Week 21: What's happening this week...

Little Mc now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. Our baby is really on the move now. Fetal researchers say babies move about 50 times an hour even while sleeping. All that movement helps stimulate your baby's physical and mental development. You may not notice 50 kicks, punches, and twirls during the day, but as you're settling down at night, don't be surprised if your little guy seems ready to dance the night away.
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Week 20: What's happening this week

We're at the halfway mark! Little Mc weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's about 10 inches from head to heel. (The way our baby is measured now changes.) A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats his entire body to protect his skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. He's also producing meconium , a black, sticky substance made of dead cells, digestive secretions, and swallowed amniotic fluid, which will accumulate in his bowels and end up in his first diaper.

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Week 19: What's happening this week...

Our baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. The hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Our baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. He may be able to hear us as we talk. Research shows that he's learning to distinguish our voice from others, and he'll soon show a preference for it. Let Mike is getting in on the act, too — as he talks to our baby. In fact, Mike encourages him whenever Little Mc gives me a little kick.

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Week 18: What's happening this week

Head to bottom, our baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato), and weighs almost 7 ounces. Little Mc's busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that I'll likely start noticing more and more. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around the nerves, a process that will continue for a year after birth. If we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If our baby is a boy , his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from us during an ultrasound .

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