26 week ultrasound

Well hey friends!!
It turns out that starting school Friday, driving all morning Saturday to a wedding (which was AMAZING), staying up until 2am to have a last fun time with friends moving to East Asia, waking up Sunday for breakfast with my favorite family and then trying to work a whole week of school....well....it might catch up with you if you are 26 weeks preggo. :)
I am doing really well. I was doing even better until I went to the doctor today. I don't mean that in a bad way, it wasn't a bad appointment, but it was a ENLIGHTENING appointment.  Seeing things like Briar's muscular legs (seriously, they commented on how defined they were, just like mine were as a baby), his sweet little lips and nose, his big feet, his crazy twisting and jumping body....it is just FUN.  We were not quite prepared to see how small his head was.  It is almost like it is shrinking.  From what we understand, this is not unusual, as brain matter will begin to disintegrate the longer the skull is missing and it is exposed (I am not a doctor, I am just telling it as I understood it told to me)
I will show you some pictures of the ultrasound.  First, of the awesome muscular legs and clenched up fists :) Then I'll show you the profile.  If you can really understand what you are seeing, it might disturb you.  It's sad to see. His sweet little face just cuts off above the eyes and then goes down to the back of his skull.  There is just NOTHING up top.  Unfortunately, this makes it a little less likely that he will live through the strenuous job of labor, but we will pray that he might.  It was tough to see him like that. It has gone down since the last time we saw him.  But we knew it would be this way, it is just sometimes hard accepting the truth :)

Below, you can you see his leg bent (and defined) and then you can see him extending it and kicking his momma.

This picture is typical of anencephalic babies I have seen. Their neck is very minimal and you can see their eye sockets and then it just cuts right off.  In other front on pictures, his nose and mouth look very normal and sweet.

And then, as you can imagine, AG's favorite. :)

IN other, more positive news...and staying with the them of authenticity, I received an award from my sweet friend Jenna. I don't know what she was thinking to choose me:) but I feel really honored to receive it.
It said to describe your blog style in five words. I would say
                                                  painfully honest, real, and fun
It says to tag 5 others. Guess what? I don't read too many blogs, except Ashley Ann, Shara, Beth, Jenna (who gave the the award) and Meg.  If you read blogs, you probably know them by first name too.  I also love to read my friend Courtney's blog because she is carrying an anencephalic baby too.  She is also really sweet. SO I would say them....but I don't want to message them and burden them with the award, so if they read this and feel excited, then please link up and accept my award. You are awesome and you blog with purpose.  REally. I mean it.  

That's the end. I am going to workout while I still can.
So ironic that my one sanity-giver will be taken away during the weeks after losing Briar. That stinks.
HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!!