18 weeks

Head to rump, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that I've already started to notice and will feel more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If we're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from us during an ultrasound. But he better not cause we go for that ultrasound a week from this Thursday!!! One more weekly post and we can hopefully start refering to the baby as he/she for sure. Or maybe by one of the two names we have picked out!!! Get excited! We sure are!

17 weeks and our move!

Our baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Our baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop. Her ears are in their final position on the side of her head. I have started to feel baby move. It feels like popcorn popping and i don't feel it all the time but i know when i do feel it its baby dailey!! On another note Mark and I have moved into an apartment for the summer. As many of you know we were staying in my parents house while they were in FL for the winter but its time for them to come home!!! We have a cute 2bedroom 1bath with a private patio right by the pool. We are so excited to be here with our family in our own little place. Our new address is 101 Arbor Creek Blvd Nashville, TN 37217. See you next week!!

16 weeks

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, our baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as our baby continues to develop. On another note, incase anyone is wondering, we are moving into an apartment w/a pool for the summer! My parents should be home the first weekend in April so we are moving on at least for 6 months or so. Then we'll see what happens. I'm just excited to have a pool for the hot summer TN days and i know Mark is too!

Dr. visit #2

All went well at our Dr. appt. We heard the heartbeat and the Dr said the baby was moving around alot so I think its a boy because boys never sit still! We go back April 9th for an ultrasound so we will hopefully know the sex. Unless, baby is shy but lets face it he/she is a dailey so he/she probably won't be afraid to show it all!! j/k Thats all for now. I just wanted to keep you all in the loop.

15 weeks and pictures recaps!

Our growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If I shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for our baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if we have an ultrasound this week, we may be able to find out whether our baby's a boy or a girl! We have a doctor appt. tomorrow morning but we were already told the they won't be doing an ultrasound until our next appt., around 20 weeks! Oh well, stay tuned for more baby dailey details! I will try to post whatever the Dr. tells us on thursday.

14 weeks

This week's big developments: Our baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if I have an ultrasound now, we may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Our baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches (about the size of a lemon) and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Our baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though I can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, our little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.