12 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

We have been on quite the journey so far! It has been over two months since we started. We've survived lots and lots of shots and lots and lots of nausea. The first trimester is over and we started the fourth month today. So many changes have happened already, with more to come. Your organs and important parts are all developed and now it is time for you to grow, grow, grow.

I am anxious to go back to the doctor again. Even more anxious for April 8. I hope you are cooperative that day and let us see if you are a boy or a girl! I am hoping soon to be able to finish emptying out your room. Maybe over Spring Break, which is only 2 weeks away, and I couldn't be happier about that! We have several names picked out, but we have definitely found more girl names. With that being said, you're probably a boy. Who knows? I have had three dreams now that you are a boy! Time will tell!

Love,
Mommy



How your baby's growing:
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.

11 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

Another week has come and gone very quickly. It has been a busy week, but a good one. You are growing so fast, it's exciting every week to see all the changes you have gone through. We only have one week left until I am in the 2nd Trimester, which will be a huge milestone, even though for us, 10 weeks was a major hurdle! I am anxious for our next appointment in 2 1/2 weeks. My doctor told us that the next ultrasound will be the most visible and clear. I feel lucky that I have an ultrasound at every appointment. We have had 2 appointments and 2 ultrasounds. We get to see you growing stage by stage.

I have a busy night still. I have lots and lots of papers to grade and I need to get supplies ready for science experiments at school tomorrow. We are still anxious to meet you and on April 8, find out if we should buy pink or blue. That's right, I finally talked your daddy into finding out!!

Love,
Mommy



How your baby's growing:
Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

10 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

10 Weeks! Wow! It seems like only yesterday that around midnight your daddy and I went to Wal-Mart and then came home to find out about you! That was nearly two months ago. The last two months have been wonderful! We went to the doctor again yesterday. Your heart is beating 173 times per minute, which the doctor said is wonderful! You're doing so good in there. I also saw my doctor that I see for lupus, and she said hitting ten weeks is a HUGE accomplishment for women with lupus. So, one hurdle down! We saw you again on the TV hooked up to the ultrasound machine. Your heart was beating away and we could see your little legs. It's amazing how much you have grown in only 4 weeks since we last saw you. You very clearly looked like a baby, our baby! :)

We can't wait to meet you and love you. We are anxious for your family members who already love you and check on you and ask about you to meet you. I know they will love you as much as we do. We made copies of the ultrasound pictures to give you your grandma and grandpa, and your great-grandparents. We are 1/4 of the way there, and September will be here before we know it. The last 2 months have gone so quickly, and we are thankful and feel so blessed. We go back to the doctor again in 4 weeks, where we will once again see you on "TV". We can't wait!

Love,
Mommy

How your baby's growing:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

9 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

I should have written this on Thursday, but this has been a long, stressful week! So, I am writing three days late. Another week is gone and another one is half-way gone! We go to the doctor again on Wednesday. This last week you went to your first OU basketball game. We went to the Ford Center in Oklahoma City and watched the OU women play Tennessee. It was loud but fun. We watched more home videos of your daddy this week. They were really funny! Someday you'll be able to watch them and hear your grandpa's voice since you won't get to know him. We're both really sad about that, but you will know how good of a man he was and how much he loved your daddy. I know he would have loved you, too.

We are still working on emptying out your room. Hopefully soon it will be finished. It was a busy week at school, so I didn't have much time or energy to work on it! Maybe this week I will have a little extra time. I still haven't been throwing up, but I am nauseous a lot and my gag reflex is really sensitive! And, other than being completely exhausted all the time, I feel pretty good! Whatever I have to go through to get you will be more than worth it. We've also made it a month and a half taking the injections. Your daddy was giving them to me for a while, but I have been doing it for the past couple of weeks. They aren't too bad, but my stomach is bruised pretty bad! Hopefully we'll get some more pictures of you on Wednesday, and we're anxious to hear your heartbeat!

Love,
Mommy


How your baby's growing:
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.