Welcome to Week #13!

Some say in entering this week, I have passed the first trimester. Some say the second trimester begins more around the 14th or 15th week. All I know, is no more morning sickness and no more food aversions. That's normal for around this time. I am happy to know that my baby is healthy and active with a very strong heartrate of 170. Here's some info on what's happening with the little one this week.

As the baby continues to develop, the vocal cords begin to form. The face is looking more and more human each day as the eyes begin to move closer together instead of being on the sides of the head and the ears move to a normal position. It would be possible now to determine the baby's sex by looking at the genitals if we could only get close enough. (We usually can't "guess" via ultrasound until around the 16th week.) The intestines move farther into the baby's body; the liver begins to secrete bile and the pancreas begins to produce insulin. A very busy week indeed! By the end of this week, the baby will be measuring in at about seven centimeters crown-to-rump and weighing about two ounces, the baby-to-be will spend the rest of the pregnancy concentrating on growing and becoming strong enough to live outside the uterus. While the baby won't be saying "Mommy" for some time, vocal cords are now developing. The fetus also has developed many reflexes and will squirm inside of you if your abdomen is prodded.

We witnessed that first-hand at our ultrasound on Friday. Dan and I still agree that it's the most amazing thing we've ever seen. I still can't believe it!