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).

Chalk this one up to my inability to cure my procrastination...

Friday we had another appointment with Dr. Chesney and we actually got to hear the baby's heart beat!!! The rate was 150 beats/minute (which now makes me second guess my thought that this baby is a girl). At any rate, Dr. Chesney says that everything still looks great! WE go back in 2 weeks (July 11th) to find out what Baby G really is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <----- I'm excited (can you tell?)

At any rate, we have chosen the following names for our child-
Boy: Caileb "dog/brave" <--- my husband can break the entire story down as to how the meaning of this name went from "dog" to "brave"
Girl: Ma Kiyah "who is like Yahweh (God)"

Unfortunately at this time we are at a stand still with middle names, so I come to you (my readers- friends and family) to give us your suggestions. Please leave your suggestion(s) in a comment and hopefully we will come up with something!!!

New this week: Head to rump, your 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 you'll start noticing 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 you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

17 weeks

Only 2 more days and we go to our next appointment (followed by the big ultrasound in 2 weeks)! I'm hoping that we will get to hear our baby's heart beat on Friday, if not I'll settle for getting to see him or her once again. Still no signs of morning sickness (knock on wood) and I'm in great health and feeling great! I pray that the next 5 1/2 months continue to go just as well.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your 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.

I think it's a girl!

A few days ago I was online looking at babyzone.com and they had this Chinese calendar that predicts your baby's gender- I put in the info and the result "you could be having a girl." Yesterday I met some friends and their children at a small water park in Smryna and my friend Kristi did the "ring test" on me. (For those of you who don't know- the ring test is when you put a ring on a strand of hair and hold it over you stomach the gender of the baby is determined by the motion of the swing... back-and-forth A BOY; in a circle A GIRL). On me the ring went in a very defined circle- so once again the predictions are for a girl. Many people I work with think it's a boy because I haven't had any sickness, but then there are the few that have said that they were sicker than a dog and had a boy (or had no sickness and had a girl). So to add to the predictions, I have this feeling (call it motherly if you will) that I am carrying a girl. At the end of the day does it matter what we have? Of course not! I just want a healthy baby that is happy and blessed!

4 months and counting

How your 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.

We're back from KY and it was exciting getting to see all of our friends and family for the first time since we told th em that we were expecting! They all think I'm getting bigger and of course everyone is excited about December.

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.