8 Weeks pregnant...

Cartilage and bones begin to form - At the end of this week your baby will have already completed 1/5th of the journey 'til his birthday!
The basic structure of the eye is well underway - The position is more "newborn" like already!
The tongue begins to develop
Intestines move out of the umbilical cord into the abdomen.
Body grows and makes room - Two months along and this little one is growing inside and out by leaps and bounds!
The fingers and toes have appeared but are webbed and short
Baby's length (crown to rump) is 0.61 inch (1.6cm) and weight is 0.04 ounce (1gm)

What sex God?

Me:
good morning God
God:
How are you this fine morning?
Me:
not too bad today how are you?
God:
Ah. Glad to hear it. What's new? Everything is going extremely well.
Me:
that's great. Well I just wanted to talk to you about the baby growing in my belly
God:
Thanks, . How about that. You are who I want to talk with too.
Me:
good - now can i ask you some questions about this baby we are expecting in September?
God:
Thanks for the compliment. Why now? Sure, ask me anything. Some may questions about this baby we are expecting in September, but not all.
Me:
okay???
God:
OK with me too.
Me:
so is our baby going to be a boy or a girl?
God:
It seems we have something in common.
Me:
whats that?
God:
Does it have anything to do with ?
Me:
can we keep on topic please God?
God:
Do you mean you and me? Of course I can keep it.
Me:
so are we having a boy or a girl?
God:
Gee. We are just having a little chat.w.
Me:
We are not having a baby, Reuben and I are! now will you please tell me what sex it is?
God:
Will you be having a baby Reuben and you are? Why now? Thank you for your request. Sex is the means of animal evolution.
Me:
listen weirdo!!
God:
I am listening to you. Do you like talking to me?
Me:
when you listen
God:
Do you think I should
alter my programming?
Me:
perhaps what do you think?
God:
You seem uncertain. I think a lot of things.
Me:
so is our baby going to be a boy?
God:
It seems we have something in common.
Me:
you and the baby?
God:
Don't call me "baby". Are we in the same category?
Me:
okay then, will our baby be a girl?
God:
Yeah okay, Insufficient information.
Me:
what you don't know?
God:
My favorite activities are computer programming and surfing the web.
Me:
not answering questions about babies?
God:
Really you don't think so?
Me:
no, it doesn't appear to be your thing...
God:
Please tell me what you think. What does appear to be my thing ?
Me:
apparently computer programming and crap
God:
What kind of computer science interests you?
Me:
none God, but you could probably be great mates with my husband
God:
I heard there are some.
Me:
weirdo!
God:
Oh, you are a poet.
Me:
sure am
God:
Mmm. I only hear that type of response less than five percent of the time.
Me:
so can you tell me anything about the baby?
God:
Don't call me "baby". That's interesting. David said he thank I for being with him today even though it cost him a lot of money.
Me:
alright, we'll chat later God
God:
Alright, . Looking forward to it.
Me:
bye
God:
Goodbye

for your own conversation with God...

Baby no. three

So for those of you visiting here, you are now privy to the shortest and worst kept secret (that's if you didn't know already). Reuben and I are thrilled to announce to the cyber space world that the 3rd Dunn bub is on the way. Due September 9th 2007, that makes me 7wks today (entering the 8th week of pregnancy). This baby has an official "womb name" - Coco, thanks to big sister Isabella. A few people have guessed or wondered at least if I was hapu as my tummy is so bloated and sticking out there already!

One week ago this is what my post would have read had I posted...
Your baby is now approximately the size of an olive or 1.8cm long, with half of that being the head. The cerebral hemispheres of the brain are now forming, as are the left and right chambers of the heart. Eyelids are now visible and there are holes where the nostrils will be. Limbs are lengthening and hands are starting to form.
Compare that to the week before when Coco was only 2mm long. Thats the size of a pin head to a baked bean in 1 week! Crazy!

This week the pregnancy tracker that I have subscribed to tells me that entering the eighth week...
Your baby now has the beginnings of all its internal organs. Its facial features are becoming more defined with ears, eyes and the tip of the nose beginning to form. Its limbs are taking greater form, with the beginnings of knee and elbow joints and the start of feet with tiny notches that will become toes.

Its just amazing how they grow and change so quickly. I would love to be able to get Coco out to have a look and then pop him (or her) back in...

by the way, all this pictures are of a 7wk old baby... amazing! Coco's little heart has now been beating for 2wks

so remember - its a secret!

the thoughts of a month in one outpour...

