22 Weeks: Sweet little Squash

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn.

This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.

Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.

Nursery Pics... the beginning.

Below are some beginning pics of our nursery, we still need to paint and get other things together... but we are so excited at our progress! Jonathan put the crib together and we washed the bedding and put it all on. LOVE IT!

Jonathan putting the crib together


Our Rocket Baby bedding... yay!








The Diaper Stacker




Our Pack N' Play...

Visiting Caden at home

These pictures were from September 19th (Caden was about 5 days old), but I'm just now getting around to uploading them. Enjoy!

Look at his cute little mohawk!


Isn't he funny, he was sleeping this way...


Uncle Jonathan, look how cute these boys are!

21 Weeks: Budding Banana

At about 10.5 inches in length and 12.7 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana.

By 21 weeks pregnant, your baby swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting — skills your baby will need as soon as he arrives in your arms. And keep this in mind: The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). And that smorgasbord of tastes won't be lost on your baby. That's because your little one has very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth.

Your developing baby still has a great deal of room in your womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, this tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault.

With all that belly dancing going on, it's hard to believe your baby gets any sleep at all. But believe it or not, your fetus sleeps as much as a newborn, perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day!

20.5 Weeks (5 month) Picture

Whoaaaa, look at that baby bump! I can definitely tell our little boy is getting bigger. After having his kicks confirmed in the ultrasound, I know that what I am feeling are his movements. I cherish every little kick and jab at me, Jonathan has said "I've never seen anyone so happy to be kicked".

20 Weeks: Cantalope Champ

You've got a heavyweight in your belly at 20 weeks pregnant (well, in baby terms, anyway). Your little champ weighs about ten ounces and has a height, crown to rump, of about six and a half inches. Think small cantaloupe (and probably as sweet too).

If you're having a boy cantalope, his testicles have begun their descent this week, though they're still located in the abdomen, waiting for the scrotum to finish growing so they'll have a place to drop into in a few weeks.

It's a BOY!!!

We went in for our 20 week appointment yesterday and had our big sonogram done. Our baby BOY looks very healthy and he was very active (he even kicked at the sonogram tech while she was pressing on my stomach). We got a few pictures of his profile and also got a VHS video of the sonogram. Hopefully we can get the VHS converted soon so that we can share that as well.



Yesterday was very exciting all around. Our new nephew, Caden, arrived at 1:11pm and it was love at first sight for all of us. Both Caden and mommy are doing great and it was so much fun to be with them yesterday. Below are a few pics of the beautiful baby boy!

19 Weeks: Matrix Mango

Six inches long this week and about eight ounces in weight, your baby is the size of a large mango.

Your little action figure is able to choreograph Matrix-like moves at 19 weeks pregnant. Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All these upgrades combine to give your baby more control over limb movements. Which explains all that kicking, stretching, and bodysurfing (or rather bellysurfing) you've possibly started feeling by now.

Something else going on this week: Your baby is getting a cheesy varnish. Say what? Yup — a protective substance called vernix caseosa (vernix is the Latin word for varnish; caseosa is cheese) now covers your baby's skin. It's greasy and white and is made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from your baby's glands, and dead skin cells. This waxy "cheese" may not sound too appetizing or attractive, but it's there for good reason: Vernix protects your baby's sensitive skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without it, your baby would look very wrinkled at birth (sort of what you'd look like if you soaked in a bath for nine months). Some babies — especially those born early — will still be covered with vernix at the delivery, so you might get a look at your baby's first anti-wrinkle cream.

18 Weeks: Sleepy Sweet Potato

At 18 weeks pregnant, your baby is hitting the height chart at five and a half inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about six ounces (about the size of a sweet potato).

And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered by your baby (someone's sleepy!). In fact, you might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if you're getting an ultrasound this month. You'll also catch a glimpse of all the fetal movement your baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And would you believe your baby is finally big enough for you to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So get ready!

Something you won't see on the ultrasound, but you'll know is in working order, is your baby's nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, your baby's is growing more acute, making your little one more conscious of sounds that come from inside your body (which means you could both be listening to each other hiccup — a skill that your baby has by now).

Look at the progress we've made since Week 6, when our baby was the size of a sweet pea! (pictures of course are not the correct size, so you'll have to use your imaginations or a ruler)