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.