Ultrasound Update 8/19 - Not much to report

Had another ultra sound today and there isn't much to report.  Everything is on schedule, on track and looking good just like last time.  Here are the measurements and below are what they all mean

AUA = Average Ultrasound Age, from the baby's measurements, this is what the average age of the baby would be

EDD = Estimated Due Date, based on the measurements, this is when the estimated due date would be.  We already know that the likelihood of going this long is slim to none.

EFW = Estimated Fetal Weight, based on the measurements, this is what the baby's expected weight is.  Both numbers are right in the middle of the range for a healthy baby.

EFW Ratio and Discordance are the variance between the two babies estimated weight.  In our case baby B is 6% less than baby A.  This is what we are watching for for signs of Twin to Twin Transfusion.  It all depends on who you ask as many people say different things, but generally speaking anything less than 20% is considered healthy.  Some professionals go as high as 25%, some go as low as 15%.  6% is completely normal.

These measurements are used to determine the EFW:

BPD = Biparietal Diameter, this is the head size measured across the skull, ear to ear

OFD = Occipito-Frontal Diameter, this is the head size measured front to back.

HC = Head Circumference

AC = Abdominal Circumference

FL = Femur Length

Vp = Ventricle Posterior, this is the measurement of a brain ventricle, want to see numbers under 10mm here.

Neither of the Beatty Ladies wanted to have their pictures take as both of the were facing rearward so I don't even have any cool ultrasound pictures   All we got today were one picture of a face that looks more like a close up of the moon than a baby and another of Baby A's lady parts to reaffirm that we are still having girls.  While I'm sure I'll be sharing plenty of embarrassing photos over the next few years, I'm thinking its probably best staying away from more pictures of their who-who's.

With that said, I kind of feel bad wasting your time with such a petty, "no news is good news" blog.  I feel a little obligated to share something of interest with you.  So how about progress on the nursery?  

We are going with a nautical theme. Blue and white stripes with a room full of pink accents.  So far the stripes are up (the process of which was a bitch) and the cribs put together.  We also have the changing table, but due to UPS using the box as, what I would assume to have been, a loading ramp for an M1 Abrams Tank I have to wait for some replacement parts before I can put it together.  

Ryley was a big help in putting the cribs together.  He found all the pieces, and screwed all of the bolts in.  He has been really helpful and eager to be a big brother.  Still talks about them daily and

continues to show interest.  I really hope his enthusiasm continues after they are born.

Daddy, am I going to die?

"Daddy, am I going to die?" Ryley asked while driving home from school yesterday.

I had done my research,  I had long known that I would someday be answering that question.  Fortunatly for me, there is a ton of information on the subject.  Here in an article on babycenter.com they say, "No matter how many times you explain it, preschoolers can't really understand what causes death, and they may think of it as something that's temporary and reversible."  Parents advisor David Fassler, MD says, Telling him that "Grandma went to sleep" or "We lost Grandma" will only backfire. "You might confuse your child or even make him afraid to go to sleep at night."   WebMD.com says, "Experts advise parents to be honest and concrete in discussions about death. Avoid euphemisms. Adults use euphemisms to avoid uncomfortable subjects, but children, who think literally throughout a great deal of childhood, may not pick up on these cues."  Then again, WebMD also says that that ingrown hair on my neck is probably cancer, so take that for what its worth.

I had my answer planned out.  "All of our bodies will someday stop working.  That is why we are safe and wear our seat belts and eat healthy food, and we don't do dangerous things.  That way our bodies will last a very long time and you won't have to worry about it until you get to be really really old."  Yeah, I know, 'Father of the Year'.

Unbeknownst to me, while I had planned on answering the question, I hadn't planned on answering it in my truck doing 70mph down I-90 on August 4th, 2014 at 4:47pm. Prepare as you must, questions like that will undoubtedly take you by surprise.   What I answered wasn't exactly the same thing as what I had prepared.

"Uhhhhhh......Yes, you are".  

WTF?  Am I retarded or something?  I did a better job asking Stephanie Berger out my freshman year of High School.  And she turned me down! Surely an answer like that can only lead to a barrage of other uncomfortable questions that I will equally fail at answering.  I've just officially screwed up my kid.  Might as well just take him straight to Hot Topic and buy him some black nail polish, a Marilyn Mason t-shirt, and change his name to "Dred".

We all knew I would do it sooner or later.  I guess its time to start focusing on the twins.  Live and learn.

I waited for his response, "Yeah, some day I'm going to close my eyes and I will never see anything ever again.  And you know what?  I'm SO excited to go to Outer Banks!"

Wait... there's no way that WebMD was actually right about something, is there?  He actually got it?  Honest, to the point, in a means that he can understand.  No fluff, no happy thoughts, no side stepping the subject.  He got it just fine on his own and it made sense to him in a way that he could understand it.  

Maybe I've got this parenting thing down after all.  No Scream-O music for this household.  "Daddy, where do babies come from?"..... bring it on!