The Ultrasound Was Today
May 1, 2008 by Veronica Mitchell
And everything went well. The baby looks healthy, with all the functioning parts a baby needs. They couldn’t see both feet because she kept them crossed, and the sonographer wants to do another ultrasound to rule out clubbed feet. That sounds like a waste of time to me - if she did have a clubbed foot, it wouldn’t be life-threatening and it’s easily correctible, so there’s no real reason to know that before birth.
Did you catch that use of the pronoun? Yep. I am pregnant with our FOURTH GIRL. Az the Husband was completely unsurprised. He expects all girls. He is a good dad to girls (and not all men are), so it may just be sensible divine economy.
You may be hoping that I will do another name game like I did during my last pregnancy, but nope. Since we are currently thinking this will be our last child (but not taking any permanent steps yet), I am using one of my favorite girl names. It’s all picked out and waiting for her. Wanna know?
Here’s a hint: it’s one of the moons of Uranus.
Alright, I am guessing NOT Oberon or Puck or Cupid.
But that’s a mighty list to choose from. I didn’t know Uranus was such a Shakespeare fan, either.
I don’t know you, so I don’t know you well enough to guess, but I like Rosalind.
Congratulations!
I would choose Bianca, so I’m guessing that. Congrats on the little miss!
Well, darn. I was hoping for another name game. I am glad to discover that the moons of Uranus have such lovely names — you can hardly go wrong. Ok, maybe you wouldn’t want to name her Caliban or Trinculo… Boy, if any planet deserves to have moons with nice names it’s gotta be Uranus. I mean, either you pronounce it with the accent on the second syllable, like you’re supposed to, and everyone giggles. Or you pronouce it the new way, with the accent on the first syllable, and everyone giggles anyway.
And of course, congratulations on daughter number four!
I thought picking one of Uranus’s moons would be easy. Umm.. no..
So it could be Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Juliet, Rosalind, Belinda, Miranda, Ariel.
I don’t have a clue.
Personally, I like Juliet, Rosalind, Miranda, Ariel.
puck?
Congratulations!
I totally agree on not needing to know certain things before they are born. What’s the point? Healthy enough to live is all that matters! You’ll love them just the same. I have had four girls also. Keep thinking the next will be a boy, but it hasn’t been yet. So, I don’t know you at all, but I’m gonna make a name guess. I’ve just been reading your blog for a few weeks. I have an Odelia, so maybe Ophelia? Thanks for commenting on my blog by the way!
I’m guessing Miranda or Cordelia. If Mr. Blue had been a girl, Portia was one choice I liked. But I thought people who didn’t know Shakespeare would think I’d named her after the Porsche. Then someone I know named their baby Portia–and their older daughter is Mersades (their spelling). Sheesh.
Felicitations!
Congrats on a healthy girl! I’m 29 days from having my third girl, and my husband also seems resigned to an all-girl family. He predicted all girls long before we had even our first child (though he would have liked a son, and there’s a chance we may have another in the future). He too is a good father to our girls, so I feel blessed.
Oh, and who knew the moons of Uranus had so many great choices for girl names? Of course it’s because they come from Shakespeare characters. I love Margaret, and I also like Miranda. Portia is my favorite Shakespearean heroine, so that’s a good one too. I’m sure whatever you’ve picked is lovely.
Well, I daren’t guess, but I’m hoping for Cordelia. Yes, because Anne would have picked it.
Oh, and congratulations!
congratulations! girls are fabulous.
Congratulations on another healthy girl! I am partial to Cordelia myself, but only because Anne-with-an-e loved it so much. (”Would you please call me Cordelia? Call you Cordelia? Is that your name, child?”
Congrats! You can now be like the March family.
Congrats on baby girl #4! My guess is Juliet or Bianca.
I’ve got three girls. Ok, I didn’t know Uranus had moons. sheesh, I feel weird.
Congratulations! And yes, I wouldn’t worry about club feet either. In Mauritania, it was common to see people crawling through the dirt with flip-flops on their hands because they’d been born with club feet, but thankfully that’s not an option here.
Perdita and Cordelia make me think of Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye more than Shakespeare now. I want you to do Desdemona or Portia but I’m guessing it’s Rosalind, or possibly Miranda. I know you wouldn’t name a sweet baby girl Caliban
Oh, congratulations! I”m so glad you’re having another girl. There is nothing quite like sisters - I always feel blessed by mine (I have three) and lucky that I have two girlies of my own.
Congrats on girl #4!!! We had four boys in a row and I enjoyed being a specialist (now we have a girl as well and of course I love that too).
Congratulations on your fourth girl. How wonderful!
congratulations…what a list of beautiful names. portia was always one of my favorite characters. but how could you possibly choose from that list?!
Congrats! As a mother of 2 girls with a husband who could not be more wonderful with them, I wholeheartedly agree with your theory. I fully expect all girls too!
Four girls! I can’t begin to imagine. We’ve one boy and one girl and the girl is already at least 5 girls to his one little self. Congrats! on good health! and happy times!
Congratulations! I’m so glad your baby is healthy and whole.
Congrats! Little girls are a delight, as you already know very well.
As for the lovely list of possible names, are you going to keep us in suspense, or give us more than just a hint?
Congratulations on baby girl #4! Who knew the moons of Uranus could provide such a wealth of lovely and interesting baby names. Well, you did, I guess.
Lovely names all of them - I’d pick Miranda or Rosalind but they’re all lovely names - Shakespeare had good taste! Enjoy your four girls - made me think of Little Women too.
You are absolutely right. Not all men are good fathers for little girls. My husband is one of those who is. We only have two though. I’ve asked him on occasion if he’s disappointed that he didn’t have a son or if we had another baby, if he’d wish for it to be a son. He says no, of course. He enjoys being adored by females.
As for the name, I’m guessing Miranda or Margaret. Does Uranus have a moon named Beatrice? ‘Cause that would be my choice after Margaret.
Congratulations
Just my 2 cents on whether it’s better to know or not. My oldest daughter was born with a clubfoot, which we knew from an ultrasound. It is rather uncommon for a female to have a clubfoot and many times is linked to a chromosomal issue.
I am glad I knew in advance. I would have been totally freaked out to see my 1st born with a foot rotated 90 degrees, and no knowledge of what the next steps would be.
She had her 1st cast at 10 days, and had it changed every week for 6 months. It did not work, and she had major corrective surgery at 8 months and then a full leg cast for 2 months.
Happy to say at now almost 11 years, she is quite atheletic and it has not slowed her down. The only issue now is her calves are not symetrical and her one foot is two shoe sizes smaller than the other.
I also knew she had a kidney disease and most likely would need a kidney removed (which they did at 4 months) from the same ultrasound.
April 2, 1997, is forever etched in my memory due to the shock of her birth defects revealed on that ultrasound. I am still thankful that I had the advanced knowledge and could educate myself in advance and not in a panic after her birth.
I am not trying to be judgmental in this comment, it just kind of rubbed me the wrong way that you stated it is “easily correctable,” which in our case was far from the reality of it.
I truly hope your daughter is born without a clubfoot, and I absolutely do not mean that in a snide or snarky way!
Another girl! They do say smart men have lots of daughters.
I think she’s Cordelia. Am I right?
I know! I know! It’s 1986U10!
Seriously, there are so many lovely Shakespearean female names in there that it’s difficult to narrow them down. I’m thinking Juliet, Cordelia, or Bianca, just because those are *my* favorites.
Also, re: knowing in advance: My second daughter was born with two very serious birth defects, and because we had no hints of this in advance, it was the worst day of my life — which is not something you should say about the day your child is born. It was worse, honestly, than the day she died, because that at least we knew might be coming; we were somewhat emotionally prepared for it, we had faith that she was with Jesus, and we were surrounded by friends and family. I know a club foot is not exactly on the level of lifelong blindness and a likely-fatal congenital heart defect, but I am an advocate of knowing in advance just so that the day of birth isn’t shocking. Though the state you’re in now, where you know it’s a possibility but aren’t sure, seems like it would keep that from happening.
I can just hear Megan Follows as Anne begging to be called Cordelia.
Praise God for a healthy baby. And congratulations on another girl. What a blessing!
Congrats! (Personally, I’m rooting for Cordelia because I’m reading a book that has a wonderfully smart girl named Cordelia… plus, I’m an Anne fan too. I wanted to name our girl Anne with an e, but Mr. Right voted no. That’s okay, I wanted Andi too, but he overrulled that one too. Looking back, he was totally right. I couldn’t see her named any other name than what we gave her.)
I didn’t even know Uranus had moons. Or if I knew at one time, it has been misfiled in my brain.
Congratulations!
Sue, forgive me for inadvertently offending you. Of course “easily correctible” is not an adequate phrase for something that requires surgery. I chose that phrase because a couple I went to seminary with adopted a child from the Ukraine who had a clubfoot. The boy was perfectly healthy in every other respect, but had been abandoned because of that imperfection. It seemed so mind-boggling to us, especially when the surgery to correct the problem is so readily accessible here in the States. So that’s where I was coming from. I did not mean to belittle the pain of any parent or child who has been through it.
Veronica,
No offense taken! Since the clubfoot and kidney issue were linked to the same chromosome, they also told use she probably had Down Syndrome as well.
They wanted to do an amnio to be sure, be we didn’t want to take the risk of the procedure causing a miscarriage so we just planned on her having Down’s which she did not.
Carrying a baby is a very personal thing that every parent has to decide for themselves what is appropriate for them.
I just felt like I needed to say something in case she does end up with a clubfoot, which I am praying she doesn’t!
gonna go with Ariel!
Congratulations on another girl!
I learned something new today, I had no idea a planet with such an ugly name would have moons with such beautiful ones!
And my dh says blogging is a waste of time!
Oh, congrats! A four-pack of girls! I love it.
(And you’re naming her Ariel, right? But not after the archangel or the play. And her middle name will be Jasmine-Belle. It’s OK, you can tell me. No judging here.)
I had to look up the moons. It’s quite a list. I hope you’ll give us another clue.
I love the name Oberon!! What a great choice!
My daughter has a friend (
who is a big sister to 3 other girls. They are the coolest and sweetest family. The Dad is our softball coach (he played baseball in college) and we can tell he is resigned to the whole softball vs. baseball thing.
So happy for you.
Bonnie