22 Weeks

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

House Update

The framing on our house started last week and we're already seeing a lot of changes. It's exciting to see everything as it goes up and it's encouraging to see the progress. We met with the builder on Monday and Sept. 15 is our revised completion date. We're hoping for a stretch of dry weather this week and next so they don't have any problems with the framing or the roof trusses.


Below is a view of the house from the back. To the left side are the double doors for Brian's workshop. Next is the guest bedroom and then on the right side is a family room/play room.



Another view of the basement. This view is from behind the garage looking at the lower family room/play room area next to the stairs.

And a view from the opposite side. Again, the doors on the left are the double doors to the workshop area.

The view below is from the upper level family room looking out towards the back of the house. There will be a very large window to let in a lot of light. And there's also a door next to it out on to a small patio area.

And, this is what the main level looks like so far. This view is from the southwest corner of the house. The framing for the rear walls looks to be complete, it just needs to be lifted up and put in place. Most of the interior walls are already marked out on the floor, so we're getting a better idea of the size of everything.

21 Weeks

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

It's . . . A . . .

Boy!!

We had our 20-week checkup yesterday along with an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed we are expecting a healthy baby boy right around Thanksgiving. Everything looks perfect so far. The little guy was extremely active, moving all around and making it difficult for the technician to get a good picture. But she was able to find the boy parts even with all of his movement.

Belly at 20 weeks

Here's an updated picture of the ever-growing belly. This was taken right at 20 weeks. It doesn't look much bigger than the earlier one, but it is. I feel like we've gone through a growth spurt in the last couple of weeks.

Will it be a girl? Or a boy?

Tomorrow is the big day! We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon for a regular checup and to find out whether it's a boy or it's a girl. We'll keep you updated with the big news.

20 Weeks

You're at the halfway mark — congratulations! Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (The way your baby is measured changes now.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (although some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Thursday, July 10 is our next appointment. It's the big day to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl!