14 Weeks Pregnant

Got a little behind schedule as summer months tend to be a bit busier.  Gearing up for 13 Summer Interns to join us for the month of June.  We are very anxious to partner with them in their spiritual journey.  I'm just praying I can keep up with them while maintaining my health and sanity being pregnant.  I'm looking forward to the challenge but also know I have a great husband who will bring me back to reality if I get ahead of myself.

How my baby's growing:  This week's big developments:  Our baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee and possibly suck it's thumb!  Thanks to the brain impulses, the facial muscles are getting a workout as the tiny features form one expression after another.  The kidneys are producing urine, which is released into the amniotic fluid around them - a process they'll keep up until birth.  The baby can grasp too, and may even be seen sucking it's thumb during an ultrasound.

In other news:  My baby's stretching out.  From head to bottom, the baby measures 3 1/2 inches - about the size of a lemon - and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.  The body's growing faster than the head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck.  By the end of this week, the arms will have grown to a length that's in portion to the rest of the body.  (The legs still have some lengthening to do.)  The baby is starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over the body.  Our baby's liver starts making bile this week - a sign that's it doing it's job right - and the spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells.  Though I can't distinguish the tiny punches and kicks yet, our little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

How my life's changing:  Well I'm officially in my second trimester.  They say your energy is likely to return but with the added load of summer to my plate and trying to acclimate myself to longer days I don't feel like I have more energy.

There's definitely a baby bump pooching out there but with my short, stocky self if you didn't know I was pregnant you probably wouldn't ask.  My belly is becoming more firm and defined but I'd give it another few weeks before you could noticeably tell it's the cause of a little one in there.  Getting more excited to buy some maternity clothes (clothes that will fit properly and quit with this make-shift business)!