Growing Bigger

Yesterday, at 16 weeks 1 day, I had an extra ultrasound to check on Leon. Because my brother was born with hydrocephalus of an unknown (but possibly genetic) cause, we were worried about fluid accumulating on Leon’s brain. Although I had been eagerly anticipating the visit for the last five weeks, I was a nervous wreck yesterday morning thinking of all the possible deformities he could have (no nose, extra legs, etc.). However, the doctor assured us that Leon is developing perfectly thus far. We couldn’t get all the possible measurements because he was curled up with his head in my cervix, but from all that we could see he’s going to be one handsome, two-legged dude. I have to go back in four weeks anyway for my regular anatomy scan, so hopefully the little guy will be in a better position by that time and we can get more measurements.

Also, he already has Minh’s nose — so adorable 🙂

I’ve been feeling him kick for the last week or so. (Technically, I think I’ve been feeling him for longer but I just chalked it up to gas and eating too much.) Despite my pregnancy app telling me the kicks are going to feel like “flutters,” they actually feel like eye twitches, just sporadic and placed somewhere below my bellybutton. Even at such an early point, I can already tell that some days he’s really active and other days I only feel him every few hours.

Every Monday I read Minh the weekly updates from my pregnancy app and Mayo Clinic book, and this past Monday we learned that Leon’s eyes are now sensitive to light. So Minh got a flashlight and shined it on my belly. We joked about how Leon is probably sleeping and we were waking him up for our amusement. Minh turned off the flashlight and resumed cooking. Then Leon kicked! I told Minh, and he turned around with a big grin and said, “He did?!” It was really cute that Minh was so excited to interact with his son. I can’t wait until he can actually feel the kicks!