Boston's latest ultrasound looks good!

We had our ultrasound on Friday. I was tempted to paint a big orange pumpkin on my belly, but I thought it might get a little messy with the sonogram goo. My mom went with me to the appointment and we were delighted to see that Boston is GROWING!!! One of the risks with a high AFP is "growth restriction" where the baby isn't growing like he should be. Boston is a champ and is nearly hitting the 90th percentile for his gestational age. He is already 2 pounds 2 oz. We got a detailed look at all of the parts of his little body. Checking in from last month, the look of his kidneys continues to improve. This time, there was "no discernable brightness." Yippee! We prayed "that Boston’s kidneys will continue to improve and show no sign of “texture” or “brightness” on the ultrasound." That prayer has unequivocally been answered, at least for this month. The doctors do not know what this means overall for his health because Pierson Syndrome has not been studied in utero, so we don't know if Boston could have "normal" looking kidneys and then still have the disease. They also don't know the significance of the "bright" kidneys earlier in the pregnancy. My doctor reiterated the seriousness of my AFP levels and said that to call them "high" would be the understatement of the century. The doctors seem genuinely amazed that Boston is still alive. We are genuinely amazed at God's grace and power.

In other great news, Boston's lungs have developed to the point where the amniotic fluid level is no longer necessary for their development. We have prayed "that the level of his amniotic fluid will stay normal in order to allow his lungs to develop." That prayer has been answered.

We will meet with Dr. Blowey this Friday to talk about what to expect when Boston is born and what kind of testing will need to be done. That appointment will wrap up our "information-gathering phase" and allow us to prepare our expectations for the birth.

We won't go back to the hospital for another month -- our appointment is the day before Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for already -- and God continues to abundantly provide.