UltraSound: 18 weeks

On Dec. 10, Laura and I went in for an ultrasound and got a peek at our first child, now 18 weeks along. The little rascal was very active, covering its face, kicking and wiggling, but eventually they got a couple of clear shots.

Ultra-sounds look like black and white negatives in motion, but below, I’ve reversed the black and white areas to give a clearer idea of what’s going on. The image at left is face on, with the baby’s mouth open in a yawn and the left hand held up at head level. This angle gives what the technician calls the standard “Alien shot.” On the right is a profile of the baby looking up and to the right, with a clear outline of the nose and forehead. Here it’s much more clearly a human baby and not an ET. In fact the kid looks more “human” at this point than some ultra-sounds we’ve seen of babies even further along. Which is good news, as far as we’re concerned…if we’re going to be bragging about how cute this kid is, looking human is kind of a prerequisite.