Little Soboll!!!

We decided that around 9-10 weeks we should take a trip to our local OBGYN to check on our little growing "mini-us"... And today was the day! But before diving in, let me give a little history. I'm (Jess) a nurse; I know perhaps a little too much, or maybe not quite enough, about the realities of pregnancy. My morning sickness had kicked in around week 7, leaving me nauseated and 5 lbs lighter, but started to dissipate these last few days... Causing growing concern inside of this hyper-aware nurses' mind. Perhaps there was something wrong? So instead of the usual giddiness of going to the doctor for a first Ultrasound, I was a bit more... resolutely realistic.

The large office with multiple rooms was clean and simple. Our appointment was for 5:30pm and we arrived in western style on-time. Close to an hour later (...Africa time) we were led to a small office where we gave our basic information. Then we were directed to the in-house lab, where 2 workers in plain clothes hand-pipeted my blood samples and looked under the microscope to count my blood cells... wow, so old school! After another hour passed, and now with the results of my iron level and blood sugar in hand, we waited to see the MD. Around 8:00pm we were shown into the US room. A pleasant doctor asked the routine questions and then onto the table I went... and there after but a second, was our little soon-to-be bundle of joy, measuring in at a little over an inch, heart beating and arms moving! After hearing the heartbeat and seeing him twitch around the screen, we were virtually speechless. To which the doctor laughed and patted the ultrasound machine saying, "thank God for the good American technology!"... Ha!

We were totally over-joyed! What an incredible miracle! And, the cherry on top? The whole thing, doctor's visit, ultrasound, labs... cost a whopping $35!!! Gotta love living in Africa.

We're both much more excited now and are thinking we'll hit the MD's office on a regular basis if an ultrasound is that cheap! Our next officail appointment is for the middle of May, right before we leave. Otherwise, everything looks good... Keep on growing little One!!! : )

Photos: First official picture of Mini-Soboll... Second official picture, with heartbeat showing... Yes, we're already the irritating couple that whips out pictures of their kids whenever there's a dull moment!