I usually have my appointments with Dr. Risky in the mornings, but yesterday I couldn’t get an early appointment and had to settle for the afternoon. Morning appointments with Dr. Risky are wonderful, we’re in and out in under an hour. An afternoon appointment with an obstetrician is blocking off a giant chunk of your day, especially with a high risk doctor like mine. My doctor is wonderful, she gives everyone her full attention and gives them as much time as they need. Unfortunately, if your appointment is towards the end of the day, that means you’re not going to see the doctor for a while. Especially if she has some unscheduled deliveries. Which, duh, she’s an OB, of course they are unscheduled.

That whole paragraph took almost as long as today’s wait. Today’s wait was long! But worth it.

So as you all probably know by now, Binky is big. Just look at the belly:

34 weeks 2 days

Soon it’s going to take TWO yard sticks to measure that girth.

Last week my fundal height was measuring five centimeters ahead, so Dr. Risky wanted an ultrasound (and this week? Measuring six cm ahead! That’s full-term!) to make sure everything was OK.

The first thing we saw was Binky’s giant hair-covered noggin at the bottom of my uterus. So, not breech! I’d be more excited about this if she was a) going out the traditional way, and b) guaranteed to stay head-down. Unfortunately, this kid moves a LOT and I am 100% certain it is her head and not her little bottom that is slamming into my right ribs as I type this. She may have the head of a Spohr, but she’s got her mama’s butt and that means it’s padded. Badonkadonk!

Mike and I always hold our breath when the doctor measures the amniotic fluid levels. There’s no reason to think there won’t be enough – in fact, my large size indicated the opposite (which can also be a problem) – but Madeline had hardly any and we’ll never be able to get that out of our minds. Luckily, Binky has the perfect amount. We could even see her little chest rising and falling as she practiced her breathing movements.

Finally, Dr. Risky got to the information we really wanted to know – the weight estimate. Before she’d started the ultrasound, Dr Risky asked me how big I thought the baby was. I replied, “HUUUUUGE!” I wasn’t far off – Binky is measuring at five pounds 11 ounces. That places her in the 70th percentile for size. Some of this can be attributed to Mike’s size, he’s a full foot taller than me. My gestational diabetes could also play a factor, although it has been very well managed since I started taking oral medication for my blood sugar (and I’ve been losing weight since I was diagnosed).

It’s crazy to think she’s almost twice as big as Madeline when she was born (three pounds one ounce – and almost as big as Maddie was when she came home from the NICU (six pounds). Of course it’s all estimates, but the one thing I can’t forget is that the morning Maddie was born, one of my doctors estimated her weight at two pounds and she came out over three. Binky’s estimate could go the other way, but I have a feeling she’s even bigger than predicted. Doctors tend to underestimate the weight of a Spohrhead.

Also, in case you’re keeping score, it was a pants-on appointment! Woo!