The Day of Determination: November 4

So...now we know when we will find out the gender of our baby: November 4th. I have a feeling the next three weeks will go by so slowly that it will feel like time is standing still. We can't wait! Other than that, the most recent appointment with the ObGyn went just fine. The doctor offered us the opportunity for Amanda to give blood for a "quad test". This test is "an enhanced prenatal screening test for Down Syndrome, trisomy 18, and neural tube defects. It is done between the 15th and 20th week of pregnancy and measures substances that come from the developing fetus and placenta and are present in the mother's blood. The substances measured are alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), estriol (a form of estrogen) and inhibin-A." So, as soon as we were done with the ObGyn, Amanda went down the hall to offer up some of her blood for the tests. The doctor also did a quickie ultra sound to check the baby's heartbeat, which was 156 beats per minute.

Amanda and I are going to go on one....last....vacation before the baby comes starting this Wednesday (the 19th) and coming back home Monday (the 24th). We're headed to Cancun and we're staying at an all-inclusive called the Riu Cancun. It came recommended to us by one of my co-workers. We'll be sure to take plenty of pictures! If nothing else, this vacation will help time go by faster because time on vacation always goes by too fast.