Memorial Day at the Zoo

We had a great day at the Montgomery Zoo. If you haven't been we would definitely recommend it. Great day trip for the family at a really good price. If you want to check out some pictures from our visit look in our Online Photo Gallery

Montgomery Zoo - Memorial Day 2007

17 Weeks

Week Seventeen

By week 17, your baby weighs about 4.97 ounces (140gm) and is 5.12 inches (13cm) long.

He or she has a much more normal "human" appearance now. She holds her head more erect and her body and limbs are longer in proportion to her head.

Pads are forming on his tiny fingertips and toes. Soon those individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.

Her eyes are looking forward now, but they are still firmly closed.

Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. This black gooey substance will become your baby's first poop!

The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger and continues to rush blood and nutrients to your growing baby.

If your child is male the prostate begins to develop.

Her skeleton is tranforming from cartilage to bone. The bones remain flexible to make the journey through the birth canal easier.

Week Sixteen

Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing your baby with insulation for the coming months.

Did you know that both baby and placenta are now about the same size?

Your little one has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).

His head and neck are held straighter now.

This is a week of "mights!" You might hear the tiny thumps of his heartbeat with an external monitor now. The genitals are developed sufficiently that an experienced sonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy or a girl.

Her heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double your heartrate.

If you could take a peek inside, you would witness your child's reflexes in action! (Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.) She is probably even hiccuping even though you don't feel it yet!

Your baby has learned to breathe! This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest. Isn't it amazing that he is able to breathe "underwater," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid? These actions help the lungs to develop and grow.

Week Fifteen

Week Fifteen

You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns (but don't panic if you don't yet). She can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb!

Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head. And you'll be happy to note that he is moving those arms and legs often!

His skin is very thin -- so thin blood vessel are visible. It's covered by a fine, soft layer of hair called lanugo. Lanugo comes from a Latin word meaning "down." This hair is thought to help insulate your little boy.

The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centers in your baby's brain haven't developed yet, so she might not really understand what you say but her hearing capacity is in the process of developing.

Fingernails and toenails are growing.

Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is sprouting. It will probably change color and texture after birth.

All this and your little one is an amazing 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces (70gm).

Week 15 Cartoon

Week 14

Week Fourteen

Thyroid gland has matured and your baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.

In boys, the prostate gland develops

In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis

Your little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!

Your child's bones are getting harder and stronger by the day!

Your baby's skin is very transparent still

Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!

Your baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!

Another option for a girls crib set

What do you think??

Latest updates for weeks 13 and 14.

I guess the baby went through a growth spurt because at the beginning of the week I was exhausted and famished all the time. I think the morning sickness had to have been triggered by a surge of hormones because I have been fine ever since. Well we'll see my next appointment is this Wednesday. It's too early to learn the sex. That will be next month so I really don't know what we will be doing. Brian is out of town for work and he is so concerned that we will be finding out the sex this week. He made me promise to call him immediately if we do but I have been giving him a hard time saying I was going to with hold the information and go get him a surprise gift for when he gets home. Maybe a pink "Daddy does my hair" onesie or a black "Ladies man" onesie. But let's all be honest here. You know I can't keep a secret. At least not from him!!! But even if they give me the option to find out I will probably wait until next month just so that we are doubly sure!

New Cartoon!

This cartoon is usually more relative to the first trimester but since I was one of the lucky 85% of women that were spared from morning sickness I never put this up. Fortunately, becauase I have experienced it which just makes the overall experience more complete, but unfortunately, because I never want it again, I had my first bout of morning sickness this week so I thought this cartoon would now be appropriate.

Week 13

Week Thirteen

Your infant is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm) - This is about the same weight as 4 quarters.

If you could peek in again you may spot your baby as he begins to practice inhaling and exhaling movements

Eyes and ears continue to move and develop

Baby's neck is getting longer, and the chin no longer is resting on his chest

Her hands are becoming more functional - Your baby may find it comforting to start playing with her fist.

At this point all nourishment is received from the placenta

On your next doctor visit you should be able to hear heartbeat with a Doppler by now - (Don't worry though if you can't, the heartbeat can be confirmed through U/S). Your baby's heartbeat is much rapider than your own and may remind you of the race towards birth that he is running!