August 04, 2004
Two ultrasound stories
The First Story
When Dale and I were in Houston last weekend, we showed the latest ultrasound photos to his aunt, uncle, and six year old cousin. Mark and Vonna (especially Vonna) cooed over the images (just like I do) and tried very hard to point out the baby parts to Race.
Vonna: There's the head and body and legs. Can you see the baby, Race?
Race: ...no...
Mark: OK, here's the face. See this is the nose, and this is the mouth. Can you see the face?
Race: (getting excited) It looks like a cobra!
we laugh and switch to a different image
Race: (pointing at the baby's head) Yeah, see, it looks like a cobra head rising out of the water!
To me, the images of the baby are so clear. To a highly imaginative six year old, apparently it's not the same.
The Second Story
Sunday evening I talked on the phone with my mother. She told me about getting a really good discounted price on a handmade, gold-leafed, Swarovski-crystal-decorated picture frame. (We're talking $90 instead of $300+.) She said its basic color is a pretty green and she decided she'd use it to hold a picture of her first grandchild.
After she got home from work that day, she told my father about purchasing the frame. She said he surprised her by bugging her to show him the frame. When she finally pulled it out, he ran into his office and returned carrying a print-out he'd made of one of the ultrasound images.
Mom: (laughing) Oh, Brian! Not one of those!
Dad: Why not?
Mom: Well... it's too big. It won't fit.
Dad: We can trim it.
I believe at that point, my Dad started folding the paper down to a size that would fit in the frame. Mom went on to tell me that Dad's printer isn't that great, and you could barely tell what the image was.
Mom: You could see the words and this fan shape, but inside it was just light and dark blobs. On the screen, you can tell what it is. On that, you couldn't tell what anything was.
I find that story so sweet, it makes me tear up whenever I think about it. I hope Mom lets him keep an ultrasound picture in the frame until the baby is born and we can get some real photos.