Week 25: What's happening this week

Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for a more rounded one. As he gains weight, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more like a mini newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now in color and texture, although both may change after he's born.

On a personal note, he continues to move and shake quite a bit. I think he especially enjoys poking my bladder just to see how many times he can make me go to the bathroom. Already he is just like his dad...

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Week 24: What's happening this week

Our baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week. Since he's almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure (not that we would expect any different from our gene pool), but his body's filling out proportionally. Our baby's brain is growing rapidly, and his taste buds may be working now. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. He can hear more now, and they say we may even notice him startle at loud, sudden noises. But he's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house.

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Week 23: What's happening this week

Our baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. He may be able to feel my movements now, so it is suggested I should on some tunes and dance around the house. He looks red now due to blood vessels showing through his transparent skin. His true skin tone will develop over the course of his first year. Blood vessels in our baby's lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing, but complete lung development will take many more months. The lungs are the last organ to fully develop.

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Week 22: What's happening this week

Our baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. His skin will continue to appear wrinkled until he gains enough weight to fill it out. His eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment. Our baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath his gum line. You won't actually see his first tooth until he's around 4 to 7 months old, unless he's one of the rare babies who are born with teeth.

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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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