During a few visits to the doctor, he held the probe on this little doohickey up to B’s belly and I got to hear my baby-to-be’s heartbeat. Pure unadulterated bliss! The pitter patter of the baby’s hearts has noticibly slowed down from when I last heard it, but it is still very fast relative to a normal adult heartbeat (120-160 bpm.)

Unfortunately, as much as I’d love to spend the $400 on that … apparently I’m going to need to start saving for diapers. Diaper by the way is Repaid backwards …. hmmm

How your baby’s growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you’d be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he’ll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

See what your baby looks like this week.

How your life’s changing:

At this point, you may find your belly becoming a hand magnet. It’s perfectly okay to tell folks who touch your tummy that you’d rather they didn’t. And if people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that each woman grows — and shows — at her own rate. What’s important is that you see your practitioner for regular visits so she can make sure your baby’s growth is on track.

You may start to notice stretch marks on your abdomen as it expands to accommodate your growing baby. At least half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks by the time they give birth. These small streaks of differently textured skin can range from pink to dark brown (depending on your skin color). Although they most commonly appear on your tummy, stretch marks may also show up on your buttocks, thighs, hips, and breasts. There’s no proof that lotion helps prevent stretch marks, but keeping your skin moisturized may help with any itching.

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she’s practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby’s eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you’re having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

See what your baby looks like this week.

How your life’s changing:

You’re probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. You’re not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you’re feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints.

That’s not to say you won’t have some minor glitches to deal with now. For example, increased oil production may contribute to the development (or worsening) of acne. If that’s the case, be diligent about washing well with a gentle soap or cleanser twice a day, and make sure that any moisturizer or make-up you use is oil-free. Don’t take any oral acne medications — some are very hazardous during pregnancy — or use any topical acne products without first checking with your practitioner.

You’re also more prone to varicose veins now. As your pregnancy progresses, there’s increasing pressure on the veins in your legs; higher progesterone levels, which may cause the walls of your veins to relax, can make the problem worse. You’re more likely to get varicose veins if other family members have them. Also, they tend to get worse with each successive pregnancy and as you age. To help prevent or minimize varicose veins, exercise daily, prop up your feet and legs whenever possible, sleep on your left side, and wear maternity support hose.

You may also notice so-called spider veins (a group of tiny blood vessels near the surface of your skin), particularly on your ankles, legs, or face. They may have a spider- or sunburst-like pattern with little branches radiating out from the center, they may look like the branches of a tree, or they may be a group of separate thin lines with no particular pattern. Though they may be a bit unsightly, spider veins don’t cause discomfort and usually disappear after delivery.

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He’s also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby’s legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the “crown to rump” measurement. After 20 weeks, he’s measured from head to toe.)

He’s swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He’s also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you’ll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)

How your life’s changing:

Congratulations! You’ve hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you’ve likely gained around 10 pounds. Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. (If you started your pregnancy underweight, you may need to gain a bit more; if you were overweight, perhaps a bit less.) Make sure you’re getting enough iron, a mineral that’s used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, your body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for your growing baby and the placenta. Red meat is one of the best sources of iron for pregnant women. Poultry (especially the dark meat) and shellfish also contain iron. Some common non-meat sources of iron include legumes, soy-based products, spinach, prune juice, raisins, and iron-fortified cereals.

If you haven’t already signed up for a childbirth education class, you may want to look into one, especially if you’re a first-timer. A structured class will help prepare you and your partner for the rigors of labor and delivery. Most hospitals and birth centers offer classes, either as weekly meetings or as a single intensive, one-day session. Many communities have independent instructors as well. Ask your friends, family members, or caregiver for recommendations.

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby’s sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don’t be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

See what your baby looks like this week.

How your life’s changing:

Think you’re big now? You’ll start growing even faster in the weeks to come. As a result, you may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen or even an occasional brief, stabbing pain on one or both sides — especially when you shift position or at the end of an active day. Most likely, this is round ligament pain. The ligaments that support your uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight. This is nothing to be alarmed about, but call your practitioner if the pain continues even when you’re resting or becomes severe.

You may be noticing some skin changes, too. Are the palms of your hands red? Nothing to worry about — it’s from the extra estrogen. You may also have patches of darkened skin caused by a temporary increase in pigment. When these darker patches appear on your upper lip, cheeks, and forehead, they’re called chloasma, or the “mask of pregnancy.” You may also notice some darkening of your nipples, freckles, scars, underarms, inner thighs, and vulva. That darkened line running from your belly button to your pubic bone is called the linea nigra, or “dark line.”

These darkened spots will probably fade shortly after delivery. In the meantime, protect yourself from the sun, which intensifies the pigment changes. Cover up, wear a brimmed hat, and use sunscreen when you’re outdoors. And if you’re self-conscious about your “mask,” a little concealing makeup can work wonders.

There is a 6 year old boy by himself flying around in a man made flying saucer

How your baby’s growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He’s busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you’ll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they’re still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he’s born. If you’re having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you’re having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

See what your baby looks like this week.

How your life’s changing:

Hungry? An increase in appetite is pretty common about now. Make it count by choosing meals and snacks that are rich in nutrients instead of empty calories (chips, French fries, candy, and other sweets). Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline grow.

Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don’t spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.

From now on, when you do lie down, it’s best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.

If you haven’t already had a second-trimester ultrasound, you’ll probably have one soon. This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby’s growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you’re working with is accurate, and see how many babies you’re carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking his thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby’s first photo album!

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby’s skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she’s around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

See what your baby looks like this week.

How your life’s changing:

Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby. You’ll also want to be sure to buckle up when you’re in a car — keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly, drawn snugly across your hips, and also use the shoulder harness, which should fit snugly between your breasts.

You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.

justfndoit: @rookiepops yum…..hmmmmm. You eat your young? http://myloc.me/NJJ1
Sun Sep 27 15:55:11 2009

Let me explain…. first the crazy reference, then the crazy twitter syntax.

Sunday marked the day the my wife and I celebrated our pregnancy entering its 16th week.  Like every other Sunday of late, I awoke much earlier than one should on their day off of work.  The crazy thing was, it was just to check my email. You see, every Sunday I get an email from the Baby Center describing the miraculous and amazing developments inside of my wife’s womb. Don’t get me wrong, the Baby Center isn’t actually inside of her womb, nor is her womb even wired for email yet.  What her womb does however have inside of it, is my rapidly growing son or daughter. We don’t know which yet, but you’d know that if you’ve been following this blog or me on twitter

Now where was I … oh yeah, eating my young. So, I read my weekly baby update and here’s what it said:

How your baby’s growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he’s about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren’t recognizable yet. He’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

4.5 inches long, 3.5 ounces and pumping 25 quarts! Wow, that tiny heart is pumping a lot of blood and fast. Two random tangents, 1) the pitter patter of my baby’s heart on the doppler device is the closest I’ve ever come to feeling/achieving nirvana; and 2) Lets also hope the boy’s scalp (if its a boy) has a “fuller” pattern than mine. (That’s worth at least 2 future posts.)

Back to my story, for some crazy reason, the avocado reference got me thinking about guacamole which in turn resulted in me buying some guacamole, which then resulted in me sending out the following tweet (tweet = a message on twitter):

rookiepops: shoppings done. now for a little football, while i start working on my next post for the blog. my baby’s the size of an avocado, yum!
Sun Sep 27 15:44:03 2009

soon after I got this:

justfndoit: @rookiepops yum…..hmmmmm. You eat your young? http://myloc.me/NJJ1
Sun Sep 27 15:55:11 2009

So no, Mr. Justfndoit, I do not eat my young, nor do I care to. Smother? Definitely. But eat, no.

I do, however, eat guacamole, which is made out of avocados which are roughly the size of my baby this week although not nearly as cool.

Here’s a random thought … what is my kid going to think about all of my ridiculous posts when he or she is old enough to understand?

I’m sure it won’t be pretty…. I can see it now … In a fit of teenage angst, “I hate you dad! Your blog compared me to avocados and embarrassed me in front of all of my friends! You don’t understand me or where I’m coming from!” I’d reply, “Chill out kiddo.” After reminding my teen that I taught (him or her) how to speak, I’d reference this post and say, “See, I knew you when you were still swimming in your moms belly and  the size of an avocado!” Should they then dig thoroughly through this site and follow up with, “You didn’t enough love me enough to put my 15 week update up on your blog when mom was pregnant with me!” I’d reply with, “i knew you were going to say that.” Here’s last week’s update:

How your baby’s growing:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She’s busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she’s likely to move away from the beam. There’s not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby’s a boy or a girl! (Don’t be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby’s sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby’s position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to “hide the goods.”)

I would then look my teen in the eyes and say, “How do you like them apples?”

So what does this all mean:

1. My wife is probably right, I am nuts.
2. I’m already making corny parent jokes that make no sense… Darn, that happened a lot faster than I thought.
3. I am still way too obsessed with being a first time dad.

justfndoit: @rookiepops yum…..hmmmmm. You eat your young? http://myloc.me/NJJ1
Sun Sep 27 15:55:11 2009

Justfndoit is the username of the person who sent (or more accurately, posted) the tweet. you can see that his name in blue links to his twitter page which is http://www.twiiter.com/justfndoit

You can see anyone’s twitter page by throwing their username after twiiter.com …. like this http://www.twitter.com/username

Next you might be wondering why there is an @ sign before rookiepops. That is because he is indicating within his tweet that he is talking to a twitter user named rookiepops. Everyone can still see the message but now everybody knows (and most importantly I know) that he is referring to or replying to me. This is cool because it tells twitter automatically to make anything after the @ a link to that username’s twitter page – in this case mine, http://www.twitter.com/rookiepops

The time and date below refers to the time and date that the tweet was sent.

Finally, you may have noticed the link at the end of @justfndoit ’s tweet – http://myloc.me/NJJ1

One thing that the twitter-craze has resulted in is about a million and one add-ons or services that somehow use twitter. The myloc.me link at the end of the tweet is one such add-on. Myloc allows justfndoit to use his cell phone to broadcast his tweet and his location at the time the tweet was sent. Don’t worry its only sent when he specifically requests it to be, because  I know what you’re thinking … sounds a little too Will Smith and Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State for my taste.

Here’s something else you see a lot of on twitter: retweeting. This is a tweet I saw a couple of days ago.

Stacey0313: RT @rookiepops: “Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it.”- Marshall McLuhan
Tue Sep 29 23:15:30 2009

“RT” is short for re-tweet. It is sort of like a forwarded email but for a tweet. I sent out the tweet  – “Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it.” by Marshall McLuhan and @Stacey0313 liked it enough to share it will all of her followers. She wanted to give me credit for the post so she retweeted it.