From: "Kimberly McDaniel"
Subject: Results of today's ultrasound
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 22:36:19

Dear family and friends,

I'm sorry to say there aren't any pictures to post from Emily's ultrasound,
however there were some other interesting developments.  Also, John was not
able to make it to the appointment because the motor for the AC fan in our
house went kaput last night.  He had to stay home and wait for the
repairman.  I had my appointment at 9:30 am. and the tech was really nice.
She smeared a bunch of goop on my belly and then waved her magic wand.  She
asked me if I'd had anything to drink (normally you drink 40 oz. of clear
liquid 2 hours beforehand and hold it until after the appointment, but
because I was so far along I was told to drink 20).  She started low in my
pelvic region where my bladder appeared on the screen and right next to it
was the backside of Emily's head.  So she is in the head-down position and
facing posterior already (the exact position for birth)...I didn't get to
see her little face, however I was very relieved to know she was in the
proper birth position and not breech.  The tech started moving her magic
wand around some more...her goal was to determine Emily's size.  I saw her
spine and ribs, the top of her skull and a piece of the placenta.  The tech
told me that at this stage, in most pregnancies, it's hard to get clear
views of particular parts because the bones are so calcified that they cause
a lot of shadowing on the screen (three servings of dairy every day have
paid off).  I asked if she could determine the gender again and she said
she'd try, but Emily's legs were so cramped that it was hard to get a
glimpse even after giving her a little proding.  The tech said she thought
she caught a glimpse and still thinks it's a girl.  We'll see when the final
day arrives.  The tech also told me the other good news I was waiting to
hear, that Emily is now 6lbs. 3 oz.  She is right on schedule to be
delivered on September 17, 2001.  I'm thankful for the ultrasound because
I've heard that doctors and nurses can sometimes guess the weight but can be
off by a pound or two.  I'm sure that makes a big difference when your
trying to squeeze a baby out an opening only 10 cm wide.  Anyway it was
really nice to see my little girl again.

We've been working on Emily's room.  It is painted now (three yellow walls
one green) and the curtains are hung (white with a little lace on the
edges).  She has a dresser and a lamp that matches her bedding. Her stroller
and car seat arrived but we're still waiting on her crib to get in.  On
Monday I'm having replacement windows installed in our living room, bedroom
and her room.  I can't wait.  The windows we have are 100 years old and
don't insulate at all.  We should be much more comfortable this winter with
the new windows.

Last night John and I interviewed Emily's first potential daycare provider.
Her name is Cathie and we enjoyed visiting with her for about an hour at her
house.  She has about 13 years experience, enjoys her job, and is looking
forward to possibly taking care of Emily.  We have two more interviews set
up but I have a feeling we will take her to Cathie.  She lives about five
blocks from our house and it's only for six months until I get out of the
Air Force and stay home full time and go to school part time.


That's all the news for now.  It won't be much longer...thank God.  I hope
you are all enjoying your summer and taking care of yourselves.  I'll keep
you all posted as to any further developments.

Love,

Kim and John