15 Weeks....

We are now at 15 weeks. I have a doctor's appointment this Friday and we are hoping to find out the sex of the baby even though our "official" ultrasound isn't until May 5. We're hoping the baby will cooperate and not "hide the goods" for us to see. Everything seems to be going well and I'm feeling great. I don't know if it was because I read that I wouldn't be quite as tired in my 2nd trimester or what, but all of a sudden I feel like I've got way more energy. I've still be going to the gym every weekday and running, biking and lifting weights. I think I would go crazy if I couldn't work out! Hopefully as the weather heats up and I get bigger I'll be doing a lot more swimming too.

Enough about me...during the next month, our baby will grow faster than it ever has or ever will. The rapid and sustained growth experienced by the baby this month enables it to be more agile than before. For example, our baby can now turn its head, open its mouth, and press its lips together. Not bad for somebody who only weighs 1 ounce (28 g) and stands only 33⁄8 inches (8.5cm) tall! Baby is now about the size of an apple.

Baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Although baby's eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light. They say that if you shine a flashlight at your tummy she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for  baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. 

Our baby now displays more sophisticated hand and arm movements, such as making a fist, moving the thumbs, bending the wrists, and grasping. All the body movements that the baby engages in right now constitute practice. It takes some time for the nervous system and the muscles to make smooth, synchronous movements. So these motions test the hook-ups within the neuromuscular system.

I'll post some new tummy pictures later in the week. Grow baby grow!