14 Weeks!

This week's big developments: Your 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 you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your 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. Your 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 you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

14 weeks! Amazing! So, I began feeling some brief movements from Sprout last week. It feels like a butterfly fluttering around basically. Yesterday I began feeling kicks or jabs of some sort. They are still very light, but feel like tiny pokes. I sat here last night, just amazed that I was doing this again, and feeling incredibly blessed! This has made me excited for the point at which the baby is sticking things out and making your belly resemble Sigourney Weaver's from her nightmare in the "Alien" movie. Okay, it's not that dramatic.. usually.

I am feeling good, exhaustion is almost completely gone! I have a doctor appointment on Friday, and hopefully the doctor will give me a referral for the 20 week scan. I am wanting to get that scheduled as soon as possible, so the daddies of this little one can get their flights scheduled to come out here. So exciting that we're at this point.

Happy New Year to all! :D