First Toy!

Ok. I know it's early. I didn't go in to World Market looking for a toy...but I stumbled across this rocking horse that was just too cute to pass by!

We Started Preparing the Nursery

We sold most of the furniture in the guest room to make room for Baby. We have selected and ordered the baby's crib and dressers.

Week 12!

Our baby's hit the two inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Our baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she even squirms if I prod my abdomen, though I still won't be able to feel her move for several weeks.

Ultrasound pictures!

It's hard to believe that something so small can have so much detail! Normally, an ultrasound would be performed at 20 weeks, but we got lucky since it was part of some other tests the doctor wanted to do. Dan and I were both shocked to see so much detail and how active the littl guy was! He was rolling around and flipping all different ways! It was really neat to see.

You can see more pictures here: photos

Week 11!

Our fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, our tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, I won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

Week 10!

Our baby is no longer an embryo! Though she's barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, she now has completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in her body rapidly grow and mature. Her vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function (although they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy). Her liver continues to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells, is no longer needed and begins to disappear.

Week 9!

My new resident is nearly an inch long — barely the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce, but he's poised for rapid weight gain now that his basic physical structure is in place. He's also starting to look more and more human. His embryonic "tail" is now completely gone and his body parts — including organs, muscles, and nerves — are kicking into gear.

His eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. He has earlobes, and by week's end, the inner workings of his ears will be complete. His upper lip is fully formed, too, and his mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The tips of his fingers are slightly enlarged where his touch pads are developing. All major joints — his shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles — are working, enabling your baby to move his limbs. As for his heart, it has divided into four chambers now, and the valves have started to develop. External sex organs are there, but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks.