12 Weeks

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his/her toes will curl, his/her eye muscles will clench, and his/her 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/Her intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his/her abdominal cavity about now, and his/her 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?her face looks unquestionably human: His/Her eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his/her head, and his/her 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.


**side note**
I had an 11 1/2 week appointment on Tuesday. I gained 5 lbs in 4 weeks. You can't really tell, except I'm starting to get a teeny belly, but I think it's mostly noticeable to me (and dad, because he's always quick to let me know I'm looking bigger...thanks dad. :p ) Anywho, the nurse practitioner did the run down on what I've been eating and we've determined that I love carbs. Yeah, thanks nurse. Like I didn't know that. I've been a potato/bread eater my entire life. Not much on this earth makes me happier (ok, no FOOD on this earth) than french fries. Every time I've had a sandwich, she said, "that's fine, just lose 1 of the pieces of bread." HELLO, that's not a sandwich! Anyways, I guess I'm watching what I'm eating now. It's funny how when you can't eat things, that's all you want. Like that Snickers bar in my parents' fridge - I've been eyeing it. It may be gone by the time I leave tomorrow...