Yellow Ledbetter

This was fun, Chuck recorded it when we were jammin' last week and posted in our JamBlog. I usually stick to rhythm, but Yellow Ledbetter is one of the few where I can take the lead.

Pinto Beans to Green Olives

Had our 2nd sonogram this morning. Last week the kiddos were about the size of pinto beans. Now they are about the size of a medium green olive at 23.9 mm and 23.3 mm. Baby A was almost a mm smaller then baby B 2 weeks ago, but now he/she is bigger...we got a little competition brewing. We found out that the labels A and B actually mean something. Baby A is the one closer to the cervix and will be the first baby to pop out.

In the last week, week 8, the following was underway:

Eyelid folds and ears are forming. Baby's eyes are still very wide apart on the sides of his/her head, but will eventually center themselves out. The tip of the nose is actually present at this time as well. The tubes that lead from the throat to lungs are branching and the baby's torso is getting longer and beginning to straighten out. Just a few weeks ago, baby's arms were tiny buds. Now the elbows are actually present and the arms and legs extend forward and have grown longer. Fingers and toes are becoming visible also. The tiny person is protected by the amniotic sac, filled with fluid. Inside, the child swims and moves gracefully. The arms and legs have lengthened, and fingers can be seen. The toes will develop in the next few days. The umbilical cord contains 3 blood vessels which link your baby's system to yours. The big one supplies your baby with blood which is rich in oxygen. The two smaller blood vessels return blood to the placenta. This blood is low in oxygen, and full of waste materials. At birth, umbilical cord can be two to four feet long.

Week 9 begins tomorrow and heres what will be going on this week:

Although the baby is still very small, it is beginning to look more like a human being. Your baby's back is straightening out and the tail is shrinking. In proportion to the rest of his body, the head is large and remains curved forwards onto the chest. The head is erect and the neck is developing well. Even though your baby's eyes are well developed, they are covered by a membrane lid. The eyes will not begin to open and close for quite some time still. Your baby will begin to make tiny movements as the muscles start to develop. You will not be able to feel any of these early movements, but you might be able to see them during an ultrasound. The arms and hands are progressing faster than the legs and feet at this point. By this time of your baby's development, the hands have defined finger ridges and the tissue between them will die off to leave separate fingers. It is impossible to distinguish a male from a female at this time because external genitalia look very similar at this point.
Your blood system will change during pregnancy and blood volume will increase by 50%. The increase in blood is important to meet the demands of your growing uterus. Blood volumes will begin to increase during the first trimester and will continue to rise throughout the entire pregnancy. The increase in plasma can cause anemia, which will cause you to feel tired or weak.

Introducing the more human looking twins:

Psycho Pregnant Dreams (PPD)

I've always had Stephen King like dreams but now they're worse. The night before my first sonogram we had a little scare so I was nervous. I dreamed that I went to the doctor and she told me to get on the table and "lay on the cadaver". I was a little shocked and grossed out. I asked if I could just lay beside the cadaver. She said no I had to be on it. So...I did it. I got lined up on this creepy cadaver (anything for a baby) and laid back when it started to move. I didn't want to hurt the babies so instead of jumping off right away, I just rolled off to the side. Then it sat up and I bolted. I was sitting on the floor and it started to come after me. I reached out and grabbed it by the neck and yelled for help. Of course no one would help. I asked if I were to stun it if they would then tie it up. Finally someone agreed. I smashed its head into the floor 3 times to stun it. They then tied it up and I muzzled it and they carried it out of the room. My doctor stared at me and finally said, "what are you waiting for? Get on the table." She didn't seem shocked at all by the fact that I was just attacked by a zombie.

The real sonogram went much better. I have a book that wants me to document my dreams but I think I will leave this one out.

Our Sweet Little Tax Breaks: Day 49

We had our first sonogram yesterday. Its confirmed...TWINS!! Most amazing experience of our lives. Once they popped up on the screen, its hard to describe the feeling. I've heard people talk about it, but you just can't do it justice putting it in words. Then Dr.Hansard turned on the audio and we got to hear the heart beat of each baby. Cool stuff.

Tuesday, the day of the ultrasound, was the start of week 7 - or day 49. They are barely the size of a grain of rice right now. I-Am-Pregnant.com tells us the following:

This week your baby has an amazing growth spurt. At the beginning of this week, your baby is approximately 4 to 5 mm and by the end of the week it has more than doubled to 11 to 13 mm! Your baby weights approximately 0.03 ounces. Your baby's leg and arm buds are longer now and they have divided into segments where the hands and feet will be. The hands and feet also have an area where the fingers and toes will begin to form. At this point of your pregnancy, the heart is bulging from the body and it has divided into right and left chambers. The brain's hemispheres are continuing to grow and the air passages into the lungs are visible. Your baby's eyes are beginning to get pigment. The nose is developing and the beginning of the face can be seen. The baby's abdomen is developing quickly and the appendix and pancreas are already present. Your baby's digestive tract is beginning to form and the hindgut is present. The shape of the talk can still be seen, but it will fade in 3 or 4 weeks.

Just click the slide show to go straight to the album and bigger pics!

Winds of Change

The winds done changed my backyard. It's nice, its almost double the size now! Just got to train the doggies to use our new backyard for poopin'. Saturday storm gave the ground a much needed soaking, but the winds brought down to sections of the fence I share with a neighbor to the left. The house is empty right now, up for lease.

In the front yard, also on the side with our neighbor, 4 little birdies were thrown out of their nest. Momma wasn't around, so I picked them up and placed them back in their nest. They freaked a little, but eventually huddle back together in their home. Saw mom there in the nest with them today, so all looks well. Now I just got to get a hold of the owner next door to see how to handle our fence problem.