Reporting at Twenty Weeks

‘Power and speed be hands and feet.’

-“Self-Reliance”, Ralph Waldo Emerson

(quoting the epilogue to Beaumont and Fletcher’s “Honest Man’s Fortune”)

All is well with the baby, project, and all participants.  Today’s ultrasound imagery revealed an active contortionist who is displaying growth consistent with a baby of twenty weeks.  The examining physician—in moments when the baby remained still—observed feet, toes, and glimpses of an open-palmed salute in profile.  Images also revealed that our baby is a girl, which Davina and I proudly reported to family members late yesterday evening.  

Barring unforeseen complications, these are likely to be the last images available for us to publish, as routine ultrasounds are no longer recommended.  A fetal echocardiogram, scheduled to take place in just over three weeks, will help physicians examine the architecture of the baby’s heart and assess its development.  With the movement we’ve already observed, Davina and I hope that exam findings will be consistent with our expectations that the baby will be a frenetic child.