Lester and Bud

Today we had an ultrasound of little, or should I say, “big Lester.” According to the sometimes inaccurate ultrasound measurement, Lester weighs almost 6 pounds. Wow. S/he’s going to be a big kid.

Jacq, who had only a snack for breakfast, got nauseas during the procedure and had to be rolled (literally at this point) on to her side so the tech could continue. So she unfortunately didn’t get to see the incredible images of Lester’s head, belly, bladder, arms, legs, teddy bear, and blankie.

What we both did get to see took our breath away. No, it wasn’t Lester’s “giant umbilical cord.” Nor was the little dude(tte) wearing a Yankee’s shirt. It turns out that Lester almost had a buddy in Jacqui’s belly. There it was. A second, small gestational sac with a tiny bud-like structure attached to Jacqui’s placenta. The doctor, who called this a vanishing twin, reassured us that though rare, this happens, and there was absolutely no risk to Lester. But we now know that probably for a few moments very early on we had twins.

Holy cow, we almost had twins! That would have been nuts. Not that we would have placed the second child in a reed basket and sent him or her downstream, but given all that we’ve been through one at a time is probably the best reproductive strategy for the Yudell-Rick household.

We both felt sad today for little Bud, knowing that it was almost our second child. But seeing big Lester’s heart beating, and hearing the doctor say the words, “you’re baby is healthy,” made today extraordinary, and we look forward to meeting the big baby soon.