Week 24: This Week You are The Size of...

...an ear of corn! Lots of exciting news this week:

Baby girl is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound and almost a foot long. She's long and lean right now but will soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

In other interesting news, I read today that my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball. Um....excuse me? No wonder the belly is so big! I have my 24 week check up tomorrow and will be tested for gestational diabetes.

The most exciting news this week is that we have decided on a name. Baby girl's name will be Olivia Kate Burrous! It was a tough decision for indecisive mommy, but daddy is sure so that helps make mommy more sure. Hope you like it....if you don't, please don't tell us.

Week 23: This Week You are The Size of...

...a large mango! If I turn on music, with baby's sense of movement well developed by now, she can feel me dance. She is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that her increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as Bailey barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Week 22: This Week You are The Size of...

...spaghetti squash! She is measuring about 11 inches and weighs almost 1 pound. She is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums! Her eyes have formed, but the irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.

Baby Girl's room is coming along nicely! Mommy took down the wallpaper and prepped the room for Daddy and Todd to paint it green this past weekend. The color looks really good! We're looking forward to getting the furniture in there.

Still no decision on her name.

Week 21: This Week You are The Size of...

...a carrot! She now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. Her initial fluttering movements will turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. Hopefully Daddy and others will be able to feel them now too instead of just Mommy. There may also be a developing pattern to her activity as I get to know her better. In other developments, her eyebrows and lids are present now. It's so great not to have to write "he/she" in my email updates. Now, we'll be working on a name so she's not just a "she"!