Week 9 Belly is 33.5" 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.

Week 10 Belly is 33.5" The baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature. He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy. Tiny nails are forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Week 11 Belly is 33.5" Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a lime, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden. She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional.

Week 12 The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Week Five | Week Six | Week Seven | Week Eight |Week Nine | Week Ten | Week Eleven | Week Twelve | Week Thirteen | Week Fourteen | Week Fifteen | Week Sixteen | Week Seventeen | Week Eighteen | Week Nineteen | Week Twenty | Twenty One | Twenty Two | Twenty Three| Twenty Four | Twenty Five | Twenty Six | Twenty Seven | Twenty Eight | Twenty Nine | Thirty | Thirty One | Thirty Two | Thirty Three | Thirty Four | Thirty Five | Thirty Six | Thirty Seven | Thirty Eight | Thirty Nine | Forty | Arrival

We are in our Third Month.....pictures

Week Nine | Week Ten | Week Eleven | Week Twelve

Week Nine
March 25, 2008
We had our first appointment with one of the midwives today. Sheila, she seems great. She's delivered or "caught" 1400 babies, including her own grandchildren. She seemed personable and knowledgeable...someone that will be good to have in my corner on that day.

The appointment wasn't as productive as we hoped, though. We were hoping to hear the heartones...but since we were only at 9.4 weeks or so, we didn't hear anything besides my lunch being digested. It was disappointing, but we made another appointment for a couple weeks just for that purpose.

Overall the experience was pleasant and comfortable. There was a daybed in the room we were in where I could lounge. It just made one feel at ease.

She recommended red rasberry leaf tea to 'tone the uterus' along with many other helpful benefits. And, if you can tolerate the taste, mother's milk tea.

Week Ten
March 31, 2008
We are at 10.3 weeks. This past weekend, along with my Mom and her husband David, we went down to the Bodyworlds exhibit in KC at Union Station. The exhibit is of actual human bodies that have been preserved using a plastination process.

One of the bodies on display was of a woman who looked to be about four months along in her pregnancy. You could see the baby nestled snug in her uterus and it was easy to imagine my own baby tucked inside my body.

There were also fetuses at different stages of growth...the closest one to ours being 56 days (we were at 72 days). It's tiny body seemed fully formed although miniature, with teeny fingers and toes. Seeing those was helpful in being able to imagine our own child and what it looks like at this stage, which is what I've been anxious to do being a visual person.

Week Eleven
April 7, 2008
Andrew and I were talking last night about how the next thing we know "it" will be in college because time just seems to fly by. We're already in our eleventh week, one more down and we'll be entering the second trimester. Wow.

Mom and I spent a lovely few days together. We, of course, did some shopping and bought the baby's first little "thing": I am not sure what you call it but it's all one piece and fleece with the cutest little appliques. While tough, it's not impossible to find unisex items out there. She also gave me an antique brush and comb for the baby, along with a little chochtky holder. They are darling! Thank you, Mom!

A few friends have sent me gifts too, Robin, my good friend since college, sent the book called "Life" by Lennart Wilson. Very thoughtful! She's a mom of three.

Another friend, Ali, the wife of one of Andrew's former classmates, sent us the book 'Your Pregnancy Week By Week". She recommended reading it each week with the hubby, as they did...so we've started to do that too. It's cool to see the baby's progress each week and how much changes.

Our next appointment is on Friday, to hear the heart tones. Should be amazing, I am looking forward to the hearing the evidence that we really can expect a little baby in 6 months. When I think about holding a brand new tiny little person that is my own, while a little scary, I yearn for it.

April 9, 2008
Well, Andrew doesn't want to find out what sex the baby is...I think it is going to be one of the toughest things for me to handle! I have to admit, that selfishly, I have a strong preference for what it will be and not knowing or being able to find out is adding to some serious anxiety, OK, not anxiety just irritation. Yes, it will become a natural restriction on how much baby stuff I can buy, but is that really such a good thing? There is so much cute stuff out there, isn't it unnatural for a mom-to-be to be limited on what she can buy?

So I've looked online for hints to help me figure out the sex without a doctor visit. I could mix my urine with drano, or hang my wedding band over my belly and see which direction it spins. The chinese method of prediction does give me my hoped-for outcome. So I am going to choose to believe in that.

I've also looked online at images of other women's bellies who are in their 11th week to see how I compare - cuz sometimes I have my doubts about this protruding tummy (I mean it could be all those chips I ate with dinner last night!) Anyway, every pic is different - some women are lots bigger than me, others smaller. I'm so thankful that I am not the lady who looks 20 weeks pregnant at 15 weeks.

Week Twelve
April 11, 2008
We heard the heartbeat today! We have an 'it'!

MONTH FOUR

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