Week 22

The baby is getting bigger and continuing to practice for life outside the uterus. This week your baby has fully developed eyelashes and eyebrows and the hair on your baby's head is continuing to grow as his brain begins a rapid growth process. The fetus has fully formed fingerprints and loud noise can "wake up" the baby. He may begin kicking and turning around, too. Your baby's heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope. His nose is taking on a more defined shape as cartilage (the soft bone) appears. Your baby is approximately 30-32 cm (10.8 inches) and weighs about one pound.

I thought registering was supposed to be fun?

Ben and I decided that Saturday would be a great day to register for baby items. We headed out the door, naively believing that we were on our way to have a really great time. Fast forward 30 minutes and we were standing in line behind 10 other pregnant women listening to a sales associate give a very fast group lesson on how to use the scanner, how to delete items from our list and how to register for "non-specific" items. I felt like we were entering a race. Little did I know how unprepared we were for this adventure. First item on the list of "suggested registry items": Bottles. Who knew there were so many options! And we hadn't even gotten to the wall o' nipples. We made our first joint decision, we skipped registering for bottles.
Next Stop: the stroller department. Surely it would prove to be a much easier decision to make. The first stroller we picked out was much too heavy and we had a hard time steering it. The second stroller we couldn't figure out how to detach the car seat. I assumed that we would move on to the next stroller, but Ben decided that he was going to spend a significant amount of time proving that he could detach the car seat and reattach it. While I moved along and made a decision on the stroller I wanted, Ben was still sitting on the floor of the aisle underneath the stroller trying to figure it out. Eventually he conquered the stroller and car seat and we were able to agree on a stroller that we both felt comfortable with. Shortly thereafter, we looked at our watches and realized that we had been in the store for an hour and had only picked out a stroller!! We spent the following 2 hours running around the store looking at baby merchandise that we didn't even know existed wondering if we needed to register for it all. Eventually we turned in our scanner, exited the store, and headed home for a nap. Who knew registering could be so tiring!

Ultrasound images

These are from the 6th of this month, but I hadn't had a chance to scan them in until now.

Week 21

By the end of this week, he'll measure about 7 inches from crown to rump and weigh nearly a pound. Not bad for a little guy who weighed barely an ounce 10 weeks ago! His hearing is developing, and sounds from your conversations can be heard inside the uterus--along with your heartbeat, stomach rumblings, and the pulsing of blood vessels. In fact, the womb is so noisy that it's been compared to an airport runway during takeoff; it's thought that the stimuli prepare the baby for the cacophony of noises, sights, and sounds that will greet him at birth.

Ops... I meant week 20

This week marks the halfway point in your baby's development. And right around now, nature gives him a spa treatment--a white, cream-cheesy moisturizer called vernix coats every inch of his skin, keeping it smooth and wrinkle-free for the next 20 weeks as he floats in a warm bath of amniotic fluid. He'll still be covered in vernix when he's born; your doctor or midwife will wipe it off a few moments after birth, revealing skin that's (you guessed it) baby soft.

Week 19

Another milestone comes halfway through this month. It's known as quickening, and it's the first time you feel your baby move. The fetus has been moving for a few weeks, but now that its bones are harder and its muscles and limbs are stronger, the movements become noticeable.

Almost all the follicles from which your baby's hair will grow are in place. Some babies are born with long, thick hair, others with almost none, but it will all fall out during the first months of life. Fingernails grow longer this month, and toenails are just starting to grow.

The number of nerve cells in your baby's brain increases rapidly this month, especially in the front of the brain, where thinking takes place. The baby's senses, too, are beginning to awaken, and it may be able to hear sounds, such as the flow of blood, the beating of your heart, and the rumblings of your stomach.

Inside your baby's intestines, the first stool, called meconium, is forming. If your baby is a girl, eggs are starting to develop in her ovaries. At about 20 weeks, you may be able to hear your baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Near the end of this month, several changes take place in your baby's skin. It becomes covered with a fatty yellowish substance called vernix, which protects its skin from the constant exposure to amniotic fluid. Under the skin, particularly around the neck and back, a special tissue called brown fat is forming. Until it disappears a few weeks after birth, brown fat produces heat, which the baby needs after leaving the warmth of your womb.

At the end of this month, your baby is about 7 inches long and weighs 10 to 12 ounces.

Another sappy one... sorry

So, for those of you that havn't seen Sherry lately... there is no question that she is pregnant now, even though I'm still amazed when people ask, "are you expecting?" The risks of that question just doesn't match up to the reward, so please try to never, ever ask it. Trust me on this one, you can save yourself from a very embarasing moment.

But, on to my point. I have been seeing her in a way I don't think I have seen her in a long time. Not sure I can explain it, but there is a very good feeling I get from simply looking at my HOT wife and her new cute belly. I know she is getting scared about the changes in her body, but she needs to come to terms with the fact that the extra pounds that are showing up are not fat, but life... and regardless they are not going to make her any less attractive to me.

Plus, her boobs are bigger!

Sucker for Overalls

Who doesn't love a baby in overalls?
That's my excuse for buying Noah a new outfit today (yes, we think his name is going to be Noah). Some of you may have heard about my recent shopping trip and my $.77 baby clothes from JC Penney's. Now my excuse for buying those outfits was that they were so amazingly cheap that I would be considered an idiot for not buying them. So after buying those, I told myself that I would limit my purchases to things I considered a great deal. Not because I don't want Noah to have cute clothes, but because I have attended my share of baby showers, and I know that people love to give baby clothes as gifts.


But today I broke the rules and bought Noah a new outfit. It was a little on sale, but not really a GREAT deal. But surely everyone will think that this outfit was too cute to pass up. At least that is what I am telling myself.

Blue, Blue & More Blue

We went to our monthly appointment on Monday and were fortunate enough that the ultrasound technician could tell us that we are having a baby boy! She also printed some really great pictures of him for us to share with our family and friends. I can't believe that we are almost to the halfway point. I have started to feel the baby kick more often, which makes this experience so much more real. I went shopping last night and picked out the bedding for his nursery- now we just need to find a house for him!

WE ARE HAVING...

A BABY BOY!

Week 18

Your baby's brain is growing rapidly. By this stage, all of the major areas have been differentiated. The cortical layers, which govern specific brain functions, are beginning to form. The fetus may exhibit signs of a primitive body language in utero, such as recoiling when the needle for the amniocentesis comes too close for comfort. Within the next few weeks, she'll be able to hear voices outside the womb and respond positively to music or loving words. It's time to fine-tune your singing and storytelling skills!