You are now the size of a lemon! You can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck your thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, your facial muscles are getting a workout as your tiny features form one expression after another. Your kidneys are producing urine, which you releases into the amniotic fluid around you — a process you'll keep up until birth. You can grasp, too, and you may even be sucking your thumb! Hopefully we will catch that on an ultrasound sometime!
In other news: You are stretching out! From head to bottom, you measure around 3 1/2 inches and you weigh 1 1/2 ounces. Your body's growing faster than your head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, your arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of your body. (Your legs still have some lengthening to do.) You are also starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over your body. Your liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and your spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though I can't feel your tiny punches and kicks yet, your little hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active....hopefully I will feel you in the next few weeks!
I found a picture of what you probably look like right about now - it still baffles me that you are inside of me, just wiggling away!
And what's new with me? Well, I don't feel like my belly on the outside has gotten any bigger...although I can still feel you growing inside because, especially at night, my muscles around you are sore. In the prego world, they call this round ligament pain and it's completely normal. Also, I think my blood sugars are starting to take the first steps of the journey upwards. I knew that around this time (anytime after 12-13 weeks) my body starts a long journey of an increased need for insulin. Right now, I have noticed this the past several nights after dinner into the early hours. At first I thought I just ate a big meal and that was having lingering effects, but after having a normal meal or two in there to compare to, I have changed my basal rates (the hourly rate of insulin that automatically gets released from my insulin pump) during those hours to counteract this increase my body has decided upon. Like I said, I knew to expect this, so this is just the beginning of this journey...from what I hear, by the 30th week, my insulin needs will double or triple or worse. So, right now I take a unit of insulin for every 10 g of carbohydrates I eat, and by the end I could be near 1 unit of insulin for every 3 g of carbs I eat!
And speaking of big meals at night...yikes...I need to be careful of that! There is no room for that I guess in there anymore...my belly literally felt like it was going to pop after a big meal. It just was super uncomfortable and almost hurt. Your Daddy kind of liked it because my belly pushed out that much further and I looked that much more pregnant. =) My tummy gets so big and tight! You are probably in there angry at me for cramping your style, literally! Other than the big meal times, I don't think I have grown in the belly too much though. Most of my regular clothes still fit...sort of...they are uncomfortable....but do-able if I wrap a hair band around the button hole and over the button...gives me just that much extra room I need! Everyone says I'm going to not want the belly and regret saying this - but too bad! - I want you to show so bad!
Let's see...your sisters are doing great...definitely enjoying not having any school or homework! They were in our pool today with one of their friends playing around. It is about 110 degrees outside, so the pool feels perfect right about now! Your Daddy and I are gearing up for San Francisco on Sunday (while your sisters go with their Mom up north in AZ to a cabin for the week). Getting super excited for that! Oh, and I started a book club today with a few ladies from church. We are reading the book, "Reedeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. AMAZING BOOK!!!! Incredible book, my baby...one of these days you'll read it and love it. Can't say enough about it...anyway, there was a verse in the discussion questions today that made me think of you, and I thought I would share.
Psalm 139:15-17
"You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God?"
That's you that the verse is talking about, my sweet baby! I am just the resting place and nourishment for God to do his miraculous work in - so that YOU - a miracle can be formed and born. I am so humbled and feel so blessed that the Lord chose me for this work. You are being woven together as I type this. It's crazy to think that every day of your life is already recorded in God's book...and every moment of your life is known already before you are even in the light of day. As you can see from the verse, God already loves you and cares for you so much - and your thoughts are so precious to Him! You are truly unique and special to God, which makes you that much more unique and special to be born into this world!
Oh...and I almost forgot...your Daddy and I have a surprise for you coming up....can't tell you what it is yet (because then it wouldn't be a surprise, right?!)...but definitely have some big stuff we will share in another week or so! You will be the first to know...promise! I love you baby!
