16 weeks (September 25-October 1)

How our baby's growing:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your 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 your baby continues to develop.

In other news:
I had my 15 week appointment this past week. It was nothing really eventful. They checked the heartbeat (which was good!) and did the second part of my blood work for testing. We did find out that at the next appointment on October 19th, we will have an ultrasound to hopefully find out if Baby Smith is a boy or a girl!!!! :) I'm SOOOO excited to find out!

15 weeks (September 18-24)

How our baby's growing:
Your 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). He's busy moving amniotic fluid through his nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his lungs begin to develop. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all of her joints and limbs. Although his eyelids are still fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but he is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")


I go back to the OB on Tuesday so I will update then about how the baby is doing. Not sure when we will find out the sex of the baby but Mike won't be at this appointment with me (due to traveling for work) so maybe at the next visit! (He wants to be there when the doc tells me.) I can't wait to find out so that we can narrow down names and nursery themes/colors!! :)

14 weeks (September 11-17)

How our baby's growing:
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.

In other news...
Mike and I went to our first Clemson game of the season last Saturday. It was great to be back in one of my favorite places! The weather was still a little warm but our seats were in the shade so that helped a lot! My mom was also at the game. She went with her cousin Tillman and Jeanette and they also took my cousin Miller with them. The game was definitely not a close one...Clemson pounded PC 58-21!! Hopefully we will be able to go to another game this season but if not, I can't wait to introduce our little one to the great place that is CLEMSON when he/she arrives!!! :)

13 weeks (September 4-10)

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, his veins and organs are clearly visible through his still-thin skin, and his body is starting to catch up with his head — which makes up just a third of his body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.


This week marks the end of my first trimester! I can't believe that it's gone by so quickly already! I am starting to show a little bit and my pants have started to get too tight. I bought my first couple of pairs of maternity pants last week. I'm ready for the second trimester...I've heard you have more energy then because I have been exhausted so far!! :)

12 weeks (August 28-September 3)

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 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.


We went to have another ultrasound on Tuesday and for some 12 week testing. The baby is growing well but was stubborn for the ultrasound nurse. She had a hard time getting him/her to cooperate with what she needed! Hopefully this is not telling of how the baby will be outside the womb! lol!! :) It was neat to see a little bit of how he/she has grown but our ultrasound pics aren't as good this time. Anyway, I go back to the doctor again in 3 weeks!