It's a conflicting feeling to announce that this journal is officially "closed". TheNut was something very special to Matt and I when we were pregnant with Cole... he was just a wee little nut in my belly when it first began. But, a lot of time has passed and he's now no where NEAR the size of a nut - not to mention, our family has grown and this journal is now about our family. With the expected arrival of #2 (also now much bigger than a nut, well maybe a coconut) it seems fitting to start a new Family Journal.

So, I invite you to view our family blog (journal): http://tothmccarry.blogspot.com/

We'll be updating, posting pictures and making any announcements there - I hope you'll join us (after all, you simply click the link and bookmark it)!

Hope to see you there :)

Wowzers, this baby has really gotten stronger in the last few days, kicking central in my belly!

He seems a particular fan of processed disgusting food (Lucky Charms, Toaster Strudels) as well as fresh fruit (bananas, apples, oranges).

He smiled once we explained putting on the costume meant candy!

( Lots of pictures here! )

Pictures!

( Click here for more! )

Oh, and there was that small bit of news about a so far healthy baby boy entering our family in March...

We're 20 weeks pregnant today, half-way to our due date of March 16th. We've taken to the name of Greyson for a boy - and if you ask Cole if he wants the baby in Mommy's belly to be Grey or Eve (Genevieve) he says Eve 10 out of 10 times. We'll all find out tomorrow what we're having... it's the big ultrasound and we've decided to find out, for a number of reasons. Most of all, Matt said he wanted to know and I realized I'll be more worried about having just given birth and if the baby's healthy when it's born - not if it's a boy or girl. Plus, we're tired of people begging us to find out! :)

Soon, #2 (who does it work for?!) will be he or she! We'll announce here this week... hopefully with a picture of the sonogram too.

We've spent this weekend preparing for Halloween. The weather's finally been cooperating, chilly, windy and dry. We carved our pumpkin, tried on Cole's costume and enjoyed an outdoor fall fire with s'mores at Papi's house. Again, hope to have pictures later this week.

For now, here's a #2 update...


How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She'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, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the"crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.) A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.) Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

You've made it to the halfway mark — Congratulations! The top of your uterus is at the level of your belly button now, and you've likely gained about 10 pounds (9 so far). Expect to gain an average of about another pound each week from now on. 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 for your developing baby and the placenta, and to keep up with your expanding blood volume. Iron-rich foods include lean red meat, poultry, fish, lentils and other legumes, spinach, and iron-fortified cereals. If you haven't already signed up for a childbirth education class, you may want to look into one. Whether you're a first-timer or a pro, you can benefit from a structured class that helps prepare you for the rigors of labor and delivery. Most hospitals and birth centers offer classes, either as weekly meetings or as a single intensive, all-day session. Ask your doctor or midwife for a recommendation. At 37 weeks, you'll be considered full-term, so plan to be done with classes by then.

We start our birth classes on Tuesday. Matt's mom will actually be taking Cole after she gets off work on Tuesday, keeping him overnight and dropping him off at school the next day - until December. It's a HUGE step for us all, since Cole has only ever had sleepovers a handful of times and it's on a school night. But, he's been doing really well on sleepovers lately and he loves going to Grandma Patti's with his Uncles - so I'm sure it'll go well. Plus, there aren't many other options, since we won't be home until almost 10pm from class and none of our family lives close by.

The class we're taking is run by a certified educator, Susan, in Washington DC. The class, done by BirthWorks focuses on teaching ways of coping techniques, positions and options for birthing naturally. We didn't take classes with Cole because as first time parents we wanted to be more safe than sorry and our doctors at the time felt a c-section was best for us. We have a new doctor this time that believes c-sections should be a last resort and that all mothers should at least try to birth their children if possible. Since we're unsure if we'll want another and complications are likely for a 3rd child after two c-sections, we're hoping to succeed in birthing naturally this time.

I can't believe 20 weeks has already passed and we're half-way done. Time is FLYING this time around. I guess more demanding jobs and a very demanding toddler leave less time to sit and wonder what a baby will be like... We are finally making steps toward preparation though. We set-up the bassinet in our room, rearranged Cole's room, set-up the crib and purchased a storage unit for the baby. We also have purchased all the cloth diapers we'll need and have gone shopping to test out new car seats for Cole (since the baby will use his current ones) as well as a double stroller for both kids. I'd say, ....we're about half-way there.

( More Pictures Here )

( This weekend, in pictures: Pumpkin Patch! )

Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely startnoticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

We had our monthly check-up on Friday. All is well, heard the baby's heartbeat and it appears to be strong and healthy so far. Later this month (next Monday) we'll have a big ultrasound where they'll check the brain, spine, etc development. Also, they'll offer to reveal the sex of the baby - which Matt and I are trying to avoid finding out... but who knows how we'll feel that day.


We had lots of fun at the Pumpkin Patch today, as soon as I muster the energy to do so I'll post pictures :)

Nona (great-grandma) and PopPop Toth generously gave Cole Gandalf (our bunny) as a gift. So, he had a few more dollars for birthday spending (lucky boy!). We went to the toy store yesterday and he picked out 3 jig-saw puzzles and a Dora Lego Set. He was SO excited about his new toys he wouldn't take a nap, he laid in bed playing with them for over an hour before I told him he could come out and we'd play them together.

Thank you all so much for your love and generosity for Cole's 2nd birthday. I feel I speak for him when I say he had a wonderful birthday and month long celebration. He's VERY happy to have all of the gifts, as well as the time he spent with quite a few of you.

Hopefully we'll have more pictures to post after this weekend, we're going to our yearly family fun of pumpkin picking at Cox's Farms.


I wanted to do a "developmental" post - but there are SO many changes it's literally impossible to list.

He's grown at least an inch or two in only two months (we track his height monthly). Between his feet and height, he's definately growing. His haircut makes him look much older as well, he hardly looks the same.

His words are endless. By no fault of his own, he's cursed a few times too - Matt and I's fault since he said it immediately after us in a mimic. Oops... we're working on washing our own mouths out with soap. Other than that, he can and does say almost everything now. Multiple sentences together in articulation of his needs, wants, thoughts, etc. He's become interested in talking on the phone to people and tells them his memories (his day at school "Elcie fun!" or something he hopes to do again "Papi boat!").

Last week, I made up a song - because he likes to sing along - and tricked him into learning to say I love you. For some reason he had never said it and I, being a mother, was desperate. Fortunately, my ploy worked and ever since he's been telling people he loves them, including his Dora Legos, his puzzles and his Bobo. Also, he's learned how to say "Sorry" when appropriate, instead of just hugging and kissing apologetically. Too bad his very polite and adorable "Thanks You" has become "Thankies." I'm glad to get a "Please" and a "Thankies" though, so I don't protest too loudly.

His sense of humor is so sharp too - often dark and sarcastic, he knows exactly what he's doing. We'll ask him who he loves or who is nice and he'll say "Nona, Papi, Nana, Elcie, Afton..." and when we say, "Do you love Mommy?" He'll squeal No! with laughter. Or he'll say, Daddy not nice! and follow it with a fit of hysterics. It's too cute to watch him develop his own identity, including sense of humor.

Last but not least, he's been very interested in learning numbers and counting as well as the ABC's. He counts, one, two, one, two even though he knows 3, 4, 5 and 6. ABC's are sung completely out of order, although he can identify C, G, E and O. Occassionally he'll know other letters, but it's not consistant. He can match letters VERY quickly though, so we're just trying to focus on teaching him what the "symbols" mean. His word for "words" is "E-E-O." He very enthusiastically likes to point out words, signs, etc to us - we tell him there are letters and words on that sign, it says "Harris Teeter" but he loses interest after telling us something he thought we didn't know.

Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long —about the size of a large onion. He can move his joints, and hisskeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone.His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, hislifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.


Cole and I are home today, in celebration of Columbus Day. Daddy had to work, so we're going to go have lunch with him. Cole called him this morning to tell him, Pizza Daddy, pizza lunch, daddy!. Matt agreed that a visit and pizza lunch was a good idea... boys.

Cole and I have been playing with new puzzles we purchased this weekend. He's NON-STOP with the puzzles lately. Literally, doing the same ones over and over and over again. Since the ones he had were becoming seemingly easy for him (he'd dump 5 puzzles out at the same time to try to make it more difficult to find the right piece) we went and got him some 3-4 year old puzzles. I was shocked to see him put a jig-saw puzzle together, like it was something he's been doing for years. We only purchased one, thinking it'd be too difficult. Guess we'll be going to buy more today...

Well, I'm significantly into my second trimester at this point; I felt the need to write a little about this pregnancy.

As with the first, I’ve been very lucky in having an easy pregnancy. I was slightly nauseas but having thrown up less than 5 times, I have no interest in complaining. That was short lived, maybe a few weeks. Then I was just tired, but going to bed at 8pm (or admittedly sometimes earlier) helped that. Cole and I went to bed at the same time each night and Matt had time to read Harry Potter.

These days, I’m not even feeling pregnant. I have the occasional outburst or mood swing or a heat wave will remind me I’m incubating human life of it’s own 98* temperature; but, for the most part, I’m walking around in what’s known as the Honeymoon of 2nd trimester. I’ve started to feel the baby sporadically kick, mostly when I lie down or if I’m very hungry – otherwise it’s hard to tell the difference between digestion and baby the feelings are so slight at this point. I am looking forward to later this month getting to see the little nut and hopefully being told that development is going well and all looks healthy. Hopefully by then, it’ll also be kicking harder and Matt will get to enjoy it.

What is different this time around; however, is Matt and I’s stress level. It’s difficult to remember – but how could we forget – how worried and overwhelmed we were at the idea of having our first. It hadn’t been planned (as this one was) so we felt the need to each work two jobs in preparation, we stressed about changing homes, cars, and preparing the perfect “cocoon” within our home for the first little life. Not to mention the stress it put on our relationship for us each to have our own fears and feel so separate from each other in what seemed like a never ending processes of change. But, this time, WOW, what a difference. We’re not worried or overwhelmed, we know what it takes and we know we can make it work. We know what’s actually needed and what Babies R Us and other companies tell you to make profit. We also already have most of the stuff and are now just enjoying the time in anticipation of the arrival of Cole’s younger sibling.

And I think that has been the most enjoyable, imagining Cole as an older brother, helping theNut learn life and play together. And too, the idea of growing our family has had the opposite affect on Matt and I’s relationship. These days we spend time lying around talking about how excited (and OK maybe frustrated) at the idea of starting all over again with another human being; helping it become itself and watching them grow and become their own person. There’s no fear, stress or overwhelment to tear us apart – instead, this pregnancy has just felt like joy, growing and a peaceful place.


p.s. disregard anything you've read about names - Penelope and Charlotte are off our list now... see, this is why Cole wasn't named until he was 2 hours old!

Yesterday Cole visited with two friends we hardly get to see, xtin and pigeonrat. He got, what I think, is the very last of his birthday gifts. Tomorrow he'll be 25 months old; I'm glad we were able to finish celebrating before his birthday month was over.

He's been enjoying each and every one of the items he was given, including clothes - since fall weather fell upon us last week. He is a very, very loved and lucky guy - as he was given a lot of thoughtful gifts as well as money, which Mom and Dad hadn't quite anticipated. This month, we've been making an effort to get him items he wants (or needs) and withdrawling the funds from the "Cole Birthday Fund".

( In an effort to let everyone know what he chose to buy, here's a list )

At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. His tastebuds are beginning to form. And if you have an ultrasound, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or girl! Fine hair is starting to cover baby this week. It's called lanugo. Bones are getting harder and retaining calcium. Baby can suck his thumb now, and many moms to be have seen them doing this on ultrasounds. Baby's skin is still very thin, and the blood vessels can be seen through it.

While #2 was busy developing lanugo, we spent the weekend doing tons of "family" stuff. We went out on Papi's boat on Saturday and then spent today running errands (got new furniture for the kids' room) and then ended the day with a visit to the pet store.

( A few pictures here )


The newest member of our family, a LionHaired 7 week old bunny... as per our usual, he has yet to be named.

( More of the bunny )

I believe we've narrowed our names down.

Penelope (Penny) Sue McCarry
Charlotte (Charlie) Toth McCarry

Jude Walker McCarry
Ian Jude McCarry


We do not plan on finding out the sex or revealing the names, should we actually pick one.
Since everyone will be in enough suspense with that, we thought we'd give a warning into our minds this time...

Not to show favoritism for gifts... but I thought it important to tell the story of Cole's "Bobo"

About a week ago Cole remembered he'd gotten his gift from hetterrific and family (we got so many at once we tried to phase them in so he'd get to enjoy them each).

So, we got down the Zoo box of "Live Animals!", went through it and Cole declared the stuffed animals from the Zoo "My babies" and attempted to scoop them up in his arms (difficult, as there were so many). He's been carrying them around the house, to bed, out of bed, even asking for them to sit at the table. But, he identified the "ring leader" or favorite of the group yesterday when he wanted to take his "babies" to show-and-tell. I told him he had to bring one, and he instantly selected the monkey, identifying him as "Bobo" (see Hug if this doesn't ring a bell).

He took Bobo to school, put him in the show and tell box, shared him and then was allowed to keep him until after nap. Evidentally when nap was over he had a temper tantrum to put Bobo in his cubby. He wouldn't let go of him last night, until bath time. So, Bobo got inadvertantly left on the dining table (where he'd eaten with us at a seat of his own). This morning when Cole woke up, the first thing he said was "where's Bobo?" and then proceeded on a half-hour journey to try to find him. He literally scoured every inch of his room, living room (I saw him try to lift cushions!), bathroom and kitchen all while saying “wheres bobo? My bobo? BOBO!?” He was calling out to him like he does Simon, as if Bobo would come to him - it was hysterical. After he’d climbed up in his bed and he wasn’t there I remembered he was in the dining room. So we walked there and when I pointed to him he squealed... loudly. He squeezed him tight and kissed him while saying “bobo!” when I handed it over. It was just like the mommy and monkey in the book. He took him back to school today but I made it clear he had to stay with his cot and was only for sleeping. He's never had a cot snuggly, shall be interesting. If nothing else though, it's freaking adorable.

I'm home with Cole today, he had a terrible cough with several crying and coughing fits from what appears to be sinus drainage - even though there's no fever we stayed home to let him recover from being up all night. The weather has finally changed and I'm sure the chilly air brought it on.
Despite his being sick, we're having the most wonderful day.

He's hysterical, adorable, fun, smart and oh so playful.
Even while coughing and sneezing and being sick.

We played for hours. He's now old enough to understand most toys have an actual purpose and we had a great time exploring what each of them actually does.

I made us tortilla shell pizzas for lunch.
As I had hoped, pizza was enough of a tempatation to get him to eat.

Now we're watching Beauty and the Beast. Papi got it for him for his birthday and we hadn't opened it yet. It's amazing to me how much he's changed between 18 and 24 months. He was bored by anything but Dora and Elmo a few months ago, now he'll sit and be engaged in a movie for hours. He'll even chat and ask questions about them. These days his words are developing at a rapid pace. Each day he seems to be learning 2-5 new words and he's becoming more clear with them, as well as using sentences (sometimes more than one at a time)!


and now... ( and now, finally, pictures! )



In #2 news, we're a little over a week less than we thought. 14 weeks 1 day today. We've had an ultrasound to confirm our due date is March 16th and there's only one baby! Who, thankfully, is looking healthy and strong at this point. I'm happy to be past the 1st trimester and feeling much better and lively.

I've felt flutters in my belly twice today. Once before lunch and once right now... I wonder if he/she is kicking extra hard in an effort to say "time to eat!"

This is the last week of your first trimester and your baby weighs 14 to 20 grams. The crown-to-rump length of your growing baby is 2.6 to 3.1 inches. Your baby is now about the size of a peach. Fetal growth is amazing from now through about the 24th week of pregnancy.

At this point of your pregnancy, there is a steady flow of pregnancy hormones in your bloodstream. Your body will adjust to the changes and morning sickness might stop and other early symptoms will begin to ease.

There is a milky membrane that surrounds your baby. It is pierced by the umbilical cord and is made up of two layers, which are fused together. Your placenta provides most of the nutrients and oxygen that your baby needs. By this week, the placenta is well formed and ready to take over hormone manufacture from your ovaries. The placenta will produce progesterone and estriol. These hormones will be crucial in the maintenance of your pregnancy.
Tissue that will form your baby's bones is being laid down, especially around the head and limbs. The nose and chin are becoming more prominent. Your baby's eyelids meet and fuse together and they will not open again for nearly four months. The eyes started out on the side of your baby's head and they are now moving closer together on the face. The ears come to lie in their normal position on the sides of the head. If examined outside of the womb, you will be able to distinguish male from female at this time.* The sockets for all twenty teeth are formed in the gums, and vocal cords are beginning to form.

*We won't be finding out the sex in any future sonograms, hopefully!



I am feeling much better and haven't felt a pang of morning sickness in almost 2 weeks now. I'm much more emotional and having huge hormone surges - but, at least no sickness.

Today, Mommy had the bright idea to invite 10 of my toddler and preschool friends over.



( We ran a Muck! )

( If a picture is worth a thousand words, then prepare for a novel! )

I wanted to make a big post about all of the stuff he does and says now; but, there's just so much, the idea of where to start is overwhelming.

He can say and repeats almost all words. He enjoys independent time to play. As much as he enjoys TV, he only ever asks for or enjoys 1 show or part of a movie a day. He'd much rather play cars, trains or read. He LOVES books. And planes, trucks and all animals too. He says hello and goodbye as well as please and thank you. He's started identifying people he knows and calling them what he wants when he can't say their name (our friend Katie is called Nan and my father is called Papi instead of Grandpa or the previously mentioned Uncle Ron and Gumpa).

Tomorrow is our big birthday party with all his friends. It's sure to be a big hit and lots of fun. We're looking forward to extending the celebration!

I've been so busy preparing for Cole's 2nd Birthday (tomorrow!) I forgot to post the 12 week update...

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is almost 2.5 inches and she now weighs between 8 and 14 grams! In just three weeks, your baby's size has more than doubled and begins to look alot more human. Even though you won't be able to feel your baby moving at this time, you can stimulate him and he will squint, open his mouth and move his fingers or toes.



By the end of this week, your uterus is too large to remain completely in your pelvis. You might be able to feel your uterus above your pubic bone. The uterus will continue to grow throughout your pregnancy and will return to its usual size within a few weeks after delivery. Before pregnancy, the uterus is almost solid and holds less than 0.3 ounces. During pregnancy, your uterus will become a thin-walled, muscular container that will hold the fetus, amniotic fluid and placenta. Before pregnancy, the uterus weighs approximately 2.5 ounces and when your baby is born, it will weigh almost 40 ounces!

Because most of the structures are already formed at this point, few will be formed after this time. The structures will continue to grow and develop throughout the remainder of your pregnancy. Your baby's skeletal system now has centers if bone formation in most of the bones. The digestive system is capable of making contractions that push food through the bowels and it is also able to absorb sugar. The pituitary gland beginning to make hormones. You will probably be able to hear your baby's heartbeat with a doppler at this time!

This week may be the first week that you begin to feel better! Morning sickness often tends to improve or diminish at this time. You should have begun to show, especially if this is not your first pregnancy. You will feel more comfortable in loose clothing, such as maternity clothes.

Your baby develops reflexes and the skin is very sensitive.
The brain is fully formed, and the child can feel pain. the baby may even suck his thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers.

In true McCarry style, the irish nut has moved his due date back to March 16th... we just might have a St. Patty's Day baby!

oh... and, to squelsh rumors - there's just one in there!

We got to see and hear the heart beat today - very cool. So cute! So tiny!

There are 203 days until your due date on March 05, 2008.
You are 77 days pregnant.
You are 2.6 months pregnant.
You are in your 3rd month of pregnancy.
Your 1st trimester: May 29, 2007 to August 27, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
Your 2nd trimester: August 28, 2007 to December 10, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
Your 3rd trimester: December 11, 2007 to March 04, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

Your baby continues to grow and is now approximately the size of a large lime! The crown-to-rump length of your developing child is 1.75 to 2.4 inches. The weight of the fetus is approximately 8 grams at this point. The growth of your baby is phenomenal now and your baby's length will double in the next three weeks. The head is grossly out of proportion and is almost half of the baby's length.

You are almost at the end of your first trimester and while changes continue to occur quickly in your baby, they are happening at a slower rate in you. Your uterus has been growing with the fetus inside of it and is now almost big enough to fill your pelvis. Your uterus may be able to be felt in your lower abdomen, above the middle of your pubic bone. You are not able to feel the baby moving inside of you at this time. Some women think that they have felt their baby moving now, but it is either gas or a wrongly dated pregnancy. You might also be noticing changes in your hair, fingernails, or skin around this time. Some women notice an increase in hair growth and nail growth during pregnancy and others lose small amounts of hair. You are burning up calories at a faster rate than you did before you became pregnant! The amount of blood being pumped around your body will increase and you might feel warmer than usual.

This is the last week of the embryonic period. From now on, your baby will be called a fetus. Your baby's fingernails appear this week! External genitalia are beginning to show distinguishing features and the development of male or female will be complete in three weeks. The placenta's blood vessels increase to provide your baby with the nutrients and oxygen he needs for continued growth. Your baby's ears are gradually moving from the neck towards the sides of his head. Inside of your baby's abdomen, the intestines are developing. Because the intestines are so large, some of them project into the umbilical cord and they will return to the abdomen within the next week or two.

Your baby is now able to swallow; the urinary system functions. The baby swallows and urinates the amniotic fluid and the fluid is continually replaced. The baby is kicking but the mother cannot feel it yet. All vital organs are formed and, for the most part, function normally. From now on, they will grow in size and efficiency.




He/She is now officially a fetus!

We have our 2nd OB appt on Friday and then our first sono on Monday the 20th. Hopefully all goes well. I think it'll really be real once we hear the heartbeat and then see the the little guy or gal.

I've been feeling SO much better. Less sickness and exhaustion, slightly more moodiness and cranky...

There are 208 days until your due date on March 05, 2008.
You are 72 days pregnant.
You are 2.4 months pregnant.
You are in your 3rd month of pregnancy.
Your 1st trimester: May 30, 2007 to August 28, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
Your 2nd trimester: August 29, 2007 to December 11, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
Your 3rd trimester: December 12, 2007 to March 05, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

At this point of your pregnancy, the crown-to-rump length of your developing baby is 1.25 to 1.68 inches. It is now easier to tell how much the baby weighs since he is beginning to put on some weight. Your baby weighs approximately 5 grams and is the size of a small plum! The baby has grown an incredible amount during these past few weeks!



This week is somewhat of a landmark for your developing baby. By now, your baby's complete body plan is laid down. Your baby will continue to develop and grow for the remainder of the pregnancy. The fingers and toes have separated and the tail has dissappeared now. Your baby has taste and tooth buds at this point, which will continue to develop. The brain will continue to grow at an amazing rate and nearly a quarter of a million new neurons are produced every minute! The embryonic heart is completely developed. External genitalia are not apparent until next week, but a male's testes will already be producing testoterone.

Because you have high hormone levels at this time, you may notice an abundance of emotional and physical effects. Most pregnant women find themselves getting distressed easily and have frequent mood swings. Common physical changes include the beginning of real weight gain, potential softening of the gums and slightly swollen thyroid glands. Common emotional changes include feelings of unattractiveness, feelings of inadequacy and concerns about what the future holds. Some women are not excited about their pregnancy at first and question the condition. It is not uncommon to get upset easily, cry at the slightest things, feel moody or drift on daydreams.

I have started to become particularly moody and easily upset lately - no excuse, but nice to know it's normal...