12 Weeks, 2 Days

Baby at 12 weeks.

Baby has hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. The face is beginning to look more human. The eyes, which started out on the sides of the head, have moved closer together on the face, and the ears are near their final positions on the sides of the head. The baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity about now. The kidneys are secreting urine into the bladder. The nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. The baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and will even squirm if prodded, though I still won't be able to feel the movement for several weeks.

The sinus congestion is apparently here to stay for the term of the pregnancy, as it did with Maya, and brushing my teeth is trickier because it tends to make me nauseous. Readers will no doubt be relieved to know that I do still brush them, and Crest's cinnamon toothpaste makes it a bit easier. Other than that, all is well. I'm sometimes surprised to realize I'm pregnant, since Layth and Maya keep me so busy that I actually forget from time to time. Since I can't feel the baby yet, it feels a little bit like a wishful story I'm telling people, but it's true, honest!