oh boy. maybe.

Monday was the biggest day of all big days in a very long time. I'll make this concise:

1) We had our 12 week appointment and NT Scan. "This prenatal test (also called the NT or nuchal fold scan) can help your healthcare practitioner assess your baby's risk of having Down syndrome (DS) and some other chromosomal abnormalities as well as major congenital heart problems.The NT test uses ultrasound to measure the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back of your developing baby's neck. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger than average." It was a wonderful morning! Baby Cinco is suddenly looking gigantic. In reality, he/she is the size of a peach, but the first look at the ultrasound image made us both gasp- it's a baby! Nose, mouth, hands with fingers, feet with toes, and 6.4cm of pure cuteness. The measurement was perfect- 1.2. They want to see a number under 3.0, so I breathed a big sigh of relief at baby's low measurement. They took blood as well, and good results will rule out 99.9% of chromosomal issues. The amount of confidence this test gave me is remarkable.

2) There was a possible PENIS SIGHTING! J saw "it" immediately (or so he says), and the tech asked a momet later if we planned to find out the sex. She said she's "fairly certain" that we'll be having a BOY!! She added that we need to wait another month to know for sure, and cautioned us not to paint the nursery just yet. After she left us in the exam room to dress (me, not J) we stared at each other, eyes wide, speechless. J's grin made me happier than I ever could have imagined- although he's still quick to say he'd love a boy or a girl- he was thrilled. I was just relieved that the test had gone well, and trying to take in the idea that this may very likely be our SON! Afterward, when we chatted with the nurses during my nurse visit, they said this particular tech isn't a guesser, and that if she's not sure, she's not saying anything at all. They too reminded us that it's early and our next scan could prove the tech wrong, so April 7 will be a big day! J's itching to buy the airplane wall decals, but mama's holding him back.

3) J got a new job! He's been waiting for 5 months for this to happen, and when it happened, it happened fast! He found out about the position opening on Saturday, emailed his interest minutes later, chatted with the dealership manager Saturday night, and received a call for an interview with the general manager right after our ultrasound Monday morning. Three hours later, he called to say he had the job, effective immediately. He looked so happy this morning in his big boy clothes, heading to his big boy job, in his big boy office. I'm one proud Mrs. His former manager sent him off with his blessing, saying he had no doubt that within a few years, J could be running the dealership. Proud, proud. His new hours will take some getting used to (he'll work until 8pm or 9pm five days a week)......but on the bright side, that leaves me with unrestricted remote control ownership in the evenings. Always a good thing. But seriously, we'll manage. It's worth it to see his dreams beginning to come true.

Monday evening found us exhausted, thrilled, and feeling on top of the world. And gosh darn it, we kind of deserve that kind of happiness. At last. 2008, so far, so good!