Beginnings

Ever since we got married, Kyle's been brainstorming baby names. Actually, he probably discussed it when we first started dating, over 6 years ago. His favorites seem to me more fitting of a dog or an NFL player: Plexico, Boy Blue, Peyton, Avon Barksdale, Champ. Ok, I might be exaggerating; he wants to name our dog Avon, not the baby. To be fair, he also has some good suggestions, particularly for female names, but I won't list them here lest I reveal a future name!

Previously, I referred to this creature as "the fetus" (although technically, we're still in the embryo stage). I know it seems callus and overly technical, but I didn't want to give it a cutesy name without knowing its chances of survival. At our first ultrasound, all we could see was a yolk sac, a dark black, lifeless hole.

Yesterday, we went in for our viability ultrasound and saw/heard the doppler heart beat for the first time. We could also see the little thing wiggling around. Suddenly, this pregnancy is starting to feel REAL. Giving the creature a name seems appropriate.

However, we're also still pretty early in the scheme of things: 8 weeks according to the 2.05cm crown-rump length (CRL) measurement yesterday.

So, 5 more weeks to go in this first trimester before we can relax a little and share the news with the world. So, in honor of Kyle's weird naming antics, I dub thee: Champ. A name for winning battles, a name destined for success, a name for thriving over the next 32 gestational weeks.

In the image, you can see the head on the left, taking up more than half the CRL. The two darker circular areas are where the brain is developing. We could see the heart beating around the top of the "belly bulge" and there are leg and arm buds appearing. The umbilical cord is descending around 7 o'clock to the growing placenta.

Most of the time, I feel relieved that pregnancy takes so long. I feel like I need plenty of time to prepare for this change, both physically and mentally. I know it's important to bond with the little one as it's developing, but as I am just finishing my med school training, I know all too well the twists and turns that fate can take in a pregnancy. I am cautiously optimistic. Even my OB told me that she didn't reveal her news to her mother until she was 13 weeks. I understand where she is coming from.

Kyle, on the other hand, is practically bursting with excitement. He asked me yesterday if we could soon "tell the world" and asked when I will "post the news on Facebook." For me, it's one small step at a time. Today, naming the little thing was a big one.

Welcome to life, Champ!