Peachy

The baby is now the size of a peach and has left the development stage and entered the growth stage. My belly is definitely getting bigger, but I think it is only noticeable if you are in the know. I am feeling better in general, but I am still exhausted. Hopefully that will fade too, if not at least we have a holiday soon. I can still wear normal pants, but they are definately snug and I will have to look into some maternity clothes soon. Mike and I have opted out of all genetic testing and I feel pretty good about it. A close friend of mine had a horrible scare and had to have an NT scan which came back good, and I just don't want to go through that. Her baby is totally fine, but for one week I am sure it was terrifying. However, I am a little jealous because they know the gender now, and I won't know ours until January.

Your baby is 2 1/2 to 3 inches long, the size of a medium goldfish. She weighs about one ounce. Your baby is shorter than a finger, but her face is already showing individual features and characteristics! Her ears are now developed enough that she may be able to hear when you sing, hum, or talk. And her vocal cords will form this week—soon she'll be able to sing back. Your baby spends her time in your womb flexing her new and developing muscles and joints. Bouts of prenatal hiccups are strengthening your baby's diaphragm, which is preparing her respiratory system for breathing. Less glamorous but highly necessary organ systems for making hormones, absorbing nutrients, and filtering waste are also in place this week. The pancreas, gall bladder, and thyroid have developed, the kidneys can make urine, and her bone marrow is making white blood cells to help fight infection after she's born.