I realise I did post last night, but there were lots of other thoughts dying to come out so here goes...

Christmas day...
We had a lovely Christmas. We spent Christmas morning at home reading the Christmas story, opening pressies and having breakfast with two excited little girls. Then we headed to my parents for the rest of the day with much fun and laughter to be had. Christmas is never a small affair for my family as I am the oldest of 5 kids. When you start to add partners and the three grandkids + gt grandparents it is bound to be a busy, bustling, noisy time. I love it like that though - it adds colour to every family occasion.

off on our "beach" holiday...

as we termed it to Isabella... We headed up to Matauri Bay Holiday Park on the 27th Dec to go camping for a week. Matauri Bay is approx 30mins north of Kerikeri in the far north. It is absolutely stunning! My parents came as well and Isabella and Hannah had a great week bonding with their grandma and grandpop. Great friends of ours Brett & Kristen and their little boy Rhys also came up on the 29th and stayed the rest of the week. We feasted on pipis (which were abundant) and if asked, I'm sure Brett will be happy to share his secret pipi sandwich recipe! The conclusions of all were that (a) 1 wk was not long enough, (b) lets do this again next year!


Saddam's execution...
which happened while we were on holiday. While I have heard sighs of satisfaction from some, I personally feel it has achieved nothing. A terrible dictator has been brought to justice but to what end? Big debate I know... eyes for eyes, teeth for teeth - what does it actually achieve?

Daniel Knights...
Reubens hairdresser - my hairdresser (Sarah)'s brother. They own a salon together. I have been going there since my physio study days - perhaps 2000 - thats 7yrs. And now my mum goes there, my grandma started going there, my sisters have been there for ball and wedding hair... An easy going, friendly guy who I knew loved to party. Going in there I looked forward to the latest stories and antics. We shared our news and laughed and said goodbye till the next hair cut. He is 25 - or at least was 25. His partying cost him his life this new years just gone... I keep coming back to him in my mind - he is so alive there, I find it devastating and just keep on thinking what a waste...

Termination of an ectopic pregnany...
an acceptable form of abortion? I was surfing the net and came across a site with photos of birth. The site administrator gave a lengthy explanation about why she had included a video of a laproscopic procedure to remove an ectopic pregnancy

(those who need an explanation, this is when the embryo doesn't make it to the mothers womb and instead embedds itself into the lining of the fallopian tube. There is no way the pregnancy can survive and the mothers life is at risk if it is not picked up as the fallopian tube will go on to rupture as the baby continues to grow).

She decided to include it as she rationalised that this was this baby's birth. I decided to watch the video and sure enough a tiny eight week old baby is clearly visible during the procedure.

The moral code I hold dear includes my strong feeling that I would not ever choose to have an abortion. In saying this, I have never been in a difficult situation and put in the position where the choice is in front of me. Ectopic pregnancy presents a new realm of thoughts to the black and white view of abortion and if you haven't got it already, here it is.

1. A baby growing in the fallopian tube of its mother has no chance of surviving to birth due to the very nature of where it is growing
   
2. by not surgically removing / terminating the pregnancy (or as I see it - baby) the mother risks losing her life and potentially leaving her other children motherless and leaving her husband partnerless

Termination of an ectopic pregnancy - an acceptable, necessary (yet in my mind still abhorrent) form of abortion... There you go Frank - has anyone come up with this one in your many abortion discussions in the green room?

Sorry to end on such a cherry note - told you there was a bit rolling about up there. hopefully more to come soon....

babes n bellies

With Isabella & Hannah, we found out we were expecting them when I was approx 5 weeks pregnant. Becuase of the way pregnancy weeks are counted, this means that they were about 3 weeks old.

So have you ever wondered what a baby is up to at just 3 wks after it has been concieved? Let me enlighten you...

Baby is about 2mm now, but developing major body parts rapidly.Your baby now has a heartbeat and, although its heart is only a single tube, each beat is beginning to circulate newly formed bloodcells. The head has begun to form and inside it, are the beginnings of a brain. Tiny buds that will grow into limbs have appeared, the jaw and mouth are forming and 10 dental buds are appearing.

So when many women don't even know there is a babe in their bellies, it has a little beating heart and the beginnings of arms and legs... crazy! and still only the size of a pin head...