Yesterday we had another monthly doctors appointment. This was the last appointment before we start going to our visits every two weeks. Incredible! I can’t believe we are at that point in the pregnancy already.

Anyways, as is customary with our visits here, we got our usual peek at Little R with the ultrasound. Everything still seems good. We were able to see the stomach, diaphragm, placenta, ribs, spine, brain, heart, umbilical cord, hands, feet, etc. Everything seems to be developing well and both the baby and I are quite healthy.

Also, the baby appears to have turned, again, to the proper position. Head-down. This is good, obviously, for a few different reasons. First, with any luck he/she will stay that way until birth. Second, it means that I am getting kicked in the side, rather than in my bladder. Kicks to the side are much more enjoyable and manageable that swift kicks to a full-bladder.

Another thing the doctor always does during the ultrasounds is to measure various parts of the baby to check its growth. Yesterday he measured the head and commented on how large it was, compared to Japanese babies that is. Then he went on to say that if the baby was Japanese, or even half-Japanese, he might be a little concerned about the size.  But, since it is an American baby, and I am an American-sized woman, it is ok. We just grow them a bit bigger!

I’m still hoping that the baby stays at a manageable size, one that I won’t have too much trouble delivering come April. It’s too bad that just living in Japan doesn’t end up yielding me a small, manageable Japanese-sized child. Apparently, in this case, genetics trumps environment.