This Week

How your baby's growing:
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her/His essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

I love getting these weekly updates about our sweet baby's growth. It amazes me how fast these changes occur and how much is happening in my belly! I am still on cloud nine. I am pretty sure I will never come back down. I think about this little one all throughout the day. I can't wait until our next doc appointment which is February 1st.

I had a dream a few nights ago. We had a baby boy! Blake just "knows" it is a boy. I honestly don't have a "hunch" as to what it is. I am just praying for a healthy baby. I believe that is all that really matters to both of us. I sure can't wait to find out, though :)