (One measurement was actually 18+6, more than a week ahead.) They are already estimating his weight to be 9 ounces, + or - 1 ounce, so 8-10 ounces already. (So he may already be as big as Olivia was at a little over 23 weeks.) My fluid levels look good, all of his organs and everything look good, and he is "a very active baby", put nicely. The ultrasound tech actually said, "This baby does not stop moving for even one second!" He started out laying at the bottom of my uterus looking up, 5 minutes later he was laying against the top of it, looking down, and not long after that he was laying along the bottom again...I mentioned to the tech, "He's changed positions 3 times since we've been here." She said, "Three times nothing! He's changed positions way more times than that!" (I guess I was watching the measurements so closely that I missed it.) The blood flow looked normal, but it's only 17 weeks so that's not especially reassuring yet. We go back in 3 weeks for another growth check. (Normally my ultrasounds are every 4 weeks and sometimes also the high risk doctor will do one with the roll in machine, but since this is when Olivia seriously fell behind in growth, we are checking it a week early this time.)

We didn't get many pictures this time because he moved so much she had a hard enough time just getting the measurements and everything that she needed to get:

His little legs are sticking up against me although it's not as obvious in this picture:

And two blurry baby feet, number of toes still uncertain, but we're not too worried about it. :)  (5 fingers on both hands confirmed.)

The next 6 weeks are going to be busy, but if we could just fast forward to March or so, I think both Joe and I would be okay with that.