Sweet Potato PIE...

Baby (girl) Woof is a sweet potato...I never really liked those but I can definitely imagine her size and it's always interesting to me to see what she's compared to each week and learn about how she's growing. Nothing can be quite as exciting as the sonogram of last week..but I do feel her kicking more and more. That's really amazing to me. I'm sure a little later on I'll want her to "sit still" but for now, it's a reminder that something's happening!

18 weeks

How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

It's a...

GIRL!

At least - we're pretty sure. The ultrasound person said she was 95% certain...since Baby Woof was acting like a real lady and keeping her legs together, so...

I think I'm just going to believe her and go with it. She sure seemed to know what she was doing.

The only telling picture shows four lines...or pancakes...or...or...whatever you might want to call them.

Here she is:

On'yun Young'n

B-I-G week this week! On Wednesday, I go for my first ultrasound. I hope, I hope, I hope I get to find out the sex then...and unless I'm completely crazy distracted on Wednesday, I hope to post a picture here! I'm extremely excited - I can't wait!

In other sorta BIG news, I think I felt the little bugger moving!! I think, I think that's what it was...it felt kind of like a teeny, tiny frog jumping around.

17 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

16 weeks...

Sooooooo...I met my doctor the other day. He seemed pretty nice and all but he really got my approval when he said: "Let's do a sonogram in two weeks." Two weeks?!?!?! YES!! We're ver-very excited!

I also found out that it will be on the standard machine. The 3D machine is only being used to diagnose "problems" right now. But, I'm really not disappointed. I'll get to see things I've never seen before. It'll be a wonderful experience I'm sure. I can hardly wait!!!

In other slightly less exciting news - the food/size references are back this week!

16 weeks

How your baby's growing: At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.

15 weeks

Baby Woof is now a....uh...nothing, I guess. No food reference or anything this week. Just about 4 inches long. Getting bigger all the time!

I go to the doctor tomorrow and meet my actual doctor for the first time. And, I'm soooo excited because I hope we can schedule a sonogram. The even more exciting news is that I just heard they might have a 3D sonogram machine there! I think the older machines are 2D and the baby ends up looking like a skeleton-alien type thingy. I'm very excited about the possibility of having a 3D sonogram. Hopefully, I'll have the news tomorrow about whether or not I'll get to get one! But, either way, I'll get to see the baby and how it's doing and hopefully find out what "type" it is. I'll be thankful for anything more I can know/see...

Here's an example of a 3D sonogram at 15 weeks:

Baby Report at
15 weeks

At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help the air sacs in his lungs develop. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you were to shine a flashlight at your tummy, he'd be likely to move away from the beam.

If you're scheduled for an ultrasound in the coming weeks (most women have one between 16 and 20 weeks), you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! Don't be disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down the gender depends on how clear the picture is and the position of your baby during the ultrasound; he may be curled or turned in such a way as to keep you in suspense.

Your baby's taste buds are beginning to form now, too, and a study at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia suggests he may be able to taste what you've been eating. Researchers found that flavors from the food pregnant women ate ended up in their amniotic fluid. They also found that eating healthy foods during pregnancy may help your baby develop a preference for those foods that could last a lifetime.