May I officially introduce... Cooper Cole Allen

Toby and I recently (Dec 22) had to go back to the hospital for a follow-up ultrasound regarding the "markers" the doctor saw at our last appointment 4 weeks ago. If you need a refresher, we met with a genetic counselor who explained to us that the baby had some choroid plexus cysts, an echogenic cardiac foci (or something like that), and his kidneys were a little "brighter" than what would be considered normal. So, knowing what to expect at this next appointment, we went in hoping that the markers would be gone, but with full acceptance if they weren't. Needless to say, we had good news and bad news... the good news is that his kidneys seemed to functioning properly and there were no additional markers / findings. The bad news - everything looked exactly the same. The doctor verified to us that even if the cysts and the foci were gone, the odds of a chromosomal abnormality such as Down's Syndrome would not be reduced. We're still confident (as confident as possible) that he's going to be completely fine, but I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind everyday... how will I react if he does have Down's Syndrome...
Anyway, onto more exciting news... Toby and I have officially given him a name. Drumroll please... dddddrrrrruuummmmm rrrrrooooollllll....

Here is COOPER COLE ALLEN at 24 weeks - about 1 1/2 pounds:

In case you were wondering, that's his hand by his mouth... not sure what's going on there. We decided on Cooper because from the list that we had, that was both of our favorites. And Cole is Toby's middle name, so we're just passing on the goodness.

And me... and my belly... at 24 weeks:

Feeling him move around and kick and punch, or whatever he's doing in there, has been absolutely amazing. He's pretty active just before I'm getting ready to go to sleep, so I find myself regularly yelling at Toby to come and feel my belly. Just recently, we've discovered that we can actually SEE him moving around as my belly moves also. Now that is quite intriguing, to say the least. Nonetheless, we are enjoying these moments as the time seems to be flying - only 3 1/2 more months. I find that I am smiling more at what some people might think is nothing, but I know it's because I feel his little hands and feet moving about. Toby has also become quite the communicator - he likes to talk to Cooper through my belly button. hehe... And I adore him for that. He often starts his talks with, "Cooper! Cooper, this is your dad."

So that's my news for now. Thanks for all your prayers and support throughout our journey! It's been a bit of a roller coaster, but I wouldn't change any of it, as it's made us appreciate the blessing we have coming more and more each day.