Announcement

We're having a GIRL!

and

Her name is Eleanor Elizabeth!

That's everything in a nutshell! We had the big ultrasound this afternoon and it went extremely well. I was so nervous beforehand, but I had no reason to be. Anyway, everything measured perfectly and the baby is very healthy. She currently weighs about 9 oz and the technician estimates that she's 8 inches long, although it's impossible to measure the length from this point on in the pregnancy. The doctor (who is not my normal doctor, but I really liked her) recommended that my doctor measure the baby once a month. Also, starting at 28 weeks she wants me to have a non-stress test once a week, which is basically when I lie down and they monitor the baby's heartrate for 20 minutes. At 36 weeks I'll have that test done twice a week. Thank goodness it will be summer at that point and I won't have to miss so much work! Finally, she recommends that we induce at 38 or 39 weeks, so I'm guessing this baby will be born between July 22 and 29. It's all up to my own doctor at this point on, but this is pretty standard for what to do after a stillbirth. Apparently the risk of a stillbirth is higher the longer you wait, hence the early induction. Inducing is fine with us!

As for the name... We considered both Elle and Eleanor, but ultimately decided on Eleanor because the baby can go by Elle later if she wants to. Also, Hunter likes Eleanor more (I like them both) because he says it's more dignified - like a prime minister. Since this baby is going to be president one day, I guess it's a good choice! :) Plus, Eleanor is a family name way back on my mother's side of the family. Elizabeth, of course, is my first name and a family name on both sides of our family - and Ada's middle name. We are not naming this baby after Ada, but instead this lets them have something in common. Eleanor will always be able to share something with her sister even though they won't grow up together. It seemed appropriate to us.

Here's Eleanor's little face:


Here's a tiny foot!


Finally, we are having a girl!