So-so ultrasound news

First things first -- Merry Christmas Eve! Here's to work going quickly, the sleet holding off and a blessed holiday with friends and family.

Well, Brent and I made it to the 9 a.m. appointment. Right before we walked in, we sat in the Tracker. I muttered a few prayers under my breath, trying to calm my anxiety. I'm still convinced my heart was trying to escape.

Ultrasound technician Tim took us back almost immediately, even though we were 10 minutes early. He asked how I was feeling, if there were any changes. I smiled and said not really. "I'm hoping for good news from you, Tim."

"Well, from your smile, I'm hoping to give that to you," he replied.

I sat in the reclined chair contraption, he squirted on the jelly and there was the baby.
With a heartbeat of 167 bpm. (Oh, thank you, God, I whispered.)

Now for the slightly disheartening part. The ugly clot is still there; it's just a radically different shape. Instead of being clumped together around the gestational sac, it's now an hourglass shape. Part is down below, which is good because it's slowly spotting out. The part is still next to the baby.

No one can tell us what that means, really. And the things it could be are endless -- more active bleeding, no extra bleeding, it's coming out, it's staying the same, etc. -- and annoying. We're still considered a high-risk pregnancy, and we're still on the wait-and-see plan. Comforting, huh?

We're about 10-and-a-half weeks right now. Our next appointment Jan. 6 -- 9:20 a.m. ultrasound, 9:45 a.m. regular ob appointment that was previously scheduled. Tim said either the clot will disappear over the next two weeks, or I will bleed out and miscarry. That's at least what usually happens.

Then again, "usual" percentages haven't been on our side in 2009, which could be a good thing. As Brent said, at least our next appointment is in 2010 and it just has to be a better year.