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.