Can you tell if it's a BOY or GIRL?

This is a photo of the fetus' bottom and privates.... can you tell?

Here SHE is in 4D...

Isn't SHE beautiful, it looks like she has her daddy Chaddy's forehead and such a combination of both of our features. She looks so beatiful already...

May 4, 2007 - UCSF

Many women who have been pregnant in the last 5 years has had the option given to them for an alpha feto protein SCREENING blood test also known as AFP. This test SCREENS for various birth defects i.e. genetic defects but can only be done between 15-20 weeks of pregnancy to get an accurate cholesterol, horomone, and protein count.
This SCREENING is an advantage to some, but can cause others false positives. The AFP SCREENING is interesting: when the fetus sheds its skins cells they recycle into the mothers blood stream, and from there the lab can draw the mothers blood looking at the babys level of horomone, cholesterol, and protein.

At the end of April I had gone in to have my AFP screening done. They took my blood, I watched them label it and put it into the State of California Genetic Diagnosis Center bag for shipping. All was going well until I received a phone call at work on Monday April 30th from the midwife at my doctors office. She asked me how I was, and asked if I was okay to talk. She proeceeded with letting me know the levels of my AFP SCREENING and that they were a little off in a certain area. The area that it came back was the horomone area and it gave a result that there was a 1/55 chance that this baby may have downs syndrome.

I started to cry...not the small tears but chunky, gloppy tears and snot.
She further explained what the results meant, but still to me it was unclear. She reminded me again that it was just a SCREENING and alot of women have false positives. She gave me the information for the UCSF genetic diagnosis ceneter and also let me know my options. They would do a level 2 ultra sound which see into the fetus in 4D, and I also have the option for an amniocentesis. I called UCSF immediately for an appointment. They got me in on Friday, May 4th. We spoke to a genetic counselor before our ultra sound. She explained to us that there was a 2% chance the baby would have downs syndrome, and a 98% chance not.
My heart began to feel some relief. The 4D ultra sound looks into their organs, including the brain functions and monitoring the heart beat. They checked the kidneys, digestive system, heart, lungs, limbs, brain (extensively0, and monitored the heart valves extensively as well. They told us that all looked normal, and nothing was leaning towards the downs. If downs were presence the heart may have had problems, the umnbilical cord would only have two blood vessels instead of three, limbs would have been formed shorter i.e. short neck, legs, and facial features. But SHE was beautiful. Yes, SHE... they called her a photgenic fetus.

Check THIS out

"In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have been able to demonstrate that if we drink one quart of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than one quart of Escherichia coli ( the E. Coli bacteria that is found in feces). In other words, we are consuming 1 quart of poop.

However, (and many of us will be glad to hear this), we do nut run that risk when drinking wine, rum, whiskey, or other liquors. Alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering, and fermenting.

So remember: water is poop; wine is health. Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, thant to drink water and be full of shit."

WHEN I'M AN OLD LADY (poem I got off the bathroom stall at work for Mother's Day)

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness...just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh they'll be excited!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll write on the wall with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture, wearing my shoes.

I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
And when that is done, I'll hide under the bed!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry...I'll run...if I'm able!
(When I'm old and live with my kids)

I'll sit close to the TV, through the channels I'll click,
I'll cross both eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud til the end of the day!
(When I'm old and live with my kids)

And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,

And day with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"

God Bless All Mom's

(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

Be Bop N' Bowl - March 2007

ABOVE: This is Mariah and Anne (ME) if you look closely you may see baby to be... do we look like we're back in the 50's... Mariah wanted to dress up like this everyday, she told me that I should dress like this all the time.
BELOW:
From Left to Right: Larry (co-worker), Aileen (friend), Anne (w/bun in the oven), Chad, and Mariah (center...of attention)In March the Humboldt County Big Brothers Big Sisters had their annual "Bowl For Kids Sake" Bowlorama! I organized a team through Mad River Community Hospital (where I work) and only got one employee to join in (Thanks Larry!), he's on a bowling league so he was a willing participant, can't say much for the others.... whatever :-(
We had so much fun, bowling and laughing and taking pics! The team captain (yours truly) started off with a strike (pure luck I tell ya! Good ol' irish charm).

This event raises money for the program and is a whopping 60% of their yearly budget! Our team raised almost $300!
We rented our costumes- total 50's theme! I had a red poodle skirt on, and Chad had on a matching letterman jacket just like the Rydell High School colors from Grease! Aren't we cute?!?
BELOW...
Mariah, looking like the rebel without a cause (I think she literally wishes she was). She wore that outfit to school the following Monday, and wanted to wear it again a couple days later in the week... UMMM No.

Here is our little Greaser in her leather jacket and slicked back, literally oiled back greaser style hair! It took lots of combing and bobbie pinning to make her look like an official T-Bird.

March 15, 2007 First Photo!

This is our cute little fetus taking a jump in mommy's belly on March 15, 2007. Isn't he/she sooo cute already. He/She was jumping, almost like a hiccup motion during the ultrasound. Can't tell what it is yet! At this time we are estimated to be at about 13 weeks. You can see his/her hand over the top of its belly there. Tiny little fingers are so defined! Long legs and pretty good sized feet, wonder if that means its a boy!? Big head already, must have its dads brain. How exciting!!

Everything looks great! Mariah and Chad had front row seats during our visit. Mariah seemed happy and confused/scared at the same time. Watching the monitor go across my belly and seeing this lil' thing move inside of her mom was pretty intense and educational! Daddy Chaddy was sure happy too. Of course mama me got tears in her eyes to see him/her moving around. The baby only gave us a profile and a front shot of the face (briefly). It almost looked as if the baby fetus was trying to get away from the ultrasound waves. I wonder......

Can ya'all tell if it's a boy or girl?