22 weeks

I got a Christian book for pregnant women to take from the time of pre conception up until birth in a Godly manner, that relates pretty much every phase of pregnancy to God and what the Bible has to say. One thing I read one day during my devotions, that I had never thought about, was the significance of the number 40 and how it is usually representative of tribulation or trial and how the number 40 reappears quite a few times in the Bible- during the flood it rained for 40 days & 40 nights, Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sanai, Jesus being tempted in the wilderness for 40 days, etc... at any rate the devotion goes on to say that it is no wonder that God chose 40 weeks as the normal gestation for pregnancy because during pregnancy you may feel that you're going through the wilderness, but to keep in mind that at the end the Promised Land awaits baby and I! This really spoke to me and made me step back and become less "anxious" about getting to see Caileb. I now think that I want to make it to end of this journey with full completion to get exactly what it is that God has for us!

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.

Finally!

It was almost like waiting for Christmas morning to finally get here, these past 2 weeks have gone by fairly slow in anticipation of the big day! After all the waiting, it was worth it! We got to the doctor's office and about 5 minutes into the ultrasound the tech said the 3 words I'd been waiting to hear "It's a boy." I didn't care what she told us it was I just wanted to know and now I do, so it's official- we're having a Caileb! At this point we're still at a loss for middle names, we've toyed aroudn with a few but none have been suitable for the both of us. My suggestion is that we name him Caileb Antonio Eugene Gentry (both middle names are family names- Antonio was my grandfather, and Eugene is a generational Gentry name). Ricas says no because it's too much, but I like it and I will be pushing for that name. If you have any suggestions please let me know!

At any rate, back to the appointment, Dr. Chesney said that Caileb looks great, very healthy and no concerns. We are right on track (although according to the ultrasound my due date is now 2 days earlier than expected, but what's 2 days after 10 months anyway?!)

I think I'm going to change the name of this blog to Caileb's Mommy... that sounds good (especially since he's not a bean any more)!

New this week: 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. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

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 (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